#on their first herb-hunting patrol

[selenetic]

[bonefall]

Hi there! I know you've made posts about warriors who have lost their sight and hearing, but would you have any ideas of how losing their sense of smell could affect a cat? I have to imagine it'd be a pretty big deal for a hunter or medicine cat

You know, you'd think it would primarily affect "tracking" skills, since as humans we tend to think of following scent trails and hunting down wild game, but the truth might shock you a little;

The first thing the other cats would notice is that the warrior is getting lost a lot.

When it comes to scents, the most important use that cats have for their sense of smell is navigating their territory. Through scent, they can tell the direction towards camp, exactly where they are in a territory, and if they're getting close to a border.

Most media (including WC itself) tends to depict scent like a floating, colorful "trail." A direct line leading you to the target, like this;

But this is actually not very accurate. You'd have to be dealing with a VERY stinky animal for this to be the case, like boar or elk.

Scent acts more like this;

It "collects" on solid objects the animal brushes past or intentionally marks, sometimes including the ground if they've lingered there. Newer brushes on the object have more of the scent particles present just as a matter of not having enough time for the odor to disperse. Think of it sort of like liquid; a "stale" scent is like an object that was soaked now simply being damp.

A warrior's "scent marking" is like a big stink bomb. It will make the entire area smell. Anyone who has been unfortunate enough to have an intact cat spray their house knows that it's not a dainty little spritz. It's STINKY.

To a cat though, the marks that are placed down by individuals and patrols give the entire area a sort of comforting "aroma." Because of the smell, they can perceive their home territory as if it's a map.

"Hub" areas have a stronger smell than "limnal" zones, and camp has its own unique scent. Just by combining these two things, you will always know EXACTLY where you are and how to find your way back to safety.

(Note; this is a major reason why I assert that blindness should be one of the least debilitating sensory disabilities for a warrior to have. Cats have a built in scratch-n-sniff RPG map.)

I mentioned in passing, earlier, that this is comforting. That's the second thing that would probably start to affect a warrior losing their sense of smell; it would be very common for them to start developing anxiety.

It's VERY unsettling for a cat to be in an unfamiliar place, and this is usually because nothing smells right! Providing the right pheromones is actually a way to treat anxiety, and this is the reason why you can often find a lost cat by putting one of their blankets outside. Pride aside, an elder might request more escorts outside of the camp simply as a matter of comfort once their nose isn't working so good.

For tracking itself, though-- in comparison to their Clanmates, hunters with a bad sense of smell would be bad at finding prey. Being a solitary hunter would become unfeasible.

The simple solution is that they shouldn't hunt alone. Just having one good tracker in the team to bring the party to big game could work fine. In WindClan in particular, they'd get put on lagomorph hunts very often (since 2 average-sized rabbits feeds a Clan for a day, let alone a hare).

For a Cleric, it would force them towards retirement.

Tracking down herbs is one thing; they could still be good at knowing where things grow, even with the added risk of getting lost. More importantly, MOST of a cat's health information is discerned through smelling their scent-- through their glands, their breath, and most importantly their scent marks. A Cleric who can't smell would start making inaccurate diagnoses.

And all of this doesn't even factor in how much communication is done through scent. When a cat bumps you with their head, "kisses" you with their teeth, or runs their side along you, that's them putting a mark on you. It's saying, "I want you to smell like me and I want to smell like you, because we're part of the same group!"

The important thing about that is that it is happening a dozen times a day with different Clanmates.

Rosetail demonstrates the point with some gossip: "Did you notice that Snowfur smells a lot less like Bluefur, lately? Yeah, she totally reeks like Thistleclaw. Since you smell like Thrushpelt, I feel comfortable sharing this with you; I don't think they're a good match at all... don't tell him I said that, though, even though he's my brother he would get really mad if he found out I thought that."

A warrior who can't scent will feel VERY socially isolated. There's an entire social network behind who you're marking, and being marked by.

In summary;

Scent has a massive role in navigation, for cats.

Cats who can't smell are at risk of getting lost easier.

Try not to think of scent like a "floating trail," but more like a series of odor marks on the objects the target has brushed up against.

Scent marks are STINKY, they make a whole area reek.

However, that's comforting to cats. Not being able to smell this has negative impacts on mental health.

It's the "tracking" part of prey and herb hunting that would become difficult.

Clerics who can't smell are liable to start making bad judgements.

Scent marking is part of the social fabric, and there is an important aspect to Clan dynamics that a cat who can't smell would lose out on.

[yuki2sksksk]

[ Trollhunter Guardian (Y/n) ]

Centuries ago

(interpret this however you want (⁠.⁠ ⁠❛⁠ ⁠ᴗ⁠ ⁠❛⁠.⁠))

A few notes of you living with Angor Rot:

TW: slight suggestive

You first didn't stay directly in his living space, being given a small spot on your own when you were allowed to live with the trolls.

But you often go over to his place and one sleepover after late night talk leads to numerous visits that often have some belongings of yours in his place.

The other trolls talked amongst them of how close you and Angor Rot were.

You helped them a lot with your magic and pretty much got along with most of the residents so they had no problem with you.

So when everyone finally found out about your relationship with Angor Rot, they were mostly baffled by the idea of their warrior being in a relationship.

Angor Rot didn't always stay in his quarter, often going around to patrol and help any trolls in need.

But ever since you came, he found himself coming 'home' more than often.

His living space now had some soft texture objects like mattress and curtains because of your influence

It also smells like herbs and you. He liked that a lot more than he thought he would.

So. Did the two of you ever sleep together?

More than laying on each other's side?

Yeah, but that stage took around a year and a half after you two were official.

It had been in your mind for sometime, mostly in a curiosity of how compatible your bodies might work despite the differences

Then it just happened one early morning.

You and Angor Rot came back from some hunting together, drenching from the sudden heavy pouring rain.

Clothes sticking to your skin, you had trouble getting off your gears and he offered to help.

Close proximity contact + shown body curves + had been thinking about it.

And that happened.

There was a lot of discovery happening.

[kudossi]

hear the crack of lightning (where your heart will break)

“Don’t you understand?” Hawkfrost hisses, spits like it’s deathberries, like poison curling his tongue and blackening his gums. “We’re the same, you and I!”

Hollyleaf stares at him, still as the grave.

“Hollyleaf, no!” Dovewing shouts out. Thunder rips across the sky, breaking and rending and tearing apart. Lightning flashes, hot and acerbic, the taste of ozone and the dizzying light of uncountable seasons of greenleaf suns.

Hollyleaf doesn’t move. She’s a dark outline in the aftereffects of lightning, against smoke sputtering toward the sky. “You’re wrong,” she says, quiet, and Dovewing pictures rolling hills covered in prairie grass, whistling softly, something beautiful and magnificent and simple all the same, her teacher and her friend and her family, all wrapped up in one cat. “End this, Hawkfrost. You don’t have to do this.”

Hawkfrost snarls. “I think you’ll find that I do,” he says, anger and fathomless, incomprehensible emptiness.

The sky opens. Rain pours down around them, obscuring Dovewing’s vision. Maybe that’s why she isn’t quick enough. Maybe that’s why she doesn’t see the blow levied for her until Hollyleaf intercepts it, bowling Breezepelt over in the span of a blink. Maybe that’s why she doesn’t comprehend Hawkfrost’s movement, the way he digs his teeth into Hollyleaf’s scruff and his claws into her throat.

Hollyleaf gasps.

Dovewing had always wondered what would happen when the prophecy came to bear. She had pondered over it on sleepless nights, during early patrols, when she guarded the camp while the Clan slept around her. The night before hadn’t been any different — she had tucked herself underneath Hollyleaf’s chin, leeching comfort from her pelt, and the thought had come — what would she do if something happened to her?

She’d thought she would rage, would scream to the sky, would take her revenge with tooth and claw. But instead she stands stock-still as Hollyleaf struggles to stand, as Hawkfrost’s bloody mouth turns to her, as Breezepelt grins, crooked and eager.

Hollyleaf laughs. It’s choked with her own blood. “You’ll have to get through me first,” she says, this self-exiled loner, this fully-trained warrior, a cat who had watched her grow up and had realized what she held that Hollyleaf herself had not; a cat who had come looking anyway, who had come to rescue her when everything else had gone hopeless and fuzzy at the edges.

“No,” she breathes, and Hawkfrost leaps, but Hollyleaf is ready, and her fangs sink deep into his throat. Black blood spurts from any gap her mouth creates, stinking and shiny like the puddles they sometimes found on Thunderpaths. It’s muck and mire, not clean blood, and yet—and yet—

Lionblaze and Icecloud interrupt her panicked musings, fighting back-to-back as they take on Breezepelt, as Hawkfrost’s body deflates like waterlogged moss, as Hollyleaf slumps back, stunned, her face and neck dripping.

Dovewing knows what to do. She knows what to do — what Hollyleaf taught her to do between battle practice and hunting, in the mornings and the evenings where being prophesied might as well have been a death sentence, where even Hollyleaf’s simple knowledge of herbs might give at least a slim, wild chance —  but as she rolls Hollyleaf on her side, she knows that anything she does will only prolong the end.

She does it anyway.

The herbs don’t matter anymore — nothing matters anymore. Breezepelt and the monsters behind him could kill them all where they stood and it would make more sense than this, than Hollyleaf bleeding out at her paws, than the way the cobwebs run red with blood, than the way the herbs she presses in don’t help the clotting.

She can’t think. It’s only instinct. No, no, her heart beats. No, no, not her, not her, anyone but her.

Dovewing presses more and more cobwebs to the wound.

A voice echoes from somewhere, and it takes Dovewing a moment to realize that it’s from Hollyleaf. “I knew you’d make a good medic,” Hollyleaf manages. She reaches out a paw to tap one of Dovewing’s, a purr in her throat. “You’ve made me proud. So, so proud.”

No. Dovewing snatches the paw back as if Hollyleaf had touched it with fire, and she busies herself again — herbs, herbs, what to stop the blood, what would stop the blood?

“It’s okay,” Hollyleaf says. “I always knew, Dovewing. I always knew this would be my fate.”

“It’s not okay!” Dovewing snaps. “You have your whole life to live, and, and—I’m going to stop the bleeding, and we’re going to go home, all of us, and you can be deputy one day, and then leader, Hollyleaf, you deserve it, and maybe I can train as a medic — really train — and Ivypool can be your deputy, and nothing will hurt — nothing will hurt ever again, Hollyleaf, wouldn’t that be nice?”

Hollyleaf says nothing. There’s a gentle smile on her face, something knowing.

“Why isn’t—why isn’t it stopping?” she asks. “I’m doing everything you taught me, everything, Hollyleaf, please—”

“Sometimes… it’s not enough,” Hollyleaf whispers. Dovewing flinches away, reaching blindly for more, and Hollyleaf’s paw touches her again. “Hey. Hey, Dovewing. It’s—it’s no use. You have to save those, okay? You can’t go using them all on me.”

“I’ll get more, okay? I will!”

“Dovewing.”

“I’ll—I’ll use more moss, and they’ll take patrols past the borders—”

“Dovewing.”

“—and it’ll all be okay, Hollyleaf, you’ll see—”

“Dove!”

Dovewing reels back, slipping in Hollyleaf’s blood. For the first time since she’d started packing herbs into the wounds, Dovewing looks Hollyleaf in the eye. They’re green, of course — a shade so similar to her own that it was as if they’d been born to be two halves of a whole.

The light in them is dim, the life slipping steadily away. But she sees affection there, sees pride, sees love.

Gently, Hollyleaf offers Dovewing her white paw.

Trembling, Dovewing puts her own white paw atop it. She’s warm, so warm, like life and sunlight and those stolen training days, where nothing mattered but the next herb, the next piece of knowledge to slot into her mind so easily, so perfectly that she’d known it had always meant to be there.

“You’ll find another cat to teach, won’t you?” Hollyleaf asks, a weak smile on her face. “Illicitly, of course?”

Something bubbles in Dovewing’s chest. She thinks it would have been a laugh, any other time. “This isn’t funny.”

“No,” Hollyleaf says quietly, “but I wish you wouldn’t cry for me.”

Dovewing snorts, the sound watery. “A little too late for that.”

Hollyleaf purrs, exasperated and fond. “Look at you, Dove. You’re—you’re fully trained, in every way you could be. Let Jayfeather tell you how proud he is in my stead, won’t you? When you don’t have to be a warrior anymore? I—I had wanted to be the one to tell you, after this all was over. After you didn’t need to fight anymore… when you could rest.”

“Then why won’t you let me save you?” Dovewing demands. “You could—you have a future, Hollyleaf. Don’t you want to seize it? To take it for yourself, to live it?”

“My future has always led me here.” Hollyleaf coughs. Blood splatters on the ground before her, bright for only moments before the rain whisks it away. “But I would have liked to.”

Dovewing looks down at her wound, at the bloodied herbs scattered at her paws, at the empty forest where Lionblaze and Icecloud and Breezepelt and faded Dark Forest cats had once stood. “Kestrelflight!” she realizes. “I can get Kestrelflight!”

“You know you can’t get Kestrelflight,” Hollyleaf says kindly. “He wouldn’t make it here in time. I know you know that.”

“No—you—please—what am I supposed to do without you? There was so much left for you to teach me. You can’t go, please, Hollyleaf—”

“It’s okay, Dovewing. Dovewing, look at me.”

Dovewing looks studiously at the wound, as if a solution is going to drop into her paws like the prophecy she’d never asked for. 

“Shh. Look at me, Dove. It’s okay.”

Her peaceful expression made her look impossibly young, impossibly happy. Dovewing releases a hiccupping sob, trying to memorize each individual whisker. If—if she looked hard enough now, maybe—maybe she could remember.

“I’ll be with you, I promise.”

“How can you promise that?”

“Because I know. I know, okay? I’ll be beside you with every patient, every time you look for herbs, every time you lie in the sun. I’ll be in every blade of grass and every leaf on every tree. I’ll never leave you. I won’t.”

Dovewing held back a sob. “Please.”

“I wish I could give you what you want,” Hollyleaf murmurs, “but this’ll have to do. I’ll watch over you, wherever I go, as much as I can. I want you to—to live, and love, and do everything you’ve ever wanted, and I don’t want you to let anyone stop you.”

“I can’t go on without you,” Dovewing pleads. “I can’t.”

“You have to,” Hollyleaf wheezes, her breath coming shorter. “There are other cats to treat, other cats who need you. And it doesn’t hurt, Dove, not anymore.”

It hurts for me, Dovewing doesn’t say.

“I can hear—you never met her, but—my birth mother’s name was Leafpool,” Hollyleaf murmurs. Her sides rattle as she takes a breath. “I can—she chose me, once. I betrayed her, and—and she’d suffered enough, but StarClan doesn’t forgive even the cats they ask to do impossible things.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Hollyleaf says softly. “I can hear her. It’s been… it’s been so long. She’s—she’s telling me about marigold. Marigold! As if—as if I were six moons old again… I thought… I miss her.”

“I’ll remember her for you,” Dovewing says softly. “I’ll teach the kits when I’m old and gray. I’ll threaten them into telling their kits, too.”

Hollyleaf laughs. It’s a horrible, wheezing thing. “She’d like that,” she murmurs. Her eyes are glazing over. She’s looking—she’s looking so far away, as if she can see something seasons and seasons past.

Dovewing hopes she can.

Hollyleaf doesn’t speak for a moment, the only signs of her life the continued rise and fall of her flank.

“I’m sorry,” Dovewing says, low enough to where she knows Hollyleaf won’t be able to hear. “I’m so sorry.”

Hollyleaf’s breaths hitch for a moment, then resume. Her eyes slide closed and then open again.

“Can you still hear her?”

“I can see her,” Hollyleaf says deliriously. “We’re—having my favorite prey. She’s going to—she’s going to teach me everything she ever wanted to.”

Dovewing rests her head on Hollyleaf’s shoulder. “It sounds beautiful,” she murmurs.

“It is,” Hollyleaf mumbles. “It’s—forgiveness, Dove. I forgive her. I forgive them all.”

Her breath rattles in her throat. The rain beats on the leaves above, unheeding.

Hollyleaf stills, and Dovewing does too, as if every part of her needed to match Hollyleaf’s. As if syncing their bodies will give her enough of Dovewing to come back.

She doesn’t, of course.

Dovewing weeps.

[clangenrising]

Month 16 - Greenleaf

Prev | First | Next

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.

[salt-clangen]

Moon 4 part 3

Greenleaf

Alrighty so this is the final part of moon 4!

The first thing Wolfstar notices when she wakes is the throbbing in her ribs, the dull thump of her heart just agitating the injury. Her nose and throat felt stuffy and rough, she wondered if she’d get white cough soon. Despite sleeping till almost sun high, she didn’t feel rested.

Jade and Lynxkit had gotten up earlier, but had soothed her back to sleep when she tried to follow. Now that she was as awake as she’d get, she left the makeshift nest and stepped into the sun. Lynxkit was investigating some odd plants beside the twoleg nest, her earlier wariness gone to sate her curiosity.

Wolfstar stretched, slowly warming up her stiff muscles under the sun. She tried to remember the routine her and her siblings would do each morning before patrols, their mother guiding them through each movement. Taking time with it, she even rolled her neck like Ashenstep showed her, arching her paws to stretch the forgotten muscles in her feet.

When even her tail felt limber, she shook her pelt out and yawned. It quickly turned into a cough and she finally caught Lynxkit’s attention. The kit bounded to her, clutching fragrant herbs in her mouth.

“Look it!” Her words were muffled but excited. “In my dream Clouddawn showed me what to get!” She dropped the herbs in front of her leader.

“What am I looking at?” Wolfstar asked with a raspy voice, she nosed around the herbs but none of them seemed familiar.

“Bright eye and Tansy!” Lynxkit puffed her chest out with pride. “I still need to find lovage.”

“Wow, I haven’t heard of those herbs before. But I guess I wasn’t a cleric’s apprentice.” She smiled.

“These herbs grow best in two leg places,” Lynxkit explained proudly, chest puffed out. “So we won’t have them in our clan. I hope I can find catmint too! Sage and Jade said I can have as much as I want.”

As if on cue, the sisters strode around the corner talking quietly. Sage brightened when she saw Wolfstar awake.

“Oh darling, you’re up!” She trotted up and bumped heads with her. “How’re ya feeling? Do you need some more rest? Food?”

At the mention of food, Wolfstar’s stomach growled loudly. She flushed as the older molly laughed, beckoning Jade over with a wave of her tail.

“About that.” Jade started with a sigh. “I tried hunting but unfortunately we can’t trust the mice around here to be free of poison and I wasn’t able to catch any birds.”

“Oh.” Wolfstar tried not to seem disappointed.

“I know it’s not ideal for y’all clan cats and Jade doesn’t like it much either, but I have plenty of kibble you can eat.” Sage suggested. “I know it’s break your rules but I don’t think y’all can travel without a meal.”

Wolfstar had only been told stories of kittypet food from elders of her old clan. They said it was dry and tasted so bland that it sucked all the moisture outta your mouth. Not really something she wanted to try but she could see the hunger in Lynxkit’s eyes. Her own belly wasn’t feeling picky.

“Thank you for your help, any food right now would be amazing.” Wolfstar bumped against Sage’s shoulder affectionately.

Just as Sage started to get her food, the entrance to the nest opened and a twoleg with long hair poked its head out. Wolfstar jumped and yanked Lynxkit by the scruff to drag her back to the bush. Sage and Jade sat quietly, chirping little mewls up at the twoleg.

The twoleg made some noises of interest, looking at the bush where the two clan cats were poorly hidden. It reached out and patted Sage on the head, though when she reached for Jade the large she cat ducked away instead. The twoleg made rumbling noise and returned inside, leaving the entrance open.

“It’s alright yall!” Sage called out. “That’s my housefolk, Nora. She’s harmless.”

Wolfstar poked her head out, eyeing the entrance warily. She jerked back under cover when it opened again and Nora sat out several plates. She tsked at Sage and gave her a fond pet down the length of her back. Nora eyed the bush again, but returned inside and shut the entrance.

“Ooooooh look! We got the good stuff! Queen Kitty’s Chicken Entree!” Sage called out, tail up and wobbling. Wolfstar wanted to laugh at the silly name but Lynxkit’s growling stomach pushed them out of the brush.

She kept her eyes on the entrance as she cautiously approached, but the smell of the food was surprisingly appetizing. She glanced down, Jade was already eating off of her own plate, it was a mushed up meat smelling patty. Kinda like when she tried grubcakes at a gathering with a Honeyclan apprentice, but more wet than crispy.

Lynxkit watched and waited, so Wolfstar took the first bite. It wasn’t better than clams but it certainly wasn’t as awful as the stories made her think. Lynxkit sat and ate from her own plate, humming contently.

“Normally I only get the wet food at night, but I guess since she saw y’all she wanted to treat us.” Sage chirped before finally digging into the fourth plate.

They ate in relative quiet, Jade finished first, leaving a few mouthfuls left as she laid down and started grooming herself. She nudged the plate towards Lynxkit and Wolfstar, nodding at them.

“Eat up, kittens.” She smiled as the kit lunged forward to eat more. Wolfstar laughed allowing her friend to eat the extra food. Finishing her meal and licking her lips, she stretched again. Her chest still felt rough but the movement and heat lessened the tightness.

“Sage thank you again.” Wolfstar head bumped the tall she cat with a purr. “I don’t know how we could ever repay your kindness.” Sage giggled, bumping back against the younger cat.

“Don’t be silly! I’m more than happy to help.” She purred, giving Wolfstar a sisterly lick. “The only thing I’d ask is you help out the next cat that needs your help.” Lynxkit finished her food and Sage took the time to give her some licks as well.

“Alright, you lot ready to go?” Jade asked, shaking her coat out. “We got a late start but you should be home just after sunset.”

With Sage watching from the fence line, calling out encouragement, the trio set off again.

The patrol travelled slowly, taking time to veer off path to investigate the brush for herbs. Jade tucked in the bundled under her cloth scrap, though she called it a bandana when Wolfstar asked about it. They managed to find lovage and catnip, along with more bright eye. Lynxkit commented they would have to return for more in the future, Wolfstar weakly chuckled that it’d be awhile before that could happen.

As they walked, Wolfstar found herself more and more entrapped in her thoughts. The events of the past day was catching up to her, she was a leader. The leader, she was the leader of Saltclan. Of course she knew on some level that she was the clan’s leader, it didn’t feel real before now. Before it’d just been her and Lynxkit hiding away from Duskclan, taking refuge by the sea after being guided by starclan.

But now it was all so tangible, under the raspy breaths and sore muscles, she could feel the change in herself. It was so fast, literally over night she changed completely. She’d skipped being a warrior and a deputy, she’d drowned and died before being resurrected by her ancestor. She didn’t even have a chance to really process this, no one she could talk to about it.

“Yer awfully quiet there, kit.” Jade’s gruff voice broke her thoughts, Lynxkit was digging around under some grass. “Ya wanna talk?”

It was a couple moments before Wolfstar could actually gather her thoughts.

“I’m a leader now. I have nine lives, but I don’t know what I’m doing.” She admitted. “I knew going to the Moon spring was important but I didn’t think I would get nine lives.”

“You said you came from a different clan, yeah? So you have some idea of what’s expected.” Jade said.

“I don’t wanna be like Jaggedstar, she’s the reason we left.” Wolfstar didn’t want to admit that she was also her mother. “I know kinda what I have to do. I run the clan, I assign tasks, I patrol, I go to gatherings, I hold ceremonies.”

“That’s a long list.”

“It’s not even half of what I have to do.” She wanted to cry, Lynxkit returned empty pawed from her digging. Without a word she pressed into her friend’s side, purring so hard she shook them both.

“It’ll be good,” Lynxkit finally spoke. “Right now it’s just us, but soon there’ll be others to help. We’ll learn and grow together, I know we can do it.”

“I wish I could just hear that and relax but I just don’t know what to do next. Once we get home do I just keep hunting and cooking, barely scraping us by? What happens when the other clans find out about us?” She pressed her face into Lynxkit’s little mane.

“You said you were guided by your starclan. That means the other clans will have to accept you.” Jade said.

“Yeah, that’s true. They probably won’t like it, but we’ve set up our territory without anyone noticing so far. How much of a threat could we be?” Wolfstar chuckled. “Thank you.” She licked the top of Lynxkit’s head fondly.

Again the trio continued walking, conversation flowing easily now. And soon it turned to names.

“Alright so I know your name changes a couple times as you grow up, what would my name be if I was in your clan?” Jade asked.

“Umm I don’t know.” Wolfstar laughed.

“Well you should practice!” Lynxkit said. “You’ll be naming me one day and others too.”

Wolfstar hemmed and hawed for awhile, trying to think of something good.

“Well I guess I would name you Jadesight, since your eyes are green. Or Jadecall since you’re such a good speaker, you’d make a great mediator and mentor.” She finally offered.

“Hmmm not bad, I like how personal you made it.” Jade smiled.

“Ohhh what about me?” Lynxkit asked with big eyes.

“Nah uh you can’t sneak a peek at your name.” Wolfstars laugh turned to a cough, but it felt a little drier.

“Aw no fair.”

“What about my gramma?” Jade asked. “What’d you name her?”

“Hmmm so it couldn’t be Capri since that’s not a clan name.” Wolfstar said. “I think Patch something could be fitting. Like Patchtail or Chirp! That’d fit her too. She could be Chirpheart, since she’s so nice.”

“Ha! She’d love that, you’ll have to tell her.”

“Oh that’d be embarrassing.” Wolfstar waved her off, feeling flushed at the attention.

Finally Jade announce they were close, the heat was finally starting to wane and a slight breeze from the ocean met them. Lynxkit had grown tired so Jade carried her on her shoulders, the kit giggling about badger rides. Up ahead they could see the dead monster before they could see Capri. The wind picked up and she caught scent of clan cats.

“Hold on.” Jade had smelt it too, the group proceeded with caution, hoping the winds wouldn’t shift suddenly. “Do you recognize them?”

“No one specific,” Wolfstar scented the air again. “They’re from Oakclan. I’ve only met a few cats from there.”

“Better hope they don’t know you.” Jade warned. “We’re stuck between the thunderpath and the fence line, can’t go around them. Try not to talk too much.”

They entered the clearing surrounding the dead monster, Wolfstar fell behind Jade nervously, feeling more like a scared kit than a leader. But the larger molly took the lead, standing tall as she looked at the cats before them, chatting with Capri over a collection of goods.

Wolfstar looked over them, it was a pair of cats, obviously a mentor and apprentice based on their sizes. The adult was a tall, short haired tom with ginger fur and a basket around his neck. The younger cat was a long furred, brown tabby tom, with a soured expression on his face. The pair watched them approach, the ginger tom raised his tail in a brief, polite greeting.

“Ah Jade,” Capri called out, beckoning the trio forward with her pair. “We have some cats here from Oakclan looking to trade.”

Jade strode forward, Lynxkit still perched on her shoulder, she nodded to the pair. Wolfstar followed slowly behind her, eyeballing the clan cats. The young tom eyed her right back, eyes narrowed suspiciously, his companion nudged him hard and he averted his eyes.

“Names?” Jade asked coldly.

“Jade we’ve met plenty of times.” The adult laughed loudly, but it trailed off awkwardly as Jade just kept staring at him. He cleared his throat, seeming deflated. “I’m Brakentail and this is Shadowpaw.”

“Ok.” She let Lynxkit slide off of her, placing her in the dead monster’s belly. Wolfstar sat next to its large black paws.

“And who are these two?” Shadowpaw asked coolly. “Smell like kittypets.” Brackentail shoved him hard.

“Be polite!”

“You’re not my mentor,” The apprentice muttered. “It’s a fair question.” He got cuffed harshly on the ear again.

“That’s alright,” Wolfstar laughed nervously. “I’m uh Woof and this is… Licks.” She shot Lynxkit a sharp look, making sure she stayed quiet.

There was a long pause before anyone spoke again, though Shadowpaw seemed content with the answer, she guessed they must smell like kittypets after spending the night with Sage and sharing a meal.

“Yeah, Woof and… Licks here are new around here so I was giving them a tour.” Jade rubbed her eyes exasperated.

“Nice to meet you,” Brackentail said politely. “Have you learned about the clans yet?”

“Uh yeah Jade told us.” Wolfstar answered carefully.

“Well if you’re ever interested in joining, we’d be happy to have you in Oakclan.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“We could take you for a tour now if you’d like.”

“Thanks… I guess, but we’re ok, just visiting Capri.” She said, feeling a bit annoyed, she’d heard Oakclan was pushy but this was annoying. Lynxkit yawned, feeling tired from the long trip.

The conversation fell off from there, but Capri redirected them back to trading. The Oakclan cats had brought some pottery to exchange for some twoleg tarps. Wolfstar loafed akwardly, waiting for the pair to be done. Jade gave them a bowl of fresh water to sip from, after which Lynxkit curled up for a late afternoon nap.

Wolfstar felt exhausted, suppressing the frequent coughs that tried to rattled her chest, around the back of the monster she caught Jade placing the herbs they’d gathered in a small basket. Looking back at the trade discussion she caught Shadowpaw’s gaze, he was staring intently at her, she tried not to flinch away. Holding his stare, she tried to look as unassuming as possible, she even nodded at him politely.

His face didn’t change as she did, but his mentor asked him a question, drawing his attention back to the trade. The apprentice seemed annoyed at everything, the other cats, the trade, the conversations. She wondered what his role was. Probably not an artisan or mediator, he was likely a general warrior or perhaps a code keeper. If she hadn’t known better, she would’ve thought he was a Duskclan cat, dark thick fur, icy demeanor, and heavy build.

As the trade wrapped up, Wolfstar felt her eyes get heavy, she let out a hoarse cough. The pair of Oakclan cats eyed her warily, probably worried about greencough. Capri thanked the pair for their trade, Shadowpaw muttered under his breath but nodded politely anyways.

Jade hopped onto the roof of the dead monster to watch them leave. Finally she nodded to her gramma.

“Seems like y’all had a busy day huh?” Capri gestures towards the sleeping kit.

“Yeah, we got to the Moon spring and I’ve become the official leader of Saltclan.” Wolfstar said weakly, muscled turning to liquid as she rested.

“That’s a lotta responsibility for a young cat.” Capri said while digging around for a snack. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll do well. Ya seem like a capable cat.”

The compliment warmed and reassured her, but she still felt like she was missing something.

“Ya figure out what you’re gonna trade?” Capri asked, loafing beside her now.

“No clue, hadn’t thought about it.” She admitted. “We have black clay, we could trade with that.”

“Hmmm not bad, but Oakclan has the strongest paw on that racket.”

“Well… we have clams and other fish.”

“That’s a good idea, but I got plenty of loners and kittypets that bring in seafood. What’s unique to your clan?”

It felt like Capri was trying to lead her to the answer, but Wolfstar was too exhausted to think. With a sigh the elder cat went on.

“Duskclan trades herbs, oakclan trades crafts, Honeyclan trades honey.” At Wolfstars blank stare she continued. “What could Saltclan trade?”

Suddenly it felt like a spark reignited in her chest and Wolfstar sat up straighter.

“Oh! We could trade salt!”

“There ya go!”

“How would we get it? In Duskclan we made it out of coltsfoot and only rarely used it. The ocean water is salty, but how would we separate it?”

“Hmm don’t know, you’ll have to figure that out for ya self.” Capri laughed. “I’m just good at trades, I don’t know nothing about them inventions yall work on.”

“Thank you for the help.” Wolfstar smiled, it fet nice to have some sort of idea on what to do next. She only hoped Starclan could shine light on what else is expected of her.

Eventually the sun dipped down and Wolfstar had to carry a snoring Lynxkit home. Capri gave her a basket full of their herbs and a few strips of dried rabbit meat, before sending them off with a fond tail wave. Jade escorted them over the thunderpath again and gave them both head bumps as goodbye.

The walk home took a while and the tides were high so she had to straddle the cliffs edge, nearly crossing over into Honeyclan’s territory. The sight of the camp almost made Wolfstar cry. It was her camp, her clan.

She rested Lynxkit in her nest, tucked the basket of herbs away and quickly scarfed down a few strips of meat. Finally she returned to the nest, her limbs throbbing with every step and chest feeing worse than ever. But as she laid down and felt Lynxkit’s gentle snores beside her, she finally felt at ease.

It had been a quarter moon since her visit to the Moon spring and Wolfstar was feeling antsy. She’d resumed her regular tasks, hunting, cooking, and patrolling. But she felt a looming sense of malaise, like something was coming. Her chest slowly felt better, Lynxkit making her tea out of the lovage and bright eye.

No Starclan cats had visited her yet and her dreams had been dull and non prophetic if she even had any. So she busied herself with the many tasks it took to run the clan.

It was just before sun set when she set out to the training pools with Lynxkit. That was what they’d decided to call the cluster of tide pools on the far side of Rock falls. The past few days Wolfstar had supervised the young kits swimming lessons and usually managed to catch something to cook too.

“Wolfstar! Look!” Lynxkit dashed ahead of her, running towards a white hunched figure laying at the edge of the cliffs bordering Honeyclan. Wolfstar tried to stop her, but the kit was faster. They came upon a she cat, trembling and bleeding from her head.

“I-I left… I-she, she said.” The molly stuttered, eyes shaking rapidly. “My clan- I can’t.”

“Your clan?” Wolfstar stood in front of Lynxkit, eyes wide. “Who are you?”

“I can’t go,” The molly was crying now, blooding dripping into her eyes. “Back, back to them.”

“We have to help her.” Lynxkit tugged on Wolfstars tail, together they carried the vestibular cat back to camp.

Characters shown:

Wolfstar- white tabby molly with short fur, heather blue eyes, and a notch in her right ear. 10 moons. Saltclan, leader. Nervous, compassionate, oddly observant.

Lynxkit- blue point molly with long fur and blue eyes. 5 moons. Saltclan. Quiet, sweet, quick to help.

Capri- black and white molly with thick, short fur, green eyes, and a large scar covering the right side of her face. 136 moons. Loner, trader. Loving, shameless, excellent teacher.

Jade- red and cream trans molly with thick, medium fur and green eyes. 40 moons. Loner, trader. Cold, responsible, great kitsitter.

Sage- ginger and tan molly with thick short fur and green eyes. 40 moons. Kittypet. Playful, sincere, good teacher.

Brackentail- golden brown tom with sleek, short fur and yellow eyes. 19 moons. Oakclan, artisan. Bold, strict, good potter.

Shadowpaw- dark brown tabby tom with long fur and green eyes. 9 moons. Oakclan, warrior apprentice. Bloodthirsty, faithful, good swimmer.

Snowspeckle- white molly with short, soft fur, blue eyes, and cream freckles. ???. ???, ???. ???, ???, ???.

Next

Prev

Moon 0

[shellclan]

Moon 1 pt2/2 Border patrols and herb hunts

First | Previous | Next

Idk what’s more frustrating: manually creating the comic boxes since I’m too stupid for procreate tricks, or making the text look alright

Ask box is open btw! I’m not sure yet if I’ll do responses in character with art because of how much time that would take, but I’m definitely keeping it for consideration

[hadescabin]

TW// GROOMING, MANIPULATION breaking down tigerheartstar and dovewing and why i think its awful ik I said that I dont really like warrior cats anymore but recently i've been thinking about some stuff regarding the series and its fandom and there's one thing that's been particularly bothering me. dovewing and tigerheart. it's just crazy to see the shift of support for tigerdove considering early 2010s warriors fandom seemed mixed on them. now there seems to be this equivocal support for them, probably because most of the fandom's exposure to the couple has been the recent books which frames them as man who loves his wife x burnt out prophecy kid who will do anything for her malewife. which theres nothing wrong with that dynamic, i think it's cute, but people really seem to forget about how tigerheart straight up groomed and treated dovewing awfully throughout oots and even in tigerheart's shadow. it seems to be a forgotten fact that tigerheart was a full grown warrior by the time he was pursuing dovepaw, who was a newly made apprentice. for perspective, this was a 6-7 moon teenager with someone almost the age of her mentor (a little younger). people try to use the excuse "oh but they're cats" and "the age gap isnt that bad" but even the recent books acknowledge with frostpaw and splashtail, that a warrior and apprentice dating is WEIRD. tbf oots was released in the early 2000s, but the fact that canonically speaking the age gap is seen as a teenager and adult relationship gives me the ick. it really puzzles me to see people get on ships like dustfern and bramblesquirrel (both of which i hate btw) for their age gaps but come up with every excuse in the books to defend tigerdove. its not even just the age gap too, again, their relationship has consisted of tigerheart manipulating and grooming dovepaw to do what he wants. in the first two books (esp the second book of oots) dovepaw is presented as someone who got attached to the cats from the journey and doesnt necessarily understand why they must act like they shouldnt exist anymore due to the borders. this is something that tigerheart LEARNS and actively takes advantage of when dovepaw questions why hes at their borders (tldr its dark forest stuff). he shifts the topic and then goes on about the journey and how he felt that they almost became friends, and that if they were in the same clan things would be easier. this may not seem like a big deal, but this goes on for the rest of their interactions whenever tiger needs to pressure her to do something she doesnt want (meeting up, trusting him, etc.) He realizes that the subject of different borders resonates with her and uses it to his advantage whenever he wants something out of her. This can especially be seen in the next book, “Night Whispers”, which kickstarted their relationship. Dovepaw accidentally ran into ShadowClan territory while hunting, and Tigerheart happens to find her there. Once again, he gives her a speech about borders being meaningless, before asking her to meet up with him before the ShadowClan patrol catches them. There’s also other examples in later books where he coerces her into meeting up or trusting him since “that’s what friends are for” or even later in that book, where he manipulates her into using Ivypaw as a captive for herbs. 

When you take this into account, plus him as a full grown warrior, starting a romantic relationship with a barely apprenticed Dovepaw who is shown as having a childish/ immature perception on romance/mates (such as her argument with Ivypaw and claiming that she should “find her own mate”), Tigerdove feels very much like grooming to me. According to the dictionary definition grooming is, “the action of attempting to form a relationship with a child or young person, with the intention of sexually assaulting them”. Of course, in this case, since it’s a young adult book, it’s to form a romantic relationship, which could also be another goal of grooming. Groomers tend to display manipulative behaviors towards the victims in order to coerce them into trusting them more. Whether that be through compliments, gifts, trying to resonate with them or make them feel special. They tend to try to get them to keep and “share” secrets, which is another tactic they utilize both to isolate the victim and to get them to feel more comfortable. 

A lot of behaviors that Tigerheart displays towards Dovepaw falls under this, including the examples I mentioned. There are a couple of other comments that he makes which come off as creepy such as Dovepaw “being his favorite sister”, which as I established, is something a groomer would say in order to make the victim feel as though they’re special and garner their trust. Which is especially the case when you note that he makes that comment in reference to Dovepaw asking about his ties to Ivypaw, which he actively lies about, and quickly reassures her that there’s nothing going on. 

This tactic of manipulation, where he either makes her feel special, or even love bombs and dissuade her from standing up for herself, doesn’t stop when she’s an apprentice. It continues when she’s a warrior, and is constantly used throughout OOTS and “Tigerheart’s Shadow”. At one point in the series, Dovewing and Tigerheart get into an argument about Dawnpelt wrongfully accusing Jayfeather of murder. When Tigerheart defends his sister, Dovewing stands up for Jayfeather, which prompts Tigerheart to try and manipulate her out of the conversation. He jumps straight to talking about how much he loved and missed her, and guilts her by asking why they had to argue like this, and why they couldn’t just “meet like before”. As for Tigerheart's Shadow, he actively goes against what she wants (to raise her kits outside the clan) and actively pressures and guilts her into coming back, before she finally relents. He doesn't care about what SHE wants, it's always about him. Whether it be secretly meeting up, or in The Last Hope, he tries to pressure her to date him again (which she FINALLY refuses and scolds him for thinking about his own needs when they're right before a final battle. as she should). It's especially upsetting in the newest book that tigerheart seems to be the only think at the center of her character. when she argues with ivypool, it's less about the two sister's interpersonal conflicts and more about her and tigerheart's relationship. which...feels like a lot of missed potential to me? i want them to argue, i want dovewing to stand up to herself against ivypool, but why does the entire conflict have to revolve around him? why can't dovewing have her own thoughts and feelings without it tying back to her awful husband?

[sketchsprite]

combining my current interest with my forever interest here is psych as warriors... quick blurb ab the plot and character details below

shawn is a kittypet living near a twoleg neighborhood. his dad (an ex thunderclanner) picked up and left the clan after separating from shawn's mother, and life with twolegs is all shawn has ever known. shawn has kind of started running off on his own, wandering around and he meets acornpaw (gus) - a medicine cat apprentice of thunderclan. the two become besties over time. shawn's "ability to be hyperdiligent "psychic" abilities are presented in the form of starclan - who he had heard tales of from his father, but always assumed that were just made-up stories - speaking to him. someway or another, acornpaw mentions it, and sablestar (chief vick) has her interest piqued. she decides to drag along her deputy, bristleheart (lassiter) and his apprentice, poppypaw (jules) to interrogate the kittypet. shenanigans ensue.

this is just the basic introductory plot! i would love to work on this more and i would love further recommendations. im not 100% set on names or designs yet (though pineapple is technically a valid warrior name) but any suggestions are much appreciated! here are some more character things i thought of hehe

shawn:

has a little pineapple pendant on his collar!! very protective of it.

knows very vaguely of the clans, as his father would sometimes tell him stories of his "glory days" in the forest.

has no intention of joining the clan... but probably hangs out there more than he does with henry or at the twolegplace.

probably has a longtail vs rusty esque fight with bristleheart, minus the getting his collar ripped off - that is where he draws the line!

acornpaw (gus):

tentatively the medicine cat apprentice right now, mostly because im only on season 3 and dont know if there are any fitting characters to be his mentor at the moment.

is very skilled at herb knowledge and applications

good friends with poppypaw, overall liked within the clan!

keeps his side of the med den very organized - he can't speak for his mentor's side.

bristleheart (lassie):

very judgemental and skeptical of shawn when he first learns about him - just like canon!

very short-furred cat - think an oriental shorthair - minus a very fluffy salt n peppa chest

someone please get this cat some brown contacts

decently young for a deputy, but he absolutely worked hard for his position

very overprotective of his clanmates (though he doesnt like to show it), especially his apprentice, poppypaw. she was wounded and left with a torn ear on one of her first border patrols and he feels very guilty that he wasn't able to stop it

poppypaw (jules):

pretty close to having her assessment! she has been working very hard to have a flawless warriors exam

doesn't mind her ear being torn - she thinks it looks really cool!

will often accompany acornpaw herb hunting

quick on her paws and very resourceful

sablestar (vick):

a noble and wise leader, very fit for her title!

still has all nine lives - i like to think shes a relatively new leader

while she keeps up a level-headed facade, she definitely has a silly side to her as well

leader mark is the white tabby "m-shape" on her forehead!

[fallenclan]

Ooh, do you have any lore for Stormsight and Silverbelly, as well as Mossfrog and her kits?

STORMSIGHT,,,, my poor boy is so overlooked. i miss him

-Stormsight was a very good hunter when he was alive. He and Goosewing used to go out on hunting/herb gathering patrols, and would sometimes swap duties.

-Silverbelly was in a depression for moons after Stormsight died. He was her best friend--she only managed to shake it off a few days before it was revealed that Otterslip was the murderer.

-Mossfrog didn't want to adopt Cloudtuft (then Cloudkit) when Rustbee first brought him back to the clan, because she was afraid to be a mother. Rustbee convinced her, and then raising Cloudkit convinced her further that she was ready for biological kits of her own.

-Cloudtuft sometimes feels like he doesn't matter as much to his parents as his sisters do. This obviously isn't true, but he still tries to make up for his perceived inadequacy by devoting his life to looking after his little sisters.

-Ficklefern is the oldest of the four sisters. She always had her head in the clouds as an apprentice, but by the time she became a full mediator she was a lot more down to earth--though she still has a very vivid imagination, and spends a lot of time in it.

-Moorthistle is a huge nerd for different clans' cultures. If Cherrystar let her, she would spend her days traveling to the other clans and pestering them for information on their day to day lives. As it is, she always begs to go to the gathering every moon.

-Finchbeak secretly wants to be clan leader some day, but thinks she would never be able to actually be one, due to her social anxiousness.

-Blossomfur is the youngest of the RustMoss kits and abuses this. She's very empathetic, but also very childish and incredibly clever. She can and will sweet-talk her way out of chores.

[vainvenus]

hey freaky ppl. my request is really simple bc i need to recover from this angst fic i read of sejanus LMAO

so i was thinking of peacekeeper sej and covey reader, but the way they meet is completely different. he would catch the reader sneaking off over the fence with a bag of supplies.

i’m thinking that someone at the covey had gotten ill and the reader was met with the task of gathering herbs needed outside of the fence.

i feel like sej would first be what any other peacekeeper would be and follow and be like “wtf are u doin” but then like he’d understand and let her keep running off into the woods and meadow. IDK I THINK THIS IS CUTE

⌲;꒰ Fence girl. ꒱

Pairing :: Peacekeepers!Sejanus x Fem!Reader

Synopsis - Sejanus catches someone sneaking over the fence and tries to do his job ( he doesn't).

Includings :: Covey member!reader, sejanus hating his job AND being bad at his job, he has a soft spot for (everything) reader, horrible first impressions, mostly fluff, this is kinda short

An :: Sorry this took so long...jumping from fandom to fandom is NOT for the weak

Sejanus never truly wanted to be a peacekeeper, yes he wanted to help people but obviously not in this kind of way.

Peacekeepers were often cruel and stern, they stood their ground for what they stood for and their morals were aligned in a way that didn't quite align with Sejanus's.

But it was far too late to turn back, he already was at twelve and already buzzed his curls so he was stuck here with a job he hated. Not much could be done.

And Sejanus did try to do his job, he tried to be like his friend Coriolanus who was stern and took the job very seriously but of course, there were times where he struggled.

Like right now, he was frozen with confusion as he watched a girl with [h/c] hair scaling one of the fences. She had a dark brown bag around her shoulder. His brows furrowed even more as he wondered what was she doing.

But then he had to remember his job and how what the girl was doing was very much something he had to report.

No one was allowed beyond the fences because one, it was seen as dangerous because they were made to keep wild animals.

And two, it was seen as rebellious since at some point if anyone was able to get far enough they could leave the district and start their own life far far away from all of this mess.

Sejanus looked around, slight panic wavering in his eyes as he realized he was the only one who had noticed the girl climbing up and over the wall. She was almost out of his sight, her dark green skirt blending in with the scenery.

He cursed under his breath as he started to climb up the fence, hopping over it and looking in the direction of the girl. She seemed to be in a rush as she looked around the field.

"Excuse me! You know you're not allowed to be here, right?"

His voice seemed to have startled her as she jumped a bit, she looked him up and down quickly. She clenched the brown bag as he eyes glanced to the gun he was holding and he saw how she tensed up, her eyes growing wide.

She looked scared– no, terrified. Like a rabbit behind hunted by a fox.

That was another thing Sejanus hated about being a peacekeeper, no matter what he was always going to be feared because of that stupid uniform and the firearms they had to wield while on patrol.

It didn't matter how gentle he was as long as he was in uniform.

"Please...don't hurt me."

"Hurt you? I..I wasn't gonna- look, you're not allowed to be past that fence. I won't report you or anything, I swear. But you could get hurt or lost-"

"I know where I'm going." She had cut his worried rambling short, grip tightening on her bag.

His brows furrowed in slight curiosity. "And just where is that?"

"There's a few herbs down from here near a river." She replied. "I need to get them for a friend of mine...she's sick and we can't exactly afford medicine at the moment." She murmured the last bit but loud enough for Sejanus to frown.

He knew he shouldn't. He knew he should have done his job and escorted her back over the fence.

But of course Sejanus's heart always won over his brain so before he could even stop himself he had said;

"Alright. You can go."

A warm smile had spread onto the features of the girl in front of him, her eyes glistening with hope as she uttered; "Really?"

Sejanus nodded, looking over his shoulder just to be safe. "Yes, really. But, I have to walk with you and you need to make it as quick as possible."

"Deal! I'll be quicker than two shakes of a lamb's tail." She giggled and Sejanus couldn't help but smile as he followed beside her.

As they walked, Sejanus took small glanced over at her. Her sense of style didn't seem to fit twelve, everybody remotely dressed the same with mostly dull colors or neutral tones but she had a much more lively pallette with splashes of red, orange and yellow.

"Starings rude, you know."

He quickly looked away, pressing his lips together in a thin line as she had cracked another smile before laughing and playfully hitting his arm.

"I'm just playing around! Jeez, for a peacekeeper you sure are sheepish." She hummed as she looked up at him and he glanced back over at her.

"Yeah, I'm horrible at my job I know."

"I'm not complaining, just glad I got one of the good ones." She smiled before she realized they were near the river and she crouched down near one of the nearby trees.

Sejanus watched as she pulled out a small jar and began picking dark purple berries, careful placing them into the jar. He tilted his head a bit while he watched her like a curious child.

"Elderberries." She spoke and his brows knitted together before she continued to explain. "Help with the immune system. We crush em' and brew em' into a real sweet tea."

Sejanus nodded as he knelt down. "Can I help?"

"You really are different, hm?" She tilted your head up at him, giving a teasing smile. "Kind, thoughtful and helpful? Are you sure you picked the right job?" She asked as she handed him one of the small jars and he shook his head.

"I wanted to be a medic." He said as he carefully picked the berries, putting them into the jar and the girl beside him hummed in amusement.

"That's surprising. What made you change your mind?"

"A friend. I'm only here because of him, oh and a little bit of rule breaking back home.." He sheepishly admitted and she giggled, standing up.

"Well you are just full of surprises, huh?"

Sejanus shrugged with a smile as he placed the jar carefully into her bag. "Guess I am."

As the two had walked back to the fence, Sejanus had picked a perfect spot where there was no one on patrol at the moment. It was like she had never even went over the wall.

He helped her over it, giving her a small boost up before climbing over it himself and he dusted off his uniform as he placed her bag back in her hands and she hummed a 'thank you' as she put it back over her shoulder.

"Y'know, I hope we meet again. Under better circumstances, of course."

"Me too- wait, I never caught your name."

She giggled, turning on her heel. "I never threw it!"

|★|

It had been a couple of weeks since his run-in with that [h/c] haired girl. Weeks since and he hadn't seen her again, he hoped that meant that her friend had gotten well enough that she didn't have to sneak over the fence again.

He was still thinking about her as he sat with Coriolanus, sitting at one of the tables as he was watching Lucy Gray perform. He was never as wowed, mainly because unlike those in the capitol he grew to already appreciate music.

"Whoops! Coming through, Blondie!" A familiar voice giggled as a girl with [h/c] haired brushed past the two to set some drinks off at the table next to them and Sejanus's eyes widened.

The fence girl.

He immediately stood up and walked over to her and as soon as she had turned to face him her face broke into a smile which he copied.

"You again!"

"Me again."

She gave him a skeptical gaze yet there was a playful smile on his face. "Are you stalking me?"

"Yeah. And it was just so hard because you never tossed me your name." He sighed like a damsel in distress, shaking his head.

She had giggled, holding out her hand. "[Y/n]."

He shook it, keeping a gentle yet firm grasp on it. He thought that maybe being a peacekeeper wasn't all too bad now.

"Sejanus."

[skyscratch-wc]

Skyfall Clan Ranks and Structure

UPDATE 9/2/2024: Changed Doctor and Priest from RiverClan to WindClan. Head Mentor is now a ThunderClan specific role.

I have made significant changes to the clan structure and ranks for my AU. I wanted to create a backdrop to make the cats easier to characterize and to give the clans a wider range of jobs beyond fighting stuff.

Each clan has a slightly different set of ranks, but all clans include the following:

The Leader:

This role functions identically to canon. The Leader is the cat selected by the clan and Starclan to be the final decision maker. These cats lead their warriors into battle, perform ceremonies, and are the role models for their clan. They receive 9 lives from Starclan and thus have a longer lifespan than the average warrior.

The Deputy:

The Deputy is the second-in-command to the leader. Selected by the leader (and voted on by the clan in the case of Modern Skyclan), this cat organizes patrols and the day-to-day operations of the clan. They help select mentors for apprentices and step in for the leader if they are unavailable.

Clerics:

In all clans except WindClan and Modern Skyclan, the Cleric is the same as the Medicine Cat role from canon warriors. They are both doctors and spiritual leaders within their clans. In WindClan and Modern Skyclan, however, these roles look a little different.

In WindClan the role of Cleric is divided into two: the Doctor and the Priest.

The Doctor is responsible for the well being and health of the clan, while the Priest is a dedicated spiritual guide who acts not only as the clan's connection to Starclan, but also as an emotional support figure and the main cat to perform religious rituals at birth and death.

In Skyclan the role of Cleric is similarly divided, only they refer to the ranks as the Heart and the Soul, although when they arrive at the Lake cats may also refer to these ranks as the Doctor and the Priest. These roles function effectively the same as WindClan.

Senior Warriors:

Within each sub-rank (see below) there is a Senior Warrior. This Warrior, called the "Head [Rank Name Here]" is responsible for leading and maintaining their sub-rank of cats. There is one senior warrior per sub-rank and they are advisors to the leader and deputy.

In ThunderClan there is a Head Mentor, who oversees all apprentice training. All clans also have a Head Queen/Caretaker, who makes sure the voices of the parents and kittens are heard in clan decisions.

Warriors:

Warriors are split into sub-ranks, but as a collective are referred to as warriors. On a day to day basis though, most cats will identify with their sub-rank within being a warrior. Sub-ranks include the following:

Protector - These are cats specifically trained to patrol and usually lead battle patrols. They are the clans first line of defense and are usually most skilled fighters in the clan.

Hunter - These cats are specialized in, as their name suggests, hunting

Crafter - These cats are artisans that produce leatherwork, ceramics, and other tools for the clan. This role is especially coveted in Shadowclan, Riverclan, and Skyclan.

Collector - These cats collect materials, herbs, and other knick knacks for their clan. They tend to work in tandem with Clerics and Crafters, going out into the territory or town to collect needed items. They also trade with local non-clan cats, making them the most knowledgeable in the clan as far as non-clan information goes.

Tunneler (Windclan Only) - These cats dig and survey the tunnels that run under the moor for both battle and hunting

Tanner (Shadowclan Only) - Due to Shadowclan's extensive use of hides, Shadowclan has a cat specialized in tanning and preparing hides for use in crafting

Sentinel (Riverclan Only) - Sentinels are 1-2 cats from the protector group that patrol the territory for signs of flooding and monitor weather patterns in order to warn the clan ahead of flooding or similar disasters

Trail-Builder (Thunderclan Only) - Trail-Builders are 1-2 cats that clear paths in the dense undergrowth of Thunderclan territory in order to make traversing the territory easier, especially for the young and old making their way to gatherings. These cats are usually protectors, but can come from any rank.

Mediator (Modern Skyclan Only) - This cat leads clan voting and discussion and is responsible for mediating clan relationships and helping maintain a sense of closeness and community within the clan. Mediators may also help with inter-clan diplomacy.

Scout (Ancient Skyclan Only) - In Ancient Skyclan, these cats were sent out ahead of battle patrols to scout enemy positions and where often the first to attack as an ambush patrol from the trees. These cats were a specialized group within the Protector rank.

In Modern Skyclan, the ranks above are named differently and some ranks may not exist at all. More detail in the Skyclan Culture post linked here [COMING SOON]

Queens and Caretakers:

This rank includes nursing parents and other cats directly responsible in the raising of kittens. This rank can be temporary while raising a litter or a permanent position (Example: Daisy and Ferncloud in Thunderclan). Most pregnant or nursing mother cats will take the title Queen, however, some cats may opt for the title Caretaker, especially toms and gnc cats. Either title is welcome to be used by a cat of any gender, however.

Queens and Caretakers are responsible for the care and raising of kittens. This ranges from suckling kittens to teaching them basic hunting skills to teaching them clan history and lore (a job also undertaken by the Elders).

Apprentices:

Apprentices are young adult/"teenage" cats, usually between 6 months and a 1 year old, who are training to become warriors, clerics, or caretakers. Kittens are made apprentices at 6 months and most graduate around 1 year. Cleric/Doctor/Priest apprenticeships often last a few months longer than warrior apprenticeships. Apprenticeship looks slightly different from clan to clan, and details about that can be found on the various Clan Culture posts.

Apprentice names take the form of First Name + -paw.

Kittens:

Kittens are young cats under 6 months of age.

Kitten names take the form of First Name + -kit.

Elders:

Elders are the oldest cats in the clan who have retired from warrior duties. Most cats retire around 10-12 years old, although some cats may chose to never retire to retire earlier for various reasons. Elders help perform burial rituals and are the storytellers of the clan.

[sleepyfan-blog]

Author's note: Mer-Cedric's Debut in Celestial Seas’! I hope you enjoy it. Bakerin and Quilterin (Arnault's Bonded) belong to the wonderful @kit-williams! Thank you for letting me borrow them. The song Cedric is singing is Amen and Attack by Powerwolf. Next fic

Warnings: none, please ask to tag!

Tagged: @egrets-not-regrets @@the-pure-angel @kit-williams @bleedingichorhearts

Summary: Mer-Cedric trades with a couple of allied baseline humans.

Cedric hummed softly to himself as he gutted and de-scaled the half-dozen large tuna that he had hunted down and caught. He was currently sitting on one of the sand spits that appeared near the shore of the nearby beach. He checked the temperature of the fire by placing a hand near the crackling base of the flames before returning to the task of preparing the tuna.

Most of the time, the young shark mer ate his kills fresh and raw, but he'd recently come into possession of an unspoiled pouch of delicious smelling herbs and spices, and the occasional cooked meal wasn't a bad thing. Besides, the parts of the tuna he wasn't going to be making into grilled steaks were going into the boiling water as part of the stock for a hopefully delicious stew he was also making. He'd sent a request to some of the local humans to please bring fresh vegetables - for which he was happily going to trade some of his tuna meat in exchange - to build out the body of his stew. He'd added some kelp and sea asparagus to the slowly cooking stock, but he was looking forward to trying potatoes and onions for the first time.

Maybe some corn, too! Or mushrooms...

He began to sing one of the holy hymns that his older brothers had taught him as he worked “Fight the demons of this world, no victims left to hide. Eins! Zwei! Amen and attack! Make them pray or make them pay! It's time to swim up right. Drei! Vier! Amen and attack.”

Preparing the tuna felt meditative. He continued to sing as he sprinkled seasonings on half of the tuna steaks, spearing each on a stick and setting them over the fire to cook, his mind wandering to past battles that he'd partaken in, as his voice once again lifted in song.

“When the night is cold and black, we sing amen and attack!”

Deamons and Traitors rarely attacked during the day, preferring instead to use cowardly and weak tactics in order to try and catch their would-be prey off-guard. While the local humans could do little against such supernatural forces, the shiver Cedric belonged to had taken to patrolling the area, ripping into the heretics and demons with their wickedly sharp claws and jaws.

In gratitude, the humans helped however they could. The medical supplies they left out were incredibly useful to Cedric and his fellow apothecaries as they tended to their injured brothers.

“And we lead the storm of the wild! Be the wildest of the pack! Screaming amen and attack!” Cedric belted out as he carefully turned over the tuna steaks, to ensure they were being heated evenly. Even though a majority of his training focused on how to keep his brothers alive and in fighting shape, that did not mean his combat training was lacking.

As an Apothecary of a Black Templar Shiver, one of his duties was to mitigate damage.. and if that meant taking out the largest or most dangerous opponents at range with the weapons he had at his disposal, so much the better. The God-Emperor had blessed them with strength and abilities far beyond mortal ken, and their duties were to protect and defend their charges from all threats.

A duty that Cedric took most seriously.

“We fight with Him on our side! Amen and attack! Attack! Attack! Amen and attack!” Cedric continued to sing. The half of the tuna he wasn't cooking he had carefully wrapped up in treated kelp leaves, to keep the meat fresh and easily transportation.

He hoped that some of the humans who had promised they would come were going to arrive soon. The first of the tuna steaks were nearly ready!

Cedric was about to sing the next verse when he heard approaching footsteps from behind and to the left of him, prompting the young Apothecary to turn and look at the pair of approaching humans.

It took him only a moment to recognize their scents and trilled a greeting to two of his older Brothers' Favorite Humans! He recognized their scents and faces immediately! “Hello Miss Bakerin! Hello Miss Quilterin! It's wonderful to meet you again!”

Both of the baseline humans smiled in response as they came close enough to enjoy the warmth of the fire. Miss Bakerin spoke first “Good afternoon… You are Cedric, yes? The… The healer in training?”

“Yes I am.” Cedric affirmed with a nod, tail flicking happily in the water. As with all Apothecary mers, his tail was primarily white with red flecks. He did have black striping, to match his non-apothecary brothers. “I have tuna to trade! Some are cooking. The rest are raw, and wrapped, as asked for.” He patted the kelp-wrapped meat carefully with a clawed and webbed hand. He could see that both of them had covered baskets and looked curiously at them.

“We… We've brought a bunch of things.” Miss Quilterin explained, setting down the basket she was carrying. “I.. I've been making these out of water-proof fabric.” out from the basket she pulls out a large, patch-work piece of fabric. Each square has a little scene going on, and Cedric can easily tell that she put a lot of work and effort into making this thing.

“May I touch it?” The young mer asked, intensely curious, though he was trying to be polite. “What is it?”

“This is called a story quilt. Arnault has told me about some of the battles all of you get into, so I tried to make a story quilt out of one of his victories… I hope it turned out okay…” miss Quilterin explained, her face calm but her scent showing her anxiety and uncertainty.

Cedric handled the quilt with the proper awe and respect that such a glorious woven-story deserved. The fabric slipped and slid under his fingers, so he gripped it a bit more tightly “this is amazing, miss. Arnault is going to love this when I show it to him.” Given how long it took to carve the glorious victories of the shiver in sandstone, this quilt was worth at least half of his catch. “By the emperor… If I had know that you were going to be bringing such things, I would have been out hunting for longer!”

“R… Really?” Miss Quilterin stuttered, surprise chasing away her nervousness.

Cedric nodded, entirely serious. “It is difficult to keep more permanent records of our battles, in part because we tend to move from sea to sea. From world to world, and must pack light because of it. That and much record-keeping is difficult to manage underwater or in the depths of space. This is a wondrous gift, miss. Thank you, truly.”

He startled at how red Miss Quilterin got “i… truly? That's… I… Oh Goodness…” She stuttered, her eyes huge and her scent fluctuating rapidly between emotions.

and immediately scooted over to her, dragging his tail up and out of the water, carefully telegraphing his movements as he placed one large hand on her forehead, checking her temperature? “Are you not feeling well, miss Quilterin? Please sit down, I do have some of my medical supplies nearby. Is the heat of the fire too much for you?”

Bakerin chuckled and placed a restraining hand on Cedric's elbow. “Easy, Cedric. She hasn’t taken ill or is affected by heat stroke. She rarely gets such high praise for her work and is having difficulties processing what you're saying with grace.”

Quilterin pouted at Bakerin's words and murmured “I… That's not… That's not exactly true! I just… I didn't know that you would think so highly of this story quilt.”

“Uh huh. See what I mean, Cedric? She flustered easily. She's alright.” Bakerin explained with a playful smile. She reached up and ruffled Cedric's hair. “I brought the vegetables you asked for, as well as some bread. You should eat the bread above water, or it will get soggy.”

“Thank you, Miss Bakerin!” Cedric responded, smiling contentedly. “Do you want cooked or raw tuna? Or a mix of both?” he asked the both of them.

“I'll take four uncooked pieces of raw tuna and two of the cooked pieces, please.” Quilterin asked. “I also brought several quilted slings, as Arnault mentioned that they've helped…”

“Miss, when I said the quilt is worth half of what I've caught, I meant it.” Cedric pointed out, carefully gathering up and pushing the correct amount of Tuna in trade for the quilt alone. “The slings are much appreciated, but will need more tuna to pay for… Or, I did see mussels and class near the shoreline, I could grab some of them for you in trade for those, if you'd like a selection of sea food.”

“I… This is too much, Cedric! I won't be able to eat all of this before it goes bad.” Quilterin protested, shaking her head a little.

“The kelp leaves will help keep the tuna fresh for weeks, and older brothers have told me that tuna freezes well and will last for months that way. I can also use some of the curing salts I brought with me to turn some of them into… I believe it's called jerky in this language? Dried meat that can be stored longer. But you will be getting paid what you’re owed.” Cedric responded. He wasn’t going to steal from this kind human, nor short her what she is owed. A pity the pearl oysters aren’t ready yet and have been claimed by Brother Roland and Brother Arnault for gifts for Miss Bakerin and Miss Quilterin. Not that he was going to ruin that surprise.

“I… Even so, this is far too much high-quality meat for one person to have all at once. We baseline humans don't eat as much meat as you do.” Quilterin explained “Nor do we need as many calories.”

Cedric sighed internally, pouting a little. He did have a small handful of treasures he had found and kept - just in case he found a human he wanted to bond to, like brothers Roland and Arnault have, but the slings were too useful and the quilt too expensive, if she wouldn't take the fish meat he offered. “Well… I also have these, if you are interested.”

From one of his armor’s pockets, he pulls out several pouches. In the first pouch, he lays out a dozen carefully polished abalone shells, which he'd found and treated until they shone, their pearlescent luster almost luminous in the afternoon sunlight. From the second pouch, he pulled out six of the best pieces of ocean jasper he'd found. From the third pouch, he pulled four larimar gemstones, their sea-foam coloration and patterns striking against the brown sand spar they were on. “You may choose up to four from these, along with the meat you requested, miss Quilterin.”

She inspected each of his offerings, and he turned his attention to Miss Bakerin asking “Do you want tuna in trade for your goods? Or would you like a mix of things as well?” he was trying not to fidget.

“Tuna works great for me, Cedric.” Miss Bakerin answered with another smile and hair ruffle. “I've brought bread and vegetables, which aren't as expensive. I would like to try that stew your making, when you're done. If you don't mind.”

“Not at all! But there are tuna guts and scales in the stew, and I intended to make it for my brothers, who are out among the shoals right now.” Cedric warned, aware that baseline humans could get picky about things like that. Some of his brothers were wary about baseline humans and were nearby in case of attack. But Miss Quilterin and Miss Bakerin have always been very nice and kind to him - and Cedric doubted that Brother Roland and Brother Arnault would have chosen untrustworthy baseline humans. He handed over the tuna - raw and cooked in trade for the food she'd brought, immediately getting to work on chopping up the vegetables before putting them in the stew.

“I don’t mind the occasional fish scale in my stew.” Bakerin reassured him with a smile.

“Then I’d be happy to share some of it with you, when it’s ready.” Cedric answered earnestly.

“I've picked out which of these gems you're offering… You're sure that the quilt and the slings are worth this much,” Quilterin spoke up. She was holding up two of the abalone shells and one each of the Larimar and ocean jasper stones.

Cedric was sad to see them go, but it was worth it for the high quality supplies offered. “Alright, they are yours, along with the meat you requested.”

“If you don't mind me asking… What was that song you were singing when we were walking over?” Bakerin asks curiously as she arranges the tuna meat he’d given her in the basket she'd come with.

“Oh! It's one of the battle hymns my older brothers taught me.” Cedric explained “I learned it recently and it's been stuck in my head. I hope that the lyrics weren't too off-putting.”

“Nah, you're fine, Cedric. You've got a good singing voice… Does Roland sing? I haven't heard him sing, not that I remember, anyways.”

Cedric blinked in surprise at that “... But… Brother Roland has one of the best singing voices of the entire shiver! He leads the battle choir. Thank you for the compliment, miss.” He checked how the vegetables were cooking, nibbling on a piece of potato. The texture felt off, so he let the stew continue to cook, happy to chat with Miss Bakerin and Miss Quilterin as the veggies cooked.

[clangenrising]

Month 8 - Leaffall

Prev | First | Next

“I’ll need a few extra paws this week,” Sagetooth said, “to help gather herbs before Leafbare hits.” 

Nightfrost nodded and made the mental note. “I’ll make sure to assign you some assistants. Any preference as to who?” 

“Branchbark is always helpful,” grunted the healer. “Pantherhaze maybe, if he's feeling better. Not Ospreymask.” Nightfrost chuckled a little. She’d heard plenty of complaints from both Ospreymask and Sagetooth about how ill suited she was for herb gathering. 

“Sounds good,” she said with a dip of her head. “Let me know if you need anything else alright?” 

A raised voice cut through the air. “Nightfrost!” It was Branchbark. He’d been on border patrol, hadn’t he? The deputy turned to greet him, hoping he wasn’t bearing bad news. She did not expect him to have a stranger following close behind him. 

“Yes?” she asked, stepping away from Sagetooth with one last respectful nod,  “What is it?” 

“This is Scrap,” said the young warrior as they met in the middle of camp. “She was waiting at the border looking for safe passage.” The cat behind him, Scrap apparently, had sunk into a crouch, ears pressed flat, and was staring fearfully up at her. She couldn’t have been much more than a year old. She was thin and scruffy, with one ear sliced off cleanly at the tip in an almost unnatural way. She smelled strongly of the thunderpath and fear. Nightfrost felt her stomach twist in pity at the sight of her. 

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Scrap,” she said in her most gentle tone. “I’m Nightfrost.” 

Scrap pursed her lips at the sudden direct attention. “The pleasure is all mine, uh, Nightfrost,” she squeezed out, voice soft and unsure. 

“Can we talk in private?” Branchbark whispered, leaning in to her. Nightfrost frowned. There was something in his eyes, in his tone, that said this was serious and it unsettled her. 

“Of course,” she nodded, “Why don’t we speak in Goldenstar’s den. I think she’s there now.” She gestured with her tail and Branchbark nodded. 

He turned to Scrap and said, “C’mon, this way.” She nodded hurriedly in response and slank after him. 

“Who’s that?” Nightfrost heard Sparrowkit ask. 

“I’m not sure,” replied Smokyrose. Nightfrost glanced in their direction and saw all three of the kits huddled in the nursery entrance, staring with wide eyes. Smokyrose behind them had a look on her face that struck Nightfrost as hopeful. She noted that Sagetooth was also watching the stranger with interest and even Pantherhaze and Songdust had come out of their dens to stare. Quickly, she hurried after Scrap and Branchbark, trying to shield the frightened cat from their eyes with her body. 

“Hey, Goldenstar,” Branchbark said as they slipped inside the den, “You got a moment?” 

“Yeah, for sure,” Goldenstar replied, sitting up from what looked like a nap. She sat up and gave a few quick licks to smooth out her rumpled cheek fur. 

“This is Scrap,” he said, wrapping his tail over the stranger’s back protectively. Nightfrost tilted her head curiously as she came to sit on one side of the den near Goldenstar. “She’s from the city and she was hoping for protection.” 

“O-only if that's alright,” Scrap spoke up, her ears pressed flat, her eyes wide. “I don’t want to impose on you.” 

“Protection?” Goldenstar asked, brow furrowing worriedly. “From what?” 

Scrap shuffled and glanced at Branchbark who gave her an encouraging nod. She swallowed and said, “I… I’m being hunted. By Razor.” 

“Razor?” asked Nightfrost, ears perking forward at the strange name. 

Scrap nodded. “Yes, Razor, the Chosen. He rules the city and he wants me dead.” 

“Why?” Goldenstar asked before Nightfrost could. 

Scrap shuffled and looked down at her paws. “My… My brother, Snip, he… He killed a housecat. Now Razor wants to make an example of us.” She sniffled, on the verge of tears. Branchbark pressed close against her side and while she stiffened at the touch, she didn’t pull away. 

“A house cat?” Nightfrost frowned in confusion. She supposed a life was a life but it still struck her as strange that a city cat would react so harshly to the death of a kittypet. 

“He wants to kill you because of your brother’s crime?” Goldenstar asked, also confused. 

“Well, he already got Snip,” Scrap sniffled. “And his mate… and our sister, Switch.” Nightfrost’s stomach twisted in revulsion. This rogue seemed like a special kind of twisted. She thanked the stars cats like him ceased to be after their deaths. She dreaded the thought of a monster like that persisting in the Dark Forest. 

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Goldenstar said gently. “But I promise you, he won’t hurt you. Consider yourself under my protection.” 

“Thank you,” Scrap began to sob, “Thank you, your excellence!” Goldenstar winced and Nightfrost grimaced similarly. 

“That’s alright,” Goldenstar said with a bit of an awkward laugh. “You don’t have to use any fancy titles. Consider me a friend, not a ruler.” 

“Oh,” sniffed Scrap, swiping a paw over one cheek. “I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t offend.” 

“No, not at all,” said Goldenstar. “Branchbark, why don’t you help Scrap get something to eat and a nest in the warrior’s den?” 

“Yeah, sure,” he nodded, seeming hesitant. “But I think you ought to know… when we met her, Scorchplume insisted she go back to the City. She said she couldn’t be trusted and that dangerous cats would follow her but refused to explain other than that.” His tail twitched angrily. That news was… concerning. Nightfrost glanced at Goldenstar to try and gauge her reaction. She found Goldenstar scowling at the floor, eyes flickering slightly across the dirt, quietly trying to piece her thoughts together. 

“Do you know Scorch?” Nightfrost probed, looking to Scrap, “the cat you met on the border.” 

Scrap looked up, eyes wide again, and nodded. “Yes. Everyone knows Scorch. I don’t think she knows me though.” 

“Everyone?” Goldenstar asked. 

“Mhm,” said Scrap, sniffing back the last of her tears for now. “Razor has… a thing for her. If you want to stay on his good side you do what she says.” Goldenstar swallowed thickly. 

Nightfrost could see a storm of emotions and thoughts behind her eyes and said, “Thank you. That’s all for now. If we have questions, I’ll come find you.” She looked to Branchbark and tried to impress to him with her eyes that she was taking this seriously. He didn’t seem satisfied but nodded and stood.

“Come on, Scrap, let’s get you a fat robin or something.” 

Scrap nodded and gave a small bow to Goldenstar and Nightfrost. “Thank you again for your kindness. I owe you my life.” Nightfrost smiled, hoping it wasn’t too tight, and then the two spotted cats headed out of the den. Nightfrost let the silence hang for a long moment as she and Goldenstar both grappled with all of this new information. 

It seemed Scorch had once sat at the right paw of this Razor cat. The thought made Nightfrost queasy, to be honest. It seemed Russetfrond had been more right than she had realized. She wondered just how much Scorch had been manipulating Razor, how much she had been manipulating Goldenstar, or Yarrowshade for that matter. She couldn’t help but feel like she had failed as a deputy. This sort of thing was her duty to see coming and avoid and she had done nothing, too insecure about overstepping to pay close attention. 

“Well,” she said eventually, “that’s concerning. What should we do?” 

“About what?” Goldenstar asked, tail bristling slightly. Nightfrost sighed through her nose. She could already tell the younger cat was going to get defensive and stubborn about this. 

“About Scorch,” she said flatly. “We just learned she used to be close with the kind of cat who kills families for one cat’s mistake.” 

“No,” Goldenstar retorted, “we know Razor had some sort of fascination with Scorchplume. That doesn’t mean she did anything wrong.” 

“Goldenstar, please,” Nightfrost closed her eyes in frustration, “You heard Scrap. She said that if she wanted to keep Razor happy she did what Scorch said. That at the very least sounds like an abuse of power to me.”

“Maybe,” Goldenstar’s voice was tight for a moment and she swallowed thickly. “But I know Scorchplume. She’s scared too, just as scared as Scrap.” 

“You don’t know that,” countered Nightfrost. “You know the Scorch that she wants you to, there’s no telling if she’s been pretending to be frightened because she knew you would be sympathetic to it.”

“Stop that,” Goldenstar stood. Nightfrost could tell that she barely restrained herself from baring her teeth. “We’re not doing anything until I hear Scorchplume’s side of things.” 

“Alright,” Nightfrost relented, stepping towards the exit. “Just make sure that you’re not letting your feelings get the better of you.” 

“Feelings?” Goldenstar balked aggressively. “What feelings?” 

Nightfrost blinked in surprise. “Just… your feelings. In general.” 

“Oh,” Goldenstar straightened her posture and gave her chest a few licks. “Right. Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you.” 

“It’s alright,” Nightfrost said, although she didn’t know if it was. “I’ll let you know when Scorch gets back to camp.” 

“Okay. Thank you.” 

“No problem.” Dipping her head, Nightfrost slipped out of the den. Her mind was reeling. What had just happened?

[salt-clangen]

Moon 3

Newleaf

I’ve included some descriptions of herbs and their uses in this update, but I take artistic liberties with my writings on herbs and medicine in warrior cats. So please DO NOT REPLICATE ANYTHING IVE WRITTEN.

Herbal medicine has a place in the veterinary world, but should only be done by veterinarians in a clinic with integrative medicine.

Sorry for the rant but I’m a vet tech of 12 yrs and I’m traumatized.

It’s much warmer than usual when Wolfpaw set off for a hunting patrol. Newleaf meandering into greenleaf. The dawn hunt had been unsuccessful and she ended up gathering craft materials and a few herbs she recognized. Lynxkit had been excited to see the supplies, she was particularly proud of her crafting abilities and Wolfpaw wondered if that should be her role as an adult. But now with the sun high and blazing, the kit had wisely stayed in the den for a mid day nap.

Soon it would be too hot to patrol midday, she mused as she looked back at the dozing kit with jealousy.

Wolfpaw was tempted to join her, the heat affecting her even with her short, light coat. But she knew it was more important to hunt, it was hard processing and cooking all their meals, she couldn’t afford to fall behind. Still, she moved slowly, blaming the heat for her lethargy, she trailed around the pools in the center of camp. The tide was out, so she had a great view of everything in the water. Curiously, she dipped her paw in, the ocean water was always cold and salty, leaving behind a weird texture on the fur. Today though it was a relief from the heat, she sighed pleasantly, stirring the paw idly.

Staring into the water languidly she noticed some strange colored rocks. Purple was an uncommon color in Duskclan but it had been her mother’s favorite. She tentatively hooked a claw in the oddly shaped rock, it had ridges and a symmetrical design, she fished it out onto the sand beside her. It was even more unusual out of the water, brittle, hollow, and smelling like fish but also not. It made her think of the crayfish she’d had with an oakclan apprentice at her first- her only- gathering.

She turned it over, observing it intently, bringing her nose down to nudge it, waiting for something to happen. It was like a snail shell, too boney to eat, but perhaps she could cook it for broth like her old clan had done with bones or bark. Observing the pool again she plucked out a second weird shell thing and even snatching a few small fish.

Wolfpaw felt a little giddy at the prospect of cooking something new, eating the same food over and over was very boring. Even in Duskclan they ate mostly the same food each day, it would be nice to try something new. Anything new.

She took a small pot- they now had 4!- by the wicker handle and went to the East river for fresh water. In no time she was back to camp, her sluggishness gone. A quick check to see Lynxkit still napping, giving her time to experiment.

After simmering the pot for a while she checked on her concoction to discover that the shells had popped open. They had a small joint keeping the two halves connected, but the inside was exposed, like a cat yawning wide. With a long stick, she carefully pulled one shell out, adding in the fish and stock bones from previous kills. She had to let it cool down but once it did she was surprised to find a bit of flesh inside.

Huh, if the shell is like a cat yawning then this must be like the tongue, she thought.

It took a few tries to get the morsel pried off the shell, but when she did she was rewarded with a burst of flavor and juices. Some ran down her chin, making her lick her lips and chest. The bite was small, only the size of a cat’s paw pad, but it felt warm and solid in her stomach.

Inspecting the soup, she fished out the other shell as well. The fish she’d added was sliced and still cooking but the broth looked and smelled appetizing. She ate the other morsel, feeling a little guilty she didn’t share with Lynxkit, but it wouldn’t be a good idea for both of them to get sick if this delicious bite ended up being toxic. She dropped the shells back into the pot, maybe they can still add to the flavor. Licking her lips again, she settled into a loaf position to wait for the soup to finish.

It’s been several days since Wolfpaw discovered that the clams in the tidal pools could be eaten and since then she’s had an extra spring in her step. After 2 days of no upset stomach or signs of poisoning, she shared the news with Lynxkit and together they ate a few of the delicious shells. She was right that the inedible, empty portions could still be used to make broth, even learning that they can go ever further than traditional bones and be reused several times.

It was nice to have a broth option again with her meals, it felt like home. She and her siblings had always preferred drinking broths with their meals over teas, which had baffled their mother who was a staunch tea lover.

The memories made her smile more than flinch for once. She idly wondered how her family was, but focused again as she was exited camp.

Despite the new culinary addition, Wolfpaw knew they couldn’t over hunt the clams or rely on them solely for food. Proper prey would still be needed, though she was giddy at the idea of what else she could find and eat in the tide pools. As she walked along the rocks, watching the tide come in before the sun sets, she felt a tail run along her back and sides.

With a yowl she turned, but faced only empty air. She hopped along the rocks, scanning the area for intruders and puffing her small coat up. Then the feeling returned and she saw the cause.

Hello, the cat spoke, Wolfpaw could see their mouth move, but the words sounded more inside her head than aloud. The stranger’s pelt was gray but coated with stars and almost see through.

“This is Saltclan territory,” She hissed. “Leave now.” It felt silly trying to threaten an obviously dead cat. But she wasn’t sure what to do.

Hmm, the cat blinked fondly and Wolfpaw wondered if they’d ever met. You’re right, this is Saltclan’s territory, I’m proud you’ve done so well.

The words echoed in her head again, louder, and she had to flatten her ears and shut her eyes for a moment. Her claws dug into the rock below to try and ground herself.

Sorry, I know this is a lot. My name is Nettletuft. I’m so proud of you, Wolfpaw.

The apprentice choked back a small sound of surprise, eyes wide again. She looked up.

“Really?” She asked. “Even though I ran away.”

You took action and saved Lynxkit. What you did that night and every moment since has been very brave. Wolfpaw looked at her paws, so much smaller than the other cats, she didn’t feel brave at all. The cat’s image flicked for a moment in the wind and she felt panicked.

“Why’re you here?” She asked quickly.

To guide you, starclan gave you a difficult task, leaving your birth clan and family with Lynxkit. But it’s not over. Their eyes met and Wolfpaw felt a sense of dread spread through her chest. You must journey to the Moon spring and commune with Starclan. Then they will tell you the clans future.

“But I’d have to go through Duskclan to get there! Why can’t you just tell me now?” She cried as the wind picked up.

You must go, it is the only way to ensure Saltclans future. The clan won’t survive if you don’t.

“The clan? You mean Lynxkit.” Wolfpaw said slowly, trembling a bit at the thought. “You mean that if I don’t go, something bad will happen to Lynxkit!”

You will understand more when you go to the Moon spring. More voices joined Nettletuft’s now.

“Are you threatening to hurt a kit just to make me do something that could risk both our lives?” She hissed, hackles rising again.

No! Nettletuft’s voice became a hundredfold at once, rattling Wolfpaw’s skull and she had to press against the ground to avoid falling over. The dead cat becomes nearly corporeal now, stalking towards her. Avoiding your destiny not only puts Lynxkit’s life in danger but your future clan mates. You cannot go on like this, you must receive our message.

Slowly as the cat spoke the voices faded down to only one. Just like the night she found the clan’s camp. Wolfpaw blinked tears out of her eyes, overwhelmed by the sensations and stress. Nettletuft’s head pressed against hers, still hunched on the ground. She felt a wave of complex emotions pass through the touch, settling into a warmth of comfort.

You will find a way to us, they spoke. You have too.

Lynxkit didn’t wanna nap, she wanted to go with Wolfpaw to hunt, but the apprentice had told her firmly to stay in camp. But that was so boring, while alone she spent some time moping and muttering to the empty camp. Finally her secret tantrum passed and she trotted around the dens, looking for something to do.

While Wolfpaw and her usually sleep together in the den furthest from the pools, the camp had several unused dens. She enjoyed tracing shapes and glyphs into the sandy floors. In one of the dens, the overturned tree trunk covered in lichen curtains, she found some plants in the far corner.

Herbs. Wolfpaw had brought them back a few days ago and scolded Lynxkit when she tried to weave one into her basket. These were special plants, the apprentice had said. They help us when we’re sick.

How? Lynxkit had asked, causing the older cat to deflate and admit she didn’t know. But she’d recognized a few while out hunting and took them back. After being left in the den for a few days they were mostly dried out, but still held their fragrant scent.

Lynxkit carefully pulled them out into the clearing, the afternoon sun was a pleasant warmth on her back. She stared at the leaves for a long while, as if the herbs themselves would speak to her.

This one here is rose hip. A starry paw pointed to the red buds that were shriveled from the heat. If you make it into a drink, it’s good for upset tummies and keeping healthy cats from getting sick.

Lynxkit met the kind gaze of the deceased cat, they blinked at each other fondly. Clouddawn had visited her once before, in her dreams, making the kit think maybe she did take that nap after all.

“And this one?” She pointed to one with long stems and narrow leaves.

Rosemary, good for inflammation and appetite. The cleric purred, at Lynxkit’s head tilt she went on. Appetite is when you’re hungry and wanna eat. Inflammation is when our bodies fight off sickness and injury, like when you’re sick and sneeze out gunk. The kit giggled at that.

Or when you scrape your paw and it gets warm and swollen. That’s inflammation, but sometimes the body does it for too long which is bad so this herb helps your body stop. Lynxkit nodded along, then nudged another plant.

“Wolfpaw says this is sage.” She said with confidence.

That’s right, do you know what it’s used for? Clouddawn curled around the kit now.

“Ummmm tummies?” She shrugged, the cleric purred with amusement.

It is used in cooking for flavor, but for clerics it’s for infections. That’s when germs get inside your body and makes you sick. It’s why you don’t eat raw or rotten food. Lynxkit giggled again, luxuriating in the sun and attention, this impromptu lesson was exactly what she’d needed.

“Do you think I’d be good a cleric?”

I think you’d be an amazing cleric. Clouddawn said dreamily, Lynxkit wished she could fully feel the cleric against her, but the gentle comfort that enveloped her was pleasant.

“What about this one?” She nodded towards some silvery leaves left over. Clouddawn makes a face like she smelled carrion.

Get rid of it, it’s toxic and can make you sick. It’s called wormwood and clerics used to use it for worm infestations but it’s easy to eat too much. You could even die if you’re not careful. Lynxkit feels a chill at the thought, that Wolfpaw could’ve gotten hurt while gathering it.

“I’ll bury it when Wolfpaw gets home.” She yawned, finally feeling ready for her nap. “Is that why you visited me? To make sure I didn’t eat it?”

Partially, The cleric’s laugh was distant as her eyes felt heavy. Wolfpaw is meeting Nettletuft right now so I figured I could visit you.

Lynxkit smiled, curled up on the warm sand, the thought of Wolfpaw meeting with a Starclan cat made her happy. As she slept, Clouddawn remained sentry over her until she eventually faded in the dying light.

Characters:

Wolfpaw- a white tabby molly with short fur, heather blue eyes, and a notch in her right ear. 9 moons. Apprentice. Saltclan. Nervous, compassionate, oddly observant.

Lynxkit- a blue point molly with long fur and blue eyes. 4 moons. Saltclan. Quiet, sweet, quick to help.

Nettletuft- a grey and white nonbinary cat with medium fur and amber eyes. 101 moons living. 68 moons in death. Artisan. Oakclan. Calm, thoughtful, great speaker.

Clouddawn- a white molly with medium fur and blue eyes. 52 moons living. 23 moons in death. Cleric. Honeyclan. Loving, shameless, great healer.

Next

Prev

Moon 0

[aquanightau]

Chapter Four:

“How’s Tidepaw doing, Shellpaw?” Lichenstar inquired, his green eyes filled with fear. His black tail swiped the sand back and forth on the ground as he waited for Shellpaw’s response.

“He’s alright,” Shellpaw answered with a smile that seemed to relax Lichenstar, “A few nights and he should be up and about again.”

Lichenstar’s stiff shoulders dropped as he stared at Shellpaw’s amber eyes. “No wonder Rootdash wanted you as her apprentice. You’ve done well, I’m glad to have you as our medicine cat.”

“You mean medicine cat apprentice,” Shellpaw almost smirked as he corrected Lichenstar.

“No,” Lichenstar began, a proud yet sad parental look plastered on his face, “I’m glad that we have you as our medicine cat.”

Shellpaw’s mouth slowly opened in shock, “B-but AbyssalClan hasn’t recognized me yet!” His protest seemed to have been louder than he thought, attracting nearby cats to come closer and listen in. “I can’t be considered a full-fledged medicine cat without AbyssalClan’s approval.”

“That’s true,” Lichenstar meowed, “but that doesn’t mean I can’t recognize you as KelpClan’s medicine cat. I’m going to give you your name.”

Shellpaw looked down at his paws, clenching the sand tightly. “Can…you wait until Tidepaw recovers?”

Lichenstar stared at the apprentice, a curious look on his face. He seemed to ponder Shellpaw’s request to delay his naming, “That works with me.”

“Thank you,” Shellpaw responded, voice shaking as his grip loosened from the ground. Shellpaw was still stressed This isn’t right. I can only get my name after AbyssalClan recognizes me. What is Lichenstar thinking? 

Amid his trainwreck of thoughts, a familiar voice called out to him. “Shellpaw! Join us on a patrol!” Claypaw shouted with her typical bright smile.

Hovering above Claypaw was her mentor; Sandslash, with a welcoming gaze just as warm as Claypaw’s was. Nearby was the clan’s deputy, Turtlesplash. He was also the mentor of Redpaw who had been staring daggers at Shellpaw with a sour face.

As he padded over, Turtlesplash spoke out, “You don’t have to come, Shellpaw. I know you have a lot to deal with ever since your mentor went missing.” 

Shellpaw shook his head, returning a smile, “It's fine. Tidepaw’s doing well enough and I need to find some herbs anyway. It’ll be safer going in a group, especially since an otter decided to attack Tidepaw on a patrol.”

“That’s true,” Turtlesplash meowed, flicking his tail at the patrol to get going.

The patrol took a long route, heading to the Dippers first. As they reached the location, Shellpaw gathered oysters that could be eaten and used as containers later. Catching up to the patrol after almost being left behind, they arrived at Kelp Crevices.

The location was often used as a safe ground for hunting, but recently otters like the one that attacked Tidepaw began drifting near. 

As the mentors trained their apprentices, Shellpaw drifted nearby in search of herbs. As he scanned the area, he came across a bedding of sea grass. They were overgrown, and deciding that it was a good time to harvest, his paws began to get to work.

Shellpaw flexed his claws out, cautiously cutting the sea kelp like his mentor had told. The recall of the memory distracted Shellpaw as a turtle shell flung out of the sea grass and at his face, causing him to wince in pain. 

He stared up at the turtle shell that began drifting away as the other cats came to him at the sound of his yowl. 

To his shock, Redpaw had a concerned look that disappeared when he looked at the group.

“Are you alright?” Sandslash asked, Turtlesplash continuing, “We heard you yelp. What happened?”

“I’m alright, a crab was hiding in the seagrass and clawed my paw.” He lied, not wanting the truth of what happened to come to light. “Sorry for the false alarm.”

“That’s what we’re here for, no?” Claypaw inquired, “If something happens to you, we’re here to help!”

Though Shellpaw didn’t show it, he almost felt like crying. His mentor was gone, and he should be helping everyone, no the other way around. He took a breath in before responding.

“Yeah. Yeah, thank you,” He meowed, his voice slightly unsteady.

WE'RE GETTING SO CLOSE TO ACTION POINTS YALL!!!

There's still so much left to build before we can actually do that but have this lovely chapter 4 that I am kinda proud of and kinda not. Feel free to analyze some of the events in this chapter, who know maybe I left a few hints at the next few chapters >:D.

Also, I'm trying to get a back log of chapters due a show I will be in that is coming up!

SIGNING OFF, LOVE YOU GUYS