#Oddstripe

[clangenrising]

The boy gets a new ref sheet! Pretend he looked like this the whole time. I know his face doesn't look as oriental as usual but don't worry, his bodytype hasn't changed at all (except for some new stud jowls thanks to his HRT).

[the-star-skipper-chronicles]

The initial concept for The Star Skipper Chronicles, done in MS paint

[jungleclan4uandme]

Intro Post!

Our starting group!!

Hawkstar, Oddstripe, and Sparktuft are our main roles! After that, we have Moondrizzle, Galeheart, Coldpaw, Hollowpaw, Gladeleaf, Ivyglare, and Peakkit! That's all for right now, but do stay tuned!!!

[princess-cloudy]

Allegiances!

These are my warrior cat fanclans allegiances, they will be updated as the story progresses!

BloomClan-

Leader-

Hailstar- grey tabby tom with prominent scars on his left eye and side

Deputy-

Emberblaze- long furred ginger tom with mud, sticks and leaves stuck to his fur

Medicine cat-

Pumpkinscar- brown tabby tom with scars covering his face

Cinnamonleaf- a furless she-cat with yellow and blue eyes

Warriors-

Raincloud- short furred white she-cat

Rosenettle- beautiful grey tabby she-cat with a few scars on her face

Maplethorn- strong ginger tabby she-cat with white patches around her muzzle, paws and tummy

Flutterrose- she-cat with short black fur

Beetlebriar- short furred, brown tabby tom

Sootnose- dark grey tom

Dandelionstorm- dark grey tabby she-cat

Apprentices-

Juniperpaw- white and ginger tabby tom with a scar on his ear

Brightpaw- long furred calico she-cat

Cardinalpaw- grey scottish fold tom with a swollen right leg and stiff tail

Queens-

Daisypetal- beautiful short furred calico she-cat with blue and green eyes

Kits-

Petalkit- black and white she-cat with purple flowers dotted in her fur

Softkit- small white tom

Hopekit- black and white she-cat with mainly white fur

Elders-

Oddstripe- strange looking grey tabby tom

PineClan-

Leader-

Leapordstar- she-cat with long brown leapord patterened fur

Deputy-

Forestclaw- tom with brown tabby fur

Medicine cat-

Sunburn- intimidating dark brown tabby tom

Talondusk- long black furred she-cat

Warriors-

Morningfur- tom with unusual brown fur that appears to go from dark to light

Ravencall- tom with dark brown almost black fur

Oakspot- brown tabby tom with mostly white fur

Magpiewing- black she-cat with white paws and muzzle

Stoneshade- black tom

Quietleaf- brown tabby she-cat with one white spot on her chest

Squirrelpounce- long brown furred tom

Foxtail- she-cat with a fox like fur pattern

Deerheart- she-cat with short brown fur

Rabbitstripe- tom with long brown tabby fur

Shadowbite- black furred she-cat

Apprentices-

Queens-

Sandycreek- pretty she-cat with long cream coloured fur and white patches

Kits-

Snailkit- she-cat with long brown and white fur which makes her look like she has a snail shell

Cloudkit- she-cat with long white messy fur covered in leaves

Twigkit- cream tabby tom

Elders-

Acornpelt- brown she-cat with her back leg covered in leaves due to an injury

MistClan-

Leader-

Smokestar- dark grey she-cat often covered in ashes

Deputy-

Halfpelt- strange looking half orange half black tortoiseshell she-cat with blue and amber eyes

Medicine cat-

Nightclaw- dark grey she-cat

Apprentice-

Ravenpaw- black tom

Warriors-

Ashwhisker- grey tom with a white muzzle and paws

Raggedstep- black tom missing his right back leg

Quietecho- dark grey she-cat

Mossthorn- grey tabby tom with muddy paws

Dawn shine- she-cat with short black fur

Badgerscar- long black and white furred tom covered in scars

Shadowleaf- black she-cat with a missing tail

Sootstripe- she-cat with long white tabby fur

Stonelion- grey maine coon tom

Silverwhisper- long white furred tom

Apprentices-

Midnightpaw- black and white she-cat

Queens-

Milkfur- brown and white she-cat with dandelions in her fur

Kits-

Sproutkit- white and grey tom

Patchkit- white and brown tom

Elders-

Specklebite- long furred tortoise shell she-cat

Cats outside clans-

Berry- black and white tom

[waywardyote]

hopleaf update

- he is a grandparent! both of his children had kits!

- he decides to move on from his mate as they were taken by two legs

- has a new mate but is uncertain if their relationship will last because he saw him and another cat at the lakeside

- he found two more kits and adopted them!

i really need to draw him and his family

same with oddstripe

[clangenrising]

Month 18 - Greenleaf

While helping him sort herbs, Aldertail asks Oddstripe to teach her about StarClan. He tries his best, but his understanding is somewhat limited and the conversation ends up being pretty awkward.

[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

“Floodstrike, dear, could you please not tear the moss apart like that?” 

Floodstrike looked up at his father and then down at his paws where he had been clawing and tearing the edges of one of the sickbeds to pieces. Guilt spiked through him and he quickly tucked his paws beneath his chest to make sure he wouldn’t do it again. 

“Sorry, dad,” he said, “I didn’t even realize.” He glanced around, grateful that Sagetooth had gone to SkyClan to help Tangletooth deal with a redcough outbreak. 

“Oh, It’s alright, honey,” Oddstripe said with a flick of his tail. “Just try to take deep breaths. You’re gonna do great.” 

“I know,” he said, “I just hate waiting.” 

Last week, he had asked Goldenstar if he could mentor Lakekit. She had been hesitant at first, given his age, but had eventually agreed because of the bond he already had with the kit. He still couldn’t believe that had worked. Once again, he was reminded that he had the best mentor in the world. 

The ceremony was today, at sunset, Goldenstar had said, but Floodstrike couldn’t wait. His mind raced over possible things to do with his apprentice once the ceremony was over. What would she want her first lesson to be? He knew she enjoyed trips to the river to swim but would she want to do that now or would she rather have a tour of the territory? Would she prefer battle lessons or hunting practice? He didn’t know. As much as he was confident he could handle Lakekit, he was having second thoughts on whether or not he would make a good mentor in general. 

“I’m sure it won’t be much longer,” Oddstripe said. “Just breathe and try to-”

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Stoneperch for a Clan meeting!” Floodstrike jerked towards the sound, ears flipping forward attentively.

“Well there you go,” Oddstripe laughed a little bit. Coming up to stand by his son, he laid his tail over Floodstrike’s shoulders and said, “Come on. Let’s go join the others.” 

“Alright,” Floodstrike nodded. 

The two of them padded out into the clearing where cats were starting to gather. Russetfrond sat near the front of the crowd, Yellowkit and Bluekit tucked against his belly. Sparrowsway and Barleybee were sitting side by side and waved for Floodstrike and Oddstripe to join them. Floodstrike followed his father but his eyes were searching the crowd for Lakekit. He found her sitting off to the side, Slatepaw giving her a last minute groom. She looked nervous, her tail tip twitching, her ears pressed backwards. Floodstrike wanted to comfort her but decided it would take too long. He could comfort her after the ceremony. 

Goldenstar raised her tail and began speaking again. “Today we gather to name a new apprentice! Lakekit, you have expressed your interest in becoming a warrior and today is the first step you will take on that journey. Would you please come to the front of the crowd?”

Lakekit nodded shyly and stepped forward into the center of the crowd. Her tail curled tightly around her back leg as she stared up at Goldenstar. 

“Lakekit,” Goldenstar smiled, “from this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Lakepaw. Your mentor will be Floodstrike.” At this, Lakepaw whipped around to stare at him, eyes wide. He smiled and started forward through the crowd. 

Off to the side, he heard Ospreymask mumble, “Oh, come on.” 

Goldenstar continued despite the comment. “Floodstrike has proven himself a strong and capable warrior and I have no doubt that he will be able to teach you to do the same.” Floodstrike leaned in to touch noses with Lakepaw and she carefully stretched up to meet him. Even though she was smiling, her nose trembled against his as they touched. 

“It’s alright,” he whispered, “I promise you’ll do great.” She nodded, shyly biting her lower lip. 

“Lakepaw!” Fogpaw started and the whole Clan joined in. “Lakepaw! Lakepaw! Lakepaw!”

“And with that,” Goldenstar said as the chanting faded, “our business is concluded. Thank you all.” She leapt down from the Stoneperch and the force that had been keeping the crowd in an orderly semi-circle disappeared. Cats thronged around them, all offering congratulations, and Lakepaw pressed up against his side to get away from them. 

“Congrats, Lakepaw!” he heard Fogpaw’s voice. “Now we can go on patrols together and stuff!” 

“Yeah, it’s gonna be great!” Slatepaw chimed in. 

“Mhm,” Lakepaw mumbled.

“Hey, congratulations, Floodstrike,” Sparrowsway was saying, “You’re gonna do great.” 

“Uh, thanks-” Floodstrike said dazedly as more voices started to overlap.

“Oh, I’m so proud of you!” Oddstripe purred, butting his head against Floodstrike’s shoulder. “I can’t believe you’re so grown up!” 

“We should go do something!” Fogpaw was loud in his other ear. “Like, go hunting or see the territory or-”

“Fogpaw,” Scorchplume’s voice cut through the din. “Give her some space.”

“Yeah,” Floodstrike said, emboldened by the statement. “You guys are all great but I think Lakepaw is a little overwhelmed.” 

“Oh,” Fogpaw said, taking three steps back. 

“Sorry, Lakepaw,” mumbled Slatepaw. 

“It’s alright,” Pantherhaze said. “Why don’t we let her and Floodstrike go off together and we can patrol with them later.” He met Floodstrike’s gaze and Floodstrike nodded with a grateful, breathy laugh. 

“Okay,” Slatepaw said, her eyes round and sorrowful. 

Floodstrike took this opportunity to shepherd Lakepaw towards the edge of the clearing. He gave his family a polite nod as he did and they seemed to understand. Lakepaw stayed close against his side until they were out into the grass. 

“Sorry about that,” she said. “It was just really noisy.” 

“Yeah, it was,” he agreed. “You don’t have to be sorry, kiddo.” 

“Okay,” she smiled, letting a mouse-length of distance grow between them. “What are we going to do first?” 

“Whatever you want,” he said. “There’s hunting, battle training, a tour of the territory. It’s totally up to you. We can get to the rest another day.” 

“Wowzers,” she breathed. “Um, what do you want to do?”

“I’m good with anything,” he said. “If you don’t have a preference I think maybe some battle practice? It sounds like Fogpaw wants to be the one to show you the territory.” 

“Yeah, I should save that,” Lakepaw nodded. “Battle training it is! I can’t wait to get all big and strong!” Floodstrike swiped at her ear playfully and she giggled, springing out of his reach. 

“Yeah right, you’re always gonna be a teenie tiny little baby,” he laughed. 

“Nuh uh!” she giggled harder. “I’m already getting big!” 

“Nah, you haven’t grown a mouse-length!” 

“That’s not true!” she squealed and charged at him. Laughing, he let her take him to the ground and wrapped his arms around her neck to roll with her in the grass, chomping playfully on her neck. She only laughed harder and harder and the sound of it made him feel like he was flying. Lakepaw was perfect and he was so, so lucky to be her mentor. 

“This way,” he said eventually, “I know the perfect spot to practice.” 

“Okie doke!” she purred, bouncing after him, and together they headed off to train.

UPDATES: - Lakekit becomes Lakepaw and is apprenticed to Floodstrike!

[clangenrising]

Month 16 - Greenleaf

Fogpaw was in trouble and she didn’t like it. 

Her spell to help Mystique hadn’t been as successful as she had hoped. Mystique seemed to be a little less miserable, or at least, she had started grooming herself again, but that wasn’t enough for Fogpaw. She wanted to see Mystique smile again so she decided that she needed to give the spell a power boost. 

And that was how she got caught trying to take catmint from the herb stores. 

Sagetooth had thwapped her hard on the head and chewed her out for ages despite her efforts to explain why she needed it. After that, she had been put on dawn patrols for a week and now, three days in, she was already exhausted. 

“This sucks!” she had groaned as she trudged back into camp, tired and cranky. “Why do I have to do the early morning patrols all the time? It’s not fair!” 

“Nope,” said Scorchplume, seeming amused. “Life isn’t fair.” 

“But I was just trying to help!” Fogpaw protested as she flopped down in the shade. 

“You took something that wasn’t yours and you got caught,” said Scorchplume. “This is what happens when you get caught.” 

“It’s not like I was gonna use it for myself,” she said, neglecting to mention how tempting it had been once she was nose deep in the catmint smell, “I needed it for a spell! How am I supposed to help if I can’t get the stuff I need?!” 

“You’ll just have to be smarter about getting it, won’t you?” purred Scorch softly. Now that was an interesting concept. Fogpaw sat up a little, ears forward. 

“What do you mean?” she asked. 

“If you really want something, there are smarter ways to get ahold of it,” said Scorchplume. “But you didn’t hear it from me.” She swiped her tongue over her whiskers secretively. 

“But I did,” she said and Scorchplume sighed a little. 

“It’s a euphemism,” explained her mentor and when Fogpaw frowned in confusion, she added, “a saying with hidden meaning. It means that you can’t tell anyone that I told you, it’s a secret.” 

“Oh!” Fogpaw brightened. “Like a code! That’s so cool.” 

Scorchplume chuckled, brows lifting, and said, “If you say so. Just think about what I said. You’re excused for the afternoon, I’ll grab you for a hunt after the sun reaches the mountains.” 

“Okay,” Fogpaw smiled and flopped back down into the grass. She let herself enjoy the cool shade for a moment but, soon enough, her mind started to turn over Scorchplume’s newest advice. You’ll just have to be smarter about getting it, won’t you? What did that mean? Okay, maybe there was a better way to get some catmint than just walking in and taking some. Maybe she could wait for Sagetooth to leave and then go in?

“Hey!” Lakekit purred, flopping down beside Fogpaw, “Whatcha doin?” 

“Trying to be smarter,” Fogpaw said. 

“Ooh,” Lakekit nodded. “That’s hard. Can I help?” 

“Maybe?” Fogpaw said, unsure. “I need to get some catmint to make Mystique feel better but Sagetooth won’t let me have any. I gotta figure out how to get some.” 

“Hmm,” frowned Lakekit, pressing a paw against her puckered lips. “Maybe we could make a distraction.” 

“Oh, that’s a good idea,” Fogpaw nodded. 

“Gee, thanks,” Lakekit blushed proudly. “Back in the city, my mother and I used to do distractions all the time. I’d go sit all cute and call to the Folk and then she would sneak around the back and grab the food out of their carriers!” The kit giggled to herself at the memory. “Then we’d run away! It was lots of fun. I wonder if we could distract Sagetooth the same way.” 

“Hm,” Fogpaw chewed her lip. “She’d be pretty mad if she found out. Maybe we should try not to run away at the end.” 

“Okay!” chirped Lakekit brightly. “Whatever you say, Fogpaw!” 

Fogpaw laughed and sprang at Lakekit with her front paws wide, overcome with the urge to wrestle. Lakekit shrieked in delight and reared up on her hind paws. They tussled for a few seconds before they flopped back down into the grass, laughing. 

“Okay, okay,” Fogpaw said, trying to focus again. “What would Sagetooth get distracted by…?” 

“What if there was a fire?” asked Lakekit. “Or a big bird?” 

“Hmm, I don’t think we could fake those,” Fogpaw said, “and she’d get suspicious when she didn’t see them.” 

“Oh, true,” nodded Lakekit. 

“What if you pretended to be sick?” Fogpaw asked. “That could work!” 

“Good idea!” purred Lakekit. “What kind of sick should I be?”

Fogpaw thought for a good moment, tail tip twitching, before declaring, “Probably a stomach ache. People get stomach aches from bad food sometimes.” 

“Okay,” nodded Lakekit. “Should I go be sick now?” 

“Um, wait a little,” said Fogpaw. “We’ll rest first.” 

“Okay,” purred Lakekit, nuzzling closer to her. Fogpaw sighed contentedly and curled her head around behind Lakekit’s shoulders to rest it on her side. She could take a little nap before her special mission, right? 

The nap went longer than she’d expected and by the time Fogpaw woke up it was almost time for her to go hunting with Scorchplume. She snapped up, suddenly alert, and looked around. 

“Huh?” Lakekit sat up blearily, “Whassat?” 

On the other side of camp, there was a bit of commotion which Fogpaw realized had woken her. Russetfrond was sitting near the elders’ den where Oddstripe was coaxing a wobbly Bluekit and Yellowkit out into the grass. The two little kits stumbled and bobbed with every step, mewling pathetically as they explored. Russetfrond was smiling, which Fogpaw thought was weird for him, and trying to get the kits attention so they would crawl over to him. 

“Hey, there,” he said in a soft little baby voice. “Over here. Yeah, that’s it!” 

“You’re doing such a good job,” Oddstripe told the kittens, then adjusted Yellowkit’s course with a gentle paw. 

“Awww!” said Lakekit. “Look at the babies!” 

Fogpaw gasped quietly. “Now! We have to do the distraction now!” 

“Really?” Lakekit frowned a little. 

“Yeah, ‘cause Oddstripe’s already busy!” Fogpaw jumped to her feet. “You stay here, I’ll go tell Sagetooth you’re sick!” 

“Oh, okay,” Lakekit said, shuffling her paws. Fogpaw sprinted off to the healers’ den and poked her head inside. Sagetooth was lying in her nest breathing deliberately slow and even. As Fogpaw skidded in, she opened one eye and scowled darkly.

“You’d better not be here to try and steal from me again,” she growled. 

“Uh, no, I’m not,” Fogpaw said, suddenly feeling queasy with nerves. “It’s- uh, it’s Lakekit. She’s feeling sick.” 

“Mm. Go ask Oddstripe.” 

“He’s helping with the little babies right now,” she said. Please, please, please, she thought, please go check on Lakekit! There was a long pause where Sagetooth glared at her with a twitching tail. Then, the old healer sighed and heaved herself to her feet. 

“Alright, where is she?” asked Sagetooth.

“In the shade over there,” said Fogpaw, moving to the edge of the den to point with her muzzle. Sagetooth padded up beside her, sighed, and then headed over to where Lakekit was lying curled up in a ball. Fogpaw stood and watched for a moment before she crept backwards into the healers’ den and scurried to the herb stores in the back. She let her nose guide her to the heady smell of catmint and reared up on her hind legs to take some of the dried leaves in her jaws. 

Heart soaring in victory, she slank back to the edge of the den and peered out across the clearing. Sagetooth was hunched over Lakekit still, grumbling to her while Lakekit groaned softly. Fogpaw grinned, proud of her amazing accomplice. She darted out of the den and up the hill into the tall grass where she was hidden. Dropping into a careful crouch, she crept softly around the top of the ridge until she was standing on top of the elders’ den where she had buried the fish bones in a large circle. 

She reluctantly set down the sprig of catmint and began to crush it in her paws until it was nothing but a crumbly pile of aromatic dust. She let out a small, unintentional purr at the smell of it and nearly dropped down to roll around in the pile but she managed to resist the temptation. She was doing this for Mystique! It would all be for nothing if she failed to actually cast the spell. 

Taking a deep, slow breath, she closed her eyes and focused her intention. She felt the darkness of her closed eyes ripple and deepen, like a wave of darker blackness falling over her face. She focused on her breathing and the sounds around her until she felt like she was one with the swaying grass and the warm, packed, earth beneath her paws. Then, she pictured her desire; Mystique, smiling and happy. She imagined physical burdens on Mystique’s back, then imagined them being lifted by a set of large, starry jaws. Make things easier for her, she asked, opening her heart completely to the magic. 

Once she had sat with that thought for a few seconds, she opened her eyes and used her paws to start spreading the catmint throughout the circle of fishbones. She tried to spread it evenly in sufficiently magical patterns. When she couldn’t see the crumbles in the dirt anymore, she nodded to herself, satisfied with her work. Then, she crept back around through the grass to find a less suspicious spot to enter camp. She paused at the edge to try and make herself look normal, whatever expression would say ‘I didn’t just steal your catmint’, when suddenly a cat chattered softly beside her.

She jumped, barely restraining herself from screaming in surprise. Scorchplume was crouched right behind her, eyes glittering with interest. 

“Are you going back out there?” asked her mentor.

“Uh, y-yeah,” said Fogpaw, unsure what was about to happen. 

“With the smell of catmint all over your paws?” 

“Oh, foxdung,” Fogpaw cussed and quickly started licking at her paws to get the smell off. Scorchplume laughed. 

“It’s not gonna come off just like that,” she said. “Let’s go hunting early and wash them in the river, hm?” 

“That’s so smart,” Fogpaw beamed in admiration. Her mentor really was the best, most smartest cat that had ever lived. Scorch turned with a beckoning jerk of her head and led her off into the grass towards the river. Fogpaw bounced after her, purring to herself. 

“How did you know what I was doing?” she asked after a while. 

“I started watching you the second you went to fetch Sagetooth,” said Scorchplume with a casually satisfied tone. 

“Really? Why?” asked Fogpaw. She hadn’t even realized. 

“I wanted to see what you really wanted the catmint for.”

“I told you I wanted to use it for a spell,” said Fogpaw. 

“I know,” said Scorchplume, “but cats don’t always do what they say they will.” She cast a narrow eyed glance back at Fogpaw and Fogpaw couldn’t help but feel like there was a meaning in the expression that she couldn’t understand. 

“But I’m not gonna lie to you,” she said with a puzzled frown. 

“Why not?” asked Scorchplume. “I could get you in trouble.” 

“But you’re not going to,” said Fogpaw. 

Scorch tilted her head up to look down on Fogpaw mysteriously. “How do you know that for sure? I could change my mind. I could decide to hurt you.” Fogpaw frowned. Why would Scorchplume say that? It made her throat feel tight and too tense to swallow easily. She pursed her lips and straightened her posture instead of shrinking into her shoulders. 

“But you wouldn’t,” she said. 

“You don’t know that,” said Scorchplume. 

Fogpaw frowned, starting to get irritated. “Yes I do. You’ve only ever been nice to me.” 

“I could just be trying to get close to you,” Scorch shrugged. “Setting up an advantage.” 

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Fogpaw growled. “You wouldn’t get anything from me, I’m just an apprentice. Stop being stupid.” Scorchplume faltered, shock shattering her mysterious expression, and Fogpaw suddenly realized that maybe she had gone too far. 

Then Scorchplume laughed, a bright and ungraceful laugh that wasn’t at all like her usual chuckle. 

“Right,” she said, “My bad.” She smiled and continued easily through the grass. Fogpaw let out a sigh of relief and bounded a few steps to keep up with her mentor, leaning in to bump her head against Scorchplume’s side fondly. 

“I would never decide to hurt you either, by the way,” she said. 

Scorchplume glanced down at her and murmured, “I know.” She flicked her tail over Fogpaw’s face to tickle her nose and Fogpaw sneezed and then giggled. A warmth spread through her like a stone in the sun. Scorch was the best mentor she could ask for and that was proof that her spells worked. Mystique was going to be okay. Everything was going to be alright.

[clangenrising]

Month 16 - Greenleaf

The days after the kitting stretched on in an endless miasma of misery. Oddstripe and Sagetooth came in to check on Mystique at least once a day, usually once in the morning and once in the evening, but otherwise the wild cats left her alone in the darkness with nothing but the little, nagging creatures and the shifting shadow of her guard at the door. 

Mystique hated the kittens. They pulled and nipped at her belly incessantly. She couldn’t help but growl at the wretched things. Every now and then, she would get up and huddle in the corner to simply get away from them until their wailing became too much for her guilty conscience to bear and she was forced to return and feed them. She hated them but they were only children. It wasn’t like they asked to be born. Really, it was her fault for being so stupid in the first place.

She was so stupid, so incredibly and unbearably stupid. If there was something she hated more than the kittens it was herself. Every time she hissed at the mewling beasts she wanted to bash her own skull in. Every time she rolled her eyes at Oddstripe instead of asking him for the help he had offered to give her she wondered why she didn’t just try to escape and let Russetfrond tear her throat out. Alone in that cursed den, she often thought back to the conversation she had overheard between Scorch and Yarrowshade and knew that, in the end, she deserved every tortuous second here. 

Scorch considered the idea of Razor being sweet to be nightmarish. Cornered in her own mind, Mystique was forced to let the Shadow Truth consume her entirely. Razor was a monster, the kind of man any normal cat would be terrified to be left alone with.

And yet, she missed him.

She missed him so terribly. She longed for him so strongly it made her jaw ache. Despite all evidence to the contrary, a voice in her head told her that, if he were here, everything would be alright. She didn’t know how to fathom what kind of monster that made her but she was pretty certain she was an irredeemable pile of garbage, at least. She had to wonder how anyone could have ever mistaken her for a cat in the first place. 

Her thoughts continued like this, endlessly retracing the same paths of thought over and over again. Only her daily check ups managed to break her from that pattern of thought. 

“Morning,” said Oddstripe gently as he stepped inside one day. “How are you doing, Mystique?” 

“Mm,” was all she said. The kittens had woken her up constantly that night, leaving her tired and irritated. Speaking seemed like a task for the rested and the content, not for her.  

“I brought you some more chamomile,” Oddstripe continued with a little smile. He stepped closer carefully and set the little white flowers at her paws. Begrudgingly, Mystique started chewing them and swallowing them down. The taste wasn’t anything special but she knew from the last few days that the flowers did seem to take the edge off, just a bit. 

Oddstripe settled down next to her and pulled the kittens close to him to look them over. The blue one wailed and Mystique hissed on instinct, immediately wishing she could seal her mouth shut forever. Oddstripe didn’t seem to notice or mind. He gave both the kittens a quick bath and then set them aside. Mystique raised her brow quizzically. 

“I was thinking we could go for a walk today,” he explained. “You’ve been here in the dark for far too long. I think it would be good to get you some sunlight.” 

“Won’t the kittens starve?” she asked, not sure if she cared either way.

Oddstripe shook his head. “No, we’ll stay close to camp and be back in time for them to eat again.” 

Mystique didn’t really want to move but a chance to get away from the kits was too valuable to pass up. She stood and shook her fur out a bit. The beautiful, glossy, perfectly-combed coat she had once been so proud of had devolved into a dusty, tangled mess with clumps of spring shed stuck in little matts throughout. Her throat labored thickly with shame and disgust. 

“Alright girls,” Oddstripe called out of the den and in came Fogpaw, Slatepaw, and Barleybee. Mystique bristled uncomfortably, feeling suddenly crowded. 

“We’ll be back in a bit,” continued Oddstripe. “Make sure the nest is clean by then.” 

“Don’t worry, dad,” said Barleybee, curling around the mewling kittens. “I’ll make sure everything goes smoothly.” 

“Oh, thank you, dear,” smiled Oddstripe. Slatepaw had already started bundling the moss and feathers away. Beside her, Fogpaw stared at Mystique in a strangely expressionless manner. It made her fur prickle with unease.

“Come on,” said Oddstripe gently, laying his tail against Mystique’s leg. She inhaled sharply at the touch, then nodded, padding after him into the morning sunlight without a backward glance. Sparrowsway was seated by the entrance and stood up as they emerged. 

“Oh, that’s alright,” said Oddstripe. “Why don’t you stay here?”

“Are you sure?” asked the young warrior. “If something happened-”

“Nothing’s going to happen,” Oddstripe assured him. “We’ll be back before you know it. Take a rest.”

“Alright…” Sparrowsway pursed his lips, eyes lingering on Mystique, but he dutifully settled down again. Mystique sighed heavily. 

Tail against her leg to guide her, Oddstripe led her out of camp and towards the top of the ridge. The wind fluttered in the grass and the sun beat down on their pelts, already evaporating the morning dew. Mystique trudged along, gaze foggy. 

“I’m sorry things have been so difficult lately,” Oddstripe said after a few moments. “I wish there was more I could do to help you.” 

Mystique shrugged. “It's fine.” I deserve it.

“It’s not though,” he said kindly. “You’re going through a lot of things that no one should have to.” Mystique found herself starting to cry. She stopped walking and ducked her face away in shame. Oddstripe, to his credit, bumped his head into her shoulder and started to purr in an attempt to soothe her. For some reason, that made her break down even harder. 

“I’m sorry,” she sobbed, legs buckling beneath her, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me!” 

“It’s the Kitten Crash,” he told her. “It’s a kind of illness that makes it hard to control your thoughts and emotions. This is totally normal for someone going through it.” 

“It’s not just that,” she protested. “I still miss Razor, despite everything he did! I can’t help it!” 

“He was your brother,” Oddstripe said. “It’s understandable. It’s horrible that things had to end the way they did.” He swallowed thickly. 

“But I shouldn’t feel this way,” Mystique cried. “I should be happy right? Everyone else is happy!”

“You can’t help how you feel,” Oddstripe shook his head a bit. “You just feel it. And that’s alright.” Mystique sobbed harder. The pretender shuffled his paws a bit before starting to run his tongue through her fur. She flopped over without resistance and he sat down to groom her pelt. Her mind was swarming with disgusted thoughts - disgust with herself, with Oddstripe, even with Russetfrond. 

You’re such a burden. Look at you, forcing this cat to waste time taking care of your sorry self. They should just bury you alive. Things would be easier if you just melted into the grass and became part of the ground. Does anyone even miss you back home? Your Folk have probably replaced you already. What’s the point in going back at all? 

Still, when Oddstripe was done, she rolled over to let him get to the other side and after that she let him stand her up and lick the tears from her face. 

“It’s gonna be alright,” he said softly. “I know things are hard right now but you will be happy again. I think we should start with a daily walk, is that alright?” Mystique simply shrugged so he continued, “Okay, well, let me know if it isn’t. I think this will be good for you in the long run.” 

He wrapped his tail around her leg again and they set off through the grass. There wasn’t a destination, it seemed. They looped around in a big circle and headed back towards the camp and somehow, by the end of the walk, Mystique was starting to feel better. The prospect of going back in to that den was dampening the mood but she was surprised she had managed to have the feeling at all. 

“Alright, here you go,” Oddstripe said as they returned to the elders’ den. “Why don’t you sit outside for a bit and eat something while I make sure the girls are done with your bedding?” 

“‘Kay,” Mystique shrugged and sat down beside Sparrowsway who had sat up to attention. Oddstripe trotted over to the prey pile and fetched her a tasty looking fish then slipped into the den while she started eating. 

“How’s it going in here?” she heard him ask. 

“Good,” said Barleybee. “The boys are starting to get restless though.” 

“They’ll be alright for a little longer,” said Oddstripe. “Is the nest all clean, girls?” 

“Mhm!” chirped Fogpaw. 

“Is Mystique gonna be alright?” Slatepaw said very softly. Mystique perked her ears to listen. 

“Yes, she will be,” Oddstripe said in a similarly hushed tone. “She just needs rest and time and compassion.” 

“Why is she sad in the first place?” said Fogpaw, sounding like she was frowning.

“Because things are very hard for her right now,” Oddstripe answered. “It’s complicated, dear. We just need to be kind with her, okay?”

“Okay,” the apprentices said together. 

“Now hurry up and take the rest of this out,” said Oddstripe. “Mystique needs her space.” There was a bit of shuffling and the apprentices quickly emerged from the den. Both of them cast wide eyes her way as they passed, although Fogpaw still had that unsettling blank expression on her face. Mystique dropped her gaze and focused on finishing her meal quickly and the apprentices quickly hurried off. 

When she was just about finished, she heard pawsteps approaching again and looked up to see Fogpaw staring at her once more. 

“Can I have those fish bones?” asked the little silvery tabby. Mystique didn’t know what she had been expecting her to ask but that certainly wasn’t it. 

“Um… Sure,” she shrugged. Fogpaw beamed and pounced on the mostly eaten fish to gather the sharp little bones together. 

“Don’t worry,” said Fogpaw as she struggled to keep them all in her mouth at once, “you’ll feel better soon, I promise.” Mystique raised a brow at that but said nothing. Fogpaw turned away without any further explanation and headed for the top of the hill. 

“Doing alright?” asked Oddstripe, poking his head out curiously. 

Mystique nodded slowly as she stood. “Yeah, uh, coming.” She padded inside, already feeling the oppressive energy washing away the bits of a bright sunny mood she had built up while she ate. At least, she thought, the nest was fresh and soft and there were plenty of feathers lining the edges. Barleybee passed the mewling kittens over to Oddstripe who set them down next to Mystique’s belly and urged them to nurse. She sighed in resignation and dropped her head onto her paws to sulk again. 

“Just call if you need anything,” Oddstripe said. “I’ll come get you for another walk tomorrow, alright?”

“Yeah, okay,” Mystique shrugged. That was something to look forward to at least.

[clangenrising]

Month 15 - Newleaf

Mystique went into labor around sunhigh. Russetfrond was out on border patrol when it happened and the moment he got back, Barleybee came to let him know. 

“Thank you,” he said, gratitude quickly overwhelmed with nerves. 

“Of course,” she smiled sympathetically. “She’s still in the elders’ den. Sagetooth and my dad are with her.” 

“Alright,” he nodded. They stood there for an awkward moment, neither sure what to do, before Barleybee dipped her head and left him to his business. His mind was completely empty and going faster than a frightened rabbit at the same time. After either a few moments or several minutes, he wasn’t sure, Russetfrond gathered himself together and went to sit outside the elders’ den. 

He resisted the urge to pace or to barge into the den to ask how things were going. He’d seen too many anxious parents-to-be get their ears chewed off by Sagetooth when they intruded on a kitting in progress. Instead, he sat still and tried to focus on his breathing, on emptying all worry from his mind. Today was important, the birth of his eldest kits. He wasn’t going to squander it worrying. He was going to focus on his new family, on the beginning of a new chapter in his ultimate legacy. 

The time dragged by at an unbearable crawl. Every so often a cat stopped by to congratulate him or ask him how things were going. He remained as polite as possible but kept things short. He didn’t want any distractions. 

Eventually, an hour or so later, Sagetooth stepped outside, blood on her paws, and glanced over at him. “Are you ready?” 

“Is any father ever ready?” he asked, almost hoping she would say yes.

“I wouldn’t know,” she shrugged. A quiet moment passed as Sagetooth let her gaze drift across the camp. When it finally settled on him again, she said, “Congratulations on two healthy boys. Be warned though: the kittypet is in a mood.” 

“I’m sure I can handle it,” he said, a fond smile spreading across his face. “Thank you, Sagetooth. I mean it.” 

“Of course, kit,” she softened slightly. “Go meet your sons.” Russetfrond nodded and slipped past her into the den, letting his tail brush against her leg as he did. Inside, Mystique was laying in her nest, her head flat on the ground like a mopy kitten while she talked softly with Oddstripe. 

“-bring you some chamomile later,” Oddstripe was saying. “It’s gonna be alright, sweetheart. Don’t hesitate to call me if you start feeling any worse.” 

“...‘Kay,” Mystique sighed moodily, eyes flickering over Russetfrond. He tried not to scowl. 

Oddstripe bumped foreheads with Mystique and then picked up the birthwaste and stood to leave. Spotting Russetfrond he frowned slightly, if sympathetically, and slipped out of the den past him. Russetfrond shifted his weight, looked at Mystique, and she sighed and rolled her eyes over to the far wall. 

Russetfrond stepped closer, focusing on the two gently squirming bodies nestled up against her belly. They were so tiny. Russetfrond realized suddenly that he’d never seen kittens this… new. The kits - his boys - were a little wet yellow lump and a little wet blue lump mewling pathetically as they wriggled closer to Mystique. It was strange, the surge of emotion that he felt upon seeing them. He’d never felt so intensely protective before, it was a bit startling. 

“Hello, there, little ones,” he said awkwardly, crouching down beside them. “I’m your father.” Mystique huffed and shifted her position a little bit, still not looking at him. He couldn’t stop himself from scowling at her but tried to soften his expression again with a sigh. 

“You haven’t named them yet, have you?” he asked, a note of irritation sneaking in to his voice despite his best efforts. 

“No,” Mystique said as if he were the dumbest cat alive. “Why would I name them?” 

That caused his hackles to rise. “Because they’re your children, mouse-brain,” he scoffed.

Mystique’s tail lashed and she flopped her head sideways to glare at him. “No, I feel like you made it pretty clear they were your children.” 

“Look,” Russetfrond took a deep breath to try and anchor himself, “I didn’t come in here to fight with you, let’s just… forget it, alright?” 

“Easy for you to say,” Mystique grumbled, looking away again. Russetfrond dug his claws into the earth and did his very best not to say anything at all. After a few, slow breaths, he refocused on the kittens. They would need names, of course. He had unfortunately forgotten to think about names before now. 

“I’ll call them…” He hesitated before going with the first thoughts that came to mind, “Bluekit and Yellowkit.”

“Wow,” Mystique laughed and he could hear the eye roll in her voice, “so original.” 

“If you think they’re bad names then why don’t you try to do better,” he snapped, tail bristling. 

“I don’t give a shit what you call them,” growled Mystique. “The moment Sagetooth lets me, I'm going home and I’ll never see them or you ever again!” 

“Well, that’s fine by me,” Russetfrond huffed. “I wouldn’t want you influencing them anyway.” 

“Oh, yeah,” Mystique laughed harshly, “better to have a bunch of murderers raise them. That’s SO much better!” 

Russetfrond bristled. “Your brother was the murderer. He attacked Goldenstar out of spite, I was just defending my Clan.” 

“Well clearly it wasn’t that bad ‘cause she’s fine,” Mystique snarled. Tears were starting to form in her eyes and drip down the bridge of her nose. “You think you’re so special but you’re never gonna convince me that it’s good that you killed him! I hate you! I hate you and your stupid kits and this stupid den!”

“Don’t talk about them like that,” he growled lowly. 

“You’re lucky I don’t throw them in the river!” hissed Mystique.

Russetfrond bristled and arched his back. “You harm one hair on their pelts and I’ll make sure you never see your precious twolegs again! Is that what you want?” 

“I want to go home!” she cried at the top of her lungs and the kittens squealed in displeasure. “I want my brother back!” 

“Well too bad!” he shouted back at her. “You can’t always have what you want, you spoiled little brat!” 

“I hate you!” Mystique screamed, eyes shut tight with the effort of it. “I hate you! I hate you! I-”

“What is going on in here!?” Sagetooth’s voice cut through their argument, quick and sharp, leaving Russetfrond standing in a puddle of guilt. The healer’s eyes flicked between the both of them, looking for a culprit. Russetfrond couldn’t hold her gaze and dropped his eyes to the floor shamefully. Mystique breathed harshly through her nose and looked away again. 

“Out,” Sagetooth ordered Russetfrond. 

He couldn’t think of anything to say. With an affirmative grunt, he stepped outside. Fogpaw and Slatepaw were staring with wide eyes from the fresh-kill pile. Pantherhaze, Ospreymask, Barleybee, and Lakekit had all emerged to see what was going on. Shame covered Russetfrond like a winter coat. Unable to bear their stares, he strode briskly into the healers’ den and tucked himself away out of sight. 

There was a long moment of quiet guilt - why had he done that? What was wrong with him? - and then he heard Sagetooth snapping at the assembled cats, “Where did he go?” 

“Your den,” offered Slatepaw obediently. 

“Thank you,” said Sagetooth just as harshly as she had inquired after him and he braced himself. Sagetooth came stomping in, tail lashing back and forth, and spotted him immediately. He expected her to start laying into him but instead, she sighed and trundled over to sit next to him. 

“I tried to warn you,” she grumbled. 

“I know,” he said. “I’m sorry.” 

“It’s not entirely your fault,” Sagetooth shook her head. “Mystique is reacting poorly to the pregnancy.” 

“Clearly,” he huffed. 

“No, I mean physically,” Sagetooth said. “Kitting takes a toll on a cat and sometimes it can make them miserable for seemingly no reason. They call it a Kitten Crash.” 

“Oh,” he frowned in surprise. 

“So,” Sagetooth continued, her own voice strained with frustration for a moment, “as much as her particular form of crashing drives me mad, we need to be gentle with her.” It was clear Sagetooth was going to have as much trouble with that as he was. “She can’t exactly help it. And if her symptoms worsen, it could be very bad.” 

“Bad how?” asked Russetfrond carefully.

“Well, she could stop eating,” Sagetooth sighed. “Or refuse to nurse. Worst case scenario she tries to hurt herself or the kits.” 

“What?” fear spiked through his body like a jolt of electricity. “Shouldn’t we get them away from her?”

“No,” Sagetooth shook her head again. “She’s the only one who can feed them at the moment and that’s not a guarantee, it’s just a worst case scenario. That’s why we need to be gentle with her. The less stressed she is, the less likely it is that she’ll do something foolish.” 

Russetfrond swallowed, throat tight, and sat with that information for a bit. The idea of leaving a dangerous cat alone with his kits, a cat who hated him so much, made every inch of his pelt crawl like it was full of ants. She had already threatened to throw them in the river, a threat that was suddenly a lot more serious than he had first thought. 

“You’re sure it will be alright?” he asked eventually. 

“If it gets to a point where it’s dangerous, we’ll do something about it,” Sagetooth said. “She should probably still have a guard at all times so they can monitor her for any bad behavior.” Russetfrond nodded and started thinking of the best cats to do that. 

“The important thing,” Sagetooth continued, “is to keep her happy. Oddstripe and I will do our best on the herbs side of things but you should probably stay out of the den, at least for a while.” 

Russetfrond sighed and nodded. “Alright. That won’t affect the kits negatively?” 

“I don’t think so,” Sagetooth said. “Not anymore than a normal foundling would be affected.” Russetfrond hummed in discomfort. It wasn’t ideal, that was for sure, but what else could he do? He didn’t want to accidentally provoke Mystique into harming the kittens.

“Did you name them?” asked Sagetooth.

“Oh, yeah,” he said, shaking his thoughts away. “Yellowkit and Bluekit, respectively.” 

Sagetooth huffed a little laugh. “Well, I can’t say they’re not fitting.” Russetfrond smiled a little. “Congratulations, by the way,” continued Sagetooth. “You’re going to be an excellent father.” 

“I can only hope so,” he said. 

“StarClan will guide you,” she said. “Trust your heart. It will be okay, kit.”

UPDATES:

- Mystique gives birth to a litter of two kittens. Russetfrond names them Bluekit and Yellowkit.

[clangenrising]

Month 16 - Greenleaf

When Aldertail had volunteered to go herb gathering with him, Oddstripe had been delighted but he had definitely expected her to get tired and lose interest by this point. The day was hot but there was a nice breeze and, as they meandered the territory looking for patches that hadn’t already been harvested, Oddstripe couldn’t help but smile. 

“Y’know, I’d really love to find some thyme or juniper,” he said, hopping over a stone in his path. 

“What do those do?” Aldertail asked, carefully picking her way after him. Her legs were the best he’d ever seen them. There was almost no redness and the fur had nearly grown back in. Oddstripe was so proud.

“Thyme is very calming and juniper berries are just all around useful. On top of being calming, they soothe belly aches, help with coughs, and they can even treat aching joints when mixed with the proper herbs. I’d love to get some for Sagetooth.” 

Aldertail’s ears pressed back briefly. “Mm, would that help?”

“Oh, yes,” Oddstripe nodded. “When she isn’t suffering from her aches, she’s really, actually very kind. It can just be hard for her to stay that way when she’s in a lot of pain.” 

“I guess,” Aldertail shrugged. “I feel like you don’t just start being mean to people though, if that makes sense.” 

“I get what you mean,” said Oddstripe, “but something you have to remember is that your body and your mind aren’t two separate entities. They’re both you and they influence each other.” Aldertail winced in an attempt to seem less skeptical. Oddstripe laughed a little and tried to think of a better way to explain. “Oh, for example, when your mind starts to run wild, you feel sick to your stomach right?”

“Yeah,” Aldertail nodded. 

“So that’s your mind influencing your body!” Oddstripe grinned. “But the inverse is also possible. Like, if you’re very scared, we do those deep breaths and the act of calming your body calms your mind.” Aldertail hummed thoughtfully. “So when Sagetooth’s body aches it makes it harder for her to control the way she speaks to people. You’re right that it doesn’t make her something she isn’t but it’s also not entirely her choice. Even I can get snappy when I’m stressed or ill.” 

“Really?” Aldertail didn’t seem convinced. “I can’t picture you snappy.” 

Oddstripe blushed and laughed as he replied, “Oh, that’s very sweet of you.”

“It’s true,” she said. “You’ve only ever been kind and gentle.” 

“Well, I’ve been lucky that I’ve never felt ill enough to snap at you,” he said, full of pride. 

“Mm,” Aldertail chewed her lip. “So where would we find juniper berries?” 

“Hmm,” Oddstripe scrunched up his face in thought. “I know a place they’ll definitely be but its a bit of a distance. Would you still want to come along?” 

“Of course!” she nodded vigorously. “I like learning about medicine.” 

“Really?” asked Oddstripe. 

“Mhm,” nodded Aldertail. “It’s so… powerful. I can’t imagine being able to do what you do.” 

“Oh, it’s really not that hard to learn,” Oddstripe said, changing course. “I’ll show you.”

As they made their way towards the juniper bushes, Oddstripe went over all of the basics he could think of. Healing was something he was intensely passionate about and Aldertail indulged him in his ramblings for the entirety of their walk. Oddstripe couldn’t remember the last time someone had let him ramble like this. It felt amazing. 

They crossed the eastern border and Oddstripe assured Aldertail that everything would be alright. Eventually, the grass petered out and the earth beneath their paws turned to dry, sunbaked mud patterned with cracks and ridges. Oddstripe smiled at the feeling of it under his paws. It had been too long since he’d stepped foot in the desert and he had missed it. They passed little burrows and scurrying lizards and dry looking shrubs and then finally came across the big juniper bush.

“Tada!” Oddstripe declared, unfurling his tail towards the cloudless sky. 

“This is a juniper bush?” Aldertail asked, glancing around its leaves as if something would jump out. 

“Mhm!” he purred. “The berries near the bottom are usually gone because creatures eat them but we can jump up and snag a few branches to take home. Maybe we could even plant one closer to the territories.”

“That would be a good idea,” Aldertail squirmed. “I don’t like this place.” 

“Really?” asked Oddstripe, tilting his head.

“Yeah, it’s too open,” she shuddered. “Let’s hurry up and go home.” 

“Alright,” he frowned worriedly. He’d never considered that someone might not enjoy being able to see the world stretch out endlessly around them. He bunched his legs underneath him and sprang into the bush, but failed to grab onto any of the branches. “Mousedung. Let me try again.” 

He jumped again, this time snagging a branch in his teeth, and his weight pulled it down to a place where Aldertail could help him snap it off. He handed the branch over to her and tried again. The leaves rattled as he fell through them, this time taking another two tries before he caught another branch in his claws. It nearly slipped and he had to scramble to clamp his jaws down around it, smearing berry juice all over his muzzle. 

“Are you okay?” asked Aldertail. 

“Uh huh,” he said awkwardly. “‘Ah you ‘reah ih?” 

“Oh, right! Sorry!” Aldertail hurried forward to start chewing through the branch.

“S’alrigh’,” he chuckled, feeling silly. She met his eyes and flushed pink, quickly averting her gaze to focus on her work. He laughed again. She was such a sweetheart. 

A voice startled them both. “You shouldn’t be out here.” 

Aldertail squeaked and flattened herself against the ground. Oddstripe tried to turn around but struggled to do so without letting go of the branch which didn’t occur to him at all. The cat who had spoken, thankfully, stepped to the side into his view. She was a plain looking grey tabby with bright, golden eyes, and she was watching them with an expression that read to Oddstripe as professional. 

“Oh, sahhy,” he tried to say around the branch in his teeth. 

A small smile poked at the edges of the stranger’s lips and she glanced carefully at Aldertail before asking, “Would you like a paw?”

“Mm!” Oddstripe grinned and nodded clumsily. “Mhm!”

The stranger chuckled softly, dropping her gaze to her paws for a moment, before she stepped up and swatted the branch where Aldertail had been chewing it. The force of the blow was enough to snap it and Oddstripe stumbled away as the rest of the branch sprang noisily back into place. Aldertail squeaked again, and scrunched herself closer to his side. 

He laid his tail over her back, dropped the branch, and then licked his muzzle before speaking. “Thank you! I really appreciate the help. My name’s Oddstripe, what’s yours.” 

“Oscar,” the she-cat smiled with a polite dip of her head. “I’m glad to be of assistance but I really must urge you to leave this place.” 

“Oh?” asked Oddstripe, ears perking. “What for?” 

“This is coyote territory,” she said, scanning the area with a sharp gaze. “You aren’t safe here.” 

“Oh, I didn’t realize the coyotes had come so far west,” Oddstripe said. 

“You live here?” asked Oscar, brow furrowing. 

“No, no, but I used to live near here,” he said. “Now I’m out in the grasslands.” 

“I see,” Oscar nodded. “Well, I must insist you return home, for your own safety.” 

“We will, thank you,” smiled Oddstripe.

Oscar glanced around again and said, “Should you require an escort, I would be happy to oblige.” 

“I don’t think it would hurt,” Oddstripe said. “Aldertail, honey, is that alright with you?” Aldertail simply shrugged, eyes wide enough to show the whites. 

Oddstripe’s ears drooped in pity. “Oh, you poor thing. Here, let’s head back to camp.” He licked her cheek and helped her stand, then handed her one of the juniper sprigs to carry. Having something in her mouth would keep her occupied, he thought. Picking up his own branch, he glanced at Oscar and said, “It’s just this way.” 

“I follow your lead,” she deferred with a bow of the head. Oddstripe blushed, a silly little flutter dancing in his stomach. Something about her seemed right out of a story. He’d never felt that way before. 

Shrugging it off, he led the way, tail wrapped around Aldertail’s leg reassuringly. She stayed close to his side, ears flat against her skull, and Oscar stayed on the opposite side of him, at least two tail lengths away. Oddstripe wanted to walk closer but the distance was probably best for Aldertail. How considerate of their new companion, he thought. 

“So, Oscar,” he asked, able to speak around the sprig this time, “why are you out here in coyote country?” 

“I’m patrolling,” she said. “I look for creatures like you and give them the warning.” 

“Creatures?” Oddstripe chuckled but Oscar nodded seriously.

“Yes. Anything I can speak to. Cats, deer, snakes, most birds.”

“Wow!” Oddstripe marveled. “That’s amazing! I didn’t realize you could talk to those kinds of things.” 

“It’s simple if you have a teacher,” said Oscar humbly. 

“It seems most things are,” laughed Oddstripe. 

It wasn’t long before they reached the edge of the grass again. Oscar stopped under a scrubby little tree and said. “I should return to my patrol. Will you be able to get home from here?” 

“Oh, yes,” nodded Oddstripe. “Thank you so much, Oscar, it was lovely to meet you.”

She shook her head. “I’m simply doing my duty.”

“Well, thank you anyway,” said Oddstripe. She smiled, dipped her head in a polite bow, and then turned and bounded back into the desert. Oddstripe watched her go like he was trying to catch every last moment of her before she disappeared forever. Eventually, her shape disappeared into the shimmering edge of the horizon. 

“Oddstripe?” asked Aldertail quietly. 

“Oh,” he blinked and looked down at her. “Yes, dear?” 

“I’d like to go home, is that okay?” 

“Oh, of course it is,” he said, “let’s go home.”

“Sorry.”

“No, no, that’s alright. Sorry I got distracted.” 

“What was her deal?” Aldertail asked, craning her head to see if she could spot Oscar in the distance.

“I don’t know,” Oddstripe breathed softly, doing the same.

[clangenrising]

Month 15 - Newleaf

Battle With Razor Pt 8

Goldenstar lurched out of unconsciousness coughing up blood. It felt like her throat was full of it. She gagged and sputtered, even hacking up a few chunks of gore, until there was a small pool in front of her. A tongue rasped over her back comfortingly and when she squinted up at the cat through tears she saw Oddstripe smiling tearfully at her. 

“Oh, thank the Stars,” he cried. “I wasn’t sure if you were coming back!” 

“Me neither,” she coughed. The sound of fighting was close by. She rose to her shaky paws to see Orangestar and Russetfrond taking turns lashing out at Razor who was bleeding out of his right eye. She took a step towards the fight, testing out her legs. They seemed shaky, like she hadn’t eaten all day, but they would hold. 

Suddenly Scorch was beside her, fur wet with tears and smeared with blood. “H-how-?” Scorch asked, open mouthed in shock. 

“You’re hurt!” Goldenstar gasped, eyes fixed on the blood in her fur.

“No,” Scorch shook her head, “It’s all your blood.”

“Oh,” Goldenstar swallowed. “I’m sorry.”

“Forget about the blood!” Scorch cried in bafflement. “You were dead! I- I was certain you were dead, how are you-?”

“I told you,” Goldenstar smiled, “StarClan gave me nine lives.” 

“That’s impossible!” Scorch shook her head. 

“It’s the truth,” shrugged Goldenstar. “Are you really okay?” 

“I’m fine,” Scorch said, sniffling. “I’m just… I’m glad you’re alive.” Goldenstar’s heart swelled in her chest. 

“I love you so much,” she purred, leaning in to bump her forehead against Scorchplume’s. Scorch didn’t protest and met her force in kind, laughing through tears. 

“How are you feeling?” Oddstripe asked and Goldenstar realized she needed to focus up.

“Shaky,” Goldenstar said, “but fine. I should go join them.” 

“Are you sure?” Scorchplume frowned nervously. 

“I’ll be careful,” promised Goldenstar. 

Scorch held her gaze for a long moment and then nodded. “Okay.” 

Smiling, Goldenstar turned her attention to the fight ahead. She leapt up behind Razor and slashed at his heels to pull him away from biting into Russetfrond’s shoulder. He gave Russetfrond a good shake and pulled back, wheeling towards her, only to pale at the sight. 

“What?!” he balked. In his distraction, Orangestar sank her teeth into his ear and tugged, pulling him off balance. Goldenstar moved in and slashed at his stomach, managing to draw blood through the thick coat of fur. Russetfrond charged in too, ramming his uninjured shoulder into Razor’s side to fully topple him to the ground. Razor kicked out with his hind legs and struck Goldenstar in the neck. Pain shot through her even though the wound that had killed her was no longer there and she rolled away with a hiss. 

“What’s going on?!” Razor snarled, thrashing to try and get back to his feet. Russetfrond dodged a swipe and clawed at his belly again. Orangestar let go of his ear and closed her teeth around his collar, pulling it tight against the front of his throat. He wheezed and slashed his claws at her. He tore her ear but she held firm, digging her paws in. 

Goldenstar waggled her hips, patiently tracking his movements, and then lunged and caught his dominant paw in her teeth like it was a bird. She dropped with it, kicking at his armpit with her hind claws as she bit ruthlessly at the tendons near the pad. Razor snarled and thrashed but Goldenstar could tell he was slowing down. She released his paw, confident that it would be extremely painful to use, and jumped to her feet again. 

He glared at her, eyes bulging in their sockets, and choked out, “This… can’t-!” 

“You’re done, Razor,” Goldenstar growled. “You won’t hurt anyone ever again.” She raised her claws and brought them down on his throat, tearing a bloody gash in the soft skin underneath his neck. 

Razor bucked beneath Russetfrond’s weight, managing to throw him off and rolled to crush Orangestar underneath him. She let go of his collar with a grunt of pain and scrambled away. Quickly, Goldenstar lashed out at his exposed belly, leaving another gash, but that didn’t seem enough to stop him. He stood, swaying slightly, blood pattering onto the grass, glared at the cats around him. 

“I don’t know what kind of-” Razor paused briefly to hack up a clot of blood, “what kind of trick you pulled there, but you haven’t won!” He lurched towards Goldenstar, teeth snapping dangerously close to her neck as she scrambled backwards. The gaping wound in his throat splattered the ground with a trail of dark blood as he moved. “I’m still the most dangerous cat in the room!” 

Russetfrond grabbed one of Razor’s hind legs and pulled it out from under him. The kittypet toppled gracelessly onto his side, roared in fury, and tried to heave himself back onto his paws, but Goldenstar grabbed his collar again and pulled it tight. 

“I said you’re done!” she growled through gritted teeth. “Stay down already!” Russetfrond and Orangestar both bit down on one of his hind feet and pulled in the opposite direction from her, leaving only his front paws free to scrabble against the leaf litter. 

“No!” he coughed, floundering in his own blood. “I’ll make you pay for this! You’ll-” he hacked again, harder and longer this time, and when he resumed speaking, his voice was hoarse and strained, “you’ll wish you were never born!” He wheezed and thrashed, teeth snapping at the air, but the three of them held tight until his flailing slowed and ceased. Goldenstar held still for a long beat, expecting a last surge of resistance, but none came and eventually she released his bloodstained collar with a heavy sigh. 

“That was terrible,” Oddstripe whispered, ears pressed backward. 

“I’ve never seen a cat stay standing while losing so much blood,” Russetfrond grumbled. 

“Seriously,” said Orangestar. “I’ve seen badgers go down easier.” 

Goldenstar nodded and then swayed, suddenly dizzy. Scorchplume caught her with her own shoulder, purring in an attempt to soothe her. 

“Easy,” she said. “You should rest.” 

“Yeah,” Goldenstar laughed. “Probably.” 

“Grab his collar,” Russetfrond told Orangestar. “Let’s go end the battle.”

“Right,” she nodded and bent down to try and wiggle it off of his head.

“Sagetooth and the other healers are waiting near there,” Oddstripe said, “why don’t we go back there so they can check you out more fully.” 

“Yeah, alright,” Goldenstar said, too tired to have opinions anymore. She sighed pleasantly as she leaned into Scorchplume’s side and let herself be led away from the sickening scene behind her. 

They stumbled back to the battle where Orangestar jumped onto the rotting trunk and crowed, “Razor is dead! The battle is ours!” The battle stilled immediately, some cats looking around for confirmation. Orangestar shook Razor’s collar for emphasis, the bell jingling merrily, and the Clans erupted into victorious cheers. What was left of the rogues fled. Orangestar purred, bursting with pride and Goldenstar smiled. She deserved it. 

At Scorchplume’s insistence, they continued on to the first aid station. Goldenstar sat and let Sagetooth fuss over her for a bit but the healer eventually concluded that there were no wounds left worth treating and that she just needed to rest and eat as soon as she was able. Stormwhisper sent someone to fetch some prey from EarthClan’s camp and that was that. 

She settled down on the edge of the healers’ clearing with Scorchplume perched just behind her, squinting skeptically at anyone who came too close. Goldenstar had to restrain herself from chuckling fondly. As she ate, Snowstar joined her and updated her on the aftermath of the battle. 

Aside from Razor, three of the rogues were dead, including one kittypet who Scorch identified as Tiger, one of Razor’s lieutenants. Thankfully, the Clans had only suffered one casualty in Darkmoon who was likely going to be in StarClan before noon. As well, Snowstar confessed that a few of the Chaff fighters had defected during the battle and one of them had even expressed interest in joining SkyClan. Goldenstar congratulated her heartily. 

“We’re very lucky,” Snowstar concluded. “StarClan was truly guiding our paws.” 

“Yeah,” Goldenstar said half heartedly, remembering the way StarClan had stood around doing nothing as she lost two of her precious lives. 

“Ah, but you’re exhausted,” said Snowstar, misreading her expression. “I’ll let you rest.” She stood and dipped her head in goodbye. 

“Thank you,” Goldenstar said. As Snowstar padded away, she sighed and laid her head on her paws. 

“Well,” Scorch said, starting to sound like herself again, “it seems I will be sticking around. For now.” 

“Oh, good,” Goldenstar laughed. “I’m glad you’re not going to make me beg.” 

Scorch smiled and dipped her head. “I would never, your excellence.” 

All of the mirth evaporated from Goldenstar. “Hey,” she said softly. “Uh… Please, don’t say that anymore.” 

Scorchplume frowned in confusion, unable to form words. “W…”

“I don’t want to be associated with him,” said Goldenstar. “I never want you to have to think about him again.” 

Scorch pursed her lips and nodded. “Okay.” She sniffed and leaned in to press her forehead to Goldenstar’s and Goldenstar was grateful beyond belief. “Why don’t we get you cleaned up. We wouldn’t want to scare the kits when we go home.”

“Yeah,” Goldenstar smiled. When we go home. “I think that’s a good idea.” Scorch settled beside her and began cleaning the blood from her fur and Goldenstar couldn’t help but doze under the calming sensation. As she faded into sleep, she captured that moment in her mind - the familiar buzz of activity around her, the warmth of Scorch’s pelt against her side, the gentle rhythm of Scorch’s tongue across her fur. She couldn’t imagine anything better than where she was right now.

[clangenrising]

Month 15 - Newleaf

Battle With Razor Pt 7

Scorchplume couldn’t believe what she was doing. The further into the woods they went, the louder the sounds of yowling, fighting cats grew. It was overwhelming. It made her want to crawl into a hole and close her eyes until everything was over. But Goldenstar needed her. She found it hard to believe that Oddstripe had been given a mystical vision of doom but, if there was anything she could believe, it was that Goldenstar was in danger. 

A grey shape moved in her peripheral vision and Scorch sucked in a sharp, fearful breath. Oddstripe twisted to follow her gaze and his shoulders loosened in relief. 

“Stormwhisper!” he cried around the yarrow in his mouth. 

“Oddstripe?” The shape that wasn’t Razor turned to face them with a surprised expression. 

“Oddstripe?” Sagetooth’s voice echoed his question cantankerously. The healer stomped out from behind a tree to glare at them. When she spotted Scorch, her expression flattened to something close to resignation. “And Scorchplume. What in the Dark Forest are you doing here?” The other healers craned their necks to see what the fuss was about. 

“I had a vision!” Oddstripe explained, moving closer. “Have any of you seen Goldenstar? Scorchplume needs to get to her right away.” 

“No,” Sagetooth shook her head, “She’s probably in the thickest of the fighting.” Scorch swallowed thickly and tried to keep her eyes from darting around at every noise. 

“Then that’s where we have to go,” Oddstripe said reluctantly. 

“You’ll get yourself killed,” Sagetooth snapped. 

“She’s right,” said Stormwhisper, “it’s too dangerous.”

“This was stupid,” Scorch huffed, tail twitching. “I shouldn’t even be here.”

“No, no!” Oddstripe’s ears pressed back against his skull. “My vision was very clear! If Scorchplume doesn’t get to Goldenstar, she’ll die!” 

“She has nine lives,” Sagetooth said. “She’s prepared to lose one of them to kill Razor.” Scorch grit her teeth and held her tongue. That was part of the problem! 

Oddstripe shook his head in distress. “No, I mean she’ll die die! Like completely dead!” 

“That’s ridiculous,” huffed Sagetooth. “That only happens if a cat gets sick or drowns, things that can’t be healed immediately.” 

“You all sound insane,” Scorch hissed. “She’s probably already dead.” She almost wished that were true. In that case, she would have something final to hold onto instead of floating unmoored in this unbearable uncertainty. 

Sagetooth growled to herself, tail lashing. “Hush, kit. Don’t speak on things you know nothing about.” 

“Stormwhisper!” a voice called from the other side of the small clearing. “It’s Darkmoon!” Dawnbird came dashing in as Coyotechaser and Sparrowpaw trailed behind with a bloody Darkmoon limping between them. 

“Bring him over here!” Stormwhisper said, attention completely diverted. “Blazingbrush, grab the poppy seeds!” 

“On it!” 

“He’s having trouble breathing,” Sparrowpaw said, sparing only a brief glance their way. 

Sagetooth chewed her lip for a second and then said, “Oddstripe, if you’re completely sure, you should go looking. StarClan will guide you.” 

“Alright,” nodded Oddstripe. He stepped up beside Scorchplume and looked towards the battlefield, tail arched behind him. 

“This is crazy,” Scorchplume said. “You know this is crazy, right?” 

“I know,” Oddstripe fretted, looking at his son who was already darting back towards the battle. “I can’t do nothing though.” He stepped forward, then stopped all of a sudden, eyes wide. “Do you see that?” 

Scorch leaned in to follow his gaze. “What? I don’t see anything.” 

“Look!” he said breathily, pointing with his muzzle. “See how the sun is shining through those trees?” Scorch looked again. The trees seemed completely normal, the dawn light filtering in between the leaves. There was a small trail of stronger light where the branches let in more of the sun’s rays. It didn’t seem particularly special to her mind.

“So?” she asked.

“It’s leading perfectly through the trees,” Oddstripe said, already bounding towards it. “We have to follow it!” 

“What?!” Scorch bristled. “But it’s nowhere near the battle!” 

“Come on!” was all he said, shouting over his shoulder. 

Scorch let out a frustrated whine, claws kneading the damp earth in frustration. This was insane! She was following a crazy person into the woods for no reason! Still, she glanced around and decided she didn’t want to stay here and she knew she wouldn’t have the stomach to just go back, so she dashed to catch up with him. She hoped that Goldenstar actually needed her help or else she was going to feel so stupid after this. 

She followed Oddstripe through the trees for a while as he raced along the thin line of sunlight that cut a path between the trees. Scorch had to admit, it was strange how continuous the line was, how it was never blocked by shrubbery and it never led them up the side of a tree. She shrugged it off as a freaky coincidence. The sound of fighting faded behind them, allowing her nerves to settle just a bit. 

Then, suddenly, the playful sound of a bell rattling with effort. 

“Wait, shh!” she hissed softly. “Stop!”

Oddstripe did so, ears perked attentively. “What is that?” 

“A collar bell,” she whispered, “It’s one of the Exalted. What are they doing all the way out here?” 

“Let’s go look,” Oddstripe said, creeping closer. 

“W- Don’t-!” Scorch bristled indignantly. Her protests didn’t slow him and with another frustrated kneading, she slank after him.

Ahead of them was a small clearing in which a large tabby tom stood hunched over something, shaking it in his jaws. Scorch’s heart leapt into her throat at the sight of Razor. What was he doing out here?! She couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe. Her heart was beating so fast she thought her body might explode. 

“Oh, Stars,” Oddstripe whispered beside her, his voice full of horror. 

At the sound, Razor turned to face them, eyes searching the underbrush, and Scorch gasped. The thing in his jaws was Goldenstar, her body limp and bloody, eyes gazing vacantly as her head lolled in their direction. Razor dropped the body and it hit the ground with a wet thump. 

“Who’s out there?” he asked, teeth bared. Scorch took a step back. Oddstripe started to move forward. 

“What are you doing?!” Scorch said in a whisper so high it was almost a squeak. 

“I have to help her,” Oddstripe said, shifting his posture lower as if about to sprint.

“She’s dead!” Scorch hissed. “There’s no helping her now!” 

“There you are,” Razor’s voice sent a chill down her spine. The way his eyes swept over the shrub told her he couldn’t see them yet but he stepped over Goldenstar’s body and prowled in their direction. 

Scorchplume had no idea what possessed her to step forward in that moment. She should have run. She should have left Oddstripe to his foolishness and started heading for the hills. Instead, she inexplicably walked straight into the fire and she had no idea why. 

When Razor saw her, his furious snarl softened in surprise. “Gingersnap.” He said. 

Scorchplume swallowed dryly. She didn’t know what she was supposed to say. Oddstripe was right behind her somewhere, sure to be discovered. Carefully, she sidestepped Razor to get a better look at the corpse, hoping to lead his attention away from the hidden healer. 

“Razor, what have you done?” she asked hoarsely. She stared past the body and let her vision fog, unable to actually look at the grisly details marring the pelt of the cat she had been sharing a nest with for the last few weeks. 

“Don’t be like that,” Razor frowned, closing distance with her. He licked the blood from his muzzle and buried his nose in the fur at the back of her neck. She stiffened under his touch, stomach turning queasily. It felt like he had her insides in a vice and was squeezing them as hard as he could. 

“Forget about the savage, Gingersnap. She’s gone now.” 

Scorch inhaled shakily. “Razor, please…” 

“What?” he asked, a hint of annoyance replacing the sickly sweet tone he had been using. “Please what, little bird?” 

“Please, just…” She didn’t know where she was going with this. “Just let me go.” 

Razor’s posture shifted dangerously. “Let you go?” he breathed. “Careful, Gingersnap. You almost sound like you don’t want to go back with me.” 

“I don’t,” she sobbed, backing away. “I never did!” 

“That’s a lie,” he shouted, “words planted in your head by that filthy wild cat!” Scorch, hunched down against the ground, spared one glance past him at Goldenstar’s body. Oddstripe was crouched over her, rubbing chewed up yarrow over her gaping wounds in a futile display of optimism. Razor’s paw shot out and pushed her chin upwards. 

“Don’t look at her!” he snapped. “She’s gone now. Look at me.” 

“Stop it!” she cried, pushing him away. 

“No,” he boomed, shoving her roughly back, “you need to learn! I am the only one who has ever cared about you! I gave you everything you wanted, practically crawled over glass to suit your whims, and all the while you snuck around behind my back! Why?!”

“Don’t touch me!” Scorch screamed, unable to think another thought. She reared up on her toes in an attempt to feel less like a cowering child. 

“You will never be satisfied!” Razor laughed bitterly. “You’re a leech, Gingersnap, all you do is feed off other people but it will never be enough for you! You will always be empty and miserable and incomplete!” Scorch pressed her ears back against her head to block out the words. He was just trying to get into her head, she couldn’t listen to him. 

Razor leaned down and lowered his voice to something pleading and gentle. “Why can’t you just let me love you?” Scorch struck out with her claws and they gouged into the soft flesh of his eye. Razor snarled in pain and recoiled, blinking away the blood now pouring down the right side of his face. 

“You little bitch!” he hissed and swiped out with his own claws. Her body moved instinctively, ducking backwards on muscle memory, and the strike grazed her whiskers. Her heart was pounding. Mouth dry, she lunged and swiped at him like Goldenstar had taught her only to be slammed onto her back by Razor’s massive paws. 

“You’ll pay for that,” he growled, blood dripping from his face onto hers. She squirmed helplessly. Why had she done this? For months she had avoided this exact course of action knowing it would end in her death but something about these Clan cats had sabotaged the defenses she had been building all her life and introduced a fatal flaw. She wondered if an apology would do anything at this point. 

“There!” she heard Russetfrond shout from a distance. Razor turned his head and bared his teeth in a snarl. With a screech, Orangestar leapt onto Razor’s back in a blur of ginger fur, and he stumbled away to try and throw her off. Scorchplume gasped for breath and scrambled to her feet, cheeks drenched in tears. 

“Are you alright?” Russetfrond asked, appearing at her side. 

“I don’t know,” she swallowed. The deputy looked her up and down and seemed to conclude that she was fine. He turned his attention back to the battle and sprang off to join Orangestar. 

Scorchplume crouched down against the earth and fell apart.

[clangenrising]

Month 15 - Newleaf

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Stoneperch for a Clan meeting!” 

Floodpaw sat up from his evening nap in surprise. “Wait, what?” 

“Oh, Stars,” Barleypaw rolled onto her paws beside him. “Is it now? I’m not ready!” 

Floodpaw looked up at Goldenstar where she stood on the stone above her den and found her smiling directly at him. It was definitely happening right now. He quickly ran a paw over his ears to tidy his messy fur. Barleypaw was organizing her feathers very particularly, making fretfull noises as she did. Floodpaw sighed and leaned over to straighten the ones behind her head for her. 

“You look great,” he soothed, “don’t worry about it.” 

“Mmm,” she whined, “if you say so.” 

“Look, Sparrowpaw’s already beat us down there,” he said, pointing to where their brother was waiting with perfect posture. 

“Okay, okay,” sighed Barleypaw. “I’m ready.” 

Together, they bounded down from the top of the warriors’ den to sit next to Sparrowpaw in the front of the crowd. He looked over at them and smiled and Floodpaw felt a sudden spike of nerves in his belly. It was really happening. After moons of hard work, he was going to be a warrior. The Clan was gathered around him and he could feel the pride swelling in the air. 

“Today,” Goldestar began, smiling ear to ear, “I am happy to say, we have a very special ceremony to hold, one I’m sure many of you have been eagerly awaiting.” Floodpaw squared his shoulders in an attempt to look noble. He had been expecting to get his name after the Battle with Razor but Russetfrond had insisted on the three of them completing their final assessments and Goldenstar had been unclear about whether or not they had passed. It was such a relief to finally know for certain that he was going to be a warrior. 

Goldenstar’s next words pulled his rising hopes crashing back down to earth. “Lake, would you step forward?” 

“What?” he couldn’t stop himself.

“Shh,” Barleypaw hissed. Lake bounced out of the crowd where she had been sitting with Fogpaw and Slatepaw and looked up at Goldenstar with big blue eyes. 

“Yes, ma’am?” she asked in her little voice. Floodpaw couldn’t help but smile despite his disappointment. The kid deserved this. 

“Do you still want to join the Clan like we talked about?” asked Goldenstar kindly. 

“Oh, yes!” purred Lake. “I wanna learn to do stuff like all the ‘Paws do!” A few cats laughed softly to themselves. Floodpaw rolled his eyes. 

“And did you want to change your name like we talked about?” 

“Mhm!”

“Then I welcome you as a member of RisingClan. From this day on, until you become an apprentice, you will be known as Lakekit. Welcome home.” 

“Lakekit! Lakekit!” cats cheered and Floodpaw joined in once or twice. 

Even Lakekit got in on the action. “Lakekit!” she beamed and then giggled to herself like it was the funniest thing she’d ever done. Even Goldenstar couldn’t stop herself from chuckling at that. 

“And with that,” Goldenstar said and Floodpaw wilted, “Our meeting is- Oh wait, that’s right!” She grinned mischievously as she said, “I knew I was forgetting something! Floodpaw, Barleypaw, Sparrowpaw, please step forward.” 

Floodpaw frowned, puffing up a bit as cats chuckled at the joke, but it was all in good fun. He shook it off and stepped forward with his littermates, taking a deep breath to once again pull himself into a more noble looking shape. Barleypaw brushed her tail against his leg, smiling at him, and then focused on Goldenstar. He glanced at Sparrowpaw but his brother was completely professional. 

Goldenstar’s smile turned warmer as she continued, “The three of you have worked hard to become excellent warriors and I couldn’t be more proud. You are the first apprentices to complete their training since the plague which is a promising sign. If you three are any indicator of how our Clan is growing, we are on the right track.” Floodpaw realized he was on the verge of tears. The energy in the air was intoxicatingly full of love and it resonated within him near overwhelmingly.

“Floodpaw, Barleypaw, Sparrowpaw,” Goldenstar said, “do you three promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?”

“I do,” they chorused, confident and sure. 

“Then by the powers of StarClan,” Goldenstar purred, “I give you your warrior names.” She leapt down from the Stoneperch to stand in front of them and said, “Floodpaw, you have proven yourself to be a capable fighter, eager to defend your Clanmates with the speed and force of a roaring flood. From this moment on, you will be known as Floodstrike. Your Clan honors your drive and welcomes you as a full warrior of RisingClan.” 

She leaned forward and rested her muzzle on his head, purring strongly, and Floodstrike leaned in to lick her shoulder, eyes lingering briefly on the scar now hiding in her neck fur. The Clan began to cheer his name. He stood back and lifted his head to look around at them, chest swelling with pride. He had done it. Finally, the warriors around him were his equals. It was almost too good to be true. 

“Barleypaw,” Goldenstar moved on once the chanting faded, “you have grown so much from the day you were apprenticed, becoming a confident and kind-hearted young warrior unafraid to challenge what she knows is wrong. For this reason, I give you the name Barleybee. Though you may seem small at times, you have a courageous sting that shouldn’t be underestimated. Your Clan honors you for your boldness and welcomes you as a full warrior of RisingClan.” 

Now she and Goldenstar repeated the ceremonial gesture as cats chanted her name. Yarrowshade’s voice cut through the noise with a rowdy string of celebratory whoops. Barleybee laughed and raised her tail as she beamed at him. Floodstrike bumped his shoulder against hers and she purred, bonking heads with him. 

“Sparrowpaw,” said Goldenstar, “you have always shown a dedication to a warrior's duties that any cat could admire, but I would like to highlight the way you have tempered that dedication with thoughtfulness and foresight. Like a bird in the wind, you have learned to lean into life’s challenges with a level head and so I bestow upon you the name Sparrowsway. Your Clan honors you for your tranquility and welcomes you as a full warrior of RisingClan.” 

She placed her muzzle on Sparrowsway’s head and as he leaned in to touch her shoulder, he said, “Thank you.” 

“Don’t mention it,” she whispered back as the Clan cheered. Then, to all the cats present, she declared, “As tradition dictates, our new warriors will spend tonight sitting a silent vigil where they are invited to meditate on their growth so far and the duties they have sworn themselves to from here on out. During this time, they are not to be disturbed, so get your congratulations out now.” She laughed a little bit and stepped back to let the rest of the Clan swarm in to speak with the new warriors. 

“Oh!” Oddstripe was the first one to reach them, emotion cracking his voice. “I’m so, so proud of you three!” He wrapped his arms around Sparrowsway’s neck and rubbed his cheeks on either side of his son’s face, causing Sparrowsway to wince with mild embarrassment. 

“Your name is so cool!” cried Fogpaw, pushing up close to Floodstrike’s chest. “I hope my name is that cool!”

“Yeah, right,” he laughed, putting a paw on her face and trying to shove her into the dirt. “You’re probably gonna be named Fogfart or something.” 

“Nuh uh!” Fogpaw laughed and wriggled out from under him. 

“Real mature,” chuckled Sparrowsway.

“I’m so proud of you, Barleygirl,” Yarrowshade bumped his head against hers gently. “I couldn’t have asked for a better apprentice.” 

“Or me a better mentor,” purred Barleybee softly. 

Oddstripe had moved on to pull Floodstrike into a tight hug. “My little man!” he cried, “You’ve grown so much.”

“C’mon, dad, don’t cry,” he laughed, blushing under the intense affection. 

“Hey, congrats!” called Branchbark from the second row of Clanmates. “You guys deserve it!”

“Yeah!” cheered Ospreymask, “Congrats, you three!” 

Russetfrond appeared beside Sparrowsway and gave him a crisp nod. “Well done.” 

“Thank you,” Sparrowsway said fervently. Floodstrike imagined that was Russetfrond’s version of Oddstripe’s hugs and tears. 

“Wowzers,” Lakekit practically inserted herself into the hug that Floodstrike’s father was smothering him in. “I didn’t realize you guys got new names when you grew up! Are you sad your names don’t match anymore?” 

Floodstrike laughed and ruffled her fur with a paw. “Nah, we’ll always match in the ways that matter.” 

Lakekit smiled and Oddstripe let out another, very emotional, “Oh!”

Eventually everyone came and congratulated them in some way, except Mystique who was still sulking in the elders’ den. As the crowd dwindled and faded, Goldenstar approached, Scorchplume lingering behind her, and bumped her forehead against Floodstrike’s. 

“Hope you didn’t mind my little joke,” she said. 

“I nearly died,” said Floodstrike. 

“He’s not lying,” Sparrowsway laughed. 

“Well, I’m glad you didn’t,” Goldenstar smiled. “You guys are going to be amazing warriors. Are you done mingling?”

“I think so,” said Barleybee. Sparrowsway nodded and Floodstrike shrugged. 

“Might as well be,” he said. 

“Alright,” nodded Goldenstar. “Go ahead and sit up on the Stoneperch for your vigil. From now until I come to gather you, you’re not supposed to speak a word unless there’s an emergency, understood?” 

“Understood,” Floodstrike said and his littermates stifled their laughter. 

“Hey!” Goldenstar feigned anger. “What did I just say?!” He laughed and sat back, paws up by his chest in surrender. Goldenstar dropped the joke with a fond smile and said, “Alright then. Good luck, you three.” 

Together, they climbed the Stoneperch and settled down side by side. The stars were just starting to peek over the eastern horizon. Floodstrike looked up at them and let out a deep, contented sigh. Things were going to be alright. The war was basically over and he was finally a warrior. The three siblings settled into a comfortable silence, watching over the camp as dusk turned into a cloudless, starry night.

[clangenrising]

Month 15 - Newleaf

Battle With Razor Pt 2

The sound of claws on stone filled the camp.

Shortly after the battle patrol had left, Scorchplume had climbed onto the Stoneperch and started restlessly scratching her claws over its surface non-stop. It had been about an hour and Oddstripe was starting to get worried about her. 

He understood, of course. His three, perfect children had all gone to join the fight and while he was so, so proud of them, he was also absolutely terrified. He’d taken to checking on everyone in camp, making sure that things were settled here at least. 

Pantherhaze was sat next to the elders’ den, within which Mystique was sulking. Oddstripe made sure to drop off her breakfast. Slatepaw and Fogpaw had dutifully taken on the task of keeping Lake occupied and were taking turns letting her bat at their tails. She was finally starting to reach a healthy weight which relieved Oddstripe greatly. Aldertail had turned in to try and sleep through the battle and Oddstripe hadn’t wanted to disturb her. 

Sagetooth had gone with the rest of the Clan to help provide medical attention to the fighters, leaving Oddstripe at home just in case something went wrong with Mystique’s pregnancy. He had told himself to trust her judgment but he also couldn’t help but worry that he could be doing more at the front. Scorch’s scratching was starting to grate on his brain, making him even more restless. 

Eventually, he leapt up onto the Stoneperch beside her, offering a gentle smile. “How are you hanging in there?” 

“Fine,” Scorch said, clearly lying. She did still her paws though, which he silently appreciated. 

“I’m nervous too,” he said. She frowned, looking more forlorn than he had ever seen her. He continued, “I know they train for this kind of thing but that doesn’t make me worry any less about them getting hurt.” 

“I just worry they’re still underestimating him,” Scorch admitted. “I tried to prepare them but if it’s not enough…” 

Oddstripe nodded. “Oh, I know exactly what you mean.” He took a deep breath and stretched, padding a few steps away into the thick, waving grass. “At the end of the day, you just have to trust that they are doing their best and have faith that things will be alright.” Scorch huffed a little and curled her tail over her paws. 

Oddstripe sighed and looked up at the last traces of the stars in the early morning sky. Faith had always come so easily to him that it was hard to understand why it seemed so hard for Scorchplume. He took a deep breath and tried to open himself to StarClan’s will, hoping they had some guidance for him in this moment. 

The sun was just starting to rise over the desert and the mountains beyond it, staining the dark blue sky a bloody crimson. Oddstripe’s tail bristled and arched behind him as the rays of sunlight seemed to transform into rivers of blood pouring over the distant landscape while the rising sun flickered and started to go out. He couldn’t breathe. 

Then, suddenly, a column of flame shot up from the desert and the blood shrank away, reversing its course as if going back in time and the sun regained its brilliant gleam. He blinked and the vision was gone, the sun rising just as normal. Scorchplume looked over at him and frowned. 

“Are you alright?” she asked, sitting up straighter. “What’s wrong?” 

He swallowed, took a step back, and said, “I- I think I just had a vision.” He could barely believe the words. He turned the images over in his mind to make sure he was interpreting it correctly. With something this important, he had to be sure. 

Scorch pursed her lips. “What kind of vision?” she said skeptically. 

“Well,” he said, trying to spread saliva around his very dry mouth, “I can’t be perfectly certain, but it was a warning from StarClan. If you don’t go to the battle right now, Goldenstar will die.” As he said the words, they seemed to fall into place, affirming their truth the moment they were spoken aloud. 

Scorch bristled. “That’s crazy,” she snapped. “How would you even know that?!” 

“It’s hard to explain,” he said, knowing intuition wouldn’t be a satisfying explanation for the cynic. “Look, you don’t have to believe me but I would bet my life on what I saw.” His eyes wandered over the grass as a plan formed in his mind. “In fact, I’m going over right now. Please come with me.” He looked up at her and prayed that she could have faith just this once. 

“I…” she swallowed and curled her shoulders in on herself. “I can’t. If Razor finds me again-”

“I know,” Oddstripe cut in, “but Goldenstar needs you.” 

Scorch shook her head and took a step back. “I’m sorry. I can’t go back there.” Oddstripe wanted to beg and plead but he knew it wouldn’t convince her. He sighed and leapt down from the Stoneperch to head for his den. 

“I’m going to go anyway,” he said. “Maybe there’s something I can do.” 

“What’s going on?” Pantherhaze asked, standing up. 

“Goldenstar is in trouble,” Oddstripe said, sounding more authoritative than he thought he was able. “I’m going to see if there’s something I can do about it.” 

“Oh,” Pantherhaze swallowed and shifted as if he were straining against the tether keeping him there with Mystique. Eventually, he said, “May StarClan guide you.” 

Oddstripe swallowed and nodded. He strode quickly into the healers’ den to the back where the herbs were stored. Sagetooth had already taken most of the important ones with her but his eyes fell upon the small stock of yarrow that was left. Listening to his gut, he snatched the herbs up in his mouth and bounded back out, heading for the border as fast as was sustainable. He mumbled prayers under his breath, hoping that his vision wasn’t a certainty, that he would be able to change fate on his own. 

“Wait!” Scorchplume called out and he turned to see her bounding to catch up with him. He smiled but didn’t waste time on words. Once she was at his side, he took off again and she followed quickly and quietly. We’re coming, Goldenstar, he thought. Just hang in there.