#Branchbark

[clangenrising]

Month 20 - Leaffall

Despite the heavy, nearly unbearable grief over Sagetooth’s passing, Ospreymask was doing very well these days. Her wounds had all healed nicely. Things were starting to feel less dire. After the battle, SkyClan had started sending warriors to help patrol the southern border, just in case, and the Clans had reinstated the twenty-four hour patrol schedule that had been abandoned after Razor’s death. As much as the work was tiring, there were always new cats in the camp and the novelty of it was enough to brighten her spirits considerably.

It was especially nice when Pebblefall came to visit. Ospreymask had begged Russetfrond to let her patrol with them whenever they came by and he had eventually relented, seeing as offering to work wasn’t something she usually did. She couldn’t help but feel smug about it. If only he knew what she and Pebblefall got up to when they had the time to themselves, maybe then he would have second guessed that decision. 

On a breezy leaffall day, she took a good long moment to appreciate just how lucky she was as she lay sprawled against their belly in the grass, watching it wave gently over their silvery speckled fur. It wasn’t every day you found a friend like Pebblefall -- or for that matter, a friend like Branchbark, who had agreed to cover for them on patrol again. Sighing, she reasoned that they ought to get back before he got ambushed by rogues or coyotes or something, even if she’d rather keep dozing peacefully to the gentle rhythm of Pebblefall’s slumbering breaths. 

“Alright,” she said, batting lightly at their face, “time to get up, lazy bones.” Pebblefall groaned and rolled onto their back to stretch their paws as far as they could go in either direction. Ospreymask had to resist the temptation to lavish the gorgeous arc of their body with playful licks like she so often did these days. That would lead to Branchbark being on his own for another good while and she was already starting to feel guilty about how long they had been gone. 

“Do I have to get up?” Pebblefall asked sleepily, peeking at her with one eye. 

“Yeah…” she sighed again. “I think Branchbark is probably getting tired of covering for us by now.” 

“Oof,” they frowned and sat up. “You’re probably right. I wish I could thank him for everything.” 

Ospreymask laughed and said, “You could always try. Stars know he could do with a bit of stress relief.” 

“Not like that, dummy,” Pebblefall swiped at her and she bounced backwards out of their reach. 

“Why not?” she kept laughing. “You seem happy to thank me that way.” 

Pebblefall stood and stretched, glaring playfully at her as they bowed. “Thank you? What have you done worth thanking for?” 

“Um, I am generous enough to allow you to enjoy the pleasures of my body,” she huffed performatively and stood up straight as if offended. “Is that not worthy of thanks?” 

“Sounds to me like we’re gonna get stuck in a loop pretty quickly if that’s how I thank you for letting me thank you,” they snorted. Carefully fixing the nettle flowers they wore back into place behind their ear, they padded over to join her. 

“Is that a bad thing?” she purred teasingly, winding her tail around theirs.

“I guess not,” they chuckled and nipped playfully at her ear. She shook her head and they set off towards the border where Branchbark was waiting for them. 

Ospreymask hummed thoughtfully to herself as they walked, eventually saying, “You’re good with me keeping the kittens if there are any, right?” 

“Oh, yeah,” Pebblefall nodded. “I’m not in any rush to be a parent.” 

“Good, cause you would have had to pry them from my cold dead paws,” Ospreymask declared. “I’m so kitten crazy it’s not even funny.” 

“I do not understand that at all,” they shook their head. “Kits are so tiring and annoying. I can’t imagine having to carry them either, it sounds like a nightmare.” 

“No way!” she said. “They’re so much fun! Just cute little bundles of joy that love you with all their heart. It's so easy to impress a kitten, it’s the best.” She smiled, imagining little Pebblefall copies following her around and asking her questions about the world. “I’m actually really looking forward to being pregnant. I want to feel their little heartbeats and kicks and everything. It sounds absolutely magical.”

“If you say so,” they shrugged and she let that be the end of it. She was too busy thinking about the kittens she might soon have. 

Eventually, they made it to the border and found Branchbark waiting where they had left him. He looked up as they approached and let out a sigh of relief. Standing, he padded over to them looking miffed but mostly glad to see them. 

“There you are,” he said. “The next patrol is supposed to relieve us soon. I was getting worried about how I would explain where you’d gone.” 

“You can always come get us,” Ospreymask offered but Branchbark blushed and shook his head. 

“Uh, no, I don’t think so,” he fumbled out the words and Ospreymask laughed. 

“Okay, I get it. We’ll take a smaller nap next time, promise.” 

“Can’t you just, you know, not nap?” he asked, quirking a brow at her. 

“It’s tiring,” Pebblefall said. “It’d be more suspicious if we didn’t nap and the two of us came back exhausted.”

“It can’t be that tiring,” Branchbark scowled. 

“You’d know if you’d tried it,” Ospreymask gave him a playful shove and he pushed her back without any humor. She was pushing her luck and she could tell.

“Yeah, yeah, okay,” he rolled his eyes tiredly. “Let’s just make another sweep before we have to go back, alright?”

“Yeah, sure thing,” Pebblefall said with a guilty grimace. “We’ll be more considerate in the future, man. I’m sorry.” 

Branchbark sighed. “It’s alright. Don’t mention it.” He started walking, leaving Pebblefall and Ospreymask to exchange rueful glances. 

As they finished out the patrol, Ospreymask’s guilt grew in her stomach and started to writhe. Branchbark had taken Sagetooth’s death a lot harder than she had -- probably harder than anybody -- which had totally caught her off guard. She’d tried to go back to acting like nothing had happened, to replace the sadness with new joys, but it seemed like Branchbark wasn’t having as easy of a time at it as she was. And on top of it all, she had been asking him to be all alone for not inconsiderable stretches of time so she could fool around without doing anything for him in return. 

If he had asked her for a favor, she would gladly have given it to him, but he never asked for anything. She chewed her lip for the entire walk back to camp, trying to think of a way to repay him for his kindness. She was so deep in thought, she barely noticed when Pebblefall said goodbye and headed back to their own territory. 

“Hey,” Branchbark asked, a little while after they had left, “are you alright?” 

“Yeah,” she nodded, smiling immediately. “I’m fine, I’m just worried about you man. I feel like I’ve been a bad friend.” 

Branchbark pursed his lips and looked down. “No, you’re fine, I’m just… stuck in my head right now.” 

“I know!” Ospreymask cried, butting her head against his shoulder. “You’ve been so good to me lately, I wanna return the favor.”

“It’s okay,” he said, nuzzling back into her. “I don’t know what I would ask for anyway.” 

“Well, if you can think of something, just let me know, yeah?” she asked. 

“Yeah, okay,” he nodded. 

Ospreymask sighed in defeat. He wasn’t going to ask.

[galladeverse]

List of characters

Toy Bonnie, Charlie, Berry, Rogue Virus, Puppet Bonnie, Circus Baby, Molten Freddy, Vampire Fox, Rogue (Normal/Mutated), Scared Virus, Andy, Scratchstar, Branchbark, Applepaw, Jackdawkit, Panther, Beetletail, Hunter, Cutman, Scrapman, Wisp, Gallade, CARE, Tox, Lily, Audino, Toxicroak (normal/Melted), Croagunk, Buns, Ms. Leaf, Gator, Frost, Teddy, Pyro, Ovelin, Merlin, Shy Guy, Buzzy, Huck, Koops, Slyme, Pixel, Hightail, Cartoon Mouse (Normal/Killer), Lanky Limber, QuestCatcher (River Skies, Green Lightning), Bunny, Emma, Sara, Weezord,  Zalia, Tim, Zeebah, Jinx the Jester (pre-escape attempt/post-escape attempt), Mr. Bones (cartoon/real), Tracker, Walter, Gerald, Eve, Bix, Malomon, Ender, Jeremy, Endermind, Heatwave, Waterwave, Windwave, Thunderwave, Naturewave, Icewave, Emburst, Bilge, Mint, Twinkle, Iro, Flapper, Dawn, Aalto, Archie, Pumbaa, Magma, Flint, Clepto, Nocte, Clamor, Frai, Elude, Experiment B (Umbra), Experiment D’s right half (Gordon), Experiment D’s left half (Ryan), Experiment E (Eric), Experiment F (Aria), Experiment G, Experiment H’s body, Experiment H’s soul, Experiment I (Eileen), Experiment J, Experiment K-1 (Jackson), Experiment L, Codec, Nerve, Motherboard, Protogolem, New Nox, Orianna (Orion and Kieriana), Sandy, Zalia, The creature that was in Ender's closet, Jack, Adore, Shamrock, Midas, Oak, Willow, Birch, Acacia, Warp, Crimson, Dark Oak, Spruce, Azalea, Palm, Maple, Mac, Leaf, Valerie, Beacon, Brennan, Max, a wither, Akahiro, Corusco, Fission, Chuck, Whitford, Fenwick, Grim, and I think that’s it. If I make or remember any more, I will update this list.

[galladegamer]

@monstercatz​ 

Here’s their pictures! I didn’t add color yet, but I hope you like them.

The first one is Scratchstar! Ever since he became a warrior, his life was so rushed that when he died, he could only come back as a shadow. His entire time as a warrior lasted about 2 moons.

Next up is Branchbark. A medicine cat that is completely blind. Her white stripes are actually her ribcage!

Next up we have the OC monstercatz’ tallest member, Applepaw! Her height is technically beat by jackdawkit, but we’ll get to that. When Applepaw was seen spying on RiverClan, they basically left her mouth hanging on by a thread!

Next is technically our ACTUAL tallest member (and the one that’s been through the most), Jackdawkit! Before leaving the clan, he was probably the most cat-like in the clans! However, Ravenpaw can tell you that if you leave the clan, there will be consequenses. For Jackdawkit, he basically started mutating, his legs becoming longer and weaker until he couldn’t even support his own weight! Now even taking a step brings great pain to him.

Next up is the scariest member, Panther! He is VICIOUS. If you meet him, RUN.

Last but not least, we have beetletail. A while ago, he broke his front paw accidentally falling into the clan. He’s also been through a LOT of heartbreak.

Is it ok if I make monster versions of my warrior cats OCs?

yeah go ahead!! i don't own the concept of monsters haha

but i would be interested in seeing 👉👈

[clangenrising]

Month 19 - Leaffall

Sagetooth gasped sharply and lurched upright as a cold touch to her forehead pulled her up from a thick, inky blackness. She looked around at the bed of hastily gathered wildflowers and the cats clustered nearby and wondered aloud, “How long have I been out?” 

None of the cats even acknowledged her. Close by, Branchbark and Ospreymask loafed side by side, completely unaware she had spoken. Ospreymask leaned weakly on Branchbark, a patchwork of cobwebs plastered over her dark pelt and Branchbark’s eyes were raw and red. More cats sat nearby, all of them somber and quiet in the pre-dawn light. They looked miserable and something foreboding stirred inside Sagetooth at the sight. 

“About an hour, I think,” said a familiar voice. Sagetooth turned her head to see Poppyblaze standing nearby. At her feet lay Lakepaw, stiff and cold and decorated with morning glory and goldenrod flowers. 

“Oh,” Sagetooth said simply. 

“Yeah,” Poppyblaze grimaced. “I’m sorry old friend. I wasn’t expecting to come for you for a while.” 

Sagetooth’s gaze drifted down to the apprentice laying beside her own body, over which she now stood. “She died to protect me,” she said. “Poor kit.” 

“She gave quite the fight for her age,” hummed Poppyblaze. “Are you alright if I wake her now? We really should be going.” 

“Of course,” Sagetooth said, then inhaled sharply with memory. “Wait, I have to check on something!” She quickly hopped over the flowers woven around her feet and headed for the healers’ den at a brisk pace. 

“Don’t go far!” Poppyblaze hissed worriedly. “It’s not safe!” Sagetooth twitched an ear dismissively and continued into the den. There was nothing that would hurt her here and she had important things to do. 

As she stepped into the den, the blood that covered the floor made her pause. Even though every scent felt like it was miles away, she could pick up on the pungent odor of blood and urine -- and not just the expected amount of urine that came with the dead. Stepping further in, she found the herb stores in disaster, every herb tossed to the floor, shredded, and sprayed by the rogues. She curled her lip in disgust.

“Honorless brutes,” she muttered under her breath, shaking her head. Turning away from that mess, she marched purposefully around the corner to Oddstripe’s empty nest and sighed in relief when she saw the small lump underneath the back corner. The horsetail and juniper she had hidden there was safe. She had no doubt Oddstripe would find it eventually. There wouldn’t be another death like Nightfrosts. 

Set at ease, she turned back and padded out into the clearing where Poppyblaze was standing with Lakepaw’s spirit in the middle of the circle of mourners. Poor Lakepaw was softly weeping into the guide’s starry fur. 

Sagetooth padded over and said, “There, there, Lakepaw. It’s going to be alright.” 

Lakepaw looked up at the sound of her voice and sniffled. “I’m so sorry, Sagetooth,” she whined. “I promise I tried my best.” 

“I know,” Sagetooth smiled. “You were a brave warrior.” Lakepaw sniffled again and rubbed a paw over her face, managing to return her smile, just a bit. 

“Alright, now, let’s be quick,” said Poppyblaze. “This place isn’t safe.”

“How so?” Sagetooth scowled. “I’ve never heard of anything dangerous in StarClan.” 

“We’re not in StarClan,” Poppyblaze explained, leading they over to the Stoneperch. “We’re in a place called the Parallel. It’s the place where the spirit and the physical meet, and right now, Razor’s ghost is prowling around it somewhere.” 

“What?” Sagetooth couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “How is that possible?! Only Clan cats move on to the afterlife.” 

“Oh, Sage,” Poppyblaze shook her head. “There’s so much you don’t know about the universe.” Sagetooth bristled indignantly. If there was knowledge out there, why hadn’t StarClan shared it with her? Why hadn’t Poppyblaze told her about it before? 

With a flick of her tail, Poppyblaze sent a shower of stars into the sky, leading up in a series of platforms, and said, “This way! Let’s get climbing.” 

“Wowzers,” breathed Lakepaw and Poppyblaze chuckled. 

“I like you, kid,” she purred. “Now, come on.” She gave Lakepaw’s rump a nudge with her nose and the apprentice hopped up, easily leaping from platform to platform into the sky. Sagetooth hesitated, shifting her weight. 

“You can’t make a slope of some kind?” she asked. 

Poppyblaze laughed and said, “Just give me one jump, yeah?” 

Sagetooth sighed, grumbling under her breath, and bunched her legs beneath her. It had been a long time since she’d properly jumped and she was not looking forward to it. Still, if Razor was loose somewhere around here, she’d be much better suited to jumping than fighting him. She leapt and was amazed to find herself easily and painlessly landing on the first platform. Her eyes sparkled in wonder and she glanced down at Poppyblaze who laughed again.

“See? You don’t have a body anymore so no more joint pain! Pretty cool, huh?” 

“It’s very nice, yes,” Sagetooth purred to herself, stretching out each leg experimentally. 

“Great, now let's go, go, go,” urged Poppyblaze, hopping up beside her. Sagetooth nodded and started ascending. She was buzzing giddily at the freedom in her movements, in the way she could coordinate her limbs and move them without the aching resistance she had grown used to for the last few years. 

Over their heads, Lakepaw cried out, “Wowzers! Look at the world from up here!” 

“It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?” grinned Poppyblaze. The higher they climbed, the more Sagetooth had to agree. The world was a stunning mess of mauves rustling in the breeze. A hint of orange had just started to peek over the eastern horizon and the contrast took Sagetooth’s breath away. 

“Hey, what’s that?” Lakepaw asked. 

“Hm?” Poppyblaze perked her ears. She and Sagetooth followed the apprentice’s gaze to the south. Standing in the grass, not too far from camp, several smudges of glowing red broke up the peaceful purple landscape. 

“Oh, that’s not good,” Poppyblaze swallowed. 

“Razor?” Sagetooth asked. 

“Yeah, I think so. I’m going to check it out. I need you to stay here, okay?” She looked at both of them sternly and said, “Don’t go up without me and don’t try to go down under any circumstances, understood?” 

“Yeah,” Lakepaw’s fur was standing on end as she nodded.

“Absolutely not,” Sagetooth huffed. “I’m coming with you.” 

“Oh, Sage, my stubborn, stubborn friend,” Poppyblaze’s expression was some mixture of distress and admiration. “Now really isn’t the time for this.” 

“If it isn’t safe for me to go along then you shouldn’t be going, you reckless fool,” Sagetooth stood her ground.

Poppyblaze sighed. “I guess that’s a fair point. Alright, fine. Stay here, Lakepaw, we’ll be back soon.” 

“Okay,” Lakepaw’s voice was shaky. “Please be safe.” 

“We will be,” Sagetooth assured her, then looked at Poppyblaze and gestured for her to lead the way. Poppyblaze took a careful step forward into the open air and when her paws moved away, there were starry platforms in their wake. Sagetooth fell into step behind her and they set out over the fields towards the red shapes. 

As they drew closer, Sagetooth started to make out the silhouettes of cats. A tall grey tabby stood in the center of the group, flanked by a cream tabby she-cat, a black-furred tom with white paws, and a pair of blue and white cats with notches in their ears. All five of them had the same shimmery pelts as StarClan but the stars were red tinged or dull and grey. 

“What are so many cats doing in the Parallel?” Poppyblaze whispered to herself, halting to observe them from a short distance behind and a tree’s length above. 

“That big one, is Razor, yes?” Sagetooth asked in the same hushed tone. She’d never seen the rogue’s body, too busy with healing the wounded, but she had heard the stories. She could see the gaping wound in his throat dripping ichor as he hunched over in the grass. He looked like stories of Dark Forest ghosts but that didn’t make any sense to her.

“Mhm,” nodded Poppyblaze. “He destroyed Darkmoon and EarthClan’s guide and tried to destroy me.” 

“What’s he doing?” asked Sagetooth. Both she and Poppyblaze squinted at Razor who was doing something with his paws over a space of fresh churned earth. He hooked his claws into something and pulled up dragging a new glowing red shape up from the dirt. In horror, Sagetooth watched the face of a cat burst from the ground, choking and gasping for air as Razor hoisted his spirit up by the scruff. The cat scrambled to his feet and stared around, eyes wide, chest heaving, and Razor smiled with a deep rumbling purr that Sagetooth could just barely hear. 

“Welcome to the land of the not quite living, Harry, ” he said, slapping the new cat on the back. 

“Oh, no,” Poppyblaze swallowed. “This is bad. This is very bad. Where’s Bakari?” 

“Who?” Sagetooth couldn’t help but ask. 

“What’s going on? Where are we?” the newly dead cat panted. “Who are they?” Sagetooth’s stomach dropped as he looked directly up at her and Poppyblaze. Razor cocked his head and turned in their direction. When he saw them, a terrible smile spread across his face, made all the more gruesome by the ichor seeping between his teeth. 

“Oh, look,” he purred and the whole group of cats turned to look at them, “It’s my little friend. I never did catch your name, sweetheart.” 

Poppyblaze bristled and twitched her tail against Sagetooth’s flank. “We’re leaving,” she whispered. “Now.” Sagetooth didn’t need any further prompting, quickly, she twisted on the starry platforms and started bounding back to where they had left Lakepaw waiting. Poppyblaze was close on her tail.

“Come now, don’t be like that!” Razor jeered after them and a couple of the other cats laughed. “Come on down so we can get friendly!” 

“This is very bad,” Poppyblaze hissed under her breath. “Worse than I thought.” 

“How so?” Sagetooth tilted her ears backward in curiosity. 

“How to explain…” Poppyblaze hummed thoughtfully. “So, when a creature dies, their soul is trapped inside their body. If left there, it rots and disappears, just like the rest of them, but if someone disconnects them from their body, they can live for effectively eternity, given the right conditions.” 

“Right, as long as they’re remembered, they resist fading away,” Sagetooth nodded. 

“Not exactly,” Poppyblaze said, “but that’s not really important right now.” Sagetooth twitched an ear in irritation, wishing Poppyblaze would stop saying confusing and ambiguous new things, but held her tongue so the guide could continue. “Separating a soul from a body is a tricky process, one that guides have been teaching each other for countless millennia. It looks like, somehow, Razor has figured out how to do it, or how to brute force it at least.” 

“Alright,” Sagetooth frowned, trying to put the pieces together. “So now, instead of wasting away, the kittypets’ spirits will be stuck on the Parallel with Razor where they can harass spirits waiting to go to StarClan?”

“It’s more complicated than that,” Poppyblaze said to Sagetooth’s frustration. “Usually, Bakari comes and collects the non-Clan cats in this area, but for some reason, he hasn’t been doing that.” 

“Who is this Bakari you keep talking about?” Sagetooth grumbled. 

“The guide for feline souls,” Poppyblaze’s tail began to twitch, “exempting Clan cats who have their own guides.” 

“But that’s not-” Sagetooth grit her teeth. “That doesn’t make any sense! Only Clan cats persist after death. That’s how it’s always been!” 

“Sorry, Sage, but that’s just not true,” Poppyblaze shook her head. “Everything has its own guide -- cats, dogs, mice, birds, beetles, twolegs. Everything! There’s even a guide who collects the plants! He’s a big ol’ thing with a prehensile nose and the shaggiest fur you’ve ever seen. Name’s Frost. Lovely guy, excellent conversationalist.” 

“Poppyblaze!” Sagetooth snapped, lashing her tail. They were almost back to Lakepaw now and she turned around to glare at the old spirit. “Enough about the plants! I still don’t understand what’s going on!” 

“It’s a lot to understand,” said Poppyblaze sympathetically, “but I’ll try to summarize.” She shifted her posture, collecting her thoughts, and said, “Alright, so Bakari usually collects the spirits of cats from outside the Clan. Every so often, a creature with a particularly strong will can separate themself on their own -- that’s how the first guides were created and it's what I assumed Razor had done. When I ran into him the first time, he said that he’d already destroyed two other cats and since EarthClan’s guide had never returned from gathering Darkmoon, I assumed they were the cats he’d destroyed.

“But this is so much worse. I think he destroyed Bakari when he tried to take Razor to the next life. He’s obsessed with getting back to his body like Goldenstar did and said he was going to keep killing cats until someone showed him how.”

“Oh,” Sagetooth swallowed. “That’s definitely not good.” 

“And that’s not all,” continued Poppyblaze. “If he’s only killed two cats and they were Bakari and Chestnutsprout, then Darkmoon is missing. He could be here on the parallel or he might be lost in the Clouds! Who knows!” 

“Then we need to get back to StarClan,” Sagetooth said. “They have to know.” 

“Agreed,” Poppyblaze chewed her lip. “Come on, let’s grab Lakepaw and get moving.” They padded quickly over the remaining distance to where Lakepaw was waiting dutifully for them. 

“Is everything okay?” she called as they approached. 

“Everything’s fine, dear,” said Sagetooth.

“Not really,” smiled Poppyblaze, “but we’re all safe for now. Let’s keep climbing, okay?” 

“Okay,” nodded Lakepaw and they all started up the platforms again. 

Sagetooth glared at Poppyblaze. “You didn’t have to worry the kit like that.” 

“She deserves to hear the truth,” Poppyblaze shrugged. “Or would you prefer I hide things from her like StarClan hid things from you?” Sagetooth’s anger fizzled immediately. 

“I suppose I’d rather not lie to her,” she sighed. After a moment she asked, “Why did StarClan keep the nature of things a secret? What harm is there in knowing other creatures have spirits that linger just like we do?” She trusted that there was some explanation, that StarClan had made the choice with good reason, but she couldn’t think of what it could be.

“A lot of them don’t know,” Poppyblaze admitted, “not any more at least. And the cats who do, well, you’d have to ask them, but I suspect they thought it would keep the Clans in line.” 

“In line?” Sagetooth sputtered. “What are you talking about?” 

“Well,” Poppyblaze hummed, “if you think that leaving the Clan means you lose your chance at the afterlife, you’re a lot more inclined to stay in the Clan, aren’t you?”

Sagetooth scowled. “I suppose.” This was very troubling. Wasn’t that for the best though? Leaving the Clan was tantamount to death. The poor young cats who were seduced by the lives of kittypets or rogue lovers were abandoning their homes, their traditions, their families. But still, even if their spirits existed after death, they didn’t get to hunt in StarClan’s forests so why lie? Wasn’t the outcome the same either way? The whole situation didn’t sit right with her at all. 

“Alright,” Poppyblaze said, as they neared the lower reaches of cloud cover. “We’re about to head into the Clouds, alright? It’s pretty maze-like in there and easy to get lost so make sure you stay where you can see me and let me know if you need to stop or slow down, got it?” 

“Yes ma’am,” Lakepaw said, eyes wide with awe. 

“Fine,” Sagetooth huffed, still deep in thought. This wasn’t what she had imagined her voyage to StarClan would be like. Still, she resolved to make the most of it and so set her shoulders and raised her head proudly. There would be time to get to the bottom of things and she was going to, that much was certain.

[clangenrising]

Month 19 - September Gathering

Leaffall was off to a staggering start. Oddstripe had been enjoying the chilly air and the changing leaves only for the heat to come back in full force without warning. He’d been urging everyone to remember to get out of the sun and drink water in addition to eating fresh-kill for the last few days. Unfortunately, Sagetooth had come down with heat stroke while looking for fennel and even Lakepaw had exhausted herself with battle training out in the sun. 

Oddstripe applied moss to both of their foreheads as they rested in the healers’ den, saying, “Just relax and take care of yourselves. This should pass. If you need any water just call for someone and they’ll bring you some okay?” 

“You’re sure I can’t go to the gathering?” Lakepaw pouted.

“I’m sorry, dear,” he shook his head, “it’s bad timing but you have to stay and rest. There will be another gathering next moon.” 

Sagetooth, laying on her side with her eyes shut tight, asked, “Will you be alright on your own, Oddstripe?” 

“Oh, yes,” he smiled and ran a few licks over her fur. “I’m sure I can manage. It’s not like I’m doing anything anyway, I’m just going to go sit below the Cornerstones and be quiet.”

“Hmf,” Sagetooth muttered something to herself but didn’t seem to have the energy to give any further commands. Oddstripe sighed in relief. 

“Hey, dad,” Sparrowsway ducked his head into the den, “you ready to go?” 

“Yep,” smiled Oddstripe. “I was just finishing up. You two get your rest, I’ll be back later tonight.” 

“Okay…” Lakepaw stared wistfully out at the night but kept her head on her paws. Oddstripe touched his nose to Lakepaw’s ear and padded out after his son. The Gathering party was congregating on the hill as the last stragglers made their way to the group. 

Russetfrond was untangling himself from his two eager kittens. Bluekit and Yellowkit clung to his legs begging in chorus to be allowed to go with him. Oddstripe winced as he watched the patience draining from Russetfrond’s face bit by bit. 

“I already said no,” he growled firmly, wiggling his paws out of their grasp. 

Bluekit whined and plopped down on his belly looking dejected but Yellowkit leapt for his father’s paw again, giggling, and cried, “Come onnnnn! I’ll be good, I promise!” 

“Enough!” Russetfrond snapped, nipping sharply at the kit who squealed and dropped into a crouch with his ears pressed back. Russetfrond picked him up by the scruff -- which was quite the feat given how much he had grown in his four moons -- and set him beside Bluekit, saying, “You can’t even be good right now! You’d both better learn to behave before you become apprentices or you’ll be stuck on tick duty for every Gathering.” 

“Sorry, father,” Bluekit said, sitting up straight and tucking his paws close to his body. 

“Sorry,” mumbled Yellowkit, looking at the ground. 

“Speak up,” Russetfrond ordered and Yellowkit straightened up. 

“Sorry, father,” he echoed. 

“That’s better,” huffed Russetfrond. “Now behave while I’m gone and maybe I’ll catch you a special treat, alright?” Both boys nodded and Russetfrond leaned in to plant a tender lick on both of their heads. “Thank you, boys. I love you.” 

“Love you,” the kits chorused. 

“I do not envy those kits,” Aldertail whispered to Oddstripe, having come up beside him at some point. 

Oddstripe tried to push the grimace from his face and said, “No, me neither. Poor things.” 

“He means well,” Sparrowsway said with a small grimace of his own. 

“I know,” Oddstripe purred, butting up against Sparrowsway’s shoulder. Then, glancing at Aldertail, he asked, “are you sure you don’t want to come tonight?” 

“Yeah,” she nodded. “I don’t like crowds very much.” 

“Okay,” he smiled and bumped his head lightly against hers. “Enjoy your night, I’ll see you after the Gathering.” 

“‘Kay,” she blushed, shuffling her paws. “Have fun.” 

“Will do,” laughed Oddstripe and he twined his tail with Sparrowsway’s as they went to join the others. 

“Okay,” Goldenstar was saying, craning her neck to look over the crowd, “Russetfrond, Floodstrike, Scorchplume, Fogpaw, Branchbark… Ah! Oddstripe and Sparrowsay, that’s everyone. Let’s go.” 

“Have fun!” Slatepaw called after them. 

“You too!” cried Fogpaw, rearing up on her hind paws to wave goodbye. 

They made their way through the fields and over the river to the Cornerstones in the heavy evening heat. Even without the sun, the air was unseasonably warm and slightly humid, clinging to their fur like it wanted to slow them down. When they arrived, Oddstripe paused to take in the scene, enjoying the lively thrum of conversation. It seemed they were the last to arrive, all three of the other leaders sitting atop the Cornerstones already.

 “Floodstrike!” a pair of young EarthClan warriors called out and Floodstrike split off of the group to join them. Scorchplume and Fogpaw skirted the group to find a good vantage point to sit together. Branchbark waved his tail at a pair of SkyClan warriors and moved to join them.

“Aww, no Ospreymask?” one of them asked.

“Not tonight,” he said, “you’ll have to settle for me.” 

“I don’t think Pebblefall likes you like that,” laughed the other and the first warrior shoved him hard. 

“Whatever, bee brain.” 

Oddstripe chuckled to himself and turned to Sparrowsway who was standing next to him. “Go on and mingle, sweetheart.” 

“I’m alright,” said Sparrowsway, shifting his weight from foot to foot. “Why don’t I walk you to the front?”

“If you really want to,” Oddstripe said, brow furrowing with worry, “but don’t you have friends you’d rather talk to than your old man?” 

“Nah,” Sparrowsway shrugged and smiled but Oddstripe wasn’t sure he believed the expression. “I always enjoy talking with you.” 

“That’s not what I mean,” Oddstripe said as he let Sparrowsway escort him through the crowd. “You need friends who aren’t your father. It’s good for you.” 

“I’m alright,” Sparrowsway said again. “Most the cats my age are closer with Floodstrike anyway.” 

“What about Dawnbird?” Oddstripe offered. “She seems like such a polite young lady, I’m sure you’d get along well.” 

Sparrowsway pursed his lips to hide a wince. “Maybe. Seriously though, dad, I’m fine.” 

“Oh, alright,” Oddstripe chewed his lip fretfully and stopped to give Sparrowsway’s cowlick a few firm licks. “I just worry about you.”

“Don’t,” Sparrowsway laughed and ducked away from the licks. “I’m happy, dad, I really am.” 

“Okay…” Oddstripe stepped back towards the Cornerstones. “Just don’t hold yourself back from having fun, okay?”

“Okay, I won’t,” said Sparrowsway.

Deciding he would just have to be satisfied with that answer, Oddstripe turned away and padded over to where Blazingbrush and Stormwhisper were sitting near the front of the crowd. Stormwhisper brightened and twitched an ear in greeting as he approached. 

“Oh, where’s Tangletooth?” Oddstripe asked, looking around. 

“Coyotechaser said he stayed home tonight,” said Blazingbrush. “They didn’t want to risk him overexerting himself in the heat.” 

“I can’t blame them,” said Oddstripe. “Sagetooth is home with heat stroke tonight.” 

Stormwhisper inhaled worriedly through his teeth. “Stars, I hope she’s alright.” 

“She just needs some rest,” Oddstripe reassured him, “don’t worry.” Stormwhisper nodded, looking at his paws.

“Well, we might as well enjoy their absence for the night,” Blazingbrush grinned. “I mean how often do the three of us get to hang out, just us?” 

“Not often,” Stormwhisper admitted. 

Oddstripe laughed. “Why not? Let’s make the most of it.” Looking at Stormwhisper, he asked, “How are the kittens doing, by the way? They’re apprentices now aren’t they?” 

“Yeah,” nodded Stormwhisper, “Two moons in already.” 

“Oh, that’s right!” Oddstripe smiled remembering the Gathering where that had been announced, “Bluffpaw is apprenticed to Orangestar, isn’t he.” 

“That’s right,” Stormwhisper said. His expression softened as he continued, “Finchpaw and Rainpaw have been coming by lately to ask me about StarClan. I’m so glad they take the time. I miss the little beasts, even though I’m not their father or anything.” He looked at his paws again and Oddstripe couldn’t help but smile. Stars, he was terrible at hiding things. It was adorable.

“I know what you mean,” he said. “My kits grew up so fast! One day I was their whole world and then the next they were running off in all different directions -- into fights! Oh, it was terrifying -- is terrifying! But I just have to trust that StarClan is watching over them, you know?”

“Mhm,” Blazingbrush nodded. “I get so worried every time one of the apprentices comes back with even a bruise on them! There’s a reason I chose healing over battle practice.” She chuckled a bit and looked out over the crowd as if she were searching for someone and Oddstripe suddenly wondered if she had more in common with him and Stormwhisper than he had previously imagined. 

“Alright!” Snowstar’s voice pierced the air and silenced the chatter of the crowd. “I think it’s about time we get started, yes?” Oddstripe shifted his posture to look up at her, putting that line of thinking away for now.

“I’ll start the meeting off by saying that greenleaf has been good to SkyClan. Prey is running well, even as we head into leaffall the Clan is well fed. We’ve accepted some new blood into our Clan, two cats from over the mountains who have taken the names Rockylake and Hobbleheart. They’re here with us tonight and we welcome them as new members of SkyClan.” 

She gestured with her nose to a pair of cats sitting with Charredbranch and Greyvoice, a solid brown she-cat and a solid black tom. Oddtripe smiled in their direction, wondering which one was which. The crowd cheered weakly for them before quieting down again.

“Thankfully,” Snowstar said, “SkyClan has no further business. Orangestar?” 

“Thank you,” Orangestar smiled, stepping forward. “I am disappointed to say that the rogues from the city have started hunting in our forest again. Only one hunting party has been caught but at least two more have left clear signs of their trespassing on our land. That, in conjunction with the warning I’m sure we all received from RisingClan earlier this moon,” here she paused to glance at the other leaders, all of whom nodded, “I think the possibility of a continued war is not unlikely.” 

“I agree,” Goldenstar said, taking a small step forward. “It’s only a matter of time before the city cats start another fight. It would be in all of our best interests to have a plan in place for when they do.”

“What I’m hearing,” Flightstar interrupted, “is that you both don’t know how to defend your own territories against a group of kittypets.”

“These kittypets are trained fighters,” Goldenstar scowled. “You were at both of the battles we’ve had with them, you must have recognized that they’re no small threat.” 

“They have numbers,” he said dismissively, “nothing more.”

“You’re joking,” Orangestar blurted in disbelief.

“Underestimating these rogues is not helpful,” Snowstar added. “They took Darkmoon’s life, lest we forget.”

“And Darkmoon alone,” said Flightstar. 

“And Smokyrose,” Goldenstar scowled.

“Who was a mediator,” continued Flightstar stubbornly. “She could not have been difficult to overpower.” Oddstripe’s tail bristled instinctively and somewhere in the crowd he heard Fogpaw growling. The energy of the Gathering was starting to shift in a dangerous direction.

“Be careful not to speak ill of the dead,” warned Snowstar, sensing the change.

“I speak ill of no one,” Flightstar’s lip curled as he spoke. “I am simply stating the fact that these rogues are not the elite fighting force you two try to make them out to be. This all smells to me like a ploy to hunt in our territories now that leaffall is setting in and I’ll have none of it.” Tumblefang yowled her support from the middle of the crowd. 

“Look!” Stormwhisper called out, rising to his feet. “The moon!” 

With a chorus of gasps, the assembled cats threw their gazes skyward to see a cluster of wispy clouds in the early stages of choking out the moon’s light. Oddstripe stood too, eyes wide. In all his time as a healer, this had never happened, even though Sagetooth had told him stories of it before. 

“See?” Oddstripe recognized Scorchplume’s voice. “StarClan disapproves of your stubborn refusal to help the other Clans!” 

“No,” Tumblefang shouted back, “they’re sick of cats like you trying to take advantage of the rest of us!” 

“Cats like me?” Scorchplume laughed. 

“Easy,” Goldenstar said, projecting authoritatively. “We should all work to be less contentious with each other. Let’s calm down and pray we regain their favor.” 

From the east side of the clearing, a new voice cried out at the top of its lungs, “Help!” Oddstripe whipped around, Aldertail’s panicked shouts spiking fear through his chest.

“Aldertail?” Goldenstar gasped. “Aldertail, what’s going on?” 

“I-it’s the camp!” she sobbed, skidding to a halt as every eye turned in her direction. “The Exalted, th-they’re attacking the camp!” 

Russetfrond took off, leaping from his seat beside Bogmist and weaving through the crowd with a speed and purpose Oddstripe had rarely seen him use. Sparrowsway fell into step right behind him, his mentor’s dutiful second paw. 

“Fogpaw!” Scorchplume hissed as her apprentice took off after them.

“Come on,” Floodstrike looked at his friends before darting into the trees as well. Fishtrick took off after him, her ginger tail streaming out behind her, and Boldmoth stared up at Orangestar in bewilderment. Orangestar exchanged a look with Goldenstar then nodded. 

“EarthClan, let’s show those rogues what happens when they mess with warriors!” Orangestar shouted and then she and Goldenstar leapt down from the Cornerstones to follow. 

“SkyClan, likewise!” Snowstar boomed. “To war!” 

Everything was happening so fast. As more cats streamed out of the clearing, Oddstripe fought his way over to Aldertail. She was shaking, eyes shut tight, pressed down into a tiny ball on the ground. 

“Aldertail!” he cried, curling around her. “Are you alright?”

Branchbark joined them, eyes wide. “Aldertail, are you hurt?” 

“No, no,” Aldertail sobbed, shaking her head. “I ran as soon as I saw them! I’m so sorry, I’m such a coward!” 

“Oh, no!” Oddstripe pressed his head close to hers. “You came and got help! That was the right thing to do.” 

“I have to go,” Branchbark said, looking torn.

Oddstripe nodded to him. “I know. We’ll be fine, go help the others.” Branchbark nodded and bounced on his feet before taking off in a sprint. Aldertail pressed closer to Oddstripe’s side and whimpered.

Behind them, FallenClan had congregated at the base of the Cornerstones, talking in hushed voices, and Oddstripe heard Blazingbrush say, “StarClan’s sign is clear. The other Clans need our help.” 

“They have their help,” Flightstar growled. “We don’t need to get involved.” 

“What if our warriors make the difference between victory and defeat?” asked Ryestripe. 

“If they were better at defending their borders, they wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place,” spat Tumblefang. 

“What does that have to do with anything?” Ryestripe growled back. 

“Enough!” Flightstar snapped. “We’re going home. Anyone who wants to go to RisingClan’s camp can stay there permanently, understood?” There was a long pause then he stormed off into the woods in the opposite direction as the rest of the cats had gone. One by one, the FallenClan warriors followed him. 

Blazingbrush stared after her Clanmates, mouth open. “But-” She looked at the deputy, the last cat to go, and said, “Pigeoncover- You have to convince him! Surely, we can’t just do nothing!” 

Pigeoncover stood still for a beat, not looking at her. Then they softly said, “You’re already on thin ice, Blazingbrush. It would be best if you came along.” Blazingbrush looked like she had been struck. Still unable to meet her gaze, Pigeoncover slank into the woods after their father, leaving Blazingbrush, Oddstripe, and Aldertail alone in the clearing together. 

Oddstripe wanted to go to the other healer but he didn’t want to tear himself away from Aldertail’s shaking body. He opened his mouth but Blazingbrush looked at him and the words escaped his mind. They looked at each other for a long, hollow moment. 

“I’m so sorry,” Blazingbrush said. 

“It’s okay,” Oddstripe replied. “I understand.” 

Blazingbrush swallowed and bowed her head in defeat as she trailed after her Clanmates. Oddstripe took a deep breath and let it out slowly. As he did, he sent a silent prayer to StarClan.Let this be enough, he prayed. Let everyone survive. Guide their claws and deliver them from their enemies. Please, let it be enough.

[clangenrising]

Month 17 - Greenleaf

Goldenstar settled down in the dark, cozy space underneath the twoleg nest. It smelled strongly of Songdust down here, which was comforting, but she could still catch whiffs of Schmidt’s scent - a strange mix of oat and honey laying over his natural musk. The entire place was strange, to be honest. The wood above their heads all laid perfectly flat and straight in rows, sunlight peeking through gaps at regular intervals. Somewhere deeper in, water gurgled and an ever present humm filled the air now that there were no loud sounds to cover it up. It made her fur stand on end. 

She glanced at Scorchplume and pursed her lips in a frown. Her beloved’s gaze was distant and unfocused as she huddled nearby, tail tucked around her paws as if to avoid accidentally touching anything. Even her breath was a little shakier than normal. Goldenstar had no idea what was going on with Scorch but it upset her how suddenly and without warning the behavior had appeared. She knew Scorch wouldn’t want her to pry in front of a city cat though, so she held her tongue. 

“Thanks for speakin’ with me,” Schmidt said once they were all settled. “I s’pose to start, I should ask: how much d’you know about the situation here in the city?” 

“Um,” Goldenstar glanced at Scorchplume who briefly caught her gaze before looking away. “I mostly know about how things were under Razor. I’m sure things have changed since he died though.” 

“‘Changed’ would be puttin’ it kindly,” he said, grim faced. “Since he and Tiger both passed in the battle, there’s been a bit of an argument about who gets to take over.” He winced politely as he said it.

“I see,” Goldenstar hummed. So they had killed the deputy and the leader at once and there was a dispute about succession. When that happened in the Clans, they just went to StarClan and asked the previous leader, but city cats didn’t go anywhere when they died so it wasn’t like that was an option. 

“Who’s currently in charge?” asked Scorchplume and her voice sounded strained. Goldenstar’s frown deepened. 

“Well, Sardine is claimin’ he’s next in line,” said Schimdt. 

“Sardine?” Scorch scoffed, eyes focusing for a moment. “He barely made it into the inner circle.” 

“Exactly,” Schmidt nodded. “But Oreo abdicated to him and there’s no one else with a stronger claim. A few cats have made a bid for the spot but opinion is split. There’s Bella Swan but, as a she-cat, she’s unpopular with a lot of the toms.” Goldenstar twitched her ear at that. City cats were so confusing and stupid. “And there’s Rudy. He’s very popular with the Chaff. Even though he doesn’t have a great case, he has a lot of force to back it up.” 

“Can’t you ask your Folk for an answer?” Goldenstar asked. “I thought they appointed Razor as your leader in the first place.” 

Scorch scoffed again. “The Folk don’t actually talk to cats like that. Razor said that to justify his rule, not because it was true.” Schmidt shuffled uncomfortably but nodded.

“Regardless of your thoughts on the Folk,” he said, “only Portia can really understand their will.” It was Scorch’s turn to shuffle, her lips pursed tight as she held her tongue. Goldenstar frowned. 

“You wanted to discuss this with me for a reason, I’m assuming,” she said. “Is there something you’d like me to do about the situation?” 

“Myself and some other, like minded cats are thinkin’ about rubbin’ our head on the post, so to speak, and I was hopin’ you’d have some advice for us.” 

Goldenstar’s fur bushed ever so slightly. “Me? Why me?” 

“You’re a leader,” Schmidt said, brows furrowing. “You have experience governin’ a large group of cats very effectively. You were able to win both battles that were fought. Surely you must have some knowledge on the topic.” 

Goldenstar swallowed thickly. “I mean… I have some experience,” she said, “but I’ve only been leader for about a year! And I’m not the leader of all of the Clans, there are three other leaders who I collaborated with to accomplish those things.” She felt like there were ants in her pelt. It took all of her effort not to squirm. “And besides, I had StarClan to guide me, I don’t-”

“Goldenstar,” Scorchplume said sharply and she fell silent at once. Scorch was right. This wasn’t the way she ought to present herself to a city cat, as some bumbling girl who had no clue what she was doing. She took a deep breath and tried to think about Scorchplume’s advice on speechcraft before she continued. 

“What I mean to say,” she said, sitting a little taller, “is that my leadership is a collaborative effort. I learn as I lead just like the others learn from me. I’m not sure if I can help you with your ‘politics’. They seem very… cutthroat.” 

“They are,” Schmidt sighed. “I understand. Thanks for listenin’ anyway.” 

“What exactly did you want help with?” Goldenstar asked as sympathy washed over her. “I may not be very useful, but I suppose I can try.” 

“Well, we’d like to get someone in power who cares more about the common cat, about doin’ what’s right,” said Schmidt. “We know now is the best time to make a move, what with the uncertainty about who’s most deserving and what not, but we aren’t sure which cat to rally behind or how to get cats to agree he or she should be in charge.” 

“That sounds like your problem,” Scorchplume said bluntly. “I don’t know how you expected a Clan cat to be able to tell you that but we don’t have the time to stay and figure out what’s going on well enough to solve all your problems for you. We should be leaving, before someone comes to find us.” 

Guilt pooled in the pit of her stomach at Scorch’s harsh words but she could see the reasoning. “I really am sorry,” she said, “but she’s right. We need to go home.” 

“I understand,” Schmidt said again. “Apologies for keepin’ you so long.” 

“That’s alright,” Goldenstar said. “I’m not sure if you’d like my blessings but I hope StarClan lights your path regardless.” 

“Songdust has told me about them,” he said. “I’m most grateful.”

Goldenstar smiled. “And I’m grateful too. Thanks for watching out for her.” 

“Don’t mention it,” he smiled back, a tinge of sadness in his gaze. 

He started back towards the yard but Goldentstar paused for a moment to check on Scorchplume. Her eyes were closed tight, her breathing slow and labored, like she was holding back nausea. Her tail was still curled tightly around her paws but Goldenstar noticed the way her paws were kneading the dirt absently. 

Casting a glance to make sure Schmidt wasn’t watching them, she leaned in and whispered to Scorchplume, “Hey, are you alright? What’s wrong?” 

“I’m fine,” Scorchplume lied, clearly choking out the words. “I just want to get out of here and go home.” 

“Alright,” Goldenstar said softly. “Just… let me know if you need anything, okay?” Scorch twitched an ear in response. Her own stomach churning with unease, Goldenstar slipped back out onto the grass.

“Ready to go?” called Branchbark when he saw them.

“Mhm,” she nodded. “Let’s get back to camp so Songdust can get some rest.” And so Scorchplume will feel better. She ran her eyes over her Clanmates, making sure they were all present and doing well. Songdust seemed forlorn, Branchbark eager to leave. Sparrowsway seemed irritated, his tail twitching at the tip, and Floodstrike was poorly hiding disappointment, although not as poorly as Luna who was pouting dramatically. Lastly, she looked at Scorchplume again, who seemed to be doing better, although Goldenstar noticed the distant look in her eyes, the kind of look that said “let me be anywhere but here.” It hurt to see, especially because she had no idea what had caused it. 

“Do you really have to go?” asked Luna. “Maybe you could stay the night! There’s space in my garden.” 

“No, we should go,” Songdust sighed. “Goodbye, Shepherd.” The big dog howled softly, licking Songdust’s face with his massive tongue. She cringed but stood firm instead of pulling back or being pushed over. 

“I’ll walk you back,” said Jo. “Probably best if the others stay here, though.” 

“Alright,” Schmidt said, tucking his paws neatly under himself as he sat down on the deck. “Safe travels, y’all.” 

“Yeah, safe travels,” pouted Luna. 

“It was nice to meet you both,” Goldenstar said. “You’re both welcome to visit any time.” Schmidt nodded but the smile on his face told her immediately that he didn’t plan on taking her up on her offer. 

“Let’s go,” Songdust said, “I’m looking forward to-” 

“Hold on,” a voice called across the lawn. Scorchplume immediately paled and Floodstrike hissed threateningly. Goldenstar whipped around to see Ghost appearing on the fence behind her. He looked absolutely terrible, his pelt a patchwork of scar flesh and his dark circled eyes sitting underneath two shredded ear stubs. Another cat leapt up beside him, a young she-cat who Goldenstar couldn’t help but think looked like Barleybee wearing Smokyrose’s fur. 

Jo stepped up in front of the warriors, tail arched aggressively and hissed, “Fuck off, Ghost, you no good, piece of shit, dirt bag motherfucker!” Shepherd, feeding off her energy, snarled and barked at the newcomers. Goldenstar’s fur stood on end at the sound of it and she reminded herself, gratefully, that the terrifying beast was on her side. 

Ghost looked less than pleased but not exactly afraid of the threats. “Easy, Jo, I’m just here to talk.” 

Shepherd barked again, “Leave!”

“Yeah right,” Jo laughed. “You running an errand for that fish-faced fuck? Tell him he can choke on grapes, dickhead!” Goldenstar, overwhelmed by the number of strange profanities, barely registered that the old she-cat must have meant Sardine. So Ghost was working for Sardine now. That made sense although Goldenstar couldn’t deny she was disappointed. 

“He’s serious,” the cat beside him said earnestly. “Please, hear him out!” Ghost cast her a look of appreciation before meeting Goldenstar’s eyes.

“I wanted to talk with you, honest,” he said. “About my daughters.” Goldenstar felt another rush of sympathy. 

Floodstrike hissed, “They’re not your daughters, fox heart, they’re Smokyrose’s!” Ghost’s muzzle curled back in a soundless snarl. 

Quickly, Goldenstar stepped forward and said, “Everyone calm down. I want to hear him out.” 

“Goldenstar,” Scorchplume sounded like squeezing her voice out took a great deal of effort. “We need to go.” 

“It’ll just be a second,” said Goldenstar. Bounding forward, she jumped up onto the fence beside Ghost. On his other side, the young grey cat smiled brightly at her and she couldn’t help but return the smile a bit. “What did you need to discuss?”

Ghost sighed and, with one last glance at Jo’s scowl, turned to focus on Goldenstar, saying, “I wanted to make sure that the girls are alright.”

“They are,” she replied softly. “I’m surprised that you wanted to know. If you wanted to see them you could have stopped by.” For the cat who had abandoned Smokyrose to her pregnancy, the cat Scorch had said did the same to all of his mates, this turn of events felt like it had come out of nowhere.

“That’s kind of you,” he huffed a laugh, “but I would have just made things more dangerous for them. Scorch was right when she sent me away.” Goldenstar frowned at that. When had Scorch done that? She glanced down at Scorch and found her sitting with her eyes shut and her ears pressed flat against her head again. 

Ghost continued, “It was me that got Miss Smoke killed. I thought for a while that was my punishment for caring at all, that things would be better off if I forgot about them, but I can’t help but worry. I don’t even know their names and I feel terrible about it.” He sighed and shut his eyes. The cat beside him leaned up against him and purred reassuringly. 

“Their names are Fogpaw and Slatepaw,” said Goldenstar, smiling gently. “Fogpaw looks exactly like you and Slatepaw looks exactly like her mother.” 

“Oh,” Ghost said, throat working tightly. “And they’re alright? They’re not just safe, they’re… cared for?” 

“Completely,” she assured him, leaning in to bump her forehead briefly against his. He startled at the touch, sorrowful eyes searching her face. “They’re growing into brave, kind young warriors.” 

“That’s… good,” he said, looking away, towards the city behind them. 

“Is there anything we can do to help them?” asked the she-cat. “It’s not safe to visit but if there’s something else, Ghost would like to help.” She looked at Ghost as if prompting him to say something they had rehearsed and he swallowed thickly. 

“Right, yes,” he said, glancing between the two cats on the fence with him. “If I can help, just let me know.” The words sounded clumsy on his lips but he pushed through them regardless. Goldenstar was struck with the distinct impression that he was trying very hard and it only made her heart swell for him. 

“Well,” she said, thinking, “the most important thing I can think of is getting the city cats to stop stealing our prey. It’s slowed down a bit but we’re still shortpawed. I know you’re important around here, is that something you could do?”

Ghost looked like she had asked him to eat deathberries, his scarred face heavy with despair. “I mean…” he shifted his weight uncomfortably. “It’s not so simple. The Exalted hunt for sport but the Chaff, my cats, they hunt to avoid starvation.” 

“It would be very hard to convince them to stop,” the she-cat said solemnly. 

“Maybe they don’t need to stop entirely,” Goldenstar said, an idea starting to spin in her head. “Even if they shifted where they were hunting and someone taught them how to preserve next year’s hunt then it wouldn’t be an issue really.” 

“Next year’s hunt?” Ghost asked. 

“There are certain rules we follow when we hunt to make sure that the prey can survive and breed until next year. It’s very important, not just for our continued survival but as a way to respect the blessings StarClan gives us. I could teach you if you wanted.” 

“I don’t know,” Ghost sighed. 

The she-cat leaned against him and said, in the way one might urge an uneasy apprentice, “I think it would be worth it to try, don’t you?” Goldenstar struggled to piece together what exactly was the nature of their relationship.

Ghost swallowed, searched his companion's face, and then said, wearily, “I suppose so.” 

“Goldenstar,” Scorchplume spoke up, urgency creeping into her tone. 

“Right,” Goldenstar looked down briefly, a pang of guilt in her belly. She’d been caught chattering like a queen at the border, holding up the whole patrol for hours with their gossiping. “We have to go. I know you can’t visit camp but maybe we could meet near the thunderpath some time to talk further.” 

“Alright,” Ghost said. “You tell time by the moon, right? How about I meet you when it's halfway full?”

“That sounds perfect,” Goldenstar smiled. She dropped back down onto the grass and started north towards home. The cat sitting beside Ghost whispered something encouraging and he shut his eyes tiredly. 

An idea struck Goldenstar suddenly and she paused to look at Schmidt. “Hey, Schmidt, if you’re looking for someone with leadership experience who might be interested in changing the way things are run here, I think Ghost would be an excellent cat to talk to.”

“What?” Ghost opened his eyes in surprise.

“Him?” Jo gawked. “The ‘I Don’t Make The Rules, I Just Enforce ‘Em’ fuck?” She lashed her tail, glaring at him and he scowled in her direction. 

“Yes,” Goldenstar said. “I think you two could work very well together.” 

“Well, I guess I could ask him a few things,” Schmidt said carefully. 

“Change sounds good, doesn’t it?” the she-cat urged Ghost gently. “Isn’t that what we’ve been talking about?” 

“Mm,” Ghost looked askance. Jo huffed, vindicated.

“Just give it a try,” Goldenstar said. “Now, let’s go. I’ve stalled us long enough.” 

“Right,” Jo said. “This way.” As she stepped away, she said, “You keep eyes on that fucker, Shepherd.” The dog boofed at Ghost in affirmation. The warriors hurried up over the fences, back towards their territory. Scorch sighed in relief once the yard was behind them, visibly relaxing her posture. 

“Are you alright?” Goldenstar said softly as they followed behind Jo.

“Yes,” Scorch said, and this time Goldenstar believed her a bit. “It was nothing, really. I’m fine now.” 

“Do you want to talk about it later?” frowned Goldenstar.

“It’s nothing, Goldie,” Scorch laughed from behind her mask. “Really, I’d prefer if we just forgot about it, yeah?” 

“Yeah, alright,” Goldenstar agreed. Whatever makes her happy, she decided. Brushing her tail against Scorch’s leg for a second, she focused on the path ahead, eager to get away from the noise and heat and “politics” of the city.

[clangenrising]

Month 17 - Greenleaf

Songdust was snoozing in her hideyhole when the news arrived. 

“Schmidt! Schmidt!” Luna’s cheery voice sounded almost frenzied as she crested the fence and dropped into the yard. Songdust stirred with a yawn. 

“Luna!” boomed the massive white dog, Shepherd, in his thick canine accent, rattling the deck above Songdust’s head as he bounded out to meet the newcomer. That definitely woke her up. Stretching, she crept to the edge of the shadowy space beneath the deck and squinted out into the midday sunlight. 

Luna, little thing that she was, had balked at Shepherd’s advance and eyed him warily as he snuffled gently at her. Songdust couldn’t blame her. It didn’t matter that he was friendly, the fluffy white beast was intimidating by virtue of his size alone. 

“Luna,” he barked again, “Hello, Luna!” 

“Yes, hello, Shepherd,” the little kittypet tried to smile. Speaking loudly and clearly to make sure the dog understood, she asked, “Where is Schmidt?” 

“Schmidt?” The dog lifted his head and sniffed at the air a bit. “Hmm. Inside, I think. I get him.” With that, he dashed back across the yard and over the deck. Songdust shut her eyes and pressed her ears flat until he was gone. When she opened her eyes again, Luna was slinking excitedly in her direction, ears perked brightly. 

“Afternoon, Songdust!” she whispered. “Guess what!” 

“What?” Songdust chuckled, stepping out from under the deck and stretching her aching legs. 

Luna’s eyes glistened as she said, “There are wild cats in the city!” 

“Really?” Songdust’s stomach fluttered with fear and excitement. “Did you see them?” 

“Mhm,” Luna grinned. 

“How many of them?” 

“Um, four or five?” Luna sat down and curled her tail sweetly around her paws. “Jo should be going to fetch them.” Songdust nodded to herself. If any cat could handle it, it would probably be Jo. 

The dog flap clattered and Shepherd emerged again, tail wagging. Slipping between his legs and striding out across the deck was Schmidt, his sleek ginger fur shining in the sun like flames. He glanced at Songdust when he noticed her, a smile flickering over his lips, before he focused entirely on Luna. 

“You needed me?” he asked with a charming twang. Shepherd paced a few steps beside them before settling down to lay in the grass and pant. Songdust shifted to better hide herself behind his massive shape. 

“There’s wild cats in the city!” Luna whispered. Schmidt’s composed expression burst with surprise.

“Really?” he asked and Songdust would have laughed if she were certain the motion wouldn’t make her sick to her stomach. “Where’re they goin’?” 

“I ran into Jo on the way,” Luna said. “They should be coming here if she can find them in time.” 

“Good,” Schmidt nodded. “Thank you, Luna.” His tail tip started to twitch side to side. 

“They’ve got to be looking for me, right?” Songdust asked. 

“I would say that’s a pretty safe bet,” he said, looking up from the grass to meet her gaze. “Looks like you might be goin’ home, Miss Songdust.” His lips tightened at the edges and she felt it too, the relief and excitement tempered bittersweet with sorrow at having to say goodbye.

“Looks like it.” She offered him a tight smile of her own. 

“Too bad you can’t come and visit,” Luna said. 

“Miss you,” huffed Shepherd sadly. 

“You can always come and visit me,” Songdust said, “although, I guess, Shepherd probably can’t get away.” Luna and Schmidt exchanged a somber glance that didn’t sit right with her. Shifting her posture, she asked, “What, is there a reason why you can’t visit? You aren’t trapped in your houses or anything.” 

“It’s complicated,” Schmidt sighed. “Physically, we probably could come out to see you, but it’d be very dangerous.” 

“We’ll have targets on our backs,” Luna said. 

Songdust pursed her lips in frustration. “What, so we’ll just never see each other again? Not even on occasion?” 

Schmidt dropped his gaze to the grass. “I wish it weren’t so, but at least for now, this seems like goodbye.” 

“Hm.” Songdust squared her jaw and nodded, her tongue working forcefully against the backs of her teeth. If that was how things were going to be, then that was that, she figured. 

“Hopefully, in a few months -” Schmidt tried, “maybe a year - things’ll be better and we’ll be able to visit.” 

“That’s alright,” Songdust twitched an ear to stop him. “I get it. It just isn’t meant to be.” Shepherd leaned his big black nose over her back and gave a forlorn huff. She tried not to stiffen under the dog’s touch but couldn’t stop her tail from bristling subtly. 

Schmidt cleared his throat and said, “I’m gonna go see if I can spot ‘em,” before making his way towards the fence with a poorly hidden guilty expression. Luna frowned awkwardly and followed after him. 

Songdust was ashamed to say she was angry with them. She understood that they probably had very good reason to be cautious but it didn’t make her any less disappointed that they weren’t even going to try. That’s what I get for making friends with kittypets, she thought despite the guilty aftertaste. 

Still, she’d expected better, at least from Schmidt. When he had taken her in, she had been very frazzled and lost in more ways than one and his kindness and solidity had carried her through the last several months. He had proven a thoughtful and enjoyable companion. She had spent more than one night staying up with him, discussing their lives and the ways they saw the world and she had enjoyed it greatly. He had listened to her speak about StarClan and seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say - not just a considerate attention but a real, genuine fascination and maybe even the beginnings of a belief. She wondered now if he would think about her when he looked at the stars or if he would go back to ignoring them. 

She hated how hidden the stars were from her here. It seemed as if her ancestors had vanished from the sky overnight. The big bright star to the north was the only one she could see on some nights. She hoped that it was Smokyrose, watching over her from above. She hoped that Smokyrose had forgiven her for what had happened. She hoped she would get to apologize someday. 

After some time, Luna called, “There they are! I see them!” 

Songdust jumped to her feet, startling Shepherd, and sprinted over, scaling the fence in a swift, fluid motion. “Where?”

“Songdust!” Schmidt gasped. She wasn’t supposed to climb the fence in case anyone saw her, but at this point, she didn’t care.

“Where are they?” she asked again, ignoring him. 

“They just dropped into that yard over there,” pointed Luna. Songdust chattered in anticipation as she turned her head to scan the fences ahead of them. After another few moments, Jo appeared on top of the fence and, following right after her, an almost identical tortoiseshell. Songdust laughed in relief. 

“That’s Goldenstar,” she said and stood up taller to wave her tail at the newcomers. 

“Really?” Luna gasped. “Your leader?”

“Yep!” purred Songdust. Goldenstar had noticed her and started sprinting in her direction as more cats came over the fence. 

“You must be important,” mumbled Luna in awe. 

“Not particularly,” Songdust shrugged. 

“Songdust!” Goldenstar called as she reached the base of the fence they were on. “You’re alright!” 

“So are you!” Songdust purred. Goldenstar leapt up to meet her and the fence wobbled under her weight, causing all four cats to sink their claws into the wood. 

“Why don’t we have this conversation in the yard,” Schmidt laughed nervously and Luna nodded in agreement before they both dropped down. Goldenstar stayed where she was, tail brushing up.

“Wait!” she hissed urgently, "There's a dog!” Shepherd squinted up at her, rumbling lowly. 

Songdust chuckled a little bit and said, “It’s alright, watch.” She hopped down onto the grass and padded up to the dog, butting her forehead against his leg to claim him. “It’s okay, Shepherd,” she said, “These are my friends.” 

“Friends?” Shepherd hummed and shuffled his paws. 

Goldenstar was wide eyed. “It understands you?” Before Songdust could answer, more cats were appearing on the fence. She smiled at the sight of Branchbark and Oddstripe’s boys. Even Scorch was a welcome sight. 

“Songdust!” Branchbark grinned and jumped down into the yard to approach her. Purring loudly, she nuzzled against him in greeting. 

“It’s good to see you, Branchbark,” she said gently. 

“Woah,” Sparrowpaw fluffed up. “What is that thing?” 

“A dog,” Goldenstar said. “Apparently this one is friendly though.” 

“Mhm. He’s a big softie,” Songdust laughed, looking up at them. She had been worried too when she had first been brought to the yard but now it was funny to think of Shepherd as anything other than a massive sweetheart. 

“He won’t bite,” said Jo, hopping up beside them. “Go on. You’ll be safer once you're in the yard.” Floodpaw swallowed and jumped down, his brother close behind. Goldenstar glanced at Scorchplume, smiled, and hopped down as well. Scorchplume squinted at Shepherd for a long moment before delicately landing on the grass beside her, pulling herself together with regal bearing. Once everyone else had gone down, Jo cast another glance around and then joined them. 

“I’m so glad you’re alright,” Goldenstar said, coming to rub up against Songdust’s shoulder. “We would have come sooner but there were… complications.” 

“Complications?” Songdust asked. 

“Russetfrond got a kittypet pregnant,” Branchbark whispered conspiratorially. “It was a whole thing.” 

“Really?” Songdust smirked. “Him, of all people? I wouldn’t have seen that coming.” 

“Neither did he,” snickered Floodpaw. 

“Hey,” hissed Sparrowpaw softly. 

“Sorry, Sparrowpaw,” she said, “I don’t mean to make fun of him. I just wouldn’t have guessed.” 

“It’s actually Sparrowsway now,” he said, shifting his posture a little taller. 

“And I’m Floodstrike,” said his brother, grinning. 

Songdust melted, smiling. “Oh, that’s fantastic! Congratulations, boys.” She closed her mouth as if she were holding the grief at having missed their ceremony on her tongue. They had grown so much while she was gone. She could only imagine how Slatekit and Fogkit had grown. Those poor girls…

“You’re Goldenstar?” Schmidt asked, inserting himself into the conversation. Songdust had nearly forgotten the kittypets were there. Looking back, she noticed Luna’s wide, excitable grin before focusing on Schmidt. His expression was serious, concerned. Songdust frowned a bit. 

“I am,” said Goldenstar, putting on an authoritative tone. “Who are you?” 

“This is Schmidt,” Songdust said. “He’s been hiding me. And that’s Luna, a friend of ours.” 

“Hi,” Luna said, fluttering her eyelashes at Sparrowsway and Floodstrike. Oh boy, Songdust thought. Luckily, Schmidt spoke again before Luna could start anything. 

“I’d love to speak with you, if that’s alright,” he said. “I doubt I’ll get another chance to bend your ear and I’d very much like to discuss politics if you’re so inclined.”

“Politics…?” Goldenstar raised a brow, unsure, and glanced at Songdust. Songdust, for her part, wasn’t sure how to explain it. 

“It’s, um,” Scorchplume seemed to blink out of some sort of fugue state as she spoke, “It’s what they call the… art of governance and diplomacy. Like Clan relations but more complicated.” She cleared her throat, gaze roving distantly over the grass. Songdust frowned. That didn’t seem normal. 

Goldenstar’s ears pressed back with concern. “Are you alright?” She leaned in for a split second and then stopped herself and Songdust raised a brow at that. There was clearly something going on that she didn’t understand. 

“I’m fine,” Scorch said tersely. “We should take him up on his offer.” She looked at Schmidt with what seemed like a good deal of effort, jaw set resolutely. 

“Alright then,” Goldenstar shifted worriedly but eventually tore her gaze away from Scorchplume to address Schmidt directly. “I’m all yours.” 

“Great,” Schmidt said. “Why don’t we head under the deck for some privacy.” 

“The deck?” asked Floodstrike. 

“This a’way,” Schmidt stepped away and led the way into the dark crawl space underneath. Goldenstar followed directly behind him and a beat later Scorch trailed after her. 

Sparrowsway glanced at the other cats and asked, “Should we all go, or…” 

“Go for it,” said Jo. “Or don’t. Do what you like.” 

“Politics is stressful and boring,” Luna said, edging closer to the boys. “I’d love to hear about your Wild Clans though.” Songdust raised a brow but Jo beat her to the punch.

“Oh, really?” asked Jo. “I’ve never seen you askin’ Songdust about the Clans.” Songdust chuckled and twitched her ear in Jo’s direction. 

Luna waved her tail dismissively but her cheeks were a little red as she said, “Well I just didn’t want to bother her.”

“Mhm,” Jo said skeptically and Songdust bumped shoulders with her which prompted her to grin and return the gesture. 

“I’m gonna miss you, Jo,” Songdust said quietly as Floodstrike started saying something to Luna. 

“Aww, that’s sweet of you, girl,” Jo said back. “I feel like they kept you so cramped under that deck that I never got to get to know you.” 

“You should visit, then,” Songdust said. “I need more friends my age.” 

“Maybe I will,” the ragged old tortie said with a sly smile. “I’ll bring you back whenever I need to shred some fuckin’ shithead’s ears.” 

“Sounds like a plan,” purred Songdust. She was glad that at least one of her new friends seemed interested in staying in touch. Her gaze drifted over to the deck where Schmidt had disappeared and she sighed. If only they all felt that way.

UPDATES: - Songdust is reunited with her Clanmates!

[clangenrising]

Month 17 - Greenleaf

As the group approached the city, Sparrowsway did his best to listen to Scorchplume’s advice. She talked on and on about rules to follow while in the city and he tried to remember them all but there were a lot of them. One in particular made it hard to concentrate on any of the others.

“Oh,” Scorchplume said as they were getting close, “and Goldenstar, when we’re in the city, you’ll have to avoid twining tails with me or using pet names or anything of the sort. No one can know we’re involved with each other.” 

“Really?” Goldenstar frowned sadly.

“Why not?” Floodstrike’s frown was more hostile. 

“Because that kind of thing isn’t okay in the city,” said Scorchplume matter of factly.

“What, having mates isn’t allowed?” asked Sparrowsway, puzzled beyond belief. 

“No,” Scorch sighed, seeming irritated with them. “Cats being mates with someone of the same gender. Or cats changing genders for that matter.” 

“What?!” Sparrowsway and Floodstrike said together. Floodstrike was bristling all over. 

“Easy, boys,” Goldenstar said, “Scorch doesn’t make the rules, she’s just telling us what they are.” 

“That doesn’t make any sense!” Floodstrike hissed. “Why under the stars would those things be against the rules?”

“Because it’s unnatural,” huffed Mystique, the first time she’d spoken the entire trip. “Mollies belong with toms, it’s just biology.” Sparrowsway’s fur prickled with unease at the words. He didn’t exactly know what biology was but he didn’t like the way she said it. 

“Is that what your brother told you?” Branchbark growled venomously. Mystique flinched into herself and dropped her gaze and despite the sick feeling in his gut, Sparrowsway felt bad for her. 

“Hey,” Goldenstar shot Branchbark a stern look. “That’s enough out of everyone, alright? There’s no need to get aggressive.”

“Are you hearing the same thing I’m hearing?” Floodstrike protested. 

“I am,” Goldenstar said, “and I don’t like it any more than you do, but we’re here to find Songdust, not bicker. Let’s save our energy for what’s important.” There was a moment of hesitation where she searched everyone’s faces, Scorchplume joining her with a judgmentally quirked brow. Branchbark grit his teeth but nodded. Floodstrike turned his head away with a frustrated huff. Sparrowsway didn’t feel satisfied at all but he saw the wisdom in Goldenstar’s argument and decided to push his distrust down for now. Russetfrond had taught him better than to get caught up in distracting squabbles. 

“Alright,” he said. “How do we find Songdust?” Goldenstar smiled in relief.

“She’s been gone for a long time,” Scorchplume said, turning forward again, “So she’s either dead, imprisoned somehow, or the Folk took her in. We’ll have to ask around to find out which.”

“We can’t just find her scent and follow it?” asked Floodstrike. 

“The city is as big as all four territories,” Scorchplume rolled her eyes, “maybe bigger. That would take forever and it’s definitely rained since she went missing so we wouldn’t even know where to start. You’ll just have to trust that I know what I’m doing and follow my lead.” 

“Okay,” Sparrowsway nodded. 

They passed by a large twoleg nest with a fenced off field full of strange, smelly grazing animals in relative silence. Sparrowsway was still thinking about what Mystique had said, unable to make sense of it. He could tell Floodstrike was doing the same. Scorchplume led them around the nest to a long, wide, gravel path that they followed towards the city for a good, long while under the blazing sun. 

“The scents aren’t as strong as last time,” Branchbark noted, mouth open to taste the air. 

“They were holding battle drills out here,” Scorchplume hummed. “Maybe they’ve stopped.” Mystique’s tail twitched. 

“Let’s hope so,” Goldenstar said. 

“I wish they’d stop hunting in our territory too,” Floodstrike grumbled. 

The city drew nearer and nearer, looming over them, all strange scents and harsh shapes and loud noises. Sparrowsway’s fur started to lift from his pelt just being close to it. He imagined Songdust wandering this place all alone and a mournful frown tugged painfully at the corners of his mouth. The smell of cats grew stronger and where the gravel turned into a thunderpath, there was a strong border marker carrying the scents of many different toms. The group paused for a moment to scent it, uneasy.

Eventually, Goldenstar stepped over the border and the rest of them followed. After another ten or so minutes of walking, they reached the edge of the city proper, where the fences of twoleg nests sat in a mismatched line stretching east and west for ages. Sparrowsway spotted a cat perched on a fence post just before they dropped down, out of sight. 

“They’ve seen us,” Scorchplume muttered. “When you see them, project strength without aggression. We’re not here to fight them.” 

“Got it,” said Branchbark. 

They walked past the first row of nests to find the thunderpath they had been following split perfectly in two and ran parallel to the nests. Sparrowsway shifted his paws uncomfortably on the hot, stone path that ran along the thunderpath like a riverbank. There were barely any trees here and the grass was shorter than he had ever seen a field of grass, leaving no places to hide. 

“This way,” Scorchplume said, starting across the thunderpath. Sparrowsway took a deep breath and followed her. She led the group over a fence and through a pair of gardens then across another thunderpath and so on and so on for several minutes at a time. Every so often, they spotted twoleg kits squealing and playing or stopped to let a monster rush by along the thunderpath. Sparrowsway bristled at every event. His heart pounded like it was going to burst out of his chest. How did any cat bear to live in a place like this?

Then suddenly there weren’t any more fences or gardens, just the thunderbanks and small patches of that same short grass between the thunderpaths and the red stone nests. The monsters only became more frequent, dashing furiously past them only to stop for seemingly no reason before dashing on again. Sometimes, multiple monsters paused behind each other, standing in lines and rumbling as they poured heat from under their shells. 

There were more cats here, many of them with notched ears, lingering around corners and on flimsy looking black structures that clung to the sides of the nests. Sparrowsway even spotted some resting underneath the bellies of sleeping monsters and the sight made his stomach twist in fear. All of the city cats were staring. Some darted off once they spotted the group of Clan cats but most just sat and stared. 

“I can make it from here,” Mystique said as they all paused under a small wooden outcropping by one thunderbank. Sparrowsway, panting in the heat, couldn’t believe his ears. She wanted to go off alone?!

“Are you sure?” he asked, worriedly. 

“Yeah,” the kittypet rolled her eyes and started to step away. “I know how to get to my own house just fine, thank you. I’m a big girl.” Branchbark lashed his tail. 

“Well, alright,” said Goldenstar. “If you’re certain.” 

“I am,” Mystique sighed in exasperation. Starting to stroll away, she called over her shoulder, “Bye, assholes! Let’s never see each other again!” Floodstrike growled under his breath and Branchbark scowled after her but Scorchplume swished her tail to get everyone’s attention. 

“Forget about her,” she said. “We have a mission to take care of. We’re going to cross the road in three… two… one! Go!” Sparrowsway barely managed to draw his focus back in time to join the mad dash across the thunderpath. They raced behind the line of waiting monsters and onto the thunderbank on the other side. Sparrowsway looked back to make sure everyone had made it with them and sighed in relief. 

“How do cats live here?” Floodstrike panted. “This is terrible!” 

“They’re used to it,” Scorch shrugged, barely out of breath. “Come on.” 

She hurried around the corner into a shaded gap between two of the nests and the others slank after her. Sparrowsway, at least, was grateful to be out of the heat and into a relatively sheltered hiding spot. They padded on through the gap, past some large, foul smelling black things, presumably towards another thunderpath. 

“This way,” a voice sounded from behind them and the warriors bristled, turning around. There was some unintelligible whispering from around the corner and then, after a breathless moment, a trio of cats came around the corner. Two of them had notched ears, including the pitch black tom in the lead. 

“Well, look at that,” he said, yellow eyes roving over the group, “they are wild cats.” 

“They’re here with my permission,” Scorch said, pushing her way through the others to stand in front of him. “I am Gingersnap, the exalted-” 

“We know who you are,” said the other notched cat, a calico tabby with heavy scarring on her neck. “You’re Razor’s girl.” 

“I was,” Scorchplume hissed back. “He’s dead now and I’m my own cat.” 

“Rumor has it you’ve gone native,” said the black tom, shifting his weight. Sparrowsway was struggling to follow the conversation. Scorchplume’s posture was stiff despite her casually disdainful expression. 

“You can’t believe everything you hear,” she laughed coldly. 

“Maybe not,” the tom said, “you came to town with a group of wild cats and you smell just like them. That seems like plenty of proof to me.” Scorch was quiet for a moment too long. 

The calico spoke up again. “Where are you leading them?” 

“We’re looking for a Clanmate of ours,” Goldenstar said, stepping up beside Scorchplume. Sparrowsway noticed the way her tail almost reached out for Scorch’s before flicking the other way at the last second. “She went missing here and we’d like to take her home.” 

“So she’s still in the city?” the calico muttered to the third cat, a blue tabby tom covered in dark smudges of grease. 

“Seems so,” he muttered back.

“That’s nice,” said the black tom, “but you’ll need to leave. Wild cats aren’t welcome here.” 

“Watch your tone, Chaff,” Scorchplume bristled, rising on her toes a bit. “You have no right to tell me and my guests what to do.” 

“What, you’re saying these mangy mountain cats are better than we are?” scoffed the leader. He took a step closer, arching his back, and Floodstrike started to growl. 

“I’m saying they will do what I say they will,” Scorch hissed, stepping up, nose to nose with the black cat, “and you will do the same, or else.”

“Or else what?” laughed the tom. “You said so yourself, Razor’s dead.”

“I am still Exalted,” snarled Scorch. Sparrowsway couldn’t help but shiver at the way she spoke.

“Okay, so we won’t touch you,” the black cat pulled back a bit. “Your wild friends are fair game here.” 

“We outnumber you,” Goldenstar growled. “Walk away. This doesn’t have to get violent.” 

“Did you hear that?” the black cat called back to his companions. “The wild cat threatened to kill me!” 

“Guess we don’t have a choice,” the calico smiled, flexing her claws. 

“Listen to her, Jack,” snapped a voice from further down the alleyway. Sparrowsway turned his head to see a tortoiseshell tabby who looked very much like Goldenstar, if a lot older and more grizzled, limping in their direction. She had a scattering of scars across her face and a torn left ear and, judging by her limp, her right hind leg didn’t work quite right. Despite her haggard appearance, the cats they had been speaking to shifted uneasily as she approached. In that way, she almost reminded him of Sagetooth. He stepped to the side to let her pass. 

“Scram before someone kicks your dumb fuckin’ ass,” the she-cat continued as she came to the front of the crowd. 

“Figures you would be a Clan lover, Jo,” growled the tom - Jack she had called him. 

“Figures you’d be dumb enough to pick fights you can’t finish,” glared Jo. “Now run along or I’ll kick your ass myself.” She squared her shoulders and Sparrowsway watched the muscle ripple under her fur. It didn’t seem to be an empty threat. 

Jack seemed to think so as well and with a disgruntled glance at his companions, he turned and headed back the way he had come. The others followed, grumbling to each other. Sparrowsway let out a sigh of relief. 

“Thank you for that,” Goldenstar said, smiling at the cat who could have easily passed as her grandmother. 

“Eh, it’s no problem,” said Jo with a rugged smile of her own. “Skyraiders are all the fuckin’ same. Lots of talk, no guts.”

“Skyraiders?” Sparrowsway raised his brows. 

“Yeah,” shrugged Jo. “Rudy’s little gang. They call ‘em Skyraiders because Rudy lives on Skyraider Street.” 

“Rudy…” Scorchplume furrowed her brow in thought. “Since when did Rudy have a gang?” 

Jo laughed and started padding back in the direction they had originally been going. “You’ve missed a lot while you’ve been away, miss high and mighty. Come on, I’ll explain everything once your friends are safe.” The patrol looked to Goldenstar for direction. Goldenstar looked to Scorchplume. Scorchplume frowned. 

“I guess it can’t hurt to follow her,” she said. “She’s definitely not Exalted or anything. I doubt she’s leading us into a trap…”

“I think we should trust her,” Goldenstar said, her smile still in place. “Come on, let’s go.” 

“If you say so,” Floodstrike said. They followed after Jo who glanced back with an amused grin. 

“My name’s Jo, by the way,” she said, although it wasn’t necessary. “You are?” 

“Goldenstar. These are my Clanmates, Floodstrike, Sparrowsway, and Branchbark.”

“And your Exalted friend?” Jo quirked one brow knowingly as she glanced at Scorch. 

“Scorch,” she said, casting her gaze up the wall instead of making eye contact. Jo hummed in response and Sparrowsway couldn’t quite place the expression on her face. 

“Well, it’s nice to meet you all,” said Jo. “Sorry I didn’t intercept you sooner. My leg ain’t what it used to be.” 

“You were looking for us?” Sparrowsway asked. 

“Oh, yes,” nodded Jo. “A friend of a friend saw you coming in and, well, someone had to get you before those fuckin’ meatheads did.” 

“We appreciate it,” Goldenstar said. “We’re looking for a Clanmate of ours who’s been lost in the city for a few months. She’s a-”

“Yes, yes,” Jo interrupted. “I know Songdust. You’ll see her soon enough.” 

“What?” Branchbark gaped. 

“I told you,” Jo said, “I’ll explain everything once we’re somewhere safe, now get ready, we’ve got to cross the road.” She led them out of the alley towards another thunderpath while everyone exchanged confused but excited glances. Scorchplume chewed her lip, a storm of thoughts behind her eyes, but Goldenstar was smiling ear to ear. 

Sparrowsway couldn’t believe it. They’d already stumbled into a cat who could take them straight to Songdust. It was almost too good to be true! Still, stranger things had happened. Sparrowsway whispered his thanks to StarClan and braced himself for the terrifying sprint between him and his missing Clanmate.

[clangenrising]

Month 15 - Newleaf

“You’re sure about this?” asked Branchbark. 

“Yep.” 

Goldenstar nodded and tried to convince herself that she was entirely certain. Over the last week, she had met with the other leaders to organize a plan for the upcoming battle. They’d found a good spot in EarthClan’s territory for the meeting to occur. They’d plotted out hiding spots for all of their warriors and planned to accommodate whichever way the wind was blowing. Finally, the only thing left to do was to extend an invitation to Razor. 

It had been a difficult decision as to who she would bring with her. Obviously, she had to go personally. She had nine lives. If anyone was going to put themself in danger, it was going to be her. But going alone was ill advised. Sagetooth had returned from the most recent healers’ meeting with the guidance that she needed to take two cats with her if she wanted to succeed. She had been struggling to think of who it would be for a while now. 

Scorch and Aldertail were immediately disqualified from going back to the city. Bringing a healer wasn’t a good idea either given their lack of combat experience and she wasn’t willing to bring any of the apprentices either. Russetfrond was out too. If she disappeared the Clan needed a clear leader. So that had left her with Yarrowshade, Pantherhaze, Ospreymask, and Branchbark. Eventually, she had eliminated Ospreymask since the battle of the snowstorm had put a target on her back and she had decided against Pantherhaze to make sure Slatepaw didn’t lose another cat close to her.

She still wasn’t sure this was the right move. She wished that StarClan had been clearer about their instructions. She wished Scorchplume could come with her and give her advice. Still, this wasn’t the time to be indecisive. She straightened her posture and focused on the cats who were going to accompany her. 

“I need to bring two cats and it’s got to be you two,” she said. 

“Alright,” Branchbark said, sounding unconvinced but willing to take her choice on faith. 

“Thanks, Goldie,” Yarrowshade said. “It means a lot.” 

“Now remember what we discussed,” said Scorchplume, perched nearby. “Don’t show weakness but don’t be aggressive. Never let them corner you. When all else fails, fall back on superstition as your excuse.” 

“I know,” Goldenstar said with a smile. “I’ll be careful and come right back.” 

“You’d better,” Scorch snapped. “If you don't, I'm leaving Fogpaw without a mentor.” Goldenstar heard the worry under her playful threat and leaned in to rub her cheek against Scorch’s.

“Don’t worry,” she whispered. “This will be over before you know it.” 

After a beat of hesitation, Scorch returned the gesture, purring softly. “That’s what I’m afraid of.” 

Goldenstar frowned ever so slightly but Scorch didn’t elaborate. Sighing, she turned her mind to business. The small group said their goodbyes and the Clan wished them good luck and they set off towards the city. They traveled mostly in silence which left Goldenstar with way too much time to think about how things could go wrong. 

What if they arrived and the city cats just didn’t let her leave? What if they were attacked on sight? What if Razor didn’t agree to a meeting? Scorch had of course guided her on how to avoid most of those problems. They weren’t going too close, staying where they could easily make a break for the territories. They were going to approach slowly and with friendly posture to avoid any unnecessary hostility. She was going to stress that she wanted to meet with Razor one on one to try and find peace. Things were planned out. So why was she so worried? 

They crossed the thunderpath as the sun neared its peak in the sky, the acrid stone blistering hot under their paws, and continued until a twoleg nest drew close in the field. Following Scorchplume’s instructions, they gave the nest a wide berth and settled into a path on the other side of a long thunderpath made of gravel. They padded along it until they started to smell cats on the wind.

“Getting close,” Yarrowshade mumbled, mouth open to the scent. 

“Alright,” Goldenstar nodded, confirming the smell for herself. “Remember, I’ll do the talking, just stand behind me and look strong but not aggressive, alright?” 

“Easier said than done,” Branchbark swallowed. 

“It’ll be alright,” Goldenstar said. “StarClan is with us.” She hoped they were, at least. 

After a bit more walking, they spotted a pair of cats strolling towards them on the other side of the thunderpath. Goldenstar raised her tail and started across after quickly checking to make sure there weren’t any monsters bearing down on them. The pair of cats stopped in their tracks and started whispering to each other while watching the Clan cats approach. 

“Hello there!” Goldenstar called in a way she hoped was regal. “I am Goldenstar, leader of the wild Clans. I’m looking to speak with a member of the Exalted.” She stopped a fox length away from them, Yarrowshade and Branchbark close behind her. She had to force herself not to look back at them to make sure they were sufficiently imposing. 

The cats before her were a pair of toms, both of them wearing collars with little charms on them. One was a ginger tabby with green eyes and a dark scowl on his face. He almost reminded her of Russetfrond except for the genuine malice in his eyes. The other was a brown tabby with a mask around his green-yellow eyes and a slim face. If Goldenstar didn’t know better, she would have thought he had been born a she-cat. 

The ginger tabby said, “Well, you’ve found some.” Yarrowshade bristled next to her.

The brown tabby cleared his throat and said, “Forgive my companion’s rudeness. It is an honor to speak with the illustrious Goldenstar face to face. How can we help you?” 

“I’ve come to deliver a message for Razor,” Goldenstar said. 

“Is that so?” the ginger tom shifted his posture by way of a threat. He opened his mouth to drink in their scents, looking down his muzzle at them. 

“Yes,” Goldenstar said, holding firm despite the nervous wriggling of her stomach. “I wish to discuss peace with him. In four days, at dawn, I will meet him in our woods in a place that is sacred to our people so that we can negotiate with the full support of our ancestors. He may bring a second but otherwise come alone. I will do the same.” The ginger tabby was glaring at her with eyes shrunken to slits. The brown tabby was barely restraining the look of elation on his face. 

“What a gracious invitation,” he purred. “I will go and convey the message to Razor at once. Uh, when the time comes, how will he know the spot to meet you?” 

“Cross the thunderpath where the pine tree's roots disturb the stones and head straight north from there,” she said, just like they had decided. “I’ll have my second wait on the edge of the forest to escort him.” 

“The thunderpath,” the little tom mused. “That’s the big stone path dividing our two lands, yes?” 

“Correct,” Goldenstar smiled. “I believe you call it a road?”

“We do indeed,” said the tom. “I will tell Razor at once. He will be most eager to meet you in four days time.” 

“Good,” purred Goldenstar, letting out a sigh of relief. “I look forward to it.” With that, she turned around and walked back across the gravel pathway, trying to convey confidence with every stride. She resisted the urge to look back but it seemed the others were not so strong. 

“They’re heading back to the city,” said Branchbark.

“Good,” Goldenstar said again. “I think they took the bait.” 

“I don’t like that tom,” Yarrowshade growled. “Something about him just… isn’t right.” Goldenstar twitched one ear in agreement.

“Do you think StarClan told us to bring three cats so they would be outnumbered?” Branchbark asked aloud. “Would they have attacked us if there were only two?”

Goldenstar looked over at him in surprise. “Maybe? I hadn’t even thought about that.” They had been so polite. It was baffling to think that one cat had made the difference.

“I wouldn’t put it past them,” Yarrowshade growled darkly. “Foxhearts, the lot of them.” 

Goldenstar shook her fur to dislodge the creeping unease settling into it. “Well, thank StarClan that’s done. Now we just have to win the battle.” 

“We will,” Branchbark said with surety. Goldenstar smiled and wished desperately that she had that unshakeable faith within her.

[clangenrising]

Month 14 - Newleaf

Lake’s paws ached. Her stomach growled and her head pounded dully behind her eyes. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt full. Still, she walked. 

Ever since her mother had disappeared, she’d been wandering. A few cats had shared a bite with her but they didn’t have much to share in the first place. Most of them were too busy training to fight and they didn’t want her around, especially not the special cats - Exalted, she remembered hazily. She’d tried following other kits home but every time she was politely sent away.

Two days ago, she’d seen a couple cats bringing back a pair of juicy looking birds and while they hadn’t shared with her, they had told her that there was plenty of prey over the far road if she could catch it, laughing between themselves. She figured that was as good an idea as any, so she’d headed out for the wild frontier! 

It was farther away than she’d thought it would be, or maybe it was just easier to get lost without roads to follow. She walked and walked and then stopped to sleep then walked some more. She was starting to wonder if there even was anything out here at all. Was she just missing it? 

The sound of running water grabbed her attention and she licked her chapped lips eagerly at the thought. The kit picked up her heavy paws and bounded towards the noise. Coming out of the grass, she suddenly found herself on the edge of a stream of cool, fresh water - fresher than she’d ever seen before at least. 

“Wowzers!” she declared because that seemed fitting. She waded into the stream and crouched down, gulping greedily until her stomach hurt. She thought about falling over and sleeping in the stream but worried she might drown. Instead, she decided to follow the water like it was a road and see where that took her. At the very least it would be fun to splash around. 

The sky was getting dark again but Lake didn’t mind. She tromped noisily against the current of the stream, humming a song as each note came to her mind. The chill of the water kept her awake, which was nice. She wondered if she would see a fish. They lived in water, right? She hoped so. She was starving and the water she drank wasn’t helping. It honestly made her feel grosser. 

Eventually the stream came upon a small hill but, instead of curving or trickling down the slope, it cut through the earth in a big metal tube. “That’s interesting,” Lake thought out loud. It was like a gutter drain but huge, big enough for a cat to walk through! She bounded up to the edge of it and sucked in a huge breath.

“Hellooooo!” she bellowed, giggling at the way it echoed off the tunnel walls. She splashed her paws in the water and listened to the magnified sound with excitement. “Blaaaaaaah! Bluh, bluh, bluh!” She snorted with laughter. This was the best fun she’d had in weeks!

“Hello?” A voice that wasn’t her own echoed back to her. She gasped. Was that possible?

“Hello?” she called back. It was hard to tell in the dark but at the end of the tunnel, she swore she saw something moving. Then a glint of eyes blinked at her, barely reflecting the moonlight in her direction.

“Wowzers!” she cried, “I didn’t think I’d see anybody! Are you hunting too?”

“Yeah,” the voice said hesitantly. “How old are you?” It sounded like a boy but there were other quieter voices outside the tunnel and they were talking very serious-like. 

“I’m three whole months!” Lake said. The eyes pulled away from the tunnel as the cat whispered with his friends. Lake decided she wanted to say hi up close and personal. She started towards the cat, sloshing through the stream up to her belly. Once the tunnel was all around her, the sound of her paw steps started to hurt her ears and she hurried towards the other end to get away from it. 

She burst out of the other end and thumped into a pair of bony legs, falling back onto her rump with an “oof!” The cat she had run into reached out a paw to steady her. He smelled like grass and dust and his breath smelled like prey blood. It made Lake’s mouth water. 

“Easy, there, kid,” the cat said. It was now that Lake looked up and got her first sight of him. 

“You’re funny looking, mister!” she said. He was a skinny white and blue tabby with big ears, like a little dog, and a very pointy face. 

“I could say the same about you,” he said. 

She laughed. “Am I funny looking?”

“The poor thing looks half starved,” whispered one of the other cats, an equally funny looking girl with brown points on her face and feet. 

“Are you out here all alone?” asked the third cat, a fluffy brown tabby boy who was much more normal looking. 

“Yessir!” said Lake. “I heard there was food here. Do you guys know where the far road is?” The cats all looked at each other for a beat. 

Then the first one spoke up, “Uh, no, but we do know where some food is.”

“Really?!” Lake grinned. “Can I have some?!” Her mouth was starting to fill with saliva. She slurped some of it down to avoid drooling.

“Yeah,” nodded the normal boy. “I’ll even carry you if you want.” 

“Nuh, uh,” Lake shook her head. “I’m a big girl now.” 

“You sure are,” said the funny looking boy. “Barleypaw, will you go grab one of the mice or something?”

“Yeah,” nodded the funny looking girl. She bounded off into the grass and Lake started after her but the funny looking boy put out a paw to stop her. 

“She’s gonna be right back with the food,” he said. “You just sit.” 

“Oh, okay,” shrugged Lake. “My name’s Lake. What’s your names?”

“I’m Floodpaw,” said the funny looking boy. 

“Sparrowpaw,” said the normal looking boy.

“And our sister is Barleypaw,” said Floodpaw. 

“Hey!” Lake gasped. “Did you know all your names rhyme?” Sparrowpaw laughed a little. Floodpaw raised one brow. 

“Yeah…” he said. “Where’s your mom, kid?”

Lake frowned. “Oh, um… I don't know.” 

“Oh,” said Floodpaw.

“That’s alright,” said Sparrowpaw. “Maybe you can come home with us, then.” 

“Yeah?” she brightened. Was she finally gonna be able to find a new place to sleep and a new person to help her get food? 

“Yeah,” said Floodpaw. “Once you’ve eaten we can go there.” 

“I can’t wait!” cried Lake. “You guys are the best!” The brothers exchanged glances again. Lake wasn’t sure what it meant but she saw the sister coming back over the hill and smelled the delicious smell of meat and all other thoughts fled her brain. She scarfed the whole thing down as quickly as she could. She ate it so fast she forgot to check what kind of animal it was. By the time she finished, she realized she felt very sick to her stomach.

“Oh…” she said. “I think I ate too fast…”

“That’s alright,” said Sparrowpaw, “Are you sure you don’t want me to carry you?”

She nodded, cheeks full of breath as she tried to stifle her nausea. 

“Alright, come on then,” Floodpaw said, stretching. “Why don’t we go back to camp? I bet a nice walk will help you feel better.” 

“Okay,” mumbled Lake. She didn’t feel like walking. She felt like falling over and never moving again. She didn’t like saying no to people, though, so she forced herself to take a few steps. 

Floodpaw tilted his funny looking head and said, “I dunno, maybe we should just sit for a while.” Lake sighed a little in relief. “Yeah, why don’t you guys go gather the prey and tell somebody about Lake and I’ll chill here with the kid until she feels like walking.”

“Are you sure?” asked Barleypaw. “We’re awfully close to the border.”

“It’ll be fine,” he said, flopping down in the grass. “Worst comes to worse, I'll grab the kid and go.” 

“Alright…” said Sparrowpaw, looking unconvinced. He and Barleypaw started off into the grass, looking back over their shoulders and whispering to each other. Lake let out a big sigh and eased herself into the grass next to Floodpaw.

“Thanks,” she said, closing her eyes. “I don’t feel very good.” She swallowed, her sides heaving under the distress of her sick tummy. 

“No problem,” smiled Floodpaw. “Barleypaw and Sparrowpaw are always like ‘go, go, go, let’s follow the rules’ or whatever but I get just wanting to lie down.” 

“Yeah,” Lake smiled wide and wiggled into a more comfortable position. “I like laying down!” 

“Me too,” laughed Floodpaw, dropping his head onto the ground too. “So, what are you doing out here, Lake?” 

“Looking for food!” Lake purred. Her stomach gurgled loudly and she giggled a bit. “Thanks for sharing it with me.” 

“Yeah, no problem,” said Floodpaw, one ear flicking away the gnats buzzing by. “But why are you looking for food all the way out here? You’re from the city aren’t you?” 

“Oh, yeah, I am,” Lake nodded, peeking her eyes open at him. “Some cats told me there was food out here. I was really hungry. Plus it sounded fun to try.”

“Don’t other cats bring you food?” he asked, brows furrowed. 

“Nah,” she sighed. “Not since Mother went missing.”

The crease in his funny, pointy face deepened. “Still, there wasn’t anybody else who helped you out?” 

“Um…” Lake frowned too. “No. I’m sorry.” Was she answering wrong? Why was he upset?

“Oh, no, hey,” he said quickly, “It’s okay, I’m not mad, I’m just-” His skinny little tail twitched. “I just think it’s not cool that no one looked out for you.” 

“They’re busy I guess,” Lake shrugged. They were learning to fight or taking care of their own kits. She didn’t blame any of them for not having time for her. 

“Well, here we take care of kittens,” Floodpaw said firmly, “no matter who they are.” Lake smiled and hid her nose in her paws shyly. Floodpaw laughed and stretched his big, long legs out in opposite directions. “Take a little nap, kid. I’ll keep watch.” 

“Okay,” she said and yawned. She hadn’t realized how tired she was until he said something but now, with her belly full, she was eager to get some shut eye. Feeling very round and sluggish, she closed her eyes and quickly drifted off to sleep. 

~~~

When Lake woke up it was very, very dark. She yawned and stretched and looked around, realizing that she was in a totally new place. She stiffened in fright. Where was she? The not knowing was scarier than any answer she could come up with. 

She was in a large den made of dirt, it seemed, in a nest of soft green moss and feathers. It smelled faintly of other cats, cats she didn’t know. 

Carefully, she got to her paws and crept towards the scent of night air, poking her head out to see a small grassy dip with a few other burrows tucked under big, grey stones. Three cats were sitting on top of a big, flat stone and talking softly. They didn’t seem dangerous so Lake ventured a bit further out to look around in wonder. 

“Wowzers,” she breathed. Everything here smelled so fresh and green. She’d never experienced anything like it. 

One of the cats, a dark blue bengal girl, perked up at the sound and looked her way. “Oh, hey! She’s awake!” 

“Shh,” hushed a brown spotted tabby girl nervously. 

“Right, sorry,” said the first girl, lowering her volume a bit. “Hey, girlie, how you feelin’?” 

Lake realized she was supposed to answer and said, “I’m good. How did I get here?” 

“They carried you in while you were sleeping,” said the third cat, a paler spotted tabby boy. Lake frowned. She had wanted to walk.

“I bet you’re pretty confused,” said the first girl. “Why don’t you come up here and sit with us? We can answer any questions you have.”

“Um, I’m okay,” said Lake. “Where’s the guy with the funny ears?”

“Huh?” asked the first girl.

The boy brightened in realization. “Oh, you mean Floodpaw.” 

“Yeah!” Lake bounced. That was his name!

“He’s sleeping over there,” he said, pointing to one of the holes in the ground. 

“Okay, thanks!” said Lake. She started towards the hole to go see him. The second girl breathed in sharply through her teeth and the first girl laughed. 

The boy started to say, “Oh, uh, I don’t know if-” but the first girl interrupted him. 

“Shh, let her be. It’ll be funny.” 

Lake didn’t know what they were talking about but she didn’t let it bother her. She made her way into the den. Five cats were sleeping in their nests; two smaller ones were curled up together and Floodpaw and the other cats she had met were sleeping near each other but not so close that they were touching. Lake padded right up to Floodpaw and settled down against his side. He opened his eyes and lifted his head groggily, blinking at her a few times before he managed to speak.

“Hey, kid, what are you doing in here?” he mumbled hoarsely.

“Looking for you,” she whispered. “Why did you carry me? I wanted to walk.” 

“Oh,” he said with a small groan. He swiped his tongue over his whiskers and rubbed an eye with his paw. “It was getting really late and I didn’t want to wake you. Sorry, kid.” 

“Mmm, it’s okay,” she decided, purring. She wiggled down into his nest and closed her eyes again. 

“Oh, uh…” he hesitated for a moment before eventually wrapping his tail around her and laying his head back down to sleep. Lake purred even harder. She’d missed sleeping next to somebody like this. 

She hoped that wherever her mother was, she had found someone new to sleep beside too.

UPDATES: - While on patrol with Barleypaw and Sparrowpaw, Floodpaw finds an abandoned kit named Lake and takes her back to camp.

[clangenrising]

Month 14 - Newleaf

As usual, rumors spread through camp like a wildfire in greenleaf. When Sagetooth got back from tending the garlic patches, she immediately overheard Ospreymask and Branchbark whispering about something scandalous. 

“It’s just ironic, isn’t it?” Ospreymask was saying. “Like, he’s always getting on me for being too chummy with Pebblefall or whoever and then he goes and has kits with a rogue.” 

“Yeah,” agreed Branchbark, tail twitching. “I honestly don’t think it’s that big a deal, but it’s a little funny that it’s him. Like, I guess now he’ll get a taste of his own medicine.” 

“Who will?” snapped Sagetooth. Both warriors flinched, fur brushing up, and turned to look at her like they had been caught eating prey on patrol. 

Ospreymask recovered quickly, though. “Russetfrond,” she whispered conspiratorially. “He got Mystique pregnant.” 

Sagetooth sighed heavily. “That fool boy. What was he thinking?”

“Who knows,” Branchbark huffed. “Maybe he thinks the rules don’t apply to him now that he’s deputy.” Sagetooth wasn’t listening anymore. She stalked off towards her den, rehearsing the scolding she was going to give Russetfrond when she saw him next. 

She couldn’t believe it! She knew that the world was going insane these days - both Stormwhisper and Blazingbrush having broken the code and had kits - but if there had been anyone she had expected to stick to tradition, it would have been Russetfrond. He’d always had more sense than his mother. Honestly, Sagetooth liked the boy. It was that small affection that was feeding her massive disappointment now. 

She wasn’t expecting to see him in her den. He was talking with Oddstripe and both of them looked up when she entered. Russetfrond’s ears slid backwards in shame. 

“There you are,” she said, scowling at him. 

“Sagetooth,” Oddstripe started, surely about to counsel her to go easy on him, but Russetfrond raised his tail to stop the other healer. 

“It’s alright, Oddstripe,” he said grimly. “Would you give us a moment?” 

Oddstripe hesitated but nodded, lips pursed. “Alright.” Ears back against his skull, he slank out of the den, leaving them alone. 

“I can't believe you,” Sagetooth said. “How could you be so foolish?” 

“I don’t know,” he sighed, looking down at his paws. “I’m sorry Sagetooth. This never should have happened.” 

“Damn right!” she huffed, stomping past him to deposit her garlic in the herb stores. “Goldenstar has always had trouble respecting Clan tradition so I would have expected this from someone like her but you? You must have known this wasn’t acceptable behavior!” She sat down and turned to look at him, making her disapproval clear on her face. 

“I did,” he said, and Sagetooth was surprised by his melancholy. “I knew the whole time that it was wrong and I still did it. I thought it would be fine if I kept it a secret, as if StarClan didn’t already know. I’m lucky they didn’t pick a harsher punishment.” Despite herself, Sagetooth felt her heart soften. 

“Yes, you are,” she said firmly. “I’m glad you at least seem to understand what you did wrong.” 

“I do,” he nodded, meeting her eyes with a hollow, hopeless gaze. That broke her heart. That expression didn’t belong on his powerful face. 

“Tch, come here,” she sighed, spreading her tail to invite him close. He obediently approached and settled down against her flank, leaning down into her despite his superior height. Sagetooth stretched up to give him a few licks around the ears. 

“What’s done is done, kit,” she continued. “All that’s left is how you make it right. You’ve told Goldenstar?”

“Yes,” he huffed sullenly. “She said it wasn’t going to be a problem. I hate how accepting she’s being about it.” 

“It’s her way,” scowled Sagetooth. She pushed down the complaints she had that were begging to be voiced. Her duty now was to guide Russetfrond, not gripe about Goldenstar. “Have you tried convincing the kittypet to join the Clan?” 

“Yes,” he sighed. “She’s not going to cooperate. It was all I could do to keep her from taking the kits back to her twolegs.” Sagetooth growled lowly. Kittypets…

“Well, good on you,” she said definitively. “Once they’re born they’ll need a strong paw to raise them up. I’m sure you’ll be able to foster their loyalties properly and turn them into excellent warriors.” 

“Thank you, Sagetooth.” Russetfrond closed his eyes and leaned into her. She wrapped her tail around him and purred reassuringly. 

“It’s going to be alright,” she said into his forehead. “The Clan will be there for you. StarClan is forgiving. This is a blessing in disguise, mark my words.” Russetfrond grunted tiredly. The two of them sat there for a good long while, Sagetooth letting him take comfort in her presence. It was good, she thought, to feel like her guidance was needed again. 

She closed her eyes and sent a silent prayer to StarClan. Let him learn his lesson, she prayed. Let these kits be loyal warriors. Let their mother cause no problems. 

After a few more long, quiet moments, Russetfrond gathered himself and stood up with a deep, slow breath. “I should get back to work,” he said. “Sparrowpaw has a lot of training to do before he gets his warrior name.” 

“Good,” Sagetooth nodded. “Devote yourself to your Clan. It will make these next few months easier.” He nodded dutifully, looking a little less defeated. “And don’t be afraid to come to me if you need advice. It’s what I’m here for.”

“I will,” he said. “Thank you, Sagetooth.” 

“StarClan guide you, kit,” she dipped her head and he returned the gesture.

[clangenrising]

Month 13 - Newleaf

“You'll watch her the whole time?” Russetfrond was saying to Pantherhaze. “I don’t want anything to happen while I’m gone.” 

“I will, I promise,” said Pantherhaze offering a wilted-looking smile. “Please, just go enjoy the Gathering.” 

“I won’t cause any trouble,” Mystique said, sitting beside her guard for the night. She offered a smile of her own to the deputy and he scowled in response. She still didn’t understand why he was so angry with her all the time or why he seemed to think she was going to turn around and attack them the first chance she got. 

“You’d better not,” he growled. 

“Come on, Russetfrond,” called Goldenstar from across the camp. Almost half of the cats had gathered on the slope of the hill - Goldenstar, Yarrowshade, Sagetooth, Ospreymask, and Floodpaw - and they were waiting expectantly for Russetfrond to join them. He huffed and gave Mystique one more pointed glare before stalking off to join them. She frowned .

“Have fun!” called Barleypaw. 

“Will do!” Ospreymask called back. 

After another beat, the group turned and headed out. Mystique yawned and stretched and looked over at her guard. 

“So where are they all off to again?” 

“The Gathering,” said Pantherhaze as if that answered the question.

“Okay…” she raised a brow. “That’s not vague or anything.” 

“It’s a meeting between the different Clans,” he supplied. “Every full moon they go and-”

Sparrowpaw called over to them, “I’m not sure Russetfrond would approve of telling her all that.” He looked a bit anxious as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. 

“It’s fine,” said Branchbark, laid out in the grass with Aldertail. “If she stays for too much longer, she’ll figure it out anyway.” 

“Yeah, and besides,” Mystique said, “It’s not like I’m gonna try and kill you all or anything. I don’t know why everyone keeps acting like I’m some big threat.” Her eyes caught movement as Aldertail squirmed uncomfortably. 

There was a small, uncomfortable silence that baffled her, but eventually Scorch spoke up from the warriors’ den. “If you still don’t get it then you’re being dumb on purpose.” She strolled over to the prey pile and hunched beside it to inspect the options, tail swishing with all of the confidence that she had wielded back in the city. Mystique’s eyes couldn’t help but be drawn to space where her Name Charm should be. 

She considered shooting back but held her tongue. She still wasn’t sure where she stood with Scorch and she didn’t want any good-natured ribbing to be taken as an insult. Instead she cleared her throat and looked away, returning to her den in a way she tried to make casual instead of defeated. Scorch smirked and Mystique knew she hadn’t succeeded. 

Pantherhaze followed her and settled down outside the door. The rest of the cats in camp went back to what they had been doing. Scorch picked a fish from the pile and ate it on the Stoneperch. The apprentices finished their own meals and went off into the night together. Branchbark slowly convinced Aldertail to relax again and started grooming her pelt. Mystique watched them and chewed the side of her cheek in frustration. 

Why was she such an outsider here? She was fun and personable wasn’t she? Why did it feel like she had a symbol of doom hovering above her head that only other people could see? She wished her Folk were nearby. She wanted nothing more than to be pet and coddled. She sighed and flopped her head onto her legs. Pantherhaze tilted his head to look at her.

“Are you alright?” he asked. 

“No,” she groaned. “Am I dumb?” She tilted her head to look at him. 

“Oh, no, I’m sure you’re not,” he said, which wasn’t the most reassuring thing in the world. “Don’t let Scorchplume bother you too much. She can be…. Prickly.” 

Mystique shifted to face him more squarely. “No, but she’s right, isn’t she? I mean, what am I missing? Clearly it’s something or everyone wouldn’t treat me like I was a sprinkler waiting to go off.” 

“A what?” he tilted his head in confusion like a puppy. 

“A sprinkler,” she brushed the thought away with her tail. “It sprays water on a patch of grass or flowers.” 

“Weird,” he frowned. 

“Look, that’s not the point!” she shook her head, “What’s wrong with me?” 

“What’s-” the little warrior blundered, “I don’t-”

“Ugh,” she rolled her eyes. She heaved herself to her feet and started across the camp towards Branchbark. “Hey!” Pantherhaze scrambled to keep up with her. At the sound of her voice, Aldertail shrank into a ball again. It was, honestly, really annoying. 

“Uh-” Branchbark glanced between her and Aldertail, unsure what to do.

“I’ve got a question for you,” said Mystique. “Why does everyone think I’m a secret murderer or something?” Branchbark swallowed hard and sat up taller, giving Aldertail better cover and lifting his face up onto the level with Mystique’s. 

“Um, because you’re a rogue?” he said like it was a question. 

“What is that?” she pressed. “I’m a rogue? Since when?” 

“It’s just a word we use for dangerous groups of cats,” said Pantherhaze, tail twitching. 

“Okay, but what makes me so dangerous?” she said. From her spot above them all, Scorch laughed. 

“Well, all the kittypets we’ve met so far have it out for us?” said Branchbark in the same tone. “They’ve been starving us out, they’re trying to kill Aldertail…”

“Well, okay, but she’s a criminal,” Mystique scoffed. “Besides, it's not like I’m gonna attack her right now for no reason.” 

“You’ve contradicted yourself,” Scorch called airily. Mystique glared over, not appreciating the attitude she was giving.

“Yeah,” agreed Branchbark, “you just said you wouldn’t attack her for no reason but you admitted you think other cats have a reason to hurt her.” His tone was getting bolder, his jaw set with a defiant edge. 

“Well, that’s not-” Mystique tried. 

“And!” Branchbark kept talking, a fire starting to grow in him, “And, she didn’t even do anything! Her brother is the one who committed the crime!” Behind him Aldertail was shaking visibly. Her tail was tucked underneath her, her ears pressed flatly against her skull. 

“I-it was an accident anyway!” she cried shakily, hiding under her own paws. “He didn’t mean it, he didn’t-!” The kittens had poked their heads out of the nursery to watch. Branchbark wrapped his tail tightly around her and leaned down to run his tongue over her forehead. 

“Hey, it’s okay,” he said softly, “take a deep breath.” 

“Right, but-” Mystique took a step back, “Look, I didn’t do anything though! I don’t know why you’re angry at me.” 

“Exactly,” Scorch snapped, rising to her full height. “You didn’t do anything.” She stared at Mystique burning those words into her with eyes of blue flame. Mystique’s tail started to lash anxiously. 

“What was there to do?” she said, “I’d never even met her before now!” 

Scorch scoffed and leaped down to stride up to the group of cats. “You think you’re so good ‘cause you never do anything wrong but you never do anything right either. Razor and his pig-headed friends bully and kill and worse every day and you just pretend not to see it.” 

“I don’t-” Mystique’s stomach was tight. The recesses of her mind were screaming. No! Leave now! You’re too close to the shadow truth! She took another step back.

Scorch followed her into the empty space, staring up at her. “You just sat by and let him. You’ll claim you didn’t see anything but you didn’t want to see it! I don’t know what’s worse, honestly; Razor, pretending he’s done nothing wrong, or you, pretending to believe him.” Mystique’s fur bristled and the words stung, sinking deep into her and piercing holes in the wall protecting her from the shadow truth. She’s right, it hissed, bubbling up within her. 

Scorch was still going. “Tell me, Mystique: What will you do when he comes to kill us all? To drag me back? Will you shuffle your paws and turn away as he slaughters these cats? Will you go back to your Folk and forget it ever happened? Will you still convince yourself you were good?” 

Mystique reeled. “No,” she said on instinct. “No, of course not, I-”

“Really?” Scorch laughed. “That’s what you’ve done every other day of your life! Why change now?” 

‘Cause… ‘Cause I wouldn’t, Mystique thought, but no words managed to get through the chokepoint of her throat. How did she know that? She tried to imagine what she would do if Razor showed up in one of his tempers. The thought was paralyzing and that wasn’t a good sign. The shadow truth was starting to swallow her whole. He isn’t a good cat, it whispered, you know this. It’s been here the whole time. You don’t just know this, you have known. Her stomach roiled terribly. 

Suddenly, Pantherhaze was shoving himself between her and Scorchplume. “Hey, ease off,” he said, his little voice firm as he could make it. Scorch curled her lip, glanced at Mystique one more time, and then turned around.

“Fine,” she said as if she were perfectly satisfied, “I said my piece.” She swished back up to the top of the Stoneperch to finish her meal, brows lifted imperiously. To Mystique, she felt vacant somehow. She didn’t have much time to examine why though. Pantherhaze turned to her, looking concerned.

“Why don’t we go back to the den?” he said gently and she just nodded. Branchbark was glaring at her while Aldertail clung to him like she was drowning, shivering in fear. The kittens were staring. Mystique ducked her head and, like a coward, fled back to the safety of her cage.

[clangenrising]

Month 13 - Newleaf

“Still no sign of them,” Pantherhaze said sadly. “Russetfrond and Sparrowpaw are still out there waiting though.” 

Goldenstar sighed. The longer they waited, the clearer it became that Smokyrose and Songdust were in serious trouble. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much they could do but wait. They had no idea where the missing cats were and the chances that anyone she sent would also go missing were just too high. She couldn’t in good conscience send her warriors into such a dangerous situation and so she was forced to sit and hope that the two old she-cats would find their ways back home. 

“Alright,” she said. “Thank you, Pantherhaze.” 

“Of course,” he said. Dipping his head, he slipped off to get a meal and left her alone at the foot of the Stoneperch. She closed her eyes and let the cold night wash her with melancholy. She tried to think about what Sunstar would do in this situation but that only led her to the conclusion that Sunstar would be storming the city single-pawed to get her sister back and Goldenstar would be forced to try and stop her. She almost wished it was that easy for her, that she had a good enough excuse to storm blindly into trouble. Then at least she wouldn’t have to agonize over the choice to do nothing. 

A strange scent blew down into camp on the wind, vanilla mixed with thunderpath and twolegs. Her fur bristled and she snapped towards it, mouth open. Had an attack finally come to their camp? The scent wasn’t strong enough to be too many cats. Her ears strained towards the sound, hoping for more details. 

“I’m just saying, he started it,” said a stranger’s voice, causing Goldenstar’s tail to brush up.

Then Russetfrond’s voice set her slightly at ease. “What are you, six weeks old?” 

“Enough!” Goldenstar’s heart leapt at the sound of a third, impossibly familiar voice. “You’re both very cute and funny and smart. Can we please give it a rest?” A pair of mismatched ears crested the slope and then there was Scorch, strolling into camp like nothing had happened, a perfect scowl on her perfect face. 

“Scorchplume!” Goldenstar was halfway across camp before she knew what was happening. 

“What?!” she heard Yarrowshade shout from inside the warriors’ den. 

Scorch had stopped in her tracks wearing a blank expression. Goldenstar stopped too. Was Scorch still upset with her? Oh, Stars, she hoped not. She was wearing a little blue collar with a little star shaped charm. Her blue eyes seemed to glow in the fading twilight as she licked her lips apprehensively. 

“Scorch!” Yarrowshade had burst out of the warriors’ den and bounded up past Goldenstar to butt his head against hers, a deep purr thrumming in his chest. Scorch stiffened but leaned into the touch. With the spell of her gaze broken, Goldenstar suddenly noticed the large blue she-cat looming close behind wearing a collar of her own and a suspicious glare. Cats were starting to gather, whispering amongst themselves, and the kittypet looked like she was trying to size all of them up.

“I can’t believe you’re here!” Yarrowshade laughed. “What happened to you?” 

Scorch let out a small, frustrated noise from her throat, like she tried to speak but no words came out. “It’s a long and complicated story,” she ended up saying. Turning to look at the kittypet, she added, “This is Mystique. She helped me escape.” 

“I feel like ‘escape’ is a bit much,” the cat said. 

“No, it’s quite accurate,” Scorch said, looking back at Goldenstar. The leader’s breath suddenly froze in her chest. “Smokyrose is dead.” 

“What?” Russetfrond snapped, suddenly tensing up again. “Why didn’t you say so sooner?” 

“How do you know?” Yarrowshade asked.

Scorch pursed her lips and glared back at Russetfrond. “I told you I wanted to find Goldenstar before I started talking, remember?” She ignored Yarrowshade. 

“Right,” said Goldenstar, jolted out of her paralysis. “Why don't you come sit and tell us what you have to share.” She swept her tail towards the center of camp. As much as she probably ought to pull Scorch into her den for a more private briefing, she knew that everyone was going to be starving for details and that it would be faster if they all just heard them now instead of asking her for them one by one. 

“Thank you,” Scorch sighed, shoulders slacking. “Mystique and I are both very hungry as well. Would it be alright if we ate?” 

“Of course,” Goldenstar said immediately. 

Russetfrond growled. “We shouldn’t be sharing prey with the enemy, Goldenstar.” 

“She brought one of our warriors home,” she replied. “At least for tonight, she’s a guest.” Russetfrond huffed disapprovingly but didn’t protest any further. Mystique shot him the smuggest grin. Oh, dear, Goldenstar thought. Those two are going to be a pawful. 

A moment later, everyone who was awake was gathered around Scorch and Mystique who had been given a mouse each. Mystique seemed unsure how to approach the prey at first but once Scorch started eating she quickly followed suit. Everyone gave them a few beats to eat despite the palpable curiosity in the air. 

Russetfrond eventually broke the silence. “What do you know about Smokyrose and Songdust?” 

Scorch swallowed and straightened her posture authoritatively. “Smokyrose is dead. She and Songdust showed up to try and barter peace two days ago but Razor found out that she and Ghost were intertwined and killed her for it.” Mystique glanced at her with a frown but refrained from interrupting, focused instead on finishing her meal. 

“Because she wasn’t from the city?” Goldenstar asked in shock. She’d heard old stories about tyrannical leaders killing the cross-clan mates of their warriors before. She wondered if Razor was a kittypet purist. 

“Not exactly,” Scorch said. “He and Ghost are not on good terms right now. Razor killed her just to spite him.” Her tail lashed once but Goldenstar could see the burning anger underneath her calm and collected facade. Floodpaw reflected that anger, tail lashing back and forth as he sat on the edge of the meeting with his littermates. 

“That’s horrible!” Ospreymask said. 

“Poor Smokyrose…” mumbled Pantherhaze, looking at his paws. 

“What about Songdust?” Pressed Russetfrond. 

“She escaped,” Mystique volunteered. “Nobody’s seen her since.” 

“Nobody?” Branchbark frowned. 

“Nobody who will say anything at least,” shrugged Mystique. 

“Snake guts,” Yarrowshade cursed, staring through the dirt with wide, overwhelmed eyes. Beside him, Pantherhaze shut his eyes and whispered a prayer under his breath. 

“Okay, well that’s good,” Goldenstar said, trying to focus on the positive. “That means she’s probably safe.” 

“So why hasn’t she come home?” Ospreymask asked. 

“There’s a chance she’s been caught by the humans,” Scorchplume said, licking the last traces of her mouse from her lips. “If they’ve got her she’ll be in a place the city cats call a Judgement House.”

“Oh, that’s not scary at all,” Yarrowshade muttered. 

Scorch continued, “They’ll decide if she’s Chaff or if she’ll become Exalted - what you would call a kittypet. If she’s Chaff, she’ll be back on the street after about four days. If she’s not then it could take moons.” 

“Seriously?” Ospreymask scoffed. “Why?” 

“I don’t know,” Scorch shrugged. “I got taken home by a human after a week.” 

“So you were in one of these ‘Judgement Houses’?” Goldenstar asked. The idea sent a shiver down her spine. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what such a place would look like. 

“Yes,” Scorch twitched an ear. “It’s not important though. What is important is that the city cats are preparing to step up their attack. They’re going to keep starving you out but on top of that they’re training the Chaff to fight so they can send strike teams to pick your patrols off one by one.” Goldenstar noticed Mystique shifting uneasily, eyes darting over the scowling warriors around her.

“If they fight anything like the cats we fought before, they won’t stand a chance,” Floodpaw declared, puffing up his chest. 

“Shush,” Goldenstar said and he deflated, ears flopping backwards.

“It doesn’t matter if they do,” Scorch said. “There are a lot more Chaff in the city than there are Clan cats and the Exalted won’t have a problem with throwing them at you until you’re overwhelmed. It’s not a matter of if they wipe you out, it’s a matter of when.” Goldenstar swallowed. 

“So what do we do?” Branchbark asked. 

“Run?” Scorch said. “I told you, there’s no winning with Razor. Your best chance is to leave and live to fight another day.”

“No way,” Russetfrond growled. 

“That’s been discussed and discarded already,” Goldenstar said. “The Clans would never agree to it.” 

“I thought Snowstar was willing to help us relocate on the other side of the mountains,” said Yarrowshade. 

“Yes,” Goldenstar winced, “but I doubt we’d be able to convince SkyClan and FallenClan to come with us. Besides, we already decided that we weren’t going to abandon our home.” 

“Goldenstar, how many times do I have to tell you,” Scorchplume’s claws sank into the grass, “there is no other way! If you stay here you’ll all die. That’s that.” 

Goldenstar bit her lip, unable to hold back the disappointment overwhelming her. She’d hoped that if she ever saw Scorch again that there would be a tearful reunion, not a bitter argument. She shuffled a bit, aware that the eyes of her Clan were on her. Whatever she said next would have weight.

“I know you believe that,” she said and she saw Scorch scowl defensively. Quickly, she added, “I’m not saying you’re crazy, I’m just saying I have to make sure there isn’t another course of action before we resort to something that drastic.” 

“We should ask StarClan,” Ospreymask suggested. “They led us to victory during the snowstorm! They can do it again!”

“Of course they did,” Scorch scoffed, rolling her eyes as she looked away. Goldenstar wanted to scream. They had! Scorch had somehow managed to be gone right when StarClan gave them definitive proof of their existence. It was infuriating. 

“I’ll plan a visit to the River,” she said instead. “We’ll see what guidance they can provide.” 

“What about you?” Branchbark said to Mystique. “What do you think we should do?” 

The kittypet sat up, ears flicking back uncomfortably, and she looked around at them with an uneasy grimace. “Me?” 

“Yeah,” he said. “You helped Scorchplume. You can’t be all that bad. We have kits and elders here who are in danger and we’ll fight to defend them but we don’t want to kill your cats any more than we want you to kill ours.”

“Sure,” scoffed Mystique. “I’ve heard about how you swarmed the hunting party and slaughtered Sycamore.” 

“He was going to kill Floodpaw,” Ospreymask said, voice sharp and clipped. Floodpaw squirmed in embarrassment. 

Branchbark tried again. “We were just trying to defend our homes and our loved ones. I’m sure you understand that, right?” Mystique nodded after a beat. “So what do you think we should do? You know the city cats better than we do. What’s the best way forward for everyone?” Goldenstar raised her brows, impressed. Branchbark was sharp as a thorn, as usual. All eyes turned to Mystique, waiting for her answer. Scorch in particular seemed invested in what she had to say.

“Well…” the big blue she-cat swallowed, a frown tugging at her lips. “My brother is a stubborn cat. He wants the wild territories and he’s probably not going to give up any time soon.” 

“Your brother?” Russetfrond glared. 

“Razor,” Scorch said tightly. Everyone bristled. 

“What?!” Yarrowshade was on his feet.

“The kits are sleeping!” Ospreymask hissed at him.

“How could you bring her here?!” Russetfrond accused Scorch. “Weren’t you thinking?!”

“I did what I had to do,” Scorch snarled, voice dripping with a venom Goldenstar had never heard before. “Don’t you dare lecture me!” Mystique had pulled back into a defensive crouch, tail twitching in grim anticipation of a fight.

“Everyone calm down,” Goldenstar stood as well, trying to speak authoritatively without raising her volume too much. “Blood isn’t everything. She’s done nothing but help us so far, we’re not going to turn on her because of her brother’s actions.” Yarrowshade glared at her for a second before sitting down again. Russetfrond didn’t move, locked in a staring contest with Scorchplume. 

“He’s really not so bad…” Mystique said weakly. 

“Have you ever heard him talk?” Yarrowshade laughed bitterly. 

“Didn’t he kill Smokyrose over a petty grudge?” said Ospreymask. 

“He’s the worst kind of monster there is,” Scorch growled, still squinting furiously at Russetfrond. “He takes just to take and he’s cruel without cause. But Mystique isn’t like him.” She glanced over at the kittypet. “She may be a little obtuse but she means well.”

“Okay, ouch,” Mystique said defensively. Scorch opened her mouth like she was going to continue then pursed her lips and looked away again. 

“Maybe we should have this conversation in the morning,” suggested Pantherhaze. “I think some sleep would do everyone some good.” 

“I suppose I could stay the night,” Mystique mumbled. 

“Oh, you’ll stay longer than that,” growled Russetfrond. Looking at Goldenstar, he said, “She knows where our camp is, what our numbers are, what we plan to do. She can’t go back to the city.” 

“Hold on!” Mystique rose to her paws, causing Russetfrond, Yarrowshade, Ospreymask, and Floodpaw to do the same. “You can’t keep me here!” 

“We can do whatever we like,” Russetfrond hissed, back arching. Goldenstar felt the situation quickly slipping away from her. 

“Look,” she said, “he has a point. It would be extremely unwise to let you return to the others. You’ll have to stay here, at least for a while. I’m really sorry.” Mystique’s mouth fell open, dumbfounded. 

“The elder’s den is empty now,” Russetfrond said, lowering back into a calmer posture. “We can keep her there. I’ll take first watch and then organize a rotation tomorrow.”

“Alright,” Goldenstar agreed. “Try not to provoke her too much, okay?” He grunted in reluctant affirmation. 

“Great,” glowered Mystique, “can’t someone else be my jailer?”

“Think of him more as your personal bodyguard,” Scorch smiled. The smug tone of her voice and the way that Mystique’s expression became suddenly guilty told Goldenstar there was some kind of personal meaning there she wasn’t aware of. 

“Besides,” Scorch continued, standing and swishing her tail in a beautiful arc, “It’s not like you can go home. Once Razor finds out you stole his precious little bird you’ll be public enemy number one.”

Mystique’s face fell, horror dawning behind her eyes. “Wait…”

 “You didn’t think about that, did you?” Scorch huffed a laugh through her nose. “Well, you’ll have plenty of time to think about it now.” 

“Come on,” Russetfrond said, stepping closer. “Let’s go.” Mystique stared at Scorch for another beat then slowly rose to her paws and let Russetfrond corral her into the empty elders’ den. Goldenstar’s throat seized guiltily.

“Sparrowpaw,” she called.

“Yes?” He straightened his posture attentively. 

“Get her some water and fresh bedding, alright?” 

“Yes, Goldenstar,” Sparrowpaw nodded and hurried off to do so. 

“Better than she deserves,” Floodpaw grumbled. 

Goldenstar shot him a stern look. “Shush. Don’t you have dawn patrol tomorrow? Go to bed.”

“Fine…” he sighed, trudging back to the apprentices’ den beside Barleypaw. Branchbark and Pantherhaze slipped into the warriors’ den. Ospreymask went back to the top of the hill to resume her night watch. Goldenstar and Yarrowshade were left with Scorch, a quiet tension hanging between them. Goldenstar decided to break the silence sooner rather than later. 

“I’m glad you’re back,” she said softly. 

“Yeah,” said Yarrowshade, “me too.”

Scorch shifted. The mask that Goldenstar had spent moons trying to loosen was back in place, tightly affixed to her features. Goldenstar felt it, like a wound in her own throat. When Scorch spoke, she sounded casual in a way that Goldenstar knew was calculated. 

“We’ll see how long I stick around,” she shrugged. “You may want to stay and get murdered but I’ll be long gone before then.” 

“C’mon, you don’t mean that,” Yarrowshade frowned. 

Goldenstar stepped forward, quickly saying, “Whatever you choose to do, we’ll understand.” Yarrowshade’s frown turned on her and she shot him a scowl in reply. 

“Right,” Scorch said. “Of course.” 

Yarrowshade glanced at her then ducked away. “Um, I’m off to bed,” he mumbled. “See you tomorrow.” He slunk away, tail brushing the ground. Goldenstar thought she caught a sliver of a frown on Scorch’s face but it was gone immediately. 

“I’m sorry about him,” she said. 

Scorch hummed noncommittally. 

“So…” she said, her stomach writhing like a pit of snakes. “You were a kittypet.” She glanced at the collar and Scorch followed her gaze, seemingly surprised to see it. 

“Oh, yeah, I was,” she said. “I’d love to get this thing off though.” 

“Let me help you,” Goldenstar stepped closer then stopped, waiting for Scorch to close the rest of the distance. There was a pause and then she did. 

“It’s not that tight,” she said. “I think you could probably pull it off without too much trouble.” 

“Let me see,” Goldenstar breathed, leaning in to inspect it. She tested the thing in her teeth, pulled at it, then said, “Uh, duck your head?” Scorch complied and she leaned over to grab it from the back. As her teeth brushed Scorch’s scruff, she felt Scorch’s entire body stiffen in fear, smelled the sweat forming on her paw pads. It scared her. Quickly, she hooked her teeth around the collar and pulled, wiggling it over Scorch’s ears and onto the ground. Scorch let out a shaky breath and stood up straight, giving her fur a few licks to smooth it down. 

“Thank you,” she said, “I’ll get rid of that thing in the morning.” 

Now, thought Goldenstar, say something before you lose your chance!

“Uh, your old nest is gone but you can stay in my den tonight if you like.” 

Scorch swallowed and squinted at her. “No. No, I think I’ll just use Russetfrond’s. I appreciate the generous offer though.” 

“Alright.” Goldenstar smiled, blood draining from her face. “Good night.” She swiveled and strode quickly into her own den, worried that she would die of embarrassment before she arrived. That could have gone better. There was this massive wall between them that she didn’t know how to scale and it was killing her. 

Scorch was home though… that was good. She could work with that.

[clangenrising]

Month 4 - Greenleaf

Ospreymask volunteers herself and Branchbark to kitten sit while Oddstripe stretches her legs. Barleykit's pelt beginning to change amazes Ospreymask, but Branchbark is a little distracted by how strong Floodkit can bite.

[clangenrising]

Month 10 - Leafbare

Branchbark was sure that he was being punished. Russetfrond had sent him out hunting with Yarrowshade of all cats at least five times since he’d been made deputy. He had been assured that it was simply a logistical decision, but the situation felt too uncomfortable to be pure coincidence. On the other paw, Russetfrond wasn’t exactly fond of Yarrowshade so the choice might have had more to do with Yarrowshade than it did with him. 

Yarrowshade, for his part, had been taking it well, it seemed. If Branchbark hadn’t known any better, he might not have guessed that Yarrowshade was grieving at all. As they roved the territory looking for prey, he smiled and laughed and answered all of Barleypaw’s questions in a bright and playful manner. Branchbark wasn’t sure, but that didn’t feel exactly… healthy. 

“Great catch, kid!” Yarrowshade purred as Barleypaw returned with a sparrow hanging from her jaws. “You’re getting really good at that.” 

“Fanks,” she beamed, tail swishing idly. Yarrowshade began to dig a hole in the remnants of snow to cache the bird in and Branchbark’s vision fogged as he watched the motion. 

He had helped lay Nightfrost to rest that night. Beside Songdust and Pantherhaze, he had carved a hole in the cold hard earth down hill from the camp where the rosemary grew in the spring and countless Clanmates had been buried. The entire time, his throat had been thickly choked with guilt. If he had been faster, if he had gone out sooner or braved the snow storm the day before, if he had been smarter about which patches he checked-- Despite the futility of it, his mind raced to find something he could have done to avert the tragedy. 

He found himself going through the same list of ‘what if’s now, only getting pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of Yarrowshade’s voice. 

“Branchbark…? Hello?” 

He snapped to attention and smiled out of habit. “Yes? I’m here!” 

“Oh, that’s a relief,” Yarrowshade chuckled. “For a second I was like ‘where did he go?!’” He made a show of scanning the area as if Branchbark had disappeared and Barleypaw laughed in the most adorable manner. Branchbark blushed but was happy to play along with the joke for her sake. 

Still, it was weird to see Yarrowshade being so goofy already. Wasn’t he hurting? He realized suddenly that Yarrowshade had been talking again and he had no idea what had been said. 

Barleypaw was nodding. “I wanna see if there are any cardinals around! I’ve lost some of my feathers and I need new ones so I can stay brave.” 

“Good idea,” Yarrowshade said. “Lead the way, Barley-girl! I’m right behind you.” Barleypaw nodded and bounded off through the snow. Yarrowshade followed close behind but Branchbark trailed them more slowly. He just couldn’t seem to focus today. 

Yarrowshade caught a few rodents and Barleypaw caught another sparrow but Branchbark fumbled the squirrel he had spotted. Yarrowshade had laughed it off and told him it was fine but he knew it wasn’t. It wasn’t fine. He could have been smarter, faster, better. He could have found the horsetail in time. He could have- 

A flicker of movement caught his attention and pulled him from his thoughts with a jerk. 

Yarrowshade was crouched next to Barleypaw, both of them intently watching a bright red cardinal that was fluttering its wings and searching for seeds among the frost-firm grass. Yarrowshade was the perfect mentor, correcting her posture and whispering words of encouragement, but that wasn’t what drew Branchbark’s eye. A large, russet shape in the grass shifted, two black tipped ears alert and forward, beady yellow eyes fixed tightly on the two oblivious cats hunting a few meters away. 

Branchbark was running before he realized. A loud warning hiss tore from his throat as he launched himself towards the fox, and it wheeled to face him fur puffing up in fright. It opened its mouth and let out a warbling scream and Branchbark arched his back and growled in response. 

“Stay here,” he heard Yarrowshade tell Barleypaw. Then, the older tom carefully stalked up to flank the fox with Branchbark. 

The fox seemed young, probably born that spring if he had to guess, and it was thin beneath its winter coat. If they were lucky, the fox would decide they weren’t worth the energy to fight and leave instead. Branchbark hissed again, edging closer, and Yarrowshade hopped forward with a few swipes of his claws. The fox screamed again, skittering backward, then lunged at Yarrowshade, jaws snapping. 

Branchbark’s heart skipped a beat - he couldn’t let anything else happen to Yarrowshade on his watch. Hissing he leapt forward to bat at the fox’s face. 

“Wait!” Yarrowshade yelled too late.

Branchbark’s claws hooked into its nose and it wailed in pain. Twisting, it snapped at him with sharp teeth and a lance of burning pain shot up his leg as it managed to catch his foot in its mouth and pull. Blood sprayed across the grass, the tang of its scent striking his tongue, and he hissed, trying to bash it over the face with his other paw. 

Yarrowshade ducked under him and lunged, sinking his teeth into the fox’s neck. The smell of blood doubled and the fox released him with a yelping, frightened scream. Yarrowshade let it go and it tumbled away panting heavily as crimson bloomed down the front of its chest. It cursed in vulpish, looking over the red spatters on the ground, then fled with clumsy pawsteps. 

Branchbark sat back with a hiss of pain and looked at his leg, giving the wound a few careful licks. Despite the pain of it, the wound seemed mostly superficial, which he thanked StarClan for. Adrenaline pumped through him, giving him a giddy lightness in his stomach. 

“What were you thinking?” Yarrowshade snapped, his muzzle slick and dark with fox blood. Branchbark wilted. That wasn’t the reaction he had been expecting. 

“I was trying to save you,” he mumbled. 

“I didn’t need saving!” said Yarrowshade. “It was giving a warning bite, we could have driven it off without a fight.” 

“I… I’m sorry,” Branchbark said, realizing that Yarrowshade was right. “I just… I didn’t want you to get hurt.” 

“So you got hurt instead,” Yarrowshade glared. Branchbark had no argument. 

“Are you okay?” Barleypaw asked, slowly creeping up behind them. Her big, bat-like ears carefully lifted from where they had been pressed against her head and her big blue eyes were wide with fright. Quickly, Yarrowshade tried to groom the blood from his muzzle before she saw. 

“Yeah,” he said, “yeah, I’ll be fine.” 

“Barley, dear,” Yarrowshade said, putting effort into sounding more gentle, “could you walk Branchbark back to camp to see Sagetooth please? I’ll collect the prey we caught and meet you there.” 

“Will you be alright?” she asked, “W-will that thing come back?” 

“The fox?” he looked over his shoulder to see where it had disappeared and then back to her, “No, it’s probably going to be gone for a while, if it survives. I’ll be just fine.” He smiled and she relaxed, but Branchbark could see something strained underneath his grin. 

“Now go on,” Yarrowshade continued, tone turning stern when he looked at Branchbark. “Get your leg seen to.” 

Branchbark nodded. “Yeah… I will. I’m sorry, again.” 

Yarrowshade’s jaw clenched but he kept his smile. “I don’t want your apologies.” 

Bile rising in his throat, Branchbark nodded again and turned to leave. Barleypaw walked beside him, worriedly eyeing his leg every few steps. He walked silently, trudging in his building guilt. He didn’t know how to make things right with Yarrowshade. He wasn’t sure if he ever could. 

“Does it hurt?” Barleypaw asked eventually.

“A little bit,” he said, and that wasn’t entirely true. It was constant and stinging against the cold winter air, but he had grown used to it by now and it wasn’t the worst wound he’d ever received. 

“I think you were very brave,” she whispered wide eyed. 

“Thank you,” he said with a bashful laugh, “but I was more foolish than brave. If I had listened to Yarrowshade I probably wouldn’t have gotten hurt.” 

“Why didn’t you?” 

What a question. He hummed for a moment before answering, “It’s my fault that Nightfrost died. I wanted to try and make it up to him and I wasn’t thinking clearly.” 

Barleypaw was quiet for a bit. “I thought it was Papa’s fault.” 

“What?” He looked down at her with a quirk of his head. 

“He went and got sick and so he couldn’t find the right plants. Sagetooth was really mad at him.” 

“It’s not his fault,” Branchbark shook his head. “He didn’t try to get sick. Sometimes bad things just happen.” 

“Then why is it your fault?” she asked. 

“I wasn’t fast enough,” he shrugged. “If I’d been faster she might have survived.” 

“That doesn’t make any sense,” she frowned. “If it's not Papa’s fault then it's not your fault either. Sometimes bad things just happen.” 

Branchbark almost laughed. “Well I guess I can’t argue with that,” he said, feeling sheepish. How had she bested his guilt so quickly? He had a feeling he was going to feel bad about what happened for a long time, but perhaps he could let go of the idea that he was uniquely to blame. He just hoped Yarrowshade felt the same.

UPDATES: - Branchbark is injured saving Yarrowshade from a fox!

[clangenrising]

Month 10 - Leafbare

A few days of sunny weather had thawed the heavy snow and caused the huge piles to dwindle down to slushy dregs. For the first time since the kits had started walking, Smokyrose felt comfortable letting her daughters out to play. Fogkit had been bouncing around the den for days, begging to go explore and meet people, but Smokyrose had insisted that they would be far too cold to have fun if they went. In truth, she didn’t want to risk either of them getting sick, especially after what had happened to Nightfrost. 

But today the sun was shining warmly on the camp and she had no excuses and she was just as eager to hand them off to someone else as they were to have some fun. 

“Alright, my darlings,” she said, ushering them forward with a gentle sweep of her tail, “Remember the rules: Don’t go over the hills and stay where I can see you, alright?” 

“Okay!” Fogkit squeaked, bowling forward into the clearing. She stopped, squinting against the light with her tail straight up in kittish excitement. Slatekit started forward, then paused for a moment before hurrying after her sister. Smokyrose watched them go with a mixture of pride and weariness, and not just for the usual reasons. 

She couldn’t help but look at the two of them side by side and imagine her walking with their father. She sighed and wondered if the ache for him would ever cease. The ache for Currentseeker had waned, she reasoned, so maybe time would ease this wound too, but it didn’t feel like that would happen any time soon. 

“Ooh! Look at this!” Ospreymask called as she slipped out of the healers’ den, Branchbark limping along behind her. “Hello there, girlies!” 

“Ospweymask!” cheered Fogkit. Slatekit gasped excitedly. 

“Look at you!” the warrior purred, bouncing over and batting the tiny kits around in her paws. They shrieked and squealed with laughter and Smokyrose smiled. Confident they were in good paws, she moved to the top of the warriors’ den to settle in the sun and warm her bones. Aldertail was already sitting atop the flat stone and looked up as she approached.

“Ah! H-hi there, Smokyrose,” she said, shifting her weight anxiously. 

“Hello, dear,” smiled Smokyrose. “Don’t let me disturb you at all, I’m just coming to stretch my legs.”

“O-okay,” Aldertail nodded and gave one of her forelegs a few firm licks. 

Smokyrose spread herself out on the stone with a relaxed sigh, one ear tilted to listen absently to her daughters’ laughter. “How have you been settling in, dear?” she asked and Aldertail sat up suddenly. 

“Oh,” she said, clearly having let her thoughts drift. “Um, good- uh, well, I mean. Everyone has been so kind and- and generous to me.” She glanced over at Ospreymask and the kittens 

“I’m glad to hear it,” purred Smokyrose. “I know the Clan is better off with you in it.” Aldertail blushed, ears sliding back, and she buried her nose in her curled forelegs. Her only reply was a small squeak that Smokyrose assumed must have been a thank you. She chuckled warmly and let out a satisfied groan as she pushed her stretch. Her back popped and she sighed in relief, melting back down into the warm stone. Kitting had taken a toll on her body that she hadn’t expected and she wasn’t sure if she would ever feel the same again but on days like today she could almost believe it. 

The sun was a gentle companion. The wind was soft and quiet, largely shielded against by the camp’s sloping hill. She looked over to where Ospreymask was wrestling with the girls and smiled, thankful as ever for the warrior’s never ending exuberance. 

“Ack!” Ospreymask cried as Fogkit accidentally stepped on her face very close to her eye. “I’m out numbered! Branchbark, you gotta save me!”

“Sorry,” Branchbark grinned impishly. “I’m injured, remember?” He waved his left paw in reminder. The wound was no longer bandaged, mostly just a nasty, dark scab and a greenish bruise underneath his short brown fur. 

“Coward!” Ospreymask wailed, flopping underneath the kittens. Slatekit and Fogkit giggled to each other and then Fogkit went in for the kill, chomping down on the side of Ospreymask’s neck. The warrior hissed in pain and pulled away. “Hey, hey, gentle! Remember, we’re just playing.” 

“Oh,” Fogkit jumped back, wide eyed. “I’m sorry.” 

“It’s alright,” Ospreymask smiled, leaning in to nose the kit’s forehead. “Just be careful next time.” 

“Are you gonna be okay?” Slatekit’s tiny voice asked, barely audible from where Smokyrose was sitting.

“Yeah, I’ll be right as rain,” Ospreymask purred, hooking her into a hug with one paw. “Unlike Branchbark, I can take a bite like a champ.” 

“Hey!” he frowned, “That’s not fair.” 

Ospreymask cackled and flicked her tail at him. “You’re so easy!” Fogkit joined in with her laughter, snuggling up next to Slatekit with a wiggle of her tiny haunches. Smokyrose sighed fondly. What precious things, her girls. She tried to ignore the aching that came with the thought. 

“She looks just like him,” Aldertail murmured and Smokyrose inhaled sharply, looking over at her. Aldertail shrank with fright as she realized what she had said. “Oh! I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean-” 

“No, no,” Smokyrose hurried to reassure her. “It’s alright. She does.” She’d forgotten that Aldertail had known Ghost. Curiosity suddenly gripped her and she found herself speaking, “Do they often?” 

“Hm?” Aldertail tilted her head in confusion.

“His kits,” she said softly. “I’ve heard he has plenty. Do they often look like him?” 

“Oh,” Aldertail said, her own voice softening to a whisper. “Sometimes. The girls are usually torties, the boys are fifty-fifty.” 

“I see,” she nodded. The thought that there were kits just like hers wandering around the two-leg place was still hard to conceptualize. A desire to speak with their mothers tugged on her heartstrings. She wondered if it would be possible to find them all, to let them know they weren’t alone, to find out what they knew about him. 

“How long did you know him?” Aldertail asked carefully.

“Since the spring,” Smokyrose smiled, “So… six or seven moons.” 

Aldertail nodded. “There were rumors he had a new dame but nobody knew who. People said you were a wild cat with blood on your teeth and strange magic that stole his heart.” 

Smokyrose couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, my! Well, I’m flattered but no, no. I’ve never even had any battle training.” 

“Really?” Aldertail asked. “I thought all of you did, at least a little. Branchbark has been trying to teach me a few things but I’m not very good.” 

“Most Clan cats do,” she nodded, “but some cats choose other paths. Like Sagetooth and Oddstripe, they’re healers so they spend their time practicing medicine instead of combat or hunting techniques.” 

“But you’re not a healer, are you?” 

“No, I’m a mediator,” she said proudly. “Since I was little, I’ve studied how to settle disputes and work out problems. When two cats or two Clans have disagreements, cats like me help find a solution that makes everyone happy.”

“That sounds hard,” Aldertail winced. 

“It is,” Smokyrose shrugged, “but I love it. If you wanted, I could teach you.” 

“That’s very kind of you,” Aldertail said, and Smokyrose already knew she wasn’t interested, “but I’m more scared of talking to cats than I am of having to fight one. Thank you though, I don’t mean to be rude!” 

“Not rude at all,” Smokyrose shook her head. “Mediator work isn’t for everyone.” 

“Mama!” Fogkit’s voice called out and she turned her head again, “Mama look how tall I can stand!” The kitten was rearing up on her hind legs, trying to stretch her arms above her head, which was slightly impeded by Slatekit trying to cling to her like a shield. She kept falling down and then rearing back up with an energy that Smokyrose wished she could still muster. 

“Look at you!” she called. “You’re so tall, Fogkit!” The kit beamed and Smokyrose felt another surge of fondness mixed with aching. She wondered if their father would find the display as cute as she did or if he would ignore them entirely. She dreaded to think what his indifference would do to her kittens, if he indeed felt it. 

She glanced at Aldertail, who was staring at Fogkit with a grimace made from fear and pity, and had to wonder what had been done to her to make her so afraid of Ghost. What had he done to the cats under his charge? What had he hidden from her? She decided she didn’t need to know. She and her kits were safe in RisingClan and she would raise them to know every single minute that they were loved more than they could ever know. She hoped that would be enough.