#sunhigh

[bonefall]

while we’re talking about the gods and how fucked up they are, does sol have a “canon” appearance while he’s not possessing anyone / taking a specific form ie the fish thing?

I'm not sure if any of them have a TRUE form, as in, a specific body they have when they aren't in a vessel. It's like they have an "energy" and it can express itself in many ways.

Like how Sharptooth/One Eye has cycled through the forms of a bear, a boar, a man, a cave lion. He is an icon of war, his constant is that he invokes war.

So I'm thinking that Sol invokes fish, SPECIFICALLY he tends to invoke a salmon! He may have a few other icons associated with Autumn and change. Like a dormouse before torpor, a deer rapidly cycling through velvet, a moth.

Also also these are examples of gods who have "Broken Orbit." I'm calling it that until I have a better term for it, but what that means is that they are spirits who have become so ancient and powerful, they can live independently of the dead religions that formed them.

This could very well happen to StarClan Spirits one day, but a spirit had a few options for how its fate can progress;

Spirit forms -> joins religion -> is not worshipped/invoked/eventually forgotten -> fades peacefully

Spirit forms -> has no religion to join -> fades peacefully (Those two are the most common. That's normal, no one is exactly sure what happens after one fades, but it isn't painful. It's like falling asleep. Gods and monsters happen when THIS happens;)

Spirit forms -> joins religion -> is worshipped -> gains power -> RELIGION DIES

THIS happened to SkyClan and their rats. NONE of the spirits of ancient SkyClan where old and powerful enough yet to truly "Break Orbit," but they weren't so weak that they all died. They became a sort of supernatural monster; a collective association of angry rats.

Creating Skypelt saved them, but eventually they would have been dealt with and whittled away over time.

One Eye, Sol, Rock, and Midnight were from ancient religions that died, and they "broke orbit." They were strong enough to exist on their own. They're good examples of the "power ceiling" here; this is as strong as a god can get. It took several hundred years of continuous worship to make them.

There's probably more out there in the world, but there's only these 4 in this geographic region.

[lannisterdaddyissues]

living in 2023 really is just like *checks the clock* goddammit it’s some fucking time again *checks the calendar* goddammit it’s some fucking day of some fucking month of some fucking year again

[genderqueertree]

i think snowfur is one of those girls that you think is normal but she's currently thinking about the most violent things the cat mind can imagine

[cheryxshug]

yes absolutely

do you guys think noon would be a valid warrior cats prefix/suffix

[bonebabbles]

TEQ: 15

Moonpaw is confronted by Jayfeather about if she really wants to be a medcat or not. The conversation segways to him explaining who Ashfur was and what he did. Less aggressively than Alderheart, he restates that it would be VERY bad if that sounded familiar.

I expect Jayfeather to be horrible with kids, though, to be fair. Naturally, this frightens Moonpaw and she lies to stay out of trouble.

Then she goes to the Moonpool to talk to her other half again. It assures her it's real by sharing a "prophecy," and then making that prophecy come true. I wish they weren't trying to make The Voice so sinister, this would be kind of adorable if it was like;

"Heck yeah I'm a StarClan cat!! I can give you a prophecy!!! tomorrow at sunhigh there will be a cool bug in your nest"

"ugh. that doesn't sound anything like a prophecy, it's not even worded like a riddle"

"Um, uh, wait I can give you a different one! Tomorrow the sun will go missing, and you'll find it in a hollow tree!"

"big if true."

[snailstep-and-her-clan]

Ermineclaw gathers his youngest kits to tell them bedtime stories as they settle in for a sunhigh nap.

He’s honestly an honorary queen at this point. Snailstep loves her kits but hates being cooped up in the nursery and can’t wait to leave, while Ermineclaw hates being away from the nursery and his kits for even a second and rushes through his chores to get back. So once the kits are old enough to no longer need to nurse, Snail goes back to her warrior duties and Ermineclaw takes over the majority of nursery work.

Here are the two youngest all grown up:

I did upload a pic of these two in the full family lineup but I wasn’t happy with their designs so I revamped them.

Stoatfrost is named after Ermineclaw and Icestar (based off of @graphite-grey 's OCS), and he will eventually become Snailsteps medicine cat apprentice .

Lilyleaf was originally called Amberleaf but she didn’t really have anything Amber about her so I changed it lol. She’s also the smallest of all the siblings

Also while drawing this I had this stupid thing in my brain 🤣

[clangenrising]

Month 15 - Newleaf

Prev | First | Next

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Out,” Sagetooth ordered Russetfrond. 

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

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

“Your den,” offered Slatepaw obediently. 

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

“I tried to warn you,” she grumbled. 

“I know,” he said. “I’m sorry.” 

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

“Clearly,” he huffed. 

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

“Oh,” he frowned in surprise. 

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

“Bad how?” asked Russetfrond carefully.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Did you name them?” asked Sagetooth.

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

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

“I can only hope so,” he said. 

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

UPDATES:

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

[rippleclan]

RippleClan: Moon 84

Elmsprout and Lavendertwist welcome two kits into the world.

[Image ID: Elmsprout and Lavendertwist face two newborn kits; a ginger and white kit, and a pale silver kit with a few white markings. Under Elmsprout, it says - CONDITION: PREGNANT, + CONDITION: RECOVERING FROM BIRTH. Under the ginger kit, it says NEW PLAYER: GINGERKIT, 0, MALE, CHARMING. Under the silver kit, it says NEW PLAYER: FROSTKIT, 0, FEMALE, QUIET.]

(Elmsprout: 51, female, caretaker, charismatic, trusted advisor)

(Lavendertwist: 50, male, historian, playful, great singer, good storyteller)

(Gingerkit: 0, male, kit, charming)

(Frostkit: 0, female, kit, quiet)

Currentsmoke expresses his concern about Yarrowclaw's recent behavior.

[Image ID: Mosspounce, Wolfgaze, Sandhollow, Weevilsight, and Anchovystrike run in a patrol, with Mosspounce calling "Yarrowclaw, get off the horse-path." Under Weevilsight, it says - INFECTION.]

---

Anchovystrike couldn't really share tongues with his brother, not like he wished he could. After all, Currentsmoke couldn't groom him back. It didn't help that the thick wound across Currentsmoke's face was still infected, covered in oozing concoctions. Weevilsight said the infections came and went, but to Anchovystrike, it all seemed like one big, continous disease. Yet that didn't matter. Injured or not, Currentsmoke was going to enjoy the anniversary celebration with the rest of RippleClan, basking in the sunhigh glow.

Most of the Clan was busy around Elmsprout and Lavendertwist. They had just given their litter of two, Frostkit and Gingerkit, their names, and everyone wanted to show the two tiny kittens what the warm sand and cool sea felt like. Meanwhile, the artisans and caretakers used some of RippleClan's precious salt to season enough prey for everyone. Anchovystrike and Weevilsight shared a woodpecker while Weevilsight helped Currentsmoke drink some salty, herb-soaked broth. The three cats basked in the summer sunshine, content with their meals.

"You know, Currentsmoke," Weevilsight sighed, nestling into the sand, "if you end up with a big scar from this, you won't be alone. Most of my tail has healed, but fighting that infection left a lot of the skin raw." Weevilsight showed off her tail, which no longer sported any bandages, as it had over the last few moons. Yet the skin was still pink and raw, irritated from exposure to other cats' diseases. The scarring ran across her ginger and black fur like new tortoiseshell markings. Had Weevilsight been a warrior, it would have been a mark of beauty.

"I duhn't care ah-out scars," Currentsmoke grumbled. "I just 'anna li'eh."

"You're not dying on us," Anchovystrike huffed, shoving Currentsmoke's shoulder. "You've got four clerics looking after you, and you've got me, Billowhaze, and Yarrowclaw keeping you busy. You're the best of us, Current. You're not going anywhere anytime soon." Currentsmoke purred and gently bunted heads with his brother, making sure not to touch his wounds. The supernatural glimmer in Weevilsight's pelt glowed brighter at the sight, and Anchovystrike purred just a bit harder. Yet as Anchovystrike dug into his share of the woodpecker, Currentsmoke tensed. Anchovystrike could feel Currentsmoke's tired muscles harden as he rested against him.

"More pain, Currentsmoke?" Weevilsight asked. She sniffed at Currentsmoke's jaw.

"Nuh," Currentsmoke mumbled. He scanned the happy crowd trapsing through the sand and salt water. Anchovystrike followed his gaze, unsure what he was looking for. "Souh'ing's wruhng 'ith Yarr'acla'ah."

"Yarrowclaw?" Anchovystrike clarified.

"She has been a little strange the last few moons," Weevilsight admitted. "Did you hear about her hunting patrol last moon?"

"She's been overworking herself, I know," Anchovystrike huffed. "But she realizes it eventually. She just gets into these moods lately."

"It's muhre than that," Currentsmoke insisted. The injured tom groaned and slowly pushed himself to his paws. His legs shook, his body's battle with his injuries draining too much strength from him to stay up for long. "She's nuh't here. Souh'ing's wruhng." Weevilsight pushed against Currentsmoke, making sure he didn't collapse. Currentsmoke tried to shake Weevilsight off, but hissed as the bandages restraining his jaw rubbed the wrong way.

Anchovystrike gave the anniversary celebration another look over. Was Yarrowclaw with Billowhaze? No, Billowhaze was joking with Wolfgaze and Ravenweaver over their own share of salty meat. Maybe she was spending time with her former mentor. No, that wasn't right either, Rapidleaf was talking through something with Estherfern, probably bonding over recent messages from StarClan or something of the sort. Yarrowclaw was close with Estherfern's litter, she was probably splashing through the water with them! And yet, no. Brightreed, Wolverineheart, Boughfur, and Thundergale were each busy with their own fun. Currentsmoke was right. Yarrowclaw wasn't at the anniversary celebration.

"Why do you think something is wrong?" Weevilsight asked, easing Currentsmoke back down.

"I heard her," Currentsmoke groaned. "She f'isited 'e. She didn't 'ake sense. She said she was going to cah'lete a rituh'al to cuh're 'e."

"To cure you?" Weevilsight muttered. "But we've said all the prayers we can think of. Estherfern even helped Honeybuzz commune with the Celestial of Broken Bones herself for extra advice and blessings. What could Yarrowclaw do?"

"She's in dang'ah!" Currentsmoke snapped. He tried to stand again, but his rising nerves worked in tamdem with his weakness and send him back into the sand.

"Rabbitjoy mentioned something about a ritual last moon," Anchovystrike realized. "That was why Yarrowclaw caught all that prey." Anchovystrike stood, shaking sand out of his fur. "You're right, Currentsmoke. I don't like this. I… I think I misunderstood what Yarrowclaw's been going through. We need to find her."

"I'm with you, Anchovy," Weevilsight promised, stretching. "I'm going to fetch Honeybuzz so he can look after Currentsmoke. Think you can put together a patrol?"

"Easily," Anchovystrike purred, nodding. He rubbed against Currentsmoke and said, "Don't worry, Current. We'll make sure Yarrowclaw is alright." Weevilsight and Anchovystrike crossed by each other, each focused on their goals. Anchovystrike wormed around his Clanmates, focused on Billowhaze, Wolfgaze, and Ravenweaver.

"Wolfgaze," Anchovystrike called as his friends and brother tried to fight off their giggles. "Can you join me for a bit? I need your help with something."

"What do you have to do that can't wait until after our celebration?" Ravenweaver asked, coughing to clear her laughter.

"Just…" Anchovystrike gulped, glancing at Billowhaze. "Call it a favor for a friend."

"You know I'd be happy to help," Wolfgaze said, getting to her paws. "Enjoy the rest of the meal for me, Billowhaze!"

"With pleasure," Billowhaze hummed, taking a huge bite out of the salted squirrel. Wolfgaze tucked her head and followed Anchovystrike.

"So you know," Anchovystrike chuckled, "we're going to talk about your interest in my brother later." Wolfgaze groaned softly, batting at her own red ears. "Right now though, I'm more interested in my sister. Can you go grab your dad and join me? I think Mosspounce could help a lot."

"Is something wrong with Yarrowclaw?" Wolfgaze asked, romantic embarassment fading.

"Just get your dad," Anchovystrike asked. Wolfgaze nodded and surged into the partying cats, calling for Mosspounce. Anchovystrike, meanwhile, headed for Sandhollow. The cream-tinted tom splashed through the water with Slushtrail and Tallowheart, the three of them squealing like kits. If Currentsmoke hadn't sounded so serious, Anchovystrike would have joined them in their fun.

"Sandhollow," Anchovystrike called. Sandhollow paused n his frolicking, just as Tallowheart's tail sent a wave of salt water into his face. Slushtrail and Tallowheart laughed as Sandhollow rubbed his eyes, trying to get the salt out.

"You two are so ridiculous," Sandhollow chuckled, stumbling out of the water. He shook out his pelt, spraying Anchovystrike. His fur stuck out like thorns. "Hi, Anchovystrike."

"Sandhollow, you've grown close to my sister since you graduated, haven't you?" Anchovystrike asked. "I've seen you spend time with her." Sandhollow's face darkened.

"Something's happened to her, hasn't it?" Sandhollow said.

"I don't know," Anchovystrike admitted as Slushtrail and Tallowheart waded onto the beach, the fun of the moment dead. "I want to make sure nothing does. We need to find her. Can you come with me?"

"Of course," Sandhollow huffed, giving himself a few quick licks to smooth his pelt.

"I should come too," Slushtrail said, sliding up to her fellow mediator.

"I think our little patrol is getting crowded, Slushtrail," Anchovystrike chuckled awkwardly.

"I can handle it, Slush," Sandhollow promised, side-eyeing Slushtrail.

"Is Yarrowclaw in danger or something?" Tallowheart asked.

"Or something, Tallowheart!" Anchovystrike snapped, making the young historian jump. "We just need to go, alright?" Tallowheart stepped back, nodding quickly and avoiding eye contact. Anchovystrike sighed, taking a deep breath. He would have time to apologize later. "Over here, Sandhollow." Sandhollow was at Anchovystrike's side with just a flick of the latter's tail. Slushtrail and Tallowheart watched on as the two toms jogged over to Weevilsight, Wolfgaze, and Mosspounce.

"What exactly is the problem here?" Mosspounce huffed as Anchovystrike and Sandhollow joined the patrol.

"We don't know all the details," Weevilsight sighed, her focused, glowing gaze resting on each Clanmate. "I think we've all noticed Yarrowclaw has had… a lot of busy days, lately. We're worried it's more than that. Currentsmoke thinks she's in danger, and I'm inclined to believe him."

"I'm not trying to undermine your worry, really," Mosspounce said, awkwardness twitching through his whiskers, "but as the oldest cat here, and I really hate that that's true, I should point out the obvious. Yarrowclaw's an adult. She's allowed to leave the party. Are you sure we need to track her down?"

"Currentsmoke knows cats," Anchovystrike huffed. "He's one of the most caring cats I know. He knows when something's wrong. He saw Yarrowclaw wasn't here and panicked. If he thinks we need to find her, we should find her."

"Wanted to make sure you were serious," Mosspounce assured him. "Now the other question… do we have any idea where she might be?"

"Let's check camp first," Wolfgaze suggested, jogging across the sand. "It might be that simple!" The patrol ran after Wolfgaze, sand sticking to their half-wet paws. They left behind the music and laughter of their Clan and ran toward their shipwreck home.

Carnationspeckle lounged at the entrance of camp, absent-minded in her guard duty, dozing off in the warm, almost blistering sun. She snapped to attention as the patrol hurried up to her, however.

"Are you all alright?" Carnationspeckle asked. "You look so serious. Did something happen?"

"We're alright, Carnationspeckle," Sandhollow promised, panting, "but is Yarrowclaw in camp? Did you see her?"

"She's not in camp," Carnationspeckle said, shaking her head, "but I did see her! She headed south a short time ago. Is she alright?"

"Keep your ears perked for us, would you Carnationspeckle?" Anchovystrike asked, paws carrying him to the shoreline. Weevilsight and Wolfgaze scrambled behind him.

"Anchovystrike, wait!" Carnationspeckle yowled, but Anchovystrike's focus was elsewhere.

Anchovystrike breathed deep as the lips of a heavy wave stretched to meet his paws. The salt stung his nose and blinded him to even the smell of Weevilsight beside him. Anchovystrike's chest tightened. Call it instinct, call it brotherly intuition, call it the power of the All-Seeing for all he cared, Anchovystrike's whole body screamed at him to find Yarrowclaw, right now.

"I smell her!" Wolfgaze cried, tail shooting up. She sniffed the sand, whiskers pooling Yarrowclaw's scent together and into a narrative in Wolfgaze's mind. The patrol gathered around her. The heat molded into Anchovystrike's anxiety, making his fur burn. "Carnationspeckle is right, she went south!"

"That's my kit," Mosspounce cheered, sniffing. "I got the scent too. We'll find her together. This way, you three!" Wolfgaze and Mosspounce ran along the sand and grass, hopping from scent bubble to scent bubble. Anchovystike, Weevilsight, and Sandhollow matched their pace.

Yarrowclaw's trail drifted from the cool shoreline into the speckled hills. There was no banter in this patrol, no breaks. Every cat stayed focused on the task ahead. They pushed through the mental haze of sunhigh and kept moving. They would find her. She hadn't gotten far. They just had to keep going. She'd be fine. She'd be fine.

"Anchovystrike." Sandhollow ran alongside Anchovystrike, who suddenly found his chest too tight and the air barely breaching his lungs. "Breathe. Don't pass out on us." Breathe. Yes, breathe. Anchovystrike forced the air into him like a drowning cat.

They heard Yarrowclaw before they saw her.

"I can hear them! I can hear the horses, Robin, thundering down and down and down the path, down the path to save him! Thundering hooves strike the ground, it's lightning, lightning in the sky, or is that my heart? Is my heart in their hooves? Smashed under their hooves? Robinkit, they're coming! They're coming! Strike me! Hit me! His pain to my pain, my pain to his, StarClan's will be done, but not with this, no no, not with Current! You can't take him, Robinkit! Not yet! And you're never taking me! Never!"

Yarrowclaw paced in the center of the horse-path. Her tail thrashed wildly, as though she was in the middle of a battle. She kicked up dust like a kit playing in the sand. She screeched down the path, good eye shifting in and out of focus. Anchovystrike could not hear any horses.

"Yarrowclaw, get off the horse-path," Mosspounce barked, charging toward the border. Anchovystrike, Weevilsight, Wolfgaze, and

"I'll be fine!" Yarrowclaw shrieked. Anchovystrike never heard such laughter in his sister's voice before. "It's for Current! It's for Current! It's my destiny, it's my purpose! They're almost here! Here, here, I hear them, they're deafening, they're here to hear me, they're here for me!" Yarrowclaw's laughter suffocated Anchovystrike. Yarrowclaw coughed, choking on her escasty. Her laughter dissolved into a death wail, the same frenzied expression stuck on her face. "Stop it! Stop the noise! Trample me already! Break it! Break my jaw! Don't take him! Don't take him!" Yarrowclaw stumbled, jaw smacking into the dry path.

"Freeze her!" Weevilsight wailed with a heartbreak Anchovystrike hadn't heard since that fateful day in the nursery. "Wolfgaze!"

At the same time, Yarrowclaw cried, pushing herself up, "I can't keep waiting! I have to take it from him!" Yarrowclaw wrenched her head back.

Suddenly, the world stood still. Yarrowclaw's guttural cries stopped with the blink of an eye. The wind stirred her dusty fur. Her sightless eye stared at Anchovystrike as the patrol finally reached the horse-path. Wolfgaze, too, was frozen, but her eyes, focused and terrified, stayed stuck on Yarrowclaw.

"Don't break my line of sight," Wolfgaze gulped as Anchovystrike and Sandhollow approached Yarrowclaw's supernaturally frozen form. "We've never moved someone when they're frozen, I don't know if we can."

"Just stop her," Weevilsight begged, hiding her face in her father's shoulder. "I hate this vision. Don't let it happen." Anchovystrike knew better than to pry into Weevilsight's darkest visions. He carefully walked behind Yarrowclaw and tucked himself under her head. With his head right up to Yarrowclaw's pelt, Anchovystrike could truly see Wolfgaze's power in action. There was a faint shimmering line surrounding Yarrowclaw's body. Anchovystrike could only see it if he focused, but the lines rippled like water and pressed against Yarrowclaw.

"We'll unfreeze her and get her off the horse-path," Sandhollow said, jaws close to Yarrowclaw's scruff. "Mosspounce, be ready to help us. I don't think she's going to go quietly." Wolfgaze swallowed hard.

As soon as Wolfgaze blinked, Yarrowclaw came to life. She swung her head down hard, but rather than hitting the hoof-hardened horse-path, her muzzle smacked into Anchovystrike's shoulder.

"No!" Yarrowclaw cried as Sandhollow grabbed her scruff. "No no no! He'll die! I'm the only one, I'm the only one that can save him, I'm the only one! I won't be hurt! I can't be hurt! No!" Sandhollow and Anchovystrike dragged Yarrowclaw off the horse-path. Yarrowclaw swung her claws at Anchovystrike's muzzle. She caught her brother's lip, sending a stream of blood trickling into Anchovystrike's mouth. Anchovystrike hissed and shoved Yarrowclaw onto the grass lining the horse-path. Mosspounce left his terrified daughter's side and stood on Yarrowclaw's shoulders. Anchovystrike stood on her flank.

"Yarrowclaw, can you hear me?" Sandhollow asked softly, crouching at the trapped molly's level. "Shh, you're safe, I promise."

"No, I have to go," Yarrowclaw cried, face as torn as the day she saw Robinkit and Harvest's bodies cooling in the nursery. "There's too much to do, I can't stay here, I have to go."

"There's nothing you need to do except breathe," Sandhollow assured her. "Weevilsight is going to find some herbs to calm your mind. It seems like there's a lot going on in there, am I right?"

"Currentsmoke's going to die unless I transfer his wounds to me," Yarrowclaw wailed. Her pinned claws dug up tufts of grass.

"Yarrowclaw, that kind of ritual doesn't exist," Mosspounce snapped. Yarrowclaw's chest heaved, ragged breaths morphing into sobs. "You have to snap out of it."

"Mosspounce, with all due respect," Sandhollow hissed quietly, suddenly at the caretaker's ear, "stop talking. Let the tom with mediator training use his training, alright?"

"How do we calm her down?" Mosspounce asked. Yarrowclaw kicked at Anchovystrike, but Anchovystrike laid on her hind legs. All Yarrowclaw could do was flex her claws helplessly.

"There's a patch of tall lettuce that loves to sprout near here," Weevilsight stammered. "That should help. I, I'll be right back!" Weevilsight scurried over the hills and through the trees, unable to stop her pelt from bristling.

Wolfgaze silently took over for Anchovystrike as Sandhollow whispered to Yarrowclaw, rubbing on the edges of her delusions. Anchovystrike laid beside Yarrowclaw rather than on top of her. Yet as he rested his head, something glimmered in the top of his vision.

Anchovystrike hadn't seen this strange sight since that moment in Downstar's den, coping with the sudden loss of his mother and brother. Soft streams of light flowed around Yarrowclaw and her captors like the glistening pawsteps of StarClan. Even against the shine of the midday sun, the light couldn't blind Anchovystrike. It pulled the weight out of his chest. Yarrowclaw sobbed deep, her whole body tensing. Then, she relaxed, deflating into her own unknowable misery.

"If that's you, Robinkit," Anchovystrike whispered, just quiet enough for him to hear, "thank you. And I'm sorry."

The ethereal light slithered around Yarrowclaw and dove sharply. It weaved into the back of the brown molly's head like a snake sliding into its hole. As it entered Yarrowclaw's body, the warrior sheathed her claws. Blades of grass stuck up between her toes. Sandhollow groomed Yarrowclaw's cheeks as Yarrowclaw sobbed and muttered a string of nonsense.

Anchovystrike wouldn't claim to understand what was wrong, or what needed to be done. But what he could do was groom his sister's fur and murmur gentle assurances.

(Anchovystrike: 19, male, warrior, playful, deep StarClan bond)

(Weevilsight: 19, female, cleric, daring, deep StarClan bond)

(Currentsmoke: 19, male, caretaker, loving, good climber, skilled toolsmith)

(Ravenweaver: 19, female, artisan, nervous, den builder, very clever)

(Wolfgaze: 19, female, codekeeper, thoughful, connection to StarClan, great speaker)

(Billowhaze: 19, male, historian, loyal, good kit-sitter)

(Sandhollow: 15, male, mediator, ambitious, lore keeper)

(Slushtrail: 20, female, mediator, wise, clever, talented weaver)

(Tallowheart: 20, male, historian, nervous, good swimmer)

(Mosspounce: 45, male, caretaker, adventurous, talented fire-starter)

(Carnationspeckle: 86, female, caretaker, compassionate, fish-like swimmer)

(Yarrowclaw: 19, female, warrior, cold, talented fire-starter)

[Image ID: Anchovystrike says to Sandhollow and Spikecrash "I’ve dealt with a lot for a cat my age. This is nothing in comparison. Yarrowclaw’s still the cocky, rough-as-salt molly I know. She’s still the cat I have fun with. She’s just got a few extra traits now." Yarrowclaw sits in the back. Under her, it reads + PERMANENT CONDITION: DAY-NIGHT CYCLING.]

---

"So Yarrowclaw's crazy now?" Cobaltchaser gulped, settling deeper into her nest.

"Cobaltchaser!" Lightningrunner whined, sneering. "You can't call your Clanmates crazy!"

"That's what she sounds like," Cobaltchaser pointed out. "I'm not insulting her. Some cats are crazy. They can't control it."

"Maybe we don't call anyone crazy," Anchovystrike sighed, cheek on the edge of his nest.

By the time Anchovystrike and his patrol came back to camp with Yarrowclaw, nearly half the Clan had left the celebration at the beach, wondering just what they were up to. Weevilsight's tall lettuce helped soothe Yarrowclaw, so she didn't enter camp yowling and crying, but everyone could tell she was in a fragile state. Paleseed and Spikecrash kept the Clan back until Sandhollow and Weevilsight settled Yarrowclaw in the medicine den. Anchovystrike had Mosspounce and Lemmy to thank afterward; the whole Clan was about to pry Anchovystrike for an explanation, but the moment Mosspounce spoke with his mate, Lemmy pushed everyone away, reminding them the value of a cat's privacy. That didn't mean cats like Cobaltchaser and Lightningrunner didn't try to ask later, as the entire camp relaxed after the party and settled down within the warm summer night.

"He's her brother, mouse-brain," Lightningrunner huffed. "He doesn't have to tell us the whole story. Yarrowclaw's going through a hard enough time without us getting in her business."

"At least one of you gets it," Anchovystrike said, getting up. "I think storytime is over, anyway." Anchovystrike crept through the maze of nests that made up the warrior's den. Most cats were already in their nests, getting ready to sleep. Anchovystrike tried not to look at Yarrowclaw's empty nest. He failed.

Outside the den, only a few cats remained out. Downstar and Oilstripe spoke with Spikecrash by the Shiprock while Billowhaze sat with Currentsmoke and Estherfern outside the medicine den. Wolfgaze and Mosspounce shared tongues outside the warrior's den and perked up when Anchovystrike stepped out.

"How are you feeling?" Wolfgaze asked softly.

"Like my sister just tried to kill herself," Anchovystrike chuckled wetly. Mosspounce set his head against Anchovystrike's shoulder, pouring his sympathy into him. "The nap helped, at least. I'll have to thank Lemmy for giving me some room to breathe."

"If it helps," Wolfgaze sighed, licking Anchovystrike's ear, "I don't think she realized she could have died."

"Is Billowhaze mad I didn't bring him with us?" Anchovystrike asked.

"It's bad enough you had to see that," Mosspounce huffed. "If that was Trumpetspore on the horse-path, I wouldn't have been able to do anything. Billowhaze should be grateful he wasn't there."

"He understood after I talked to him," Wolfgaze said. "Just be with your brothers, Anchovystrike. I can move my nest closer to you tonight, if you want."

"That would help," Anchovystrike sighed, touching noses with Wolfgaze. "I can't thank you enough for your help."

"Yarrowclaw's our friend too," Mosspounce purred, setting his tail on Anchovystrike's back. "We would have helped regardless. Good luck tonight." With that, Mosspounce and Wolfgaze entered the warrior's den, leaving Anchovystrike to face his family head-on.

Currentsmoke spotted Anchovystrike first. He raised his head from his curled position and batted Billowhaze's leg.

"I don't like that I had to hear about Yarrowclaw from someone else, Anchovystrike," Billowhaze huffed. Anchovystrike approached with his head low.

"He sa'ed her," Currentsmoke sighed as Estherfern put her nose in his ear. "Sat's enough."

"All this stress brought Currentsmoke's fever back," Estherfern muttered, shaking her head.

"Oh, so now you're interested in medicine?" Anchovystrike hummed, daring to raise his head.

"I've put my pride aside," Estherfern scoffed. "That's not what you should be focusing on tonight." Billowhaze sighed and cleared space for Anchovystrike to sit between him and Currentsmoke.

"Sandhollow told us that since Yarrowclaw isn't fully of sound mind," Billowhaze sighed, "he's going to keep us informed on Yarrowclaw and what she needs going forward." Anchovystrike nodded softly. He glanced into the medicine den. He could just hear Sandhollow inside, speaking softly with Yarrowclaw. When Sandhollow's blue eyes turned toward him, Anchovystrike quickly looked away. Moments later, Sandhollow stepped outside.

"Spikecrash?" he called softly. Spikecrash turned from her conversation with Downstar and Oilstripe. She bade the leader and deputy farewell and joined her former apprentice beside the three brothers.

"Estherfern," Spikecrash cooed, "we can watch over Currentsmoke if you'd like to nest for the night."

"Here's to a quiet night," Estherfern hummed, nodding to the mediators. She nodded to each of the three toms beside her before she slipped around Sandhollow and into the medicine den. Sandhollow and Spikecrash sat with their backs to the medicine den, as though shielding Anchovystrike and his brothers from what laid within.

"First things first," Sandhollow explained, "Yarrowclaw's safe and resting. She probably won't sleep tonight with her mania, but she'll at least stay in the medicine den. Even if she doesn't plan on staying, Spikecrash has asked for a caretaker to watch her through the night." Spikecrash nodded along with her apprentice's assessment.

"Mania, what is that?" Anchovystrike asked.

"You could consider it the opposite of depression," Spikecrash sighed. "Rather than feeling low, your emotions are elevated. Everything is more vibrant, more stimulating, your joy and rage and panic are stronger than ever before. We believe these periods of activity Yarrowclaw's had over the last few moons have been manic episodes. When a cat goes through these periods of mania, their emotions crash afterward into depression. We call it day-night cycling. Mania is like the day, bright and burning, while the depression afterward is like the night, gloomy and dark."

"Yarrowclaw is depressed too?" Billowhaze moaned.

"It's not the same for everyone," Sandhollow assured him, shifting a paw closer. "From what we've been able to gather about Yarrowclaw's behavior, she may focus more on the 'day' side of this cycling than the 'night' side."

"What should we know?" Anchovystrike asked. "To keep her safe, I mean."

"For now?" Sandhollow sighed. "Just show her support. We can talk through the specifics another time. This is a lot to process. It's been a long day. You should all rest."

"Honestly, Sandhollow?" Anchovystrike chuckled, focusing on the glow of the medicine den. "I’ve dealt with a lot for a cat my age. This is nothing in comparison. Yarrowclaw’s still the cocky, rough-as-salt molly I know. She’s still the cat I have fun with. She’s just got a few extra traits now. Right?"

"Exactly," Spikecrash purred.

"We still want to see her though," Billowhaze said. "You said she's awake."

"She isn't utterly delusional anymore," Sandhollow groaned, ears tilting back, "but she isn't recovered."

"Currentsmoke's sleeping in the medicine den, he'll get to see her," Billowhaze pointed out, his paw almost smacking Currentsmoke. "Just let us in for a little bit."

"It's best not to fight them on this, Sandhollow," Spikecrash cautioned, rubbing her tail along Sandhollow's back. "You three can see her, but be quiet and don't take long. The clerics are trying to sleep, and Wolverineheart has an ear infection they're monitoring." Billowhaze helped Currentsmoke to his paws. Anchovystrike touched noses with the mediators, but his mind was already in the medicine den. He led his brothers into the shadows of the ancient wood.

Potterypool sat guard beside Yarrowclaw as Wolverineheart and the clerics settled down to nest. Although Yarrowclaw's eyes drooped, she stayed alert, scratching at the moss in her nest. Someone groomed the dust and snarls out of her pelt and lined her nest with lavender. Billowhaze escorted Currentsmoke into his nest beside Yarrowclaw. Currentsmoke's paw hooked the edge of Yarrowclaw's nest as he stared at his sister. Anchovystrike loafed in front of Yarrowclaw, with Billowhaze sitting beside him.

"Potterypool won't let me leave," Yarrowclaw muttered, glaring at her guard.

"Do you want me to disobey Sandhollow?" Potterypool sighed, giving her charge nary a side-eye. "I'm not going on trial for letting something happen to you."

"You really scared me, Yarrowclaw," Anchovystrike whispered, paws itching underneath him.

"I was going to cure Currentsmoke… I think," Yarrowclaw sighed. She rubbed her face, groaning, "I don't really remember all of it. There were horses… or maybe that was my heart. I feel like I'm the middle of a battlefield."

"You were trying to break your jaw," Anchovystrike muttered. Some of the day's panic crawled back up his throat. "You were talking to Robinkit."

"I didn't actually see him," Yarrowclaw mumbled, putting her head on the nest's edge. "I was so sure he was there, though. Ugh, I just want to hunt! I feel like I'm on fire. I don't like talking this much, I'm not saying anything. But I can't move, so I have to, I have to keep talking so I don't burn away, everything's going too fast. I feel like I'm dying. I don't think I can die."

"You can die, Yarrowclaw," Billowhaze huffed. "You don't have powers, you're not a cleric, you can't perform any rituals. You're just you."

"I want it to stop," Yarrowclaw gulped. "I want to rest, but I'm on fire. I want to bite my pelt off, get it out, but Potterypool stops me."

"And she should, you know," Anchovystrike said. He scooted closer to Yarrowclaw.

"I do," Yarrowclaw whined. "I do know, somewhere. I'm dying. I want it to stop. I want to fix something, anything. Sandhollow wants me to sleep, and I want to sleep so badly, but I can't. Everyone's dying, and I can't stop it." Yarrowclaw's unsheathed claws hooked around her muzzle. Billowhaze moved them off. Currentsmoke stretched until his paw rested on top of Yarrowclaw's.

"I'll 'e here for yuh," Currentsmoke said, trying to purr. "I'll fight with yuh."

"We all will," Anchovystrike promised. He set his nose on Yarrowclaw's head and prayed to Robinkit, to Harvest, to any StarClan soul who wandered around him, that his sister realized that.

(Cobaltchaser: 14, female, codekeeper, righteous, good cook, prey cleaner)

(Lightningrunner: 14, female, historian, nervous, explorer, helpful insight)

(Anchovystrike: 19, male, warrior, playful, deep StarClan bond)

(Wolfgaze: 19, female, codekeeper, thoughful, connection to StarClan, great speaker)

(Mosspounce: 45, male, caretaker, adventurous, talented fire-starter)

(Billowhaze: 19, male, historian, loyal, good kit-sitter)

(Currentsmoke: 19, male, caretaker, loving, good climber, skilled toolsmith)

(Estherfern: 118, female, cleric, bloodthirsty, great mediator, prophecy seeker)

(Sandhollow: 15, male, mediator, ambitious, lore keeper)

(Spikecrash: 59, female, mediator, wise, good speaker, lore keeper)

(Potterypool: 19, female, caretaker, sneaky, great singer)

(Yarrowclaw: 19, female, warrior, cold, talented fire-starter)

Considering her great teaching skills, Moontide decides to join Thundergale and Shrewpaw as a teacher, further validating Thundergale's ambitious experiment.

[Image ID: Shrewpaw and Thundergale proudly watch Moontide.]

(Moontide: 19, female, teacher, playful, excellent teacher)

(Thundergale: 16, female, teacher, adventurous, good hunter, great speaker)

(Shrewpaw: 8, male, teacher apprentice, competitive, never sits still)

[forestclan-clangen]

MOON 3 (Final)

< PREVIOUS |

- Talonpaw fought a fox, but barely got hurt! Iciclepool chides him for being reckless. She decides to show him why they don't confront predators in the forest. Large animals are at risk of being infected by Nature's Mockery. But cats and Twolegs? They can become Fake Beings if they're infected - entities with stolen bodies and voices.

(Iciclepool, deputy, female, 59 moons) (Talonpaw, apprentice, male, 7 moons)

---

Iciclepool was livid. “Ugh, Talonpaw, please, please just run from it next time.”

“But I was stronger than it - ow!" Talonpaw hissed as Windfur applied a poultice to his injury. A fox had barely managed to nick his shoulder, but otherwise, Talonpaw was fine.

“The foxes and badgers in the woods are NOT normal. You should’ve been seriously hurt there. I don’t understand how you aren’t.” Iciclepool snapped back.

The medicine den fell quiet for a few moments. Olive was sleeping, and Windfur wasn't one to say much - unless he was telling stories to kits or repeating a rhyme to himself. Windfur wrapped some cobweb around Talonpaw's wound.

“...What do you mean they’re not normal?” Talonpaw finally asked.

Windfur paused, then turned to look at Iciclepool. The two cats met each other's eyes, and a tacit message was given. Windfur's tail twitched. "...Can you two grab some conifer roots on the way home? If you could teach him how to peel the root bark and then bring it to Cloudthunder to boil it, that'd be nice. I'll need to make more rope."

Iciclepool raised an eyebrow. "I thought Hopechase weaved some rope with bulrush leaves last moon."

"Those are good for den building. Less for securing braces," he said, glancing at Olive sleeping in the back of the den.

"I see. Will do." Iciclepool sighed, then beckoned to Talonpaw. “...Come. It's time."

"What is?" Talonpaw asked.

"To teach you about Woodcrawlers.”

Sunhigh had already passed by the time Iciclepool brought Talonpaw to the edges of their territory. The further from camp he was, the more unfamiliar scents invaded his senses. It took everything in him to keep his fur laying flat.

Iciclepool walked with purpose through the weaving branches and unmarked trails. Talonpaw couldn't smell any recent markers where they were going - but he couldn't pick up the scent of any other cats either.

"Um...Iciclepool? Where are we going?"

"A place that ForestClan doesn't walk, and for good reason."

Talonpaw's bright blue eyes widened. "Then...why are we going there?" he asked warily.

"To show you the true capabilities of our enemies, and why we avoid fighting them if we can." Iciclepool came to a sudden stop, then raised her tail in warning. "...We're approaching now. Stay quiet."

Talonpaw froze, then suppressed a retch of disgust as a foul smell invaded his nostrils. It was an amalgamation of crowfood, wet earth, and blood. He hissed. "What is that?" he whispered aggressively.

Iciclepool didn't answer. Instead, she brought her tail to her mouth, indicating for him to stay quiet.

"Stay here," she hissed.

Talonpaw obeyed, his fur bristling and his ears perked. The deputy dropped down into a stalking crouch, and padded up to the edge of a fallen tree that blocked their path ahead. She peered over it slowly, ready to hide in case she saw something she shouldn't. Her heart thumped in her chest as she saw the old, abandoned Twoleg nest, its walls still standing and its windows still intact. It was like nothing had changed in the two years that she and Redstar had originally found it. The windows were foggier as the seasons took their toll on the cleanliness of the building - but that was all. She narrowed her eyes in an attempt to see if the creatures that stalked its halls were still there.

Then, she saw it. A Twoleg hobbled in front of one of the large windows. It froze unnaturally in place, staring at a wall within the building, its arms pulled outward and down, like it was being shackled by the earth below.

Iciclepool did not see the fur-less flesh that Twolegs normally had. Roots had now engulfed it entirely. The fur on her neck stood on end. No matter how many times she saw this, she was never used to it.

She wordlessly beckoned Talonpaw to approach her. The apprentice swallowed anxiously, then carefully crawled up beside Iciclepool.

"Lift your head up. Keep your voice down, and do not make any sudden movements. Look inside the nest."

Talonpaw did as Iciclepool instructed, and his eyes widened in terror as he saw the Twoleg-like creature within. He could feel his heart bursting from his chest.

"What is that?"

"That," she whispered, "is what Woodcrawlers are capable of."

The two cats fell silent as they both saw another Twoleg-like creature shuffle near another one of the windows, in the same, arms-extended position. This one's mouth was still intact, its lips and jaw moving in unnaturally wide shapes, as though constantly trying to yowl.

Talonpaw's fur bristled. He'd heard about Twolegs from Windfur and Barleywave's stories, but he never saw one before. He imagined them to be alien, bulky creatures with advanced tools and powerful abilities to manipulate any terrain they came across. Just like cats, they could be kind and welcoming, or extremely hostile. But no matter what, they were everywhere. Twolegs have existed for as long as cats have, and while kittypets have learned to live alongside them at the cost of their freedom and ability to carry or sire kits, Talonpaw didn't necessarily blame the kittypets. He wouldn't ever want that for himself. But Barleywave once told him that Twolegs would outlive the oldest cat four times over. Talonpaw assumed that Twolegs were so strong that nothing could ever stop them. At least, if cats couldn't defeat the Woodcrawlers, Twolegs could.

He was wrong.

"Woodcrawlers...kill Twolegs?" he uttered.

"They do more than that, Talonpaw," she said gravely. "They infect and change the shape of any living thing. Any predator has a chance of being under the influence of a Woodcrawler. Most will move unnaturally, or have roots and growths where they shouldn't, but will still move like an animal. This is why you don't fight foxes or badgers, even if you believe you can defeat them."

Talonpaw couldn't take his eyes off of the unnatural movement of the infected Twolegs.

"But this infection is different. This is when Woodcrawlers have taken complete control over someone's body. We call these 'fakes'. They look and sound like their original species, but they're overwhelmed by roots. Their entire purpose is to lure others towards them, to be infected by more Woodcrawlers."

Iciclepool placed a paw on his shoulder, and the two crouched behind the fallen log, out of sight of the nest. Talonpaw tensed, but Iciclepool brushed her tail over her apprentice's back, forcing his fur to fall flat.

"Talonpaw. Listen closely. What I'm about to tell you now is very important."

Talonpaw gave an imperceptible nod.

"Cats will die in your lifetime. We will do everything in our power to prevent it. But cats will still die, whether they be a part of ForestClan, or an unfortunate wanderer. If they vanish at nightfall, and do not reappear in the morning, they are dead. Which means," Iciclepool's eyes hardened, and her voice became grave. "If you hear their voice calling for help, leave the area immediately. That's not them. Do not move towards the sound. If you can hear them, they have already heard you. Go to camp, and alert us to its presence. Under no circumstances do you follow their voice. Do you understand?"

He did know what else to say. His mouth agape, and with a new fear deeply ingrained within him, he nodded.

Out. He wanted out. Now.

"C-Can we go?" he mewed. He felt like a kit in the nursery again.

To his relief, Iciclepool nodded. "Yes. Quietly now. When we pass by the large oak, we'll be far enough away to take a breather. And...please, do stop and rest. Find your footing. Feel your feelings and ask your questions. We'll collect some conifer roots like Windfur asked..."

---

< PREVIOUS | NEXT >

[mommyclaws]

this is a little off topic but i do think the warriors don't have enough recreational activities. they rarely play or claw stuff up or run around for funsies like no wonder they beat the shit out of each other or get so excited to go on little missions and hunts, they're too cooped up with no good releases besides maybe training. doing anything remotely fun is considered kit/apprentice/kittypet behavior. i wish they did more group exercises or play, like the clan olympics squirrelflight put together or more group herb runs for the medcats

Yeah, everything's pretty plot driven in the books. I headcanon/imagine the clans are just very strict societies like that. Apprentices and kits are almost always scolded or scorned at for playing or goofing off even when they're so young. I think playfulness is just something that's hammered out of them as the age. At home you're expected to be useful and working, in front of other clans you're expected to be representing your strength and prosper regardless of if your clan is struggling or not. There's no time for fun in a society that's all about honor...

Doesn't help either that the characters aren't really written to be realistic in animal behavior. Cats are very curious and like to explore, they're distracted easily, and still show play behaviors when they're mature or even elderly.

Personally I think apprentices should get a sort of "recess" period. Like at sunhigh when all of the warriors relax to share tongues, apprentices are relieved of their duties and allowed to play or wander nearby. I'm sure they'd come up with plenty of their own games and activities to do on their own, maybe even convince some of the warriors or elders to join.

[talonslockau]

Forest of Secrets - Chapter 52

Chapter 51 || Index || Chapter 53

Fireheart sat beneath the Highrock, sharing a pigeon with Bluestar as the rest of the Clan shared tongues. The camp was even more excited than usual: Goldenflower had sent for Dewshine and Yellowfang just before sunhigh, because Frostfur had begun kitting. The camp was full of speculation - how many kits there would be, what they’d look like, even what their names might be. The only cats absent from camp were Peppermask and Princess - they’d taken the kits out to a nearby meadow to play so they wouldn’t interrupt the healers working or irritate Frostfur (who even Goldenflower had admitted was ‘a bit snappish at the moment’). 

“Are you excited?” Fireheart prompted Bluestar after a long silence. She glanced up at him for a moment, chewing on the pigeon thoughtfully. Then she nodded and sat up.

“Of course. New kittens are always welcome in the Clan.” She purred, blinking happily in the direction of the nursery. “I know Whitestorm and Lionheart will be good parents for them. I thought, after Whitestorm…”

She trailed off for a moment, a worried look in her eyes. “After Whitestorm?” Fireheart prompted, but she didn’t respond. He recognized that look: the same one she often had when speaking about Snowstorm, or her kits. It was her being haunted by the family she had lost; and, as he thought about it, he realized he was fairly certain what she was thinking of. “Are you talking about the leafbare before I joined? He told me that he’d almost died from greencough.”

Bluestar sighed deeply and nodded in response. “Yes. Spottedleaf told me to prepare his vigil, for he would only recover from the grace of Starclan. Through Starclan’s grace, he did recover, although…” She didn’t finish her sentence, but Fireheart could guess at the ending - although many didn’t. “You know how lonely it is in the Clan without any family, Fireheart. It wasn’t so long ago that I faced the same. It’s hard to let go of the past, sometimes.”

Fireheart wasn’t sure he fully understood, but he dipped his head to her nonetheless. “But now he’s having kits. Surely that’s reason enough to move on?”

“Yes.” Bluestar agreed readily to her deputy, a smile flickering over her lips. “Yes, it is. I know he has always wanted kits of his own. And now they are here, and I hope they are everything he imagined them to be and more.” Pain still showed in her eyes - remembering her own kits, perhaps, or still lingering on how she’d almost lost her nephew - but she turned to Fireheart with perked ears, ignoring her feelings. “Your own nephews and nieces are quite lovely. Little Cloudkit especially - I’ve never felt kitten teeth so sharp!”

Fireheart purred at the compliment from his leader, remembering how Sootkit and Rainkit had knocked her over. “Yes, I’m glad they’re here in Thunderclan. I can’t wait to see their apprentice ceremonies - though they can hardly wait either!” He glanced fondly at the camp entrance, imagining them romping around in a field of flowers with reckless abandon. “They’re all so excited to have new playmates, though they don’t seem to fully understand how small newborns are.”

“It’s a hard thing for a kit to comprehend.” Bluestar mewed in understanding. “For much of their life, they’re the smallest cats around! It’s hard to imagine anything being smaller.” She sighed and wistfully looked off at the nursery, clearly remembering some time long past. “I didn’t get to see a newborn kit until Robinwing had her litter, when I was already a warrior. I was shocked to see a cat small enough to fit in my paws!”

Fireheart nodded, remembering how small Lynxkit had been. She was essentially the same size as Sootkit and Rainkit now, with Sorrelkit having become the new runt. The thought of her becoming even the three moon old kit she was now amazed him. “I know what you mean. They’re basically the size of a mou-”

“FIREHEART!”

The deputy sat up with a bolt of panic as he heard his name howled loud enough to be heard from Fourtrees. Princess had just clawed her way through the bramble entrance, racing towards him with terrified puffed fur. “Fireheart, Cloudkit’s gone missing!” She cried, her green eyes already full of tears.

For a moment, Fireheart felt frozen with fear. Cloudkit had gone missing? “What happened?” He finally managed to stammer out, feeling the heat of the entire Clan watching him as he swallowed hard.

“I- I don’t-” She took a huge gulping breath, her whole body trembling as she looked up at her brother. “They were chasing this - this butterfly, in the flowers. It was bright, I didn’t see anyone, everything was okay. Peppermask and I smiled at each other - it was just a couple of heartbeats! We were just - we were happy, everything was nice, and-” Princess’ white paws were kneading in and out of the dirt below her in an attempt to calm herself. “I swear, Fireheart, he just vanished!”

“Calm down.” Fireheart was grateful to hear Bluestar speak up beside him. “What about the other kits and Peppermask? Are they okay?”

Princess stared at the leader as though she had suddenly turned purple. “I- I don’t-” She took another deep shuddering breath, clearly on the verge of hyperventilating. “Peppermask told me to come tell you, Fireheart. She said she’d tell them a story to keep them calm and in one place.”

Why in Starclan’s name would Peppermask tell Princess to do that? The thought echoed in his mind for too long, as Bluestar and Princess both stared at him. What did they want from him? He didn’t know how to find a kit! He was just-

Right, he was deputy. He was supposed to take care of this. He racked his brain, trying to figure out what Quickflash would do in this situation. Maybe he could order a patrol? He hesitated at the thought. Was that an abuse of his power, though? After all, it was one kit - maybe he should just go and help her find Cloudkit. What would the Clan think if they had to search all over the forest for a kittypet kit?

No, he thought to himself after a heartbeat, that was a flea-brained thought. Kits were the most important part of the Clan! The warrior code itself said that no kit could be neglected, no matter their origin. Whether Cloudkit’s parents were kittypet or not didn’t matter. The Clan would expect to be sent out to find a lost kit. Their territory was safe, generally, but there was always a chance that something had snuck past one of their borders. Not to mention the owl, or hawks, any of which could pick off an unsuspecting kit.

“Speckleflight.” Fireheart stepped forward and spoke now, still keenly aware that nearly all of the Clan’s eyes were on him. The elder blinked at him in surprise. “Take Rosetail and go with Princess to help Peppermask keep the other kits calm. The last thing we need is two missing kits.”

The pale golden queen nodded, glancing around to see Rosetail already standing up. Fireheart watched as Speckleflight came up alongside Princess, mewing something softly to her as the two older tortoiseshells led her out of camp. The older queens, he figured, would be able to help calm Princess in addition to telling the kits all sorts of fun stories for however long it took to find Cloudkit.

He surveyed camp, assessing which cats were best to go out looking for a kit. “We’ll form three patrols, each taking a different direction from the meadow. I want Cloudkit found as quickly and quietly as possible.” There was no dissent at his order, cats beginning to sit up and wait to be called. “Mousefur, you’ll take Mistspring and Dustleap and head towards the Riverclan border. Sandstorm, you’ll take Willowbranch and Graystripe towards the Shadowclan border. Dappleshine, you and Tinyfrost will be with me heading towards Tallpines. Longtail, Cinderspark, Bluestar, and the apprentices will stay behind and guard camp.”

Across camp, Cinderspark turned away, her tail low in disappointment. Fireheart understood why she was disappointed that she hadn’t been picked - likely wondering if he hadn’t chosen her because once again, he didn’t trust her. He briefly wished he could reassure her, to tell her that she had been given the most important mission of all. He doubted that this was a ploy to get the Clan out of camp, but he couldn’t help but remember what had happened the last time kits had gone missing. Brokentail was dead, but his rogues were still out there - and now, more than ever, they were probably seeking revenge against Thunderclan.

Fireheart wanted this to be nothing more than Cloudkit accidentally running off, but he had to prepare for the worst.

“Let’s go!” He barked, lashing his tail once for the warriors to follow him before turning and leaving camp. He didn’t need to look to know they were following him - he could hear the march of many pawsteps and the rustling of brambles through the tunnel behind him. Fireheart instead kept his eyes on the trail again - following the thick fear-scent of his sister, which he had to focus on to keep from overwhelming him.

The meadow wasn’t far from camp - about as far away as the training hollow was, but on the other side of the ravine. There, Speckleflight was cooing softly at his niblings sitting amongst pale blue flowers, likely telling them a story about times long ago. Rosetail was sitting off to the side, doing her best to console Princess and Peppermask alike. The kits were occasionally glancing at their mama, clearly picking up on her fear, but politely listening to Speckleflight nonetheless.

He could see all four of them look eagerly towards him as the three patrols entered the meadow, but he had no time to stop and reassure them. He had to trust that the elders, Princess, and Peppermask would be enough eyes on his remaining niblings to keep them safe. Instead, with a swift nod shared between the patrols, they all turned and raced off towards their assigned directions.

“Dappleshine, you should take the lead. You’re the best hunter out of all of us.” Fireheart mewed, slowing down slightly to allow the tortoiseshell to do just that. There was no time for bragging, or for modesty: while Tinyfrost and Fireheart were both good hunters, it was well known within the Clan that Dappleshine had the sharpest nose and had taught two of the other great hunters in the Clan. 

She slipped forward without complaint at the opening, keeping her nose raised as she drew air over her tongue to try and find a scent. Silently, Fireheart motioned for Tinyfrost to flank her on her other side, the three spreading out so that they could cover as much ground as possible without losing sight of each other in the forest undergrowth.

The ginger deputy tried to keep himself calm, taking deep breaths of the scents of the wild to keep his heart from racing. As scared as he was for his nephew, out in the forest on his own, allowing his fear to overtake him would only smother the other warriors’ attempts to scent out Cloudkit. 

The forest was full of dangers - even things that would only bother a fully grown warrior could be deadly for a young kit. What if Cloudkit fell into a hole and couldn’t get back out? If he strayed out towards the Twolegplace, he would run into dogs - even the smallest of which would be impossible for a kit to handle on his own. And if he went towards the Owltree, and the owl was in the mood for a midday snack-

No, Fireheart couldn’t allow himself to imagine such horrors, forcing himself to take another couple of deep breaths as he continued flanking Dappleshine. For all he knew, one of the other patrols had found his nephew already. Maybe Cloudkit was already safe and sound, listening to Speckleflight tell a mighty tale about Lynxstar of Leopardclan and how she had driven out the fearsome Stonescales from the river. He could have even found his way back to the meadow on his own, having gotten bored of playing with himself.

There was no reason to-

“I smell him!” Fireheart’s ears perked forward as he heard Dappleshine’s call. Immediately, the other two warriors converged on her, finding her sniffing at a fallen log. “He climbed on top of this.” She explained as they both scented at the bark. Fireheart didn’t know whether to be thankful they had finally caught a trail, or furious that his nephew had gone so far into the forest on his own. They were almost at Tallpines! What had Cloudkit been thinking? 

“Fireheart.” The deputy looked up at the sound of his old mentor’s quiet voice, seeing Tinyfrost sniffing at the air rather than the log. “Do you smell that?”

Both Fireheart and Dappleshine scented at the air, trying to discern what Tinyfrost was hinting at. It took Fireheart several heartbeats, but as soon as he did, his face wrinkled in disgust. “That’s the foulest smelling dog I’ve ever scented.” He growled disdainfully, before fear seized his heart. It was a recent scent. “You don’t think-”

“It’s not dog. It’s badger.” Dappleshine snarled out, pacing forward as her hackles began to rise. “That’s close. Somewhere in our territory, I think.”

Fireheart didn’t know what to do. He’d never seen a badger before - only heard tales about them swapped between the warriors. They were huge, lumbering beasts, big enough that a cat the size of Lionheart could ride on their backs, with claws as long as whiskers. Mistspring had mentioned driving one off once, in a combined effort between Windclan and Thunderclan. Three warriors couldn’t be enough to chase one out of their territory!

But Cloudkit was nearby. They couldn’t leave, not without finding his nephew. What if the badger found him? He was a white kit, after all, standing out amongst the greens and browns of the forest. He hadn’t had any battle training - he’d be easy prey -

The two other warriors were staring at him. Once again, Fireheart could feel bile rising in his throat. He was deputy - he had to make a decision. But what if Cloudkit died because of him? How could he go back to Princess and tell her that her kit could have lived, if he’d just made the right-

“We find the badger first.” Tinyfrost cut through his thoughts with the same quiet, icy tone he always had. “If the kit’s smart, he’ll have scented it and climbed a tree to wait for us. If he’s not, then we better get to it before it gets to him.” With that ominous note, Tinyfrost turned and began leading the way through the forest, towards the edge of Tallpines. 

There was no need to taste the air now - the badger’s scent was thick and musty, like the marshes of Shadowclan had been when Fireheart had gone with Graystripe to defeat Brokentail and his rogues. It took everything in him not to completely block out the pungent odor - and he could tell that the other two warriors with him were feeling just the same.

“Help me!”

The voice was faint, but all three cats knew exactly who it was as it floated through the trees. As one, the three bounded forward, racing through the forest towards Cloudkit’s desperate cries. “Somebody! Help! Don’t let it get me!” They got louder and louder, until-

The three burst through the foliage into a large stony clearing sparsely covered by dry tufts of grass. On the far end was a small cliff, where a huge gray figure was swiping furiously at a crack in the bottom. Though he couldn’t see inside, Fireheart already knew what the badger was swiping at- Cloudkit.

“Tinyfrost, take its back! I’ll distract it from the front. Dappleshine, get Cloudkit out when it’s safe!” Fireheart was already barking out the orders as he dived forward, yowling a bitter battle cry as he lashed out at one of the badger’s front paws. It immediately turned towards him with baleful, beady eyes, returning his battle cry with a furious screech that rang through the air. Fireheart ducked as it swiped a large, clumsy paw at him, its claws easily thrice the length of his own. Fear and determination surged through his veins in equal measure; fear that this fight would be his last, and determination not to let it get to Cloudkit at any cost.

He swiped at its disgustingly large muzzle, his claws scoring through the coarse black and white fur with surprising ease. The badger was large, yes, but slow; slower than Tigerclaw had been, even. It let out another shrill scream as blood welled up from where his claws had been, lunging towards him with its massive bulk.

Fireheart took three quick steps back, luring the beast away from his nibling. It pounced towards him again, claws scoring into the earth once more as he took another pair of quick back steps. Before he could move further, however, a black shadow materialized on top of the badger: heartbeats later, it howled in furious pain as Tinyfrost dug into its thick gray fur with his claws and began biting for whatever he could reach.

The badger reared back, clearly intending to force its new attacker off, but before it could Fireheart had leaped forward to his former mentor’s aid, claws tearing away the tawny fur of its underbelly. He ducked back as the badger slashed wildly out with its giant claws, screeching furiously as it realized it was outnumbered.

In the corner of his eye, he saw Dappleshine race by with a distinctly white blur, and he immediately felt a wave of relief. Cloudkit was safe, which meant-

Fireheart yowled in shock as pain streaked through one side. He’d let himself be distracted for mere heartbeats - but heartbeats were long enough for the brutish creature, lunging forward to tear into his shoulder with its fangs. His first instinct was to tear away from it, but he forced himself to instead lean into the bite and use the opportunity to rake his claws down its neck. The badger immediately released him, shaking both one way and then the other as attacks came in from what surely felt like all sides.

Even as the pain filled his thoughts, Fireheart forced himself not to dwell on it, instead focusing on the beast in front of him. It was lashing out blindly now, clearly trying to get all the attacks to stop. “Tinyfrost! Let it go!” He called out to the small black tom.

Tinyfrost complied, sinking his fangs into its ear one last time before loosening his claws and letting the badger’s momentum throw him off to one side. It flailed out for another couple of heartbeats as the two warriors regrouped together, its tiny eyes flashing with panic as the attacks stopped as quickly as they had come. 

“Get out!” Tinyfrost snarled, advancing on the creature with his claws prepared for more attacks. Fireheart quickly copied him, advancing on the badger with his fur puffed out as far as he could get it. As soon as they did, the badger turned quickly away from them towards the open forest beyond Tallpines. As soon as it saw a clear opening, it bolted, bounding away on its stubby legs into the woods beyond their border.

The two toms stood side by side as they watched it race off, their hearts still pounding from the thrill of the fight. Fireheart’s side began to sting, a sign that he would surely be visiting the healers shortly, but he once again pushed it away to turn and look for his nibling. “Dappleshine? Cloudkit? Are you alright?” He called softly, a tiny bolt of anxiety spiking through him. They had to be safe, right? There was no way they could have gotten hurt while he was fighting-

He sighed in relief as Dappleshine waddled into the clearing, carrying Cloudkit by his scruff. He was a bit too big for it now, dragging in the dirt between her legs, but the older queen didn’t seem to notice as she came to stand in front of Fireheart and Tinyfrost. She released his nephew gracelessly, and he fell into the dirt below with a thin wail.

“What in Starclan’s name were you doing out here?” Fireheart snarled at the little white kit, his tail lashing in anger now that the danger had passed. “You’ve got your mother worried sick, and the whole Clan tearing up the forest looking for you! Didn’t your mother tell you not to wander off?”

There was genuine fear in Cloudkit’s bold blue eyes, but as Fireheart lectured him he could see that same stubborn defiance that his nephew normally had beginning to leak back in. “I didn’t wander off.” He refuted, his chin sticking up into the air as he stared down his uncle.

“Didn’t wander off?” Fireheart scoffed, his anger only rising at his nephew’s audacity. “This hardly looks like the meadow where you’re supposed to be playing with your siblings, does it? Not to mention you’re only treelengths from the border, with no other cat to be seen, hiding from a badger - how exactly do you expect me to believe you didn’t wander off?”

“I didn’t!” Cloudkit repeated, stomping one tiny white paw. “I followed a warrior out here!”

Fireheart could hear noises of confusion from the other two cats, but he didn’t stop to let it bother him. “And how, exactly, did you follow a warrior out here when all of them were back in camp?” He spat, lashing his tail once more in emphasis. “Which warrior was this? Graystripe? Mistspring? Maybe Lionheart?”

Cloudkit looked confused at all the names. “I- I don’t- he didn’t say what his name was.” He mewed plaintively, his eyebrows furrowing as if in brief confusion. “But he said he had found something super cool to show me, so I followed him, but then he was gone and I got lost and then- then that thing-”

“And I suppose you expect me to believe this imaginary warrior grew wings and flew, right in front of your eyes.” Fireheart snapped, losing any patience he might have had left for his nephew. “Making up some warrior that doesn’t exist isn’t going to get you out of trouble, Cloudkit. But I’ll let your mother decide your punishment.”

Cloudkit immediately started complaining, furiously reasserting that he definitely had seen a real warrior that smelled of Thunderclan and everything, but Fireheart tuned him out and turned to the other two warriors. “Dappleshine, why don’t you go find Sandstorm’s patrol near the Riverclan border and let them know we’ve found him. Tinyfrost, you do the same for Mousefur’s patrol near Shadowclan. I’ll take this little troublemaker back to his mother.”

The two warriors looked slightly dubious at his orders, but if they had any doubts they didn’t voice them, instead turning away and racing off towards their respective areas. Fireheart advanced on Cloudkit, who could only stumble back a couple of steps before he was unceremoniously scruffed by his uncle. With a bitter scowl, still trying to ignore the pain of the badger bite in his side, Fireheart began carrying his nephew back to Princess and to safety. Leave it to Cloudkit to ruin an otherwise happy day, he grumbled to himself, satisfying his anger at his nephew by imagining all the punishments that he would suffer for this as the two made their way back to camp.

[liviavanrouge]

Crowned Princess

???: Did you hear the rumors..

???: The crowned princess has gotten Black Mages under her thumb!

???: They were always so stubborn before!

???: *Laughs* A guard said they came to the princess on their hands and knees!

???: Serves them right! The crowned princess found their secret stash of mage rocks, now they're crawling to her in order to make sure the mine stays hidden!

???: OUR PRINCESS IS THE BEST!!

---

Nilo: Princess, can you tell me-

???: Three thousand two hundred and eight years ago, Halloween Town was ruled by a ruthless king who was struck down by his children...

Nilo: You're getting sassy.....Crowned Princess Livia

Livia(18): Apologies, I noticed it's past the time I usually leave class...besides I've been through all this..

Nilo: *Chuckles and closes his book* King Malleus wants to make sure his heir hasn't forgotten her lessons

Malleus: *Walks in* And my, my, she hasn't forgotten a single one

Livia: Hi Mal!

Lacey: *Walks in carrying her baby and a letter* Princess, you have a letter from Gidel!

Livia: GIDEL?!! *Beams, taking the letter*

Malleus: What does it say?

Livia: He's doing well in school and his writing has gotten better too!

Lacey: That's great!!

Livia: Lacey, tell Isabella to bring me my cloak, I'm gonna drop by for a quick visit!

Malleus: *Clears his throat* Forgetting something are we?

Livia: Aha...and tell Sebek he's to escort me...

Malleus: *Nods, looking approving

Lacey: *Turns and walks out, gently shushing her baby*

Malleus: Be safe...

Livia: Aren't I always? Oh, and when I get back I gotta finish that stuff for the trading we're gonna be doing with the Kingscholar family!

Malleus: *Smiles, walking out of the room with Nilo*

Nilo: Her highness is very smart and wise for her age, she's done so much and grew the Valley

Malleus: She brought it into prosperity, faster than I could've ever done it...

Nilo: She may not be of Draconia blood, but she will become a great Queen when her time comes, you made the right choice crowning her as your heir

Malleus: I did...

---

Livia: *Smiles, waving to the people in the town*

Spot: Hello princess!

Livia: Hey, oh my, you've gotten bigger!

Spot's mother: Yes, he's been eating all his veggies

Livia: That's good!

Kia: Morning princess!

Livia: Morning!

Sebek: *Trails after her, watching people excitedly greet Livia*

Livia: Oh dear! *Waves her hands, regrowing the wilting fruit*

Harrison: Thanks princess, it's getting harder to work with my leg...

Livia: Stop by the Spirit Temple at sunhigh, I shall tend to your leg..

Sebek: Princess, The Drift will be appearing soon

Livia: Yes, let's hurry.. *Waves, hurrying away with Sebek*

Harrison: *Looks at his garden then over at Livia* That's a princess worth fighting for...

[the-night-lily]

She looked like an ember, flared into life by the sunhigh light. Fire alone would save the clan.

Just for a moment for me, just imagine, Princess takes Rusty's place in his story

Just imagine, the newly named Emberpaw having just been freed of her collar

Just for a moment, imagine for me.

[in-memoriam-tgwk]

The Behemoth’s scream nearly pierces Mottledwhisker’s ears as it takes its leave, as slow as always to start moving. He can see Shimmerfeather and Emma cower in response on either side of him, but he stopped fearing the monstrous creature long ago. He stands tall and watches its long segmented body slither away down its wood and metal trail, roaring twice more before the tail fully disappears into the trees.

“I dunno how you stand it,” Shimmerfeather whines, shaking her head vigorously. “Them’s loud enough to make a deaf hare go mad.” She scratches her ear with her hind leg.

Emma hums her agreement, a rare frown forming on her face. “I also do not like the Behemoth. Are you certain they do not stray from their paths, Mottledwhisker? The smaller Monsters traipse through the forest with little care.”

Mottledwhisker nods. “They won’t leave the Thunderpath, I’m sure of it. I’ve never seen them hunt anywhere else. Come on, let’s get moving.”

It’s taken quite a few moons for Mottledwhisker to notice, but taking time to watch the Behemoth’s ritualistic patrolling, as well as leaning on his memory of living inside its belly, has made the Thunderpath relatively safe in terms of learning when best to cross it. Knowing when and how often it will appear has shaped the Colony’s patrols around its schedule, shifting from morning and evening patrols into sunhigh, evening, and moonhigh. In turn, he’s come to discover that while the Behemoth’s cries and blundering steps scare prey in all directions, it doesn’t take too long for the prey to wander back to their nearby burrows. It’s not a perfect system, but it’s one Mottledwhisker is aiming to perfect.

He leads the other two members of his patrol across the Thunderpath, leaping over each metal beam to avoid the lingering heat, trotting across loose gravel and rock before meeting the piney forest floor on the other side. Emma appears just after, with Shimmerfeather bringing up the rear.

“I been meanin’ to ask ya,” the oddly-colored molly calls, picking up extra steps to match Mottledwhisker’s in stride, “how come ya know so much ‘bout them creatures? I been ‘round seasons afore yer speckled face was whinin’ for yer mama’s milk, and I never even saw one when I’s livin’ in the Fallow Land.”

Mottledwhisker smiles, steering them around a fallen log before replying, “Well, it’s like how you know about the strange Monsters your old Twolegs use to tear up the dirt. I used to live in one, when I was a kit.”

Shimmerfeather snorts, her whiskers twitching in amusement. “No way ya did!” she says. “You’d be deader than dead sittin’ in the belly of one of them beasts!”

“He tells the truth,” Emma offers, appearing on Mottledwhisker’s other side. Her puffy tail arches over her back and swipes across his neck, sending an involuntary twitch down his spine. “I have met cats with a similar strip of leather bound around their throats. They hunt the mice that stow away within its body.”

Mottledwhisker whips his head around at her in shock. “You’ve met other cats like me? Why haven’t you said so before?”

Emma tilts her head to one side. “You have not asked,” she says simply.

Frustratingly, she’s not exactly wrong. He’ll have to ask her more about that when they return to camp.

“You serious then?” Shimmerfeather asks, her eyes as wide as two azure full moons. “Ya used to live in a Behemoth?”

The trees grow a little sparse up ahead, so Mottledwhisker turns where he knows will lead to their target. “I did, yeah. Like Emma says, I filled my belly on mice and other prey that would sneak on with the Twolegs that rode inside. If I did a good enough job, sometimes the Boss would give me special things like cream or scraps from their meals.”

“Ugh, that’s somethin’ I miss,” the molly moans, her ears drooping. “The Farmer used to leave the cow’s cream in a tin for all us mousers to drink just afore bed… Ya ever had cow’s cream, Emma? ‘S a magical thing.”

Emma chuckles softly, the sound nearly swallowed up by their steps. “I have not, actually. Most Twoleg foods do not smell appealing to me… What is it like?”

As Shimmerfeather goes on to excitedly explain the wonders of fresh cow’s cream, Mottledwhisker sets his attention on the small clearing coming into view ahead. It’s a space left in disarray by the Twolegs and the growling Monsters they carried around, with tree litter and various alien objects lying among multiple felled trees, now drying stumps in Greenleaf heat. He had wanted to make sure they were no longer camping here before investigating, and it seems to be as untouched as it was days prior. He lifts his tail over his back, and Shimmerfeather’s musings fall silent.

“Be careful here,” he reminds them, glancing back to make sure both cats are watching him. “The Monsters these Twolegs trained are incredibly dangerous. Keep your ears trained for any unusual noises.”

Both cats nod, and he drops his tail.

Silently, Mottledwhisker slinks out from the tree line, his ears on a constant swivel as he surveys the clearing. He steps carefully over broken tree branches, discarded pine boughs, shattered glass and shiny metal tins, long tendrils not too dissimilar to what Ferretpaw and Sablepaw wear on their bark sleds… He sniffs the air and the ground for any scents still hanging around, and his shoulders relax when he finds nothing fresher than he expects. He maneuvers around the space with less tension after that.

“Ya weren’t kiddin’,” Shimmerfeather calls, standing on top of a larger stump across the clearing. “There’s nothin’ left of these trees here. How hungry can a little critter like that be?”

“It wasn’t just one,” Mottledwhisker says. He frowns at the sheer amount of stumps in the vicinity; too many to count just from where he sits. “The Twolegs had entire packs of them chewing at their trunks. The large Monsters carried the rest of the trees away when they fell.”

Emma paws at something resembling a common Twoleg pelt, lifting it up to peek underneath before dropping it. “I do not like it here,” she says. “There is no food here, nor herb. I cannot see anything of use.”

In addition, the regular chirps and trills of the forest waking at sundown are far more distant from where they stand than before. It’s strange to hear near silence in a place that is always teeming with life. Admittedly, Mottledwhisker has never felt further from Fate’s blessings than in a place like this. Not since his arrival.

“Well,” he says eventually, squaring his shoulders, “we can safely assume the Twolegs won’t be coming here, considering how old the scents are. I think telling Glowstar—“ he pauses, catching himself momentarily. “I think telling Amberfuzz is a must. We should make sure other patrols check at least once a day, just to be certain they haven’t returned under our noses. Let’s continue on.”

Leaving the abandoned camp behind, the patrol continues on towards the southern-most border the Colony lays claim to, where it butts up along the Fallow Lands Shimmerfeather hails from. Mottledwhisker lets Shimmerfeather take the lead, and falls back to walk a few paces behind with Emma.

“How long did Glowstar say he would be gone for?” he asks.

Emma side eyes him. If she’s concerned, her face betrays nothing. “He did not say an exact amount of time, although I imagine he should arrive any day.”

“Did he tell you where he was going, or why? It’s strange for him to just up and leave like that. Even Oaktrail seemed confused about it.”

Emma trains her eyes ahead, but her ears remain trained on Mottledwhisker. “This is something you should ask Glowstar when he returns,” she says. “It is not my place to say.”

“Alright… I will always trust your judgement, Emma. I…” He thinks over his words for a moment. “I’m just worried about him is all. He hasn’t been the same since… You know. We can all tell.”

Emma hums thoughtfully. “Yes, that is true. Grief is a powerful thing; it warps the mind and scars the heart terribly, and it does so differently in everyone.” She looks back at Mottledwhisker, and her warm smile appears with ease. “Do not fret Mottledwhisker; he will soon learn to work with those scars instead of against. His heart simply carries more scars than he admits to.”

Not an entirely satisfying answer but it’s enough to end his prodding. He recovers the lead from Shimmerfeather, and they finish their patrol with little issue.

[quillpokebiology]

Espeon Facts

@captainfalcon03 asked me to do this, but I accidently deleted the post. But this is an awnser to their ask!

-The scientific name for Espeon is "Alter vulpes sol" which means "other sun fox"

-Espeon is known as "The Sun Pokemon," because they get their psychic energy from the sun. Many ancient cultures also took inspiration from their sun bathing techniques to gain psychic abilities themselves

-The fur on espeon's ears droop and become thinner the older they get

-Because their fur is very sensitive to it's surroundings, espeon don't have a great sense of smell

-The gem on their head doesn't apply to any gems you can find in nature. But it mostly resembles either ruby, red eudialyte, red jasper, garnet, or red coral

-Espeons can have slightly different fur coloring and body types depending on the time of day they evolved. Dawn espeon are usually shorter and have darker fur, sunhigh or Noon espeon have lighter fur and are the most common (the ones you see on the pokedex), and sunset espeon have a purplish/pinkish color scheme and have ears the point slightly more downward

-Because wild espeon are so rare, researchers often put tracking devices on the ones they do find. There's actually a website that allows you to see the footage of wild espeon and where they go

-When angered, their eyes begin to glow instead of their orbs. The orbs only glow when using their psychic abilities

-The inside of espeons ears can be either purple or blue

-Espeons are common for illegal poaching, as the gem is very valuable (it gives psychic abilities to the pokemon that holds it. Don't poach espeon)

-Espeons are great for beginner trainers as they mostly like to relax and are fine just cuddling up to their trainers

-Like leafeon, espeon needs to sun a lot. Most in the wild prefer to sun in an open clearing or field, but in the house, they're fine with finding a window and sitting by that to get sunlight

-Lack of sunlight can cause espeon to get grumpy and irritable, so they're usually the most grouchy during cloudy or rainy days

-Espeon are related to the meowstic line. The eevee line, in general, are actually related to a lot of pokemon, and I might have to do an entire post on that

-Espeon in the wild tend to better care for young eevee, as they can foresee ant danger that might come to them, and can easily find ways to avoid it

-Espeon in Alola tend to be more powerful, as they get lots of sunlight

-Ancient civilizations in the Asado deserts of Paldea Worshipped espeon, almost like gods

(Ooc: plz give us an Egyptian pokemon region)

-While espeon don't have many natural predators, they often get into fights with sableye as sableye often try to steal their gems

[plushieclan]

Prologue part 1

TW: Blood, kit death

< previous | next > | all >

Leafpelt’s paws thudded against the ground, frantically pulling herself forward. She’d never felt this much fear before. Her teeth clenched onto the scruff of her one remaining kit. Ravenkit was quiet. Ahead of her, her mate forged through the dark, blood streaming down his muzzle.

Just earlier that day, Leafpelt was a normal queen to two beautiful kits, fur as deep as midnight and curiosity as bright as the sun. Loud, inquisitive Ravenkit and sweet, quiet Nightkit. But Nightkit was lost when Marshclan attacked. She had wandered off where Leafpelt couldn’t get her in time to escape. She hated herself for that lapse in judgement; it played over and over in her head.

Why had Marshclan attacked? Who was this new leader— Redstar— and why had they gone for the kits? It was like their goal was to wipe out Bayclan for good. But that broke the warrior code!

“Where are we going?” Leafpelt grit through Ravenkit’s scruff.

Darkheart didn’t slow down. “Peak cliffs. It’s the only safe place right now. Treeclan and Grangeclan won’t keep us.”

Leafpelt’s breath stopped for a moment, “But that’s— the Starclan graveyards!”

“Does it matter? It’s unclaimed territory. There’s got to be somewhere we can shelter.”

Leafpelt couldn’t argue. He was right— the area around the graveyard was empty territory. It was shared by every clan— as the only way to enter Starclan was to be buried high up, as close to the stars as possible.

—

When they arrived at the large sandstone mountain, it was around midnight. Ravenkit was breathing shallowly. Leafpelt knew she would need medical attention soon, if she were to survive this.

Darkheart stopped.

“Leafpelt. Look.”

There was a hole in the sandstone that a small creek flowed from. It looked solid.

“A cave…” she dipped her head inside. It was a spacious cavern, where a small creek wound within it. A large crystal protruded from the center. Above that, a hole in the sandstone showed a perfect outline of the moon.

“It’s an omen.” Darkheart breathed. “This is where we will rebuild our clan.”

Leafpelt gently placed her injured kit down and approached the crystal. She began to dig into the hard clay beneath it.

“What are you doing?”

Leafpelt continued digging. “The leader needs a den, right? It’ll keep Ravenkit warmer while she— while she sleeps.”

“Ravenkit… will she make it?” Darkheart’s gaze was full of sorrow.

Leafpelt stopped, looking at her nearly-still kit. “I don’t want to think about it.”

“Honey, we could still find the Wanderers. They have healers with them.” He pressed against her flank.

She turned her head to look at him. “They’re not here yet. They won’t be circling around to the clans until sunhigh.”

“Then, we must hope that Ravenkit can hold on until then.”

Leafpelt did not share her mate’s enthusiasm.

-

Ravenkit did not survive past that night. Leafpelt spent the rest of it pressed into her flank, pretending her kit was still with her. Darkheart looked off into the darkness, guarding the front of the den. Leafpelt knew that all he could think about was how they lost both of their kits in one night.

Darkheart finally spoke, “We must head for the Moon Oak.”

“So soon?”

“A clan… needs a leader.” he choked.

They left the small cavern, their new clan camp. Before they set off on their long march to the Moon Oak, Leafpelt climbed up the sandstone cliffs to the graveyard. There, she left her daughter to rest, saying a silent prayer that she found her way to Starclan.

The rest of the crawl through their new territory was silent. Darkheart did not say a word, his wound beginning to scab up. Without treatment, it would likely scar.

As they walked through Treeclan’s territory, they stayed alert. Leafpelt couldn’t be comfortable— if Treeclan found them, they’d be thrown straight out. Luckily, they hadn’t been noticed. Perhaps Starclan had been looking favorably on them that night.

After crossing the Thunderpath, they found themselves at the Moon Oak.

It was an old tree, taking up a section of the Twoleg place to itself. The kittypets often talked about “tree law”— the Twolegs were compelled to keep it safe, due to some unspoken code. The tree was hollow within— that was where all past clan leaders and clerics met. Leafpelt herself had never been inside. When she had joined Bayclan, she was already an adult. Much too old for apprenticeship.

“Come with me.” Darkheart said.

“But… I can’t! That’s not how.. the ceremonies go!”

“I don’t care. I can’t do this alone.” he pleaded.

She looked away, then turned back to him, “Alright. Let’s go.”

They walked inside the hollow of the oak. There, sat another cat who was seemed to be about to lay down.

“R-Rainfeather?!” Leafpelt cried.

“Ack, stop yelling.” Rainfeather groaned, “I’m trying to connect to Starclan.”

“We’re just so glad you survived! What happened to your sister?” Leafpelt said.

Rainfeather sighed. “She… well, I’m going to be taking over her position as cleric. Lucky me.”

Darkheart paused. “I’m sorry, Rainfeather.”

“It’s fine. I’d rather stay a warrior, but it’s more important that we rebuild our clan.” Rainfeather paused. “You’re going to become leader, then?”

Leafpelt nodded. “He was the best choice. I’m… not ready to think about being leader, truly. I don’t think I’d ever be ready for that.”

Rainfeather sighed. “I always thought Darkheart would be a good deputy anyways. It all worked out, I guess.”

The three laid down within the oak, eyes closing. When Leafpelt opened her eyes, she was surrounded by stars. Perhaps she expected her old clanmates to be around her, the ones who were killed by Marshclan. But all that sat in front of her was her kit, bold little Ravenkit. Her pelt was filled with stars, and her eyes filled with energy that was missing in her last moments.

Leafpelt cried. “Oh, my darling!” She nuzzled her daughter.

Ravenkit smiled. “Hi mommy, I know I was gone for a bit!”

Leafpelt looked at little Ravenkit. “But… where is everyone else?”

Ravenkit looked down. “Um… well, they weren’t buried in high up. They um… they aren’t here.”

Leafpelt stopped. “What… do you mean?”

Ravenkit spoke as though she was in trouble. “They were all thrown into the Great Lake and dragged into the depths with all the bad, bad cats.”

The Depths. The Place with No Stars. Where a body could never rest— could never rot back into the earth. It was once their solemn duty to protect the Great Lake and the power it held. But Marshclan… they had thrown who died into the depths of the Great Lake? What were they thinking? It was considered the greatest punishment a cat could receive.

She looked at little Ravenkit, who bowed her head as though she was being scolded.

She knew she needed to be strong for her. “Let’s… not talk about that.”

Ravenkit smiled. “Ok! I’m going to give you your new name then!”

“What? But I’m not becoming leader?”

Ravenkit shrugged. “You’re still my mommy though. And you came to the oak— Daddy and Rainfeather get to leave with new powers, so I think you should too.”

“Alright, dear. Just tell me what you have in mind.” Leafpelt said.

“As the Starclan guide of the newly created clan, I vest a special role upon my mother,” Ravenkit started, “You will guide our clan into the future, though never as leader. A guide not just for your kits, but for the whole clan. I give you with the name Starleaf. Starleaf, you will be the one who names the clan that takes Bayclan’s place.”

Leafpelt— no, Starleaf— looked down at her child with sorrow. “Thank you, Ravenkit.”

Ravenkit grinned. “Did I do good? I already did Daddy and Rainfeather’s ceremonies.”

Starleaf licked her forehead. “You did wonderful, my darling.”

“Oh! I also have a prophecy. Special for you!” Ravenkit mentioned.

“What is it?”

She closed her eyes, and spoke with a much different tone than before. “A river of blood has drowned the bay. A choking dawn has risen on the clans. Only night will join them, and banish the deep.”

At the mention of night, Starleaf leaned forward. “Ravenkit, where is your sister?! Is she here?!”

Ravenkit shook her head. “No. But you’ll be seeing her very soon. Don’t worry!” she nuzzled up to her mother.

Starleaf closed her eyes. “I don’t want to leave you.”

“That’s ok. I’ll be with you every step of the day. But now you have to go back to Rainfeather and Daddy. They’re staring to get worried.”

Starleaf nodded. “Alright darling. I’ll see you soon.”

She felt everything around her fade. The last she heard of Ravenkit was a faint “Bye bye mommy!”

Her eyes opened to Darkheart— no, he was Darkstar now, right?— and Rainfeather looking down at her.

“Jeez Leafpelt. You had me worried.” Rainfeather sighed.

Darkstar kneeled down to her level, “Are you hurt at all?”

Starleaf shook her head. “I’m alright. I saw Ravenkit. She gave me a new name— Starleaf.”

Darkstar smiled. “It’s a beautiful name.”

“Starleaf and Darkstar. What a pair you make.” Rainfeather rumbled amusedly.

“She also gave me the task of naming our new clan.”

The two toms perked up.

“I think I know what to call our new clan.” Starleaf’s thoughts lingered on the cave, and strange crystal that glittered in the center. “From now on, we are Crystalclan.”

“Suppose we should… find new members then.” Rainfeather said.

Starleaf stood up. “I’ll contact the Wanderers. I know some of the members were thinking about joining a clan. Even if none of them do, we could use their help.”

“We’ve got a long road ahead of us.” Darkstar stated. “Let’s get started.”

When Starleaf exited the Moon Oak, her thoughts weren’t on rebuilding the clan. They were on Ravenkit’s mysterious prophecy, and the hope it gave her.

Oh Nightkit, she thought. Please come back home.