#Hiveclan: Mosquitofur

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CW: Dead animals getting eaten (prey)

Moon 4: Mosquitofur sees that Duskstar's piece of prey looks tastier and asks to swap. He agrees happily, saying he likes her prey better.

An old lady sharing her lunch with the guy who saved her and her granddaughter :)

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Moon 3: Roachchirp surprised Mosquitofur with something nice.

Just a little something of Roachchirp having a soft spot for a single (adoptive) mother. Slight spoilers below the read more but important I think moving forward (just so I have this note. Somewhere)

but I've rolled next week's moons and, despite the lack of nursing queens in the Clan, the abandoned kit has survived, and current HC is that she had Snaillake find her an absurd amount of borage, just like. Eating borage salads (/hyp) with her prey to try to induce milk and has managed to produce just enough to keep the thing going, if underfed. There'll be a quick fix to that and some adjustments to welcome said kit into the Clan fully but for now. Here's the answer to the question that would've bugged me lmao

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Moon 3: A rogue leaves a kit with the clan named Primrose.

Primrose discovery mini-story under the read more :)

Mosquitofur was alone in camp, again. The mornings were always lonely, with what few paws that were in the camp working to hunt and forage and train in the cool hours of early day. It left Mosquitofur with the duty of keeping an eye on empty nests.

Normally she would only hear the whistling of wind over the lip of the bowl that formed the camp, rustling the tall grasses that obscured it from view. But today the wind carried something else on it- a wail.

It was weak and sounded distant, but it was a cry nonetheless. Something in Mosquitofur's chest tightened, and she felt herself compelled to bound over the lip of the camp and down the rabbit run that lead into it.

She nearly stumbled over the poor thing, laying still and gray in the run like a stone. But it had wiggled and wailed just enough that she skidded to a stop. A single evening primrose lay next to the kit, which turned to her, sensing her weight and warmth. It's eyes were still closed, and it's ears still folded against it's small head. The scent of birth hadn't even left it's small body yet, though it was dry and clean.

Mosquitofur choked back tears, unable to fathom why a newborn kit would be left in a rabbit run alone like this, but she picked it up by the scruff, tucking her chin so it could press against the soft warmth of her chest fur. She began to hum a lullaby she hadn't sung in many moons as she walked back to camp.

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Moon 4: Part 2

Primrose kneaded the ground anxiously, looking up at Duskstar, perched on the overhang to the leader’s den with the moon behind him. Primrose was only a moon old, and would still need to wait a while to be given an apprenticeship. But this wasn’t for that. This was to reward Primrose for being a strong kit, for surviving without a Queen in the Clan. He’d been told time and time over how he was expected to die. Every morning, Mosquitofur bathed him and told him how thankful she was that he was still alive. And now, he was being given a Clan name. A real name. 

“Hiveclan,” Duskstar started, with a honey smooth voice and a warm purr. “Tonight, under Starclan’s watch, we officially welcome new blood into the Clan.” Duskstar’s gray eyes turned to Primrose, and the small kit felt himself freeze, straightening his posture. “Primrose. You were found, abandoned, in a rabbit run. Newborn and alone. You were taken in by the ever caring Mosquitofur.” Primrose glanced over at his mother, eyes wide with adoration as he saw her highlighted by the moonlight. Duskstar’s voice pulled his attention back. “To honor your endurance and health, your Clan name henceforth will be Scuttlekit.” 

“Scuttlekit! Scuttlekit!” The small handful of cats in the clearing called. Primrose- Scuttlekit- puffed out his fur, jumping onto all fours in excitement. The top of Mosquitofur’s muzzle pressed into his side, her purring shaking his small body. 

“For truly, the most enduring creatures under Starpelt’s watch scuttle underfoot.” Scuttlekit’s eyes shone, sharing eye contact now with Duskstar. However, the kit’s excitement was too much to bear for long. He leapt up on his back paws, turning to Mosquitofur, planting his forepaws on her face. He pressed his forehead to her nose, letting out a soft squeak of excitement. Mosquitofur chuckled, a comforting tone filled with nothing but affection and pride. 

“We’ll have to get you talking here soon, little one,” she mewed in a playful tone. “But I’m happy you’re excited.” Scuttlekit purred hard enough that his whole body seemed to vibrate with the sound. Mosquitofur chuckled again, nudging him with her paw a little. “Why don’t we go greet your Clanmates now with your new name, hm?” 

Scuttlekit looked up at her, and then back at the small collection of cats sitting near each other. He looked back at Mosquitofur, pelt puffing out again, and took off in a wobbly sprint for his Clanmates.

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The next cat on zulius's base is Mosquitofur, the Clan's only elder. She is a rosette tabby tortoiseshell, mostly black with greenish-yellow eyes and two scars across her throat. Her fur is on the longer end of medium and kinked in odd places. Her resting face is a mellow, warm smile. She was once adventurous but now settles for telling the younger members of the Clan stories from her life. She is the gentlest member of the clan, and tries not to let certain cats' attitudes get her down. She and Duskstar get along extremely well.

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Moon 0: Coming Home

CW: Death of an apprentice, emotional manipulation/abuse Panting and struggling into the burrow, Beeflick wriggled into the tight fit after the rest of the Clan. There weren’t many of them yet, but a burrow even this spacious felt cramped with 8 of them in there. Duskstar purred warmly just to her left, closing his eyes. “A tight squeeze to be sure, but it is secure and we are warm.” 

Eager to please her leader, she nodded once with a bright smile. “It is rather cozy and safe here,” she echoed, looking over the rest of the cats. Honeypaw offered her a supportive but awkward flash of a grin, and the other two apprentices started cleaning themselves off. Snaillake’s tail flicked dismissively at her, an eyebrow raised with unimpressed indifference. Roachchirp had her paws folded neatly underneath her, seeming to ignore the cheery optimism of both her leader and deputy. Mosquitofur was the first to pipe up in response. 

“As much as I’m happy to leech the warmth off of you youngsters, I could use some help getting dry first,” she rasped. She wasn’t ill, though she sounded it. Mosquitofur’s voice was simply a rather dry, husky noise by nature. Had been for longer than either Duskstar or Beeflick had known her, at least. Snaillake gazed over at the elder, dipping his head. 

“Of course, Mosquitofur, I apologize for not thinking of you.” He seemed to put a slight edge on the last half of his statement, which Beeflick chose not to recognize and which had Mosquitofur’s ear twitch in annoyance. Snaillake approached and began to clean her to dry her off regardless of his tone, though, and everyone settled down to outlast the rain. 

It wasn’t until well into the next morning that the rain fully stopped. Hiveclan agreed to hold off on moving on until the sun had dried some of the wet out of the dirt. Duskstar was chipper as always, and Beeflick glanced at the rest of the Clan, hoping that his attitude was rubbing off on the less enthusiastic cats. The apprentices seemed happier- Leechpaw and Mitepaw poking and nudging each other, and Honeypaw seemed to just be scanning the horizon with interested, wide eyes. Snaillake was as stoic and annoyed looking as ever, but he moved without dragging his paws. Roachchirp stalked behind everyone, head lowered and almost appearing fox-like. Beeflick felt her pelt shift slightly and she looked back forward, swallowing down her nerves. Mosquitofur came up on her other side, running her back along Beeflick’s. 

“Excited to finally find our camp?” She asked, her New-leaf green eyes sliding over to gaze at Beeflick amicably. 

“Of course,” Beeflick dipped her head in agreement. “I just hope we get there sooner rather than later. Being on the move this long has me…” Beeflick glanced around at her other clanmates, lowering her voice so they couldn’t hear her. “Nervous,” she whispered, with a tinge of shame. Mosquitofur let out a breath through her nose. 

“Oh we’re nearly there, Beeflick. I can feel it, in my bones.” She ran her tail over Beeflick’s comfortingly. “These old bones haven’t been wrong yet.” 

Beeflick smiled tiredly. “I hope you’re right.” 

The Clan walked without stop till about midday, when the 8 cats came across a rather wide river. Duskstar’s mouth barely dipped out of a smile, but it was obvious he was uncertain about the water. “Hm,” he hummed. He turned to the Clan. “It seems as though we will need to swim across. The water seems to be rather slow, so it should be safe.” His steel gray gaze turned to Beeflick. He smiled warmly at her. “Beeflick, why don’t you go first? Ensure that the rest of us will be safe in crossing like a deputy ought.” 

Beeflick lifted her tail and ears toward Duskstar, an eager smile spreading over her muzzle easily. “Of course, Duskstar!” She trotted on her thin legs to the water’s edge, looking down into it. It was murky and brown, and if she had to guess, it was swollen from the rain. She thought to glance back at her clanmates, but decided against it for worry that she would look as though she doubted Duskstar’s request of her. So she stepped in, feeling the tug of the water on her limbs. She shivered, getting used to the wet and the cold. She walked into the river until she couldn’t anymore, and began to swim across. Beeflick wasn’t a stranger to swimming, but the cold and dirt in the water seemed to make it heavier, and she felt herself struggle just a bit. But even still, she found herself on the other side of the river, heaving herself onto it’s muddy bank and thanking Starclan for the sun on her pelt. “All safe, Duskstar! It’s a tad thick but I think our Clan is strong enough!” 

Duskstar nodded approvingly. “Well done, Beeflick!” He turned his head to the others. “Roachchirp, help Mosquitofur cross next. You’re our strongest cat, I trust you to pull her out should she need the help.” 

Roachchirp’s eyes slid over Duskstar without a change in her expression, but she nodded. She and Mosquitofur approached the water together, and Roachchirp glanced at her elder. “You go ahead, I’ll follow right behind.”

Mosquitofur dipped her head once, looking nervous about the water. But she got in, swimming across with what strength she had, Roachchirp following directly behind her. Roachchirp assisted Mosquitofur out of the water, supporting her back legs as she hauled herself up onto the slick grass. Roachchirp herself managed to get out of the water with a graceful bound, sitting immediately to lick the water out of her fur. Leechpaw and Mitepaw came next, but Honeypaw hesitated at the opposite bank, staring at the water and shaking. 

“Come on, Honeypaw,” Duskstar nudged the young tom lightly. “We need to cross.” 

Honeypaw, shaking hard with his fur sticking out at all ends, shook his head. “I-I can’t. It looks like the water that took Petalkit.” He looked up at Duskstar with teary eyes. Duskstar gave him a kind gaze, and then glanced at Snaillake. Snaillake raised an unkind eyebrow in turn, looking at Honeypaw with disdain. “Do you think wetting yourself at the edge of a river is how Petalkit would want you to remember her? Would you not rather overcome your silly fears of water to be brave?” Snaillake’s tone was sharp and low, and Beeflick couldn’t quite hear any of what was being said from across the river. 

“Honeypaw!” She called out. “Do you want me to come over and swim you across?” 

Honeypaw’s shaking body was bristling now with more than just fear- anger, at himself, for being so scared. “N-no!” He shouted back with determination. “No, I can do this!” He stepped up to the edge of the water, chest puffing out as he took a deep breath. He stepped into the water, staring at it as he walked in up to his elbows. He took another breath before jumping forward and paddling frantically. 

Beeflick looked on in worry, lips pursed some, but she wanted to let him accomplish this on his own. Honeypaw flailed over, head dipping below the surface a few times, but his determination kept him afloat amidst his coughing and sputtering. Beeflick perched at the edge, ready to pounce in the water. Honeypaw’s head went under again, and when he came back up, he was notably weaker. Beeflick jumped in immediately, paddling desperately toward his body and grabbing his limp form before it went under again. Snaillake and Duskstar both were swimming across as she got back to shore with Honeypaw. She laid him on the grass, pawing at his stomach and chest clumsily to encourage him to cough up excess water. His breathing was shallow, eyes partially open. 

“... Beeflick?” He asked tiredly, coughing again. 

Beeflick let out an exhausted breath of relief. “Yes, Honeypaw?”

“I’m sorry… For being scared and for being too weak to do it.” Honeypaw curled up on his side, body shaking. Beeflick just looked down at him, eyes concerned. 

“You’re allowed to be scared, Honeypaw. You still tried to do your best, and that’s all we can ask of a warrior.”

Roachchirp scoffs from the sidelines at that line, but says nothing. 

At this point, Snaillake was across, and approaching Honeypaw. He wordlessly nudges Beeflick out of the way, inspecting the young apprentice. “I’ll need to start gathering herbs as we travel. He’s going to develop some kind of disease or infection with how much water he’s taken in.” He turns his gaze to Beeflick sharply. “Next time, consider helping your quivering apprentice before he nearly kills himself.” 

Beeflick took a step back at his tone, ears back and eyes wide and apologetic. She didn’t say anything for a moment before lowering her head. “You’re right, Snaillake. I’m sorry, Honeypaw.”

Honeypaw only mrrp’d reassuringly in response. “I’ll carry him so he can rest,” Beeflick said to Snaillake, bending down to pick the young apprentice up by the scruff. She was by no means a large or strong cat, but Honeypaw was just 7 moons and still on the small end, so she barely had any trouble carrying him. 

The Clan discovered their camp by the next morning, in a low sort of miniature valley in the flower fields with a series of abandoned hare dens. Snaillake and Beeflick immediately set about gathering herbs for Honeypaw’s lethargic condition, but by the time they got to treating him, an infection in his lungs had already set in. The two tended to him night and day, but by the third day of being in camp, Honeypaw passed due to complications with his breathing. Not wanting the first Clan death to be an apprentice out of worry that it would be bad luck to the Clan, Duskstar decided to give Honeypaw his warrior name at his vigil, even if he’d only been an apprentice for a moon and a half. 

He was named Honeystream.

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Moon Update

Moon 7:

Patrols: Snaillake takes Leechpaw on an herb gathering patrol to replace the herbs she used. Duskstar suggests now would be a good time to teach Mitepaw new fighting techniques. Both cats have a nice practice session, swapping their best tips and tricks with each other. Beeflick goes hunting alone and catches a mouse.

Roachchirp has a running nose. Duskstar names Mitepaw Mitebreeze and honors her strong will. The infection in Norman's wound has abated and he has healed from the strain of having a litter. Beeflick appreciates how Scuttlekit always seems to ask how she's doing. Mitebreeze stands tall when Leechpaw walks by. Mitebreeze tells Scuttlekit she caught the prey just for him when she delivers it.

Moon 8:

Patrols: Duskstar and Mitebreeze find a kittypet who wishes to join the Clan. He takes little convincing. (French joined Hiveclan) Frenchfern and Beeflick go on a border patrol together. Frenchfern falls when a tunnel below him collapses in, but Beeflick reassures him while she digs him out. Leechpaw trains alone while Roachchirp is seek, thinking about her last vision. Training puts her into an almost meditative state, and she both works out her vision as well as improves upon her skills.

French changed his name to Frenchfern. Ryepaw is apprenticed to Duskstar. Hootpaw is apprenticed to Mitebreeze. Snaillake's tail was badly injured by a dog. Ryepaw has gotten a runny nose. Mitebreeze mews congratulations to Beeflick for a job well done. Duskstar thinks Frenchfern hasn't been doing very much work lately. Ryepaw finds a bit of fluff that smells like Norman and adds it to his nest. Hootpaw dies of kittencough.

Moon 9:

Patrols: Duskstar and Ryepaw find an opening to a new set of tunnels. They determine that a wolverine has made it's home there and leave quickly. Mitepaw and Leechpaw find a fox eating a whitetail fawn carcass. They try to chase it off but fail, leaving without injuries. Beeflick and Frenchfern find a fox eating a calf carcass. They try to chase it off, but a coyote yip sends the fox and the cats both running.

Scuttlepaw is apprenticed to Beeflick. Roachchirp is no longer ill. Beeflick finds a bit of fur that smells like Roachchirp and adds it to her nest. Mosquitofur jokes about exploring Two-Leg place with Duskstar. Duskstar is surprised by Ryepaw being thoughtful. Scuttlepaw has been listening to Beeflick talk about how difficult herb memorization is. Frenchfern bickered about something trivial with Duskstar.

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Moon Update

Moon 4

Patrols: Duskstar and Mitepaw find a loner who offers his healing skills in exchange for shelter. The new medicine cat is welcomed into the Clan along with their litter of kits. (Norman, Ryekit, and Hootkit joined Hiveclan) Roachchirp and Beeflick hunt together while Leechpaw is sick. They find an odd smelling burrow, and Beeflick covers the burrow with plants and sticks so they can check to see if anything uncovers it later.

Snaillake bickered about something trivial with Roachchirp. Mosquitofur sees that Duskstar's piece of prey looks tastier and asks to swap. He agrees happily, saying he likes her prey better. Roachchirp thinks that Duskstar hasn't been completely honest lately. Leechpaw is having a wonderful time discussing recent Clan news with Mitepaw. Primrose's name is changed to Scuttlekit now that he has survived his first moon. Scuttlekit saw Mosquitofur show off a skill he never knew she had.

Moon 5

Patrols: Duskstar and Mitepaw go hunting, Mitepaw successfully catches a squirrel. Beeflick and Roachchirp go on a border patrol together and encounter a small dog. Beeflick begins to hiss first, and Roachchirp joins in. The dog falters, and the two set off after it, caterwauling and screeching till the beast is running for the hills.

Snaillake has gotten heatstroke. Norman tries not to hiss as his litter suckles, but the area has become swollen and infected. Mosquitofur stands tall when Scuttlekit walks by. Duskstar has a difficult conversation with Beeflick and they have a deeper understanding of each other now. Ryekit comes up with a plan to sneak out of camp with Hootkit.

Moon 6

Patrols: Beeflick and Roachchirp find more abandoned nests, but these smell empty. As the patrol spreads out to hunt, Mitepaw admits to Duskstar that she thinks she may have had a vision from Starclan. No one can make sense of the vision.

Snaillake has recovered from heatstroke. Leechpaw is breathing normally again, the water in her lungs is gone. Mitepaw is mocking Ryekit. Roachchirp goes for a nice long walk with Beeflick. Norman just noticed how beautiful Duskstar's eyes are.