#scrubpelt

[tallclan]

Moon 3 - Summer

As summer officially moves into the region, the sun’s rays beat down hard on TallClan’s camp. The clan spend the majority of their free time cooped up in their dens, which are the only places that provide shelter from the blazing, relentless sun. None of the clan founders are used to such exposure and the heat has many filled with groggy memories of their birth clans. The trees of LogClan’s forest and the shade they bring during this season are all that Mulberrystripe can think about during her trip to the Herbal Garden in search of coriander to help fight off heat exhaustion. 

“I knew the winters in the mountains were bad, but I wished they had warned us about the summers! I would’ve given it a second thought before deciding to join.”, Daydream said as she laid underneath the shade of banana plants, watching Mulberrystripe place a harvest of coriander leaves and seeds (and flowers) into a leather-skinned pouch.

“Really? I imagined it would remind you of home. GarlicClan’s territory is mostly field.”, Mulberrystripe responded in a playful, snarky tone.

“No way!” Daydream objected with a huge laugh and in her own playful attempt of acting offended by such a claim, “In GarlicClan, we could at least find shade in the bushes or in the few trees that grew there. The ground wasn’t hot stone and, most importantly, we weren’t so close to the sun! If the winter was enough to kill off GlintClan’s Heir and Lead Healer on their way to Stars’ Touch, I wouldn’t be surprised if our clan is wiped out by the heat before summer’s end. If we’re lucky and still have our common sense intact, we could mark this off as a failed experiment and go back to our original clans.”

“We?” Mulberrystripe snorted, looking at Daydream as if she had told the funniest joke, “I think you mean you! You can leave with your tails tucked in between your legs like dogs when it starts to get rough out there, but I’m staying till the end. I can already imagine the stories they will tell about the cats who abandoned TallClan not even a year in, because they couldn’t handle the summer heat. You can call me stupid, but I do not want my legacy to be that of a quitter’s.”

“Still as competitive as ever, I see!” Daydream laughed.

“Just because I’m a healer now that doesn’t mean I changed.”, Mulberrystripe affirmed.

“Speaking about that, what’s it like being a healer? I never would’ve imagined you of all cats becoming one! I thought LogClan forced you like how GarlicClan forced Bluegale to be TallClan’s Lead Mediator, but I was surprised when I learned you did it out of your free will.”, Daydream curiously asked. Mulberrystripe was a warrior by the time the young she-cat was an apprentice and by the stars, was she the most fiercest, stubborn (the good kind) warrior that LogClan ever had. All the young cats in the clans wanted to be like her.

It took Mulberrystripe a minute to answer. Her paws fiddled with the white flowers from the coriander plant as if she was thinking about what to say.

“Well, I guess it’s the same reason why you decided to join TallClan: a change of scenery,” Mulberrystripe explained, “Besides, the attributes of a healer are like second nature to me. Both my parents were healers. My father was LogClan’s Lead Healer. I was far down the line of inheritance, but that didn’t stop them from teaching me and I’m glad that they did. Even if I stayed as a warrior, it doesn’t hurt to know a thing or two about healing. It can come in handy when you most need it.”

“Anyway, this should keep us covered for the next moon or, hopefully, for the rest of the summer.”, Mulberrystripe said, finally done with her herb gathering. The herbs were neatly stashed inside a leather pouch— a peculiar man-made object that she brought with her from her former home.

Daydream stood up, stretching her body. Her jaws opened wide for a huge yawn. She took her sweet time, wanting to spend a little bit more underneath the shade provided by the garden’s tall greenery before venturing out underneath the scorching sun again.

“We should get going. If we leave now, we’ll get to camp before nightfall.”, Mulberrystripe said, pressing her companion to hurry as she looked up at the sky, measuring the distance between their current destination and the mountain where TallClan’s camp lies in.

“Are you kidding? The heat’s the worst when the sun is at its highest! Let’s stay and wait for it to lower down a bit. I have a great idea on what we could do in the meantime— let’s spar!” Daydream suggested. There was a new sense of energy in her as she playfully pranced around Mulberrystripe with her tail held high, preventing the healer from taking another step. Her paws itched to have a playful go at the former LogClan warrior.

“I’d rather not. Not only do I not want to worry the others, but I also want to avoid angering Icystar and Sapflow. Especially Sapflow! He’s been more uptight than usual.”, Mulberrystripe affirmed, pushing past Daydream.

“Bah! You’re no fun!” Daydream dramatically whined, “But you’re in charge, so I have no choice but to follow your command!”

As the healer began to walk away, a mischievous idea crossed Daydream’s mind. 

“I guess it’s for the best, honestly. I know it hasn’t been long, but your fighting skills must’ve gotten rusty since you became a healer. It wouldn’t be a fair fight. I’d beat you too easily.”, Daydream said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Mulberrystripe stopped dead in her tracks.

“I guess one sparring session wouldn’t hurt,” Mulberrystripe said, removing her pouch before turning around to face Daydream with a determined grin, accepting the warrior’s challenge, “It should be enough to make you eat those words!”

“Ha! I’d like to see you try!” Daydream excitedly yelled as she crouched on the ground like a playful puppy.

Mulberrystripe • 59 moons old • Competitive 

Daydream • 32 moons old • Strange

It was nighttime when Mulberrystripe and Daydream arrived back at the camp. Just as Mulberrystripe had predicted, Sapflow wasn’t pleased that the two had come at such a late hour. While he and Daydream bickered with one another, Mulberrystripe took the opportunity to slip into the leader’s den.

“You’re practically a senior warrior in this clan! You need to start acting like it!”

“Oh, well I’m sorry that I didn’t want me and Mulberrystripe to get cooked climbing back up the mountain! You oughta thank me, actually! She’s our only healer! Do you know how bad it would be if she got hurt because of this heat!?”

They continued to go at each other’s throats, but their squabbling faded the deeper Mulberrystripe went inside the cave. They were nothing more but distant, muffled voices when she finally reached Icystar, who was resting in her nest.

“Mulberry!” The leader happily beamed when she saw her friend. The two brushed their heads against one another and purred. “I hope your herb gathering went all right? I was starting to get worried.”

“I’m sorry about that,” Mulberrystripe apologized, “I didn’t intend to stay out there for too long, but Daydream insisted we wait out the sunhigh. Now, Sapflow is wrangling her throat for it.”

“Don’t apologize! I’ll have a talk with Sapflow. Daydream had the right thinking. This heat is just so unbearable!” Icystar reassured her.

“Speaking about the heat, I brought you some coriander seeds. They’ll help cool down your body. I also brought you some flowers. These grow exclusively on the corianders,” Mulberrystripe said as she took out a few seeds and white flowers from her pouch, “When we were apprentices you always talked about how flowers barely grew in the mountains, much less the cavern that GlintClan had their camp in. I never had a chance to bring you flowers then, but now that we’re in the same clan, I'm going to bring you every flower that I find. That’s a promise.”

“Oh, Mulberry, that’s so sweet of you and the flowers are beautiful! I’ll treasure them forever!” Icystar happily said, moved by Mulberrystripe’s gesture. She carefully held the flowers in her paws, admiring them.

“Could you…” She turned to her friend.

No words were needed between the two. Mulberrystripe knew exactly what she wanted. Icystar sat perfectly still as Mulberrystripe gently braided the small flowers into her pelt.

“And… there!” Mulberrystripe said after she finished braiding the last couple of flowers near Icystar’s ear.

“How do I look?” Icystar asked.

Mulberrystripe’s heart skipped a beat when she looked into Icystar’s heather blue eyes. Were her eyes always this beautiful? Of course they were! But, Mulberrystripe couldn’t shake off the feeling that something felt different this time… She found herself struggling to form words when she realized her friend was still waiting on an answer.

“Y-You look beautiful. The flowers really b-bring out your eyes.”

Icystar’s cheeks blushed at her comment and she smiled.

Once more, Mulberrystripe felt her heart skip a beat.

Mulberrystripe • 59 moons old • Competitive

Icystar • 54 moons old • Ambitous

Icystar quickly settled the issue between Daydream and Sapflow, doing good on her word and praising Daydream for her thinking. As everyone began to retreat back to their dens, Sapflow’s attention was caught by something he knew wasn’t there before.

Sapflow • 56 moons old • Wise

Scrubpelt • 97 moons old • Troublesome

CLIMB DOWN | CLIMB UP

———

Uh oh

Heads-up! Next moon is going to be split into two parts ^^!

[tallclan]

Moon 2 - Spring

Icystar called the clan to a meeting and declared Marigoldpaw to be a warrior. The young cat is now called Marigoldflip and is celebrated for her resolve. Her vengeful nature has turned into a fierce one. Just like Bonebracken, she’s a good teacher, reassuring Icystar that the clan’s future generations will be left in good paws.

Marigoldflip • 11 moons old • Fierce

“Have you seen Icystar?” Sapflow asked the newly made warrior when he came to relieve her from her vigil. He had woken up this morning to an empty nest.

Marigoldflip nodded. “She and Mulberrystripe left camp not too long before sunrise.”, she explained.

“Oh… Did they tell you where they were going?”

The moment the question left his mouth, the sounds of giggling could be heard coming from the rocky path that led to the camp’s entrance. It was none other than Icystar and Mulberrystripe. The two were walking closely side-by-side with their tails entwined and their eyes focused on only each other. They didn’t notice the other two cats until they nearly bumped into them.

“Oh! Good morning, Sapflow! Marigoldflip!” Icystar cheerfully greeted the two, still sticking close to Mulberrystripe.

“G-Good morning, Icystar!” Sapflow returned her greeting before asking, “Did something happen? I noticed that you left…”

Marigoldflip took this as an opportunity to make her exit. None of the older cats paid her any mind as she made her way into camp. After her vigil, she was in need of a long day’s rest.

“Nothing of the sorts,” Icystar reassured him, “I apologize for making you worry. I didn’t want to wake you up. I was showing Mulberrystripe the best place to see the sunrise.”

Mulberrystripe nodded and she began to ramble on. Something about watching the sun rise back in LogClan. Sapflow wasn’t sure. He tuned her out. He tuned both of them out as all three of them began to make their way back to camp. Sapflow trailed behind the pair. At some point, Icystar and Mulberrystripe were only talking to one another and Sapflow was long forgotten….

Icystar • 53 moons old • Ambitious

Mulberrystripe • 58 moons old • Competitive

Sapflow • 55 moons old • Wise

“I heard there was trouble in lover’s paradise.”, Scrubpelt said in an attempt to break the silence between him and Sapflow as they patrolled the border together.

The aforementioned deputy had been eerily quiet and distant these last few days, which was out of character for him. Scrubpelt already had an idea about what was troubling him. Most of the clan knew too, actually. It wasn’t hard to miss when Icystar and Mulberrystripe came back that morning so close together with their tails entwined and stuck in their own little world, while a sulking Sapflow trailed behind them like a sad puppy. On top of that, Scrubpelt knew what happened firsthand from Marigoldflip, his former apprentice, who recounted what had transpired before she came back from her vigil.

Sapflow didn’t say anything. Nor did he acknowledge what Scrubpelt had said as if the tom hadn’t spoken or wasn’t there at all.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Scrubpelt asked. One last attempt at trying to get Sapflow to speak.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Sapflow finally responded, “We still have two miles of border to patrol, so I suggest you focus your attention on that instead.” He never looked away from the path in front of him. He had his back turned to Scrubpelt, preventing him from reading into his face, but Scrubpelt knew body language. The tip of Sapflow’s tail was flicking and the furs on his body were prickling with frustration.

“No need to get snippy, pal! I’m just trying to help!” Scrubpelt defended himself, “If you ask me, I think this whole TallClan thing is a sham. An excuse for Icystar to be with her “lover” from another clan without breaking the Code.”

Scrubpelt’s words struck a nerve within Sapflow. In a hot flash, the deputy turned on the older warrior.

“How dare you insinuate that!” he spat, his claws dug at the ground to stop him from slashing Scrubpelt’s face in a fit of anger, “It was StarClan’s will for us to form TallClan! I was there when Icystar received the order and when she was blessed with nine lives from Cavernfur, who is not only our clan’s Spiritual Guide, but also my ancestor no less!”

Through gritted teeth, he gave Scrubpelt a warning, “Don’t you ever disrespect Icystar like that again. If I find out that you did, I’ll make you regret it…”

Scrubpelt held his ground through all of this, showing no fear at Sapflow’s threat. With a scoff, he rudely brushed past Sapflow and began walking away from him to continue the path of their patrol. “Understood, but don’t come crying to me when I’m proven right! Clearly, my help is unwanted…”

Sapflow didn’t say anything in response. He was left utterly speechless after what just transpired. His entire body trembled with anger (and fear) of what Scrubpelt had said to him. Icystar wouldn’t be capable of doing such a thing! He knew her since they were kits in the nursery! Even if this relationship of theirs required no romantic love from either of them, she was a loyal cat.

At least, that’s what he’s hoping…

Scrubpelt • 96 moons old • Troublesome

Sapflow • 55 moons old • Wise

CLIMB DOWN | CLIMB UP

[tallclan]

Moon 5 - Summer

CW: mentions of BLOOD & VIOLENCE

A moon has passed since Bonebracken’s untimely death and the clan was still on edge. No one could blame them, though. Despite their best efforts and with burning vengeance boiling in their blood, Bonebracken’s killers were never found. The only trace they caught of them led outside of the clans’ territories, where no clan cat had ever stepped foot before.

Even though Icystar wished to avenge her fallen clanmate, she knew doing so could potentially be suicidal. After all, they had no idea how many cats were involved and the clan had very few warriors, which she couldn’t afford to lose any more of. Instead, all focus was put on increased protection. The borders were patrolled more frequently and cats that weren’t warriors were required to bring at least two warrior escorts with them whenever they left camp.

Bluegale didn’t mind. She hardly left camp anyway. The elderly Shadowdusk was more resistant to it, though, reminding everyone that he used to be a renowned GlintClan warrior back in his day and knew how to defend himself. Well, that was all he would say as he obediently followed his escorts. It was all yowl and no bite from that tom.

Mulberrystripe would’ve had similar thoughts moons ago, but now more than ever was she grateful for the extra warrior escort. She needed those extra paws to help her gather herbs. Since the arrival of the injured loner, she’s been visiting the Herbal Garden a lot more frequently and seeking medical advice from the other clans’ healers. A broken jaw was something she was not well equipped to treat and much less the great severity of her patient’s case. She’s surprised the jaw was still intact in the first place. It was basically hanging by a thread! And to make matters worse, the whole injury has become infected…

Now that fall was fast approaching, the need for herbs to help fight off the infection was more dire than ever. With her mind going over a list of what she needed, Mulberrystripe set off for her upteen time to the Herbal Garden. Scrubpelt and Marigoldflip were tasked as her escorts for this round.

The Lead Healer was usually one for chatter to make time pass faster during the walk, but not this time. All she could think about were the poultices she had to make and the herbs she needed. Plus the worst-case scenarios. She was only broken out of her thoughts when Scrubpelt walked up beside her and bumped into her side to get her attention.

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, I’m fine,” Scrubpelt reassured her, “I think you need to talk to her.” His cobalt-colored eyes looked behind him, gesturing to Marigoldflip, who made up the back of the patrol. If the young she-cat had heard them, she did not make it known. Her attention was solely focused on the ground in front of her.

“Is she feeling ill?” Mulberrystripe asked, scanning Marigoldflip’s demeanor for any signs of heat exhaustion or any other condition.

Scrubpelt shook his head. “No, no. It’s more of, uh, well the feelings side of things. She’s been acting all mopey since, you know… She blames herself for the whole thing. I’ve tried talking to her, but nothing’s getting through. You were her first mentor, so I thought maybe you’d do better at getting her out of that rut she’s in.”

Oh.

She gave him a nod. Without another word, the two slowed their pace down to match Marigoldflip’s own. When Mulberrystripe was walking side-by-side with Marigoldflip, Scrubpelt took to the back of the patrol to give the two she-cats some privacy and to keep guard of their surroundings. Marigoldflip was still woefully oblivious to what was going on around her.

It would’ve been easier for Mulberrystripe if she had taken notice and brought it up. The healer struggled to form words in her mouth to strike up a conversation. Why was this so hard? For StarClan’s sake, this was her former apprentice! Why wasn’t she the first to notice that Marigoldflip was struggling emotionally after Bonebracken’s death? They used to talk a lot back then in LogClan, but now, in TallClan… it was like they barely knew each other…

“Is there something you need?”

Mulberrystripe flinched a bit, caught off guard by Marigoldflip’s monotonous voice. The young she-cat continued to walk as usual, her eyes still fixed on the ground before her. A small side-ways glance towards Mulberrystripe sent the message that she was waiting for a response.

Ouch. Her sharp words stung Mulberrystripe like a wasp sting. Was Marigoldflip always this snarky?

“Scrubpelt told me you’ve been having a hard time since Bonebracken’s death.” Behind them, the tom gave a slight, meaningless grunt at the mention of his name.

Marigoldflip rolled her eyes. “You seriously needed someone to point out the obvious to you? As my mentor for the majority of my apprenticeship, I’d thought you’d know me better than the guy who was only involved for like about 2 moons or less. I guess all those herbs have been clogging your brain.”, she bitterly scoffed.

Now, Mulberrystripe felt like she had been smacked hard against the face, claws raking her skin off. She bit down the hurtful anger that wanted to spew from her mouth. “Look, Marigold, I know you’re going through something complicated, but that doesn’t give you the right to talk to me like that, much less anybody else! Especially when we’re trying to help you!”

Marigoldflip came to a complete, unexpected stop, halting everyone else as well. Scrubpelt nearly bumped into them! With her fur bristling and ears folded back, the young warrior turned on Mulberrystripe. “Don’t talk to me like that! You’re not my mentor anymore!” she yowled.

“I’m trying to talk to you as your friend, but you’re the one being difficult! If I have to, I’ll start talking to you as your superior!” Mulberrystripe retaliated, trying her best to keep her fur flat.

“Hey, you two. Stop it. We have company.”, Scrubpelt suddenly hushed them.

They followed his gaze and the point of his tail tip down to the forest that laid beside the side of the mountainous trail they were on. It was hard at first to see through all the shrubbery and long grass, but after a bit of squinting, they finally noticed it— there was a cat down there! By the way they were sniffing the ground around them, they hadn’t noticed the clan cats watching them nor heard the arguing going on seconds before.

“Should we see what they want—“

The words were barely out of Scrubpelt’s mouth before Marigoldflip went barreling down the mountainside, making a beeline towards the lonesome stranger. Scrubpelt and Mulberrystripe were quick to follow after her, picking up speed when they saw her bodyslam the cat onto the ground before biting down deep into their scruff. It wasn’t hard to miss the blood that began to stain the cat’s long, spiky, and white fur. The cat— which upon closer inspection was a she-cat roughly around Marigoldflip’s age— yowled and writhed in pain as she tried desperately to get Marigoldflip off of her, but the warrior held her ground, keeping the she-cat pinned to the forest floor as she bit down harder on her scruff.

It was only until Scrubpelt grabbed Marigoldflip by the scruff and pulled her off that the young she-cat was finally freed. Without a heartbeat of hesitation, she fled, disappearing into the trees and out of TallClan territory.

“LET GO OF ME! YOU’RE LETTING HER GET AWAY!” Marigoldflip screamed as she struggled underneath Scrubpelt’s body weight, claws raking the dirt.

“What in StarClan’s name were you thinking!?” Mulberrystripe confronted her. “We DON’T attack intruders!”

“What if she’s Bonebracken’s killer!? Or what if she knows who did it!?”

“And what if she wasn’t!? You would’ve seriously hurt an innocent cat!? Or worse, kill her!? You’d be no better than the ones who killed him!” Tears were falling from Mulberrystripe’s eyes at that point, blurring her vision.

Silence. That was all that followed until…

“Go back to camp. Scrubpelt will help me finish this patrol. I can’t bear to look at you right now…”

- - -

Moon 5 Summary

Ant’s injury has become infected!

The clan has encountered Splinter, a loving rogue!

- - -

CLIMB DOWN|CLIMB UP

[tallclan]

Moon 4 - Summer: Part 1

Grumbling under his breath, Sapflow walked out of the leader’s den and into the cool, moonless summer night. His mind was groggy with sleep. He had that dream again… The one where he found himself standing within the heart of a dark, rotting forest. All alone. Or, well, that’s what he could see so far. He knew there were others there. He could sense them. Feel their wet, matted pelts press against him, smell their musk, and hear their muffled whispers tickle his ears with their hot breath. Yet, no matter how hard he looked, he could never find them. A sharp yowl— a bloodthirsty battle cry—- would always bring him back to the waking world.

He’s had this dream for as long as he could remember. Practically since he was kit. Still, he could never figure out what it meant. Neither could GlintClan’s healers or the most spiritual of cats decipher what it could mean. It was all just chalked off as night terrors that would forever haunt him.

Standing on the ledge that led to the leader’s den, Sapflow looked out towards the pitch dark sky. It was still a long way before the first rays of morning would appear and everyone was still asleep, minus whoever was in charge of guarding the camp tonight. Unfortunately for him, that duty was given to none other than Scrubpelt and Sapflow wanted to avoid him as much as he could aside from regular warrior duties. The older tom was intent on rubbing his “I told you so” at Sapflow every chance he got.

With a sigh, Sapflow flopped down onto the stone floor. He had no other choice but to spend the rest of this sleepless night right where he was. At least Scrubpelt was too far away to get the satisfaction of seeing him mope around.

“The stars are beautiful tonight, aren’t they?”

Sapflow flinched, but immediately relaxed when he realized it was Icystar. The leader joined him, laying down beside him. Without waiting for him to say anything, she draped a paw over his shoulder and pulled him closer to her to give him comforting licks on the forehead. It eased his nerves and he fell into her warm embrace. For a moment, he found himself back in GlintClan, when the two were still apprentices and she was always the one that comforted him in the aftermath of his nightmares. Even as warriors, the habit still continued.

“You had that dream again.”

“I’m sorry…”

“Don’t apologize. There’s nothing for you to apologize for.”

“Of course there is. You should be asleep! Not out here with me.”

“How can I? Even after what you went through? Besides, how could I sleep with the curse I was burdened with? I would’ve been in another cat’s dream…”

He didn’t say anything. She had a point and her constant sleep deprivation and eyebags proved it.

“I wish Cavernfur could’ve told us what all this meant,” Sapflow sighed in frustrated defeat, “My nightmares. Your dream walking. They must mean something.”

Icystar couldn’t help but snort. “You know how StarClan is. The living can’t communicate with them and when a leader gives up one of their lives to seek their guidance, they are extremely vague. Even the healers, who are the most connected to our ancestors, hardly have their prayers and rituals answered. We’ll never get anything out of them.” As she said this, she looked up at the stars, almost as if she was waiting for their ancestors to prove her wrong somehow. Of course, nothing happened. The stars continued to exist as normal.

After a moment of silence, Icystar spoke once more. “You know, you could go to Mulberrystripe. Not right now, of course, but tomorrow. She could give you some poppy seeds to help you sleep better and maybe she might know something about your dream.”, she suggested.

“No!” Sapflow retaliated, quite strongly. “I-I mean, no,” he repeated himself, this time with a softer tone, “I’ll still get p-poppy seeds from her, but I d-don’t feel comfortable telling her about t-this.”

“Oh, of course,” Icystar said, still taken aback by Sapflow’s sudden reaction, “Is everything alright, Sapflow? You’ve been distant lately and I’ve noticed that you’ve been avoiding Scrubpelt a lot. He’s not giving you any trouble, is he? If he is, I can talk to him.”

This was it. This was the moment he could finally tell her everything. Confront her. Get the truth. Prove Scrubpelt wrong once and for all. They were alone. No one else around them besides the creatures that lurked in the night. The only eyes on them were that of their ancestors in Silverpelt.

“No, nothing’s wrong.”

Sapflow • 57 moons old • Wise

Icystar • 55 moons old • Ambitious

CLIMB DOWN | CLIMB UP

---

Time to dump some lore! This is already in the allegiances, but I'll say it here anyway. Sapflow has a Deep Dark Forest bond and Icystar has the Dream Walking ability. Well, Sapflow doesn't know that the place he keeps "dreaming" about is the Dark Forest. The Dark Forest is deeply hidden away from the realm of the living. One of the punishments given to the cats that are condemned there is a complete cut-off from the living world, preventing them from casting their influence and causing harm. No one really knows that the Dark Forest exists until they pass into the after life. Only way that a Dark Forest cat can reach out to a living being is if that cat has a strong enough bond with the Dark Forest, or if they're being specifically summoned in a ritual. While Sapflow's bond is strong, it's not strong enough to help him see and communicate with the Dark Forest beings. For the Dark Forest cats, they can't see him, but they can sense him and they're desperately trying to reach out to him...

I expected to get this part done during the weekend (or later this week at the very least), but the snowstorm that hit my state allowed me to stay in at home for the day! Part 2 will be different from what I've done so far. It'll be more of a comic, so it might take me a while. So far, I have 3 pages scripted and in the rough sketch phase.

[tallclan]

Moon 4 - Summer: Part 2

CW: BLOOD, INJURY, & ANIMAL DEATH

CLIMB DOWN|CLIMB UP

As summer continues to drag on, Scrubpelt has detected the scent of intruders entering TallClan’s territory. This isn’t uncommon in the area, but now that there’s a clan occupying the territory, it has to be nipped in the bud! Bonebracken and Marigoldflip are told to be on the lookout for any suspicious activity while they patrol the border. Nothing has shown so far and unfortunately, the unbearable heat makes the patrol utterly boring! They gossip to pass the time!

At the age of 15 moons old, Bonebracken is killed by a gang of rogues. A search party finds his body stiff and cold to the touch…

Story underneath the cut!

Summer continued to drag on in the valley and life continued to be as boring as usual in the clan. That is until Scrubpelt caught the scent of intruders crossing into TallClan’s territory. This was to be expected. It wasn’t uncommon to see loners, rogues, and travelers passing through this part of the valley or making temporary camp here. However, that was back then when Stars’ Touch was a neutral territory between the clans. Now that a clan has settled down in the area, that would not be tolerated anymore.

Border patrols now had only one motive in mind: chase out anyone who shouldn’t be here.

This time, it was Marigoldflip’s and Bonebracken’s turn to patrol the border and so far, it has been dreadfully boring. No one has caught a whiff of intruders to the point that Marigoldflip wondered whether Scrubpelt had been mistaken. The senior warrior was really old now. Perhaps his age was starting to show. ‘Or maybe he’s always been bad at distinguishing tracks.’, she jokingly thought to herself.

Gossip was the only thing that helped kill time and fortunately for her, she had a lot to share. Well, most of it came from Scrubpelt. He had a lot to say about the comings-and-goings of their leader, deputy, and healer. He’s been yapping about it to any cat who would listen in the past moon or two. Everything Marigoldflip had been told was against her own free will, since no one stayed around long enough and Scrubpelt hardly bothered with Bonebracken. She had only been the older tom’s “apprentice” for the last moon of her training, but she guessed that was enough to get in his good graces. Only pro she found of this is that it made clan life more eventful.

“And that is what’s been going on between Icystar and Sapflow. Or what Scrubpelt believes at least.”

“Oh, that’s interesting…” That was all that Bonebracken said. His eyes were glued to the ground before them.

The two continued to walk. Unfortunately, in awkward silence.

“So, what do you think?”

“Oh? Uhm,” he stuttered as he searched for words, clearly caught off guard that Marigoldflip cared about his opinion, “I-I don’t really focus on stuff like that. Oh! W-weren’t you Mulberrystripe’s apprentice? Y-You know, when she was still a warrior? Have you talked to her about… all that?”

Now she was the one who didn’t know what to say. Her silence worried Bonebracken and he began to mumble an incoherent apology for stepping over a personal line.

“N-No, it’s okay! Don’t apologize!” Marigoldflip reassured him. “I needed a few seconds to think. Now that you mentioned it, I never thought about asking her. I-I don’t think I will, though. She’s been busy lately and so have I. Only times I’ve interacted with her so far since we came here is whenever I’m feeling ill or if she needs my help.”

Some of that was half of the truth. To be honest, Marigoldflip was avoiding her as best she could. The young cat hated to admit it, but she was still hurt that her former mentor had eagerly chosen to leave LogClan behind for TallClan. She didn’t even think about the apprentice she had spent so long training and bonding with. Had Marigoldflip not followed after her, she knew she’d be a quick forgotten memory. Perhaps that’s the reason why she has been tolerating Scrubpelt’s claims for so long. How could a cat so easily leave behind the clan they were born in and their family if not for something greater— love.

She didn’t want to think about this anymore.

“Anyway, enough about them! Tell me about you and Bluegale!”

“W-What?” Bonebracken replied, dumbfounded. His eyes darted around anxiously, as if expecting the mentioned Lead Mediator to show up at any moment.

“Don’t act dumb! I’ve seen how close you’ve two been lately! You’re practically prancing around her every day! And it looks like she enjoys your company too!” She teased.

Bonebracken’s face looked flustered.

“So? What about it? Any chance there’s going to be kits in the nursery?”

That was enough to get him to burst! Tripping over his words, he began to bashfully rebuke her claims, “H-Hey! It’s n-not like that! I don’t l-like her! I-I mean, I do! B-But— grah! Y-you know what I mean!”

Marigoldflip rolled her eyes. She opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, that’s when she smelled it. “Wait! Do you smell—“

“AHHH!!!”

Bonebracken’s petrified scream cut her off. She followed his trembling, horrified gaze down to a rocky ditch their path was leading them to. Down below, propped against a boulder, was a cat, scarred and bloody all over. Without hesitation, Marigoldflip sprinted down the stone incline that led into the ditch to inspect the mauled stranger.

“A-Are they a-alive?” She heard Bonebracken whimpered, still frozen in place from where he stood.

Just as he said that, the cat wheezed and gurgled what resembled a grunt. It was then that Marigoldflip realized what exactly she was looking at. The cat wasn’t just propped against the boulder. Their whole face was smashed against it and to her utmost horror, their lower jaw was hanging loosely.

“Go get Mulberrystripe!” She yowled.

Bonebracken flinched, taken aback by the ferocity of her tone. He hesitated. His trembling body still stuck in place.

“Get Mulberrystripe!! NOW!!!” Marigoldflip ordered again, much harsher this time. Her claws dug at the ground, ready to push herself out of the ditch and fetch Mulberrystripe herself if Bonebracken didn’t move. Fortunately, he turned tail and ran. And that was the last time she saw him.

—

When help didn’t arrive as fast as she would’ve liked, Marigoldflip carried the injured cat on her back, similar to how one would give kits badger rides. If anything, she wished it could’ve been just like that. Although the adrenaline coursing through her body was the one thing that kept her standing, she could feel her aching legs trembling under the weight of the adult cat on her back. It didn’t help that the sun was burning down on them and all of her senses were clogged by the smell of blood.

She cursed Bonebracken’s name with what little strength she had left to speak. That foolish tom! She could already envision what must’ve happened when he arrived back in camp. He was too distraught for words. All he could say in between his ugly sobbing was just word vomit. At least his distress would send a patrol out looking for her and she was hopeful she would bump into them soon.

She should’ve known something was wrong when her arduous trek finally came to an end at the entrance of camp, where everyone was peacefully enjoying the last of the sun’s warmth before it set for the day. The panic and urgency only set in when they noticed who she brought with her. Her body and mind were too tired for her to notice that something was amiss and everyone else was too caught up in this new development in their relatively boring lives to notice it as well. It wasn’t until nighttime when the stranger was well-bandaged up, finally receiving the medical attention she needed, and Marigoldflip was explaining her unusual findings to Icystar when they realized.

“And Bonebracken? Where is he? I haven’t seen him since you two left on patrol this afternoon.”

Marigoldflip’s heart dropped.

“W-What do you mean? I-Is he not here?”

—

Maybe it would’ve been best if Marigoldflip had been the one to get help. Or maybe not. He wouldn’t have been able to live with the guilt if she died in his place. Then again, she wasn’t him. She wouldn’t have gotten lost in the territory, too petrified by fear and shock to see where she was going. Everything would have worked out in the end.

What would Daydream think of him? His heart ached when he suddenly remembered his former mentor. Sure, she only trained him during the last days of his apprenticeship and they hardly knew each other before that, but she had been the only cat in his life who truly believed in him without a doubt. Was she going to be mad? Ashamed? He sure knew that everyone back in GlintClan wouldn’t be surprised this was his end.

“Bonebracken?”

He flinched upon hearing his name. He didn’t know who was behind him, but he could guess why she was here— to guide him to StarClan. He didn’t turn around to face her. He didn’t want to.

“It’s time to go, dear.”

Tears fell from his cheeks, falling and vanishing into the pool of blood that laid in front of him. Just a few inches away laid his body, covered in several battle wounds, from head to toe. All the blood was coming out from a wound in his neck, the fatal blow.

“C-Can y-you give m-me just a f-few m-more minutes? P-Please?” He pleaded through his sobbing. “O-Or a-at least un-until s-someone gets h-here? I-I don’t want to l-leave m-me-my body here. I-I’m sc-scared n-no one’s going to f-find me. C-can’t I-I send t-them a message or lead them h-here?”

The sound of pawsteps could be heard heading their way. The usually quiet night air was interrupted by the sound of several cats calling out his name. Daydream’s stood out in particular.

“You don’t have to worry about that.”, the voice reassured him.

Now that he knew that his body wouldn’t be left undiscovered, the idea of staying here any longer made him anxious. He didn't want to see how everyone else would react. He wouldn’t be able to handle it. Especially not Daydream’s or even Marigoldflip’s reactions. He hoped the latter wouldn’t blame herself or be too mad with him. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, and turned around.

CLIMB DOWN|CLIMB UP

[And thus, the clan suffers their first death. It’s ironic it happened to be the first warrior 😭! I wasn’t particularly attached to Bonebracken in-game, since he died so early within the first year and apart from his death, he didn’t do much. Only thing that stood out when he was alive was him developing feelings for Bluegale. Plus, I really liked his design! I was hoping he could leave behind some descendants 😭 However, it was fun giving his character a bit more depth via writing and drawing!]

[tallclan]

ALLEGIANCES

Updated as of Moon 5!

LEADER - Icystar • Female • 56 moons old • Ambitious • Dream walker • Mate: Sapflow • Lives remaining: 9 • Founder

DEPUTY - Sapflow • Male • 58 moons old • Wise • Deep Dark Forest bond • Mate: Icystar • Founder

HEALER - Mulberrystripe • Female • 61 moons old • Competitive • Great speaker • Founder

MEDIATOR - Bluegale • Female • 48 moons old • Nervous • Good kitsitter & great mediator • Founder

WARRIORS

Scrubpelt • Male • 99 moons old • Troublesome • Helpful insight & great storyteller • Founder

Daydream • Female • 34 moons old • Strange • Great hunter • Founder

Marigoldflip • Female • 14 moons old • Fierce • Good teacher • Founder

Ant • Female • 34 moons old • Compassionate • Valuable insight • Joined Moon 4

APPRENTICES

QUEENS & KITS

ELDERS

Shadowdusk • Male • 140 moons old • Thoughtful • Helpful insight • Founder