#the hunt continues (threads - Crookedstar);

[wolfpackmuses-a]

Closed starter for @blxestar​

Crookedstar paced back and forth outside the nursery, glancing up at every sound and movement that occurred inside. He had been nervous all morning since Bluefur had begun to come down with kits just on the edge of the ThunderClan and RiverClan border and he cursed at himself for having had met her tonight, just for this to happen. He was annoyed, but he knew she was in good paws with Brambleberry and Mudfur, who was quickly becoming a very knowledgeable medicine cat, would help ease her pain and help with the kitting.

Brambleberry had basically been inside the nursery with Bluefur since she arrived with Crookedstar to RiverClan’s camp a few hours prior, with Mudfur running to and from the medicine cat den with herbs, sticks, and whatever else was needed. When Mudfur was busy, Crookedstar was more than happy to help, having gathered fresh moss and water for his mate, and of course better materials for her nest to make her more comfortable.

It had been a while since he had heard anything from inside the den and Mudfur had sent him away, so he could stop pacing back and forth worrying himself,

❝She’ll be fine, she’s in good paws, just trust me Crookedstar,❞ Mudfur had told him with a genuine smile,  ❝She’ll be fine, don’t worry.❞

And he had kept the medicine cat apprentice and Brambleberry to that. He had also kept to himself, trying to preoccupy himself with other things, meaning he had organized the dawn patrols, gotten the hunting parties together, and helped the mentors with what they should train their apprentices on for that day.

Cedarpelt had let him do so, knowing that Crookedstar wanted to keep busy, but the deputy padded up to Crookedstar after he was done, sitting beside him. He looked to the young leader, seeing his fur being spiked with worry, and a look of worry still plastered to his face.

Cedarpelt used his tail to smooth out his leader’s fur and to reassure his old apprentice,

❝Everything will be alright. . It’s green-leaf, she couldn’t have asked for a better time to have kits,❞ he whispered and Crookedstar nodded, giving a small sigh.

❝I know, I know, but after the other issues we’ve had, I j-❞ he was stopped mid-sentence by Cedarpelt, who had slapped his tail over Crookedstar’s muzzle,

❝She’ll. Be. Fine,❞ he said again, much more stern, to which Crookedstar nodded again, this time fully understanding. Cedarpelt dropped his tail and Crookedstar looked back across the clearing as Mudfur exited the nursery to fetch a bit more damp moss and quickly returned only a few minutes later into the den.

Crookedstar could only sit impatiently and wait. His nerves were getting the better of him and he was thinking of worse case scenarios the entire time. He didn’t know what to do or say, before a yowl broke his thoughts,

❝Crookedstar!❞ Brambleberry yowled from the nursery to him across the clearing.

Crookedstar scampered to his feet and sprinted across the clearing, being met by Brambleberry outside the nursery, Crookedstar giving her a worried look that quickly melted when he saw the prideful look on her face and the happiness that shone in her eyes,

❝Have a look,❞ she whispered to the leader,  ❝Two kits. One tom, one she-cat. I won’t spoil anything else, but Bluefur absolutely wants you to help name them.❞

Crookedstar smiled from one side of his crooked jaw to the other and dipped his head to Brambleberry, who returned the head dip with her own,

❝Thank you, Brambleberry,❞ he breathed and quickly moved his way into the den to meet his mate,

❝Well? How are they? What do they look lie? Are they already warriors?❞ Crookedstar asked excitedly as he moved over to his mate. He moved around the back side of her body, lying down, and then curling around her body with his own. He stuck his crooked right leg out, that still wasn’t healed fully, and looked at her with joy filling his heart and his body swimming with nervous feelings.

Mudfur looked on at the scene, giving a small purr of amusement,

❝I guess not even the strongest of leaders can hide their excitement about kits,❞ he commented with a chuckle, to which Crookedstar shot him a glance that was of slight annoyance with him, but it wasn’t mean spirited and Mudfur knew that.

❝Come on! I want to see them!❞ he breathed to Bluefur, excitement glittering in his eyes.

[mallowstep]

That reblog reminds me, did you ever end up thinking more thoughts about how a religious education in the RiverClan nursery goes down?

so yes and no see i did but i ended up thinking about the broader process of socialization and then instead of writing it in any meaningful sense i just kept writing domestic fluff so here, a bunch of words that hopefully mean something.

in sum, what do kits have to learn to be members of riverclan? not, like, skills such as hunting, but -- what cultural knowledge needs to be built?

well, a lot, as in any society, but i think. i always do this better when i think things through from a...thought of it as a process, which is why i actually was writing domestic fluff. well no. i just like domestic fluff.

anyway.

alright little kits r born what are they learning. well as newborns basically nothing but as they get older, there's. well. i don't think anyone wants me to do a step by step. i don't want to say, "through how apprentices and other warriors interact with queens, they learn that that is a valued position," like. c'mon that stuff is obvious. i think.

so i think the first interesting thing they learn is that the weather is important. because what stories riverclan tells -- and how they tell them -- is tied to the weather. (and the seasons, but they won't know that yet.) the origin of riverclan is a different story on a rainy day. well. it's the same story but it skips over all of the origin stuff to explore what happens after river dies.

but i digress; they're also learning about social roles and family structure. like i said, that's not terribly interesting except kind of it is because this is the kind of thing that starts to drill the importance of passing-on-a-legacy into kits' heads. the ideal family structure as well.

but let's back up to the weather, because. when kits r little and confined to the nursery, they know the other queens/kits, and the keeper. whether or not the keeper is presently raising kits, they're going to be visiting often. oh, sure, others visit, but for little little kits? queens are pretty protective.

by about a moon, they're starting to investigate camp. at which point they're making stronger connections. still mostly w local mom squad, of course, but. like. the keeper is involved.

y'know uhh okay timeline time. this is why i made nice timeline. okay. primrosekit is like 4.5 moons old when crookedstar dies. featherkit and stormkit are like a moon old. so even though leopardstar's kits won't be born for another moon, stonefur is still going to be...not a primary caregiver, but like. involved in their lives.

and that's how kits start to learn that this is a Special Person. they learn the leader and seer are special people too, of course. but the keeper isn't generally. well the seer smells and acts different, and cats treat the leader different, but they have to be old enough to see the keeper doing their Job beyond just helping w kits.

right like. take ur kid to work day except you accidentally stumble into couple's therapy or something.

uh did that joke make sense.

moving on.

and it is through that that they get the reinforcement of the idea of being descended from the divine.

as they get older, they start to learn about death, which prompts a whole new set of questions. stories continue.

frankly i think my thing is like. religion and culture are so deeply integrated it's hard to separate them. and i'm p sure we don't want a walk through of how-to-raise-a-kit.

look ur gonna get stupid many words of how-to-raise-a-kit soon. (you, general.) at least a quarter of ioth is how-to-raise-kits-for-beginners.

uh. i lost my thread. very much so.

the main elements of religious education that aren't covered in general life are shrines and the concept of carrying the divine. well. shrines -- i mean more than that but it's shorthand.

so how do kits learn about those things?

well, they'll learn about starclan slowly, mostly through other stories. the concept of shrines is well integrated into riverclan's general culture. however, a kit isn't going to like. have experience with that directly.

so it's kind of built up to.

most won't have a great sense of it until they're apprentices, because they can't leave camp, but exceptions exist, and there is the shrine (as in, The shrine) which can be visited by older kits under certain circumstances.

either way, their introduction is with reminders to bring offerings, etc., etiquette, all that stuff.

as for the divine, this is also deeply woven into stories, but to be a little clear, the specificity of who the leader, etc., are is demonstrated in storms. other circumstances as well, but that's the big one.

okay i think i am going to get increasingly less coherent so here take this

[wolfpackmuses-a]

@fledercanons​ continued from x

It was not lost on Crookedjaw the words to other one told him. Crookedjaw was usually one who took people at their word, but events had started to change his views and he was now not nearly as trusting as he had been in the past. The matter of just having found a cat on patrol was one that he didn’t come across often, at least not many loners or rogues. It might have been some clan cats every now and again, but rarely did he find anyone else.

Crookedjaw flicked his tail, looking at Lark, thinking over what he said, before he came to a decision on what to say next,

❝I ask only because of some experiences I’ve had in the past,❞ he responded,  ❝Usually if there are cats found on the territory, it’s usually not ones who are unaware of the clans. I feel you don’t pose a threat, so I won’t bother with that. However,❞ he paused and looked Lark over,  ❝I am curious to know how you got here. It’s not exactly an easy trek over the rocks by the river.❞

[wolfpackmuses-a]

Crookedstar listened to his words carefully and began to review his options for something like this. He wasn’t sure if there would be any hostilities, so he assumed it would be fine, so long as the clan understood that Lark wasn’t here for any bad reasons.

‪❝It’s a shame to hear that it could cause so much damage in a short amount of time,❞‬ he replied with a nod as they walked towards camp, ‪❝And there shouldn’t be any issues with you staying in camp. We’ve had some relatively peaceful times around the territories recently, so the biggest issue may be the disease itself.❞‬

Crookedstar was sure the biggest issue would rely solely on the disease Lark had described. As they got closer to camp, Crookedstar eyed the border, just to ensure there wasn’t anyone already sick trying to cross the border.

‪❝I can only hope that this disease doesn’t affect us just yet. I’ve enjoyed the peace and I know the clans have as well,❞‬ he said softly, ‪❝But I guess only time will be able to tell.❞‬

@wolfpackmuses​ (x)

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[wolfpackmuses-a]

Stonepaw and Whitestorm came back later that afternoon, both going by the fresh kill pile to grab some food before the gathering. Stonepaw had a bit of an issue getting a mouse off the ground, as it had gotten stuck due to the cold weather, but he was able to get it eventually.

Seeing his apprentice struggle like that made Whitestorm know leaf-bare was almost upon them. The two ate, talking a bit about the gathering and Whitestorm just happened to catch a glance of Bluefur out of the corner of his eye.

He thought she looked a bit nervous, but he wasn’t entirely sure what. She seemed brave, as she always did, but Whitestorm knew there must be something up. So after letting Stonepaw eat with the other two apprentices, he got up to meet her.

‪❝Bluefur? Something wrong? You seem a bit. . Nervous about something,❞‬ he whispered to the deputy as he looked at her.

————————

Piketooth nodded to her response about him being somewhat similar to Crookedstarbin that way and he chuckled ever so softly,

‪❝I guess I am a bit like him in that regard. But the difference between him and I is that he’s a leader now and I’m not!❞‬ he paused a moment to think about how to respond to her question, ‪❝He had been with the ThunderClan deputy, or at least sitting by her. The two had been apprenticed around the same time and Crookedstar had just been talking to her that night.❞‬

He glanced outside the den to look at Crookedstar as he ventured into his den to maybe get a bit of rest tonight before the gathering,

‪❝Oakheart’s comment didn’t stop him from talking to her every now and again, though. That’s the good thing about gatherings, you can talk to other cats from other clans without any big fret of being attacked. It’s the one night most of the clans are calmer,❞‬ he explained.

—————————

When Crookedstar ventured into his den to rest, he picked up a very familiar scent as well. One that he knew right away, being that it was Mapleshade. A growl came from him as he glanced around but felt his fur stand on end as he not only saw her faint outline. . But Thistleclaw’s too.

‪❝What do you two want?!❞‬ he hissed softly, but neither cat responded. Both just stared at him, unblinking, but seeming to smirk ever so slightly.

He growled as he climbed into his nest and got comfortable in it, wrapping his tail around him and glancing towards the opposite side of the den where the entrance was, as the two faint outlines seemed to be there now as well, just watching, waiting.

He had a bad feeling about it, but he didn’t know why, even if the two weren’t actually doing much of anything. But he knew to be on alert tonight, just in case something happened with them seeming to be around.

blxestar​:

Bluefur paused, and then nodded. “You’re right, actually, Whitestorm.” She looked at Stonepaw. “You should probably train a bit more before patrolling.”

She jumped back up on the side of the slope. “I’ll let you and Whitestorm keep training. I should go, anyway.”

…

Mistypaw nodded as they all got back to camp. She looked at her father, wondering what he was talking to Cedarpelt about. Probably leader/deputy stuff.

The apprentice kept her distance, but still listened a little. She couldn’t hear anything, really, so she moved on and slipped into the apprentices’ den.

Stonepaw seemed to frown more at that, but the apprentice nodded understanding the reasons as to why before he looked up to Whitestorm who smiled at his apprentice. He knew that eager look, all too well, because he at one point had that look as well. It was disappointing, he knew, but the hard work would pay off in the end, he knew that.

❝We’ll see you before the gathering tonight, Bluefur,❞ Whitestorm responded with a small nod,  ❝We’ll make sure to get some more good training in before we go, I promise.❞

With that, the two went back to discussing different hunting tactics, what kind of areas the animals lived in that they hunted, and so on. Stonepaw listened intently and nodded as the two walked off into the forest, away from the training area, just to get some practice in before tonight.

————-

Silverpaw was not in the apprentice den when Mistypaw entered, but she was followed in by Piketooth, who stopped at the entrance and gave his apprentice a smile.

❝Excited for the gathering tonight?❞ he asked with a small head tilt, ❝Because I know I certainly was. I remember at my first gathering I had a cat from each clan ask me what my name was, not just to be friendly, but because of the teeth! It seemed that a lot of people were pretty good at guessing my name back then,❞ he purred softly.

Piketooth knew full well that Mistypaw and Silverpaw both were very excited for tonight and he couldn’t blame them. Gatherings may have become a common occurence for almost every warrior in the clans, but most of the warriors never forgot the first gathering they went to. If it had been an exciting one, one where StarClan covered the moon, or just a boring one that discussed prey, every warrior had a story.

❝Did Crookedstar ever tell you what happened to him at his first gathering?❞ he asked,  ❝I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t have, because he got quite embarrassed by it. He had been speaking to a ThunderClan apprentice that night and the two had just started training around the same time. So, Oakheart went up to him after the leaders had spoken and asked him, very loudly, if he liked the ThunderClan cat. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cat get as flustered and embarrassed as he did that night.❞   

[wolfpackmuses-a]

Whitestorm nodded and his attention returned to his apprentice who was stalking some new prey. He watched him carefully, as he slunk through the grass and bushes before he stopped, raised his ears, and waited.

His tail moved just a bit as he leaped forward and snagged a mouse who wasn’t able to get away in time. He was able to grab it and pick it up, a fresh mouse hanging from the apprentice’s jaws.

Pride gleamed in his eyes as he looked between the two of them and Whitestorm smiled and nodded,

‪❝Excellent work! First of many fresh-kills you’ll find over the years,❞‬ he said. If his voice didn’t show it, his eyes certainly did. He hadn’t expected Stonepaw to pick up hunting so easily on his second day as an apprentice, but it certainly made one aspect of everything easier.

‪❝Bluefur, what do you think? You think he’s ready to lead a hunting patrol already?❞‬ he asked over his shoulder with a small purr.

———————

Silverpaw wasn’t able to dodge Mistypaw’s paw in time and she got whacked in the face and she stumbled back a bit. She grumbled at her and shook her head as she wiped some of the dirt from her face as Piketooth watched on.

‪❝It was good, however, I would say to be mindful of your tail. I’ve known some warriors in RiverClan and elsewhere to use a tail as a way to strike someone. Might be best to make sure it doesn’t get flung behind you as much,❞‬ he warned.

Overall, he was happy with her performance thus far. Both apprentices picked up on things easily and that took some weight off his shoulders for sure.

Following that, the two mentors showed other moves to be used in battle, and ways to try and trick their opponent. The two of them seemed to do well and as the sun began to slowly fall, it was time to venture back to camp. After all, the gathering was later that night.

Piketooth led the way, with Voleclaw alongside him and Silverpaw got close to Mistypaw.

‪❝Do you know what tonight is?❞‬ she asked exited, ‪❝Our first gathering!❞‬

blxestar​:

Bluefur watched her son try and scent the mouse, and upon hearing that he couldn’t see it, she paused. “Try looking for it a bit more. Maybe you can still find it.”

She glanced over at Whitestorm. “Do you think something’s already gotten it?”

…

Mistypaw immediately turned to Silverpaw and tried one of the shown moves, claws sheathed. “Rah!” she hissed playfully, nibbling on her cousin’s ear like a kit.

Then she grew a bit embarrassed and straightened. “Ahem- sorry about that.”

Mistypaw got into a crouched position and lashed her tail again. “What’s next?”

Whitestorm glanced back at Bluefur and he said nothing for a moment. He watched his apprentice try to find the mouse, who wasn’t having much luck in tracking it down. The scent was certainly fresh, but Whitestorm looked around and saw no track marks. He grumbled and scented the air again and he felt a chill come up his spine. His breath hitched in his throat for a moment, before he cleared it and tried to get the worry from his eyes.

He had scented something worrying, but he wasn’t about to tell Bluefur while Stonepaw was in ear shot.

❝Not sure,❞ he replied to Bluefur,  ❝Might have been caught by another warrior on patrol. Or some hawk got it, that would be my best guesses.❞ he glanced over to Stonepaw who grumbled and tried to pick out a new scent. During that time, Whitestorm went over the Bluefur and whispered to her,

❝I scent ShadowClan… Not very fresh, but they’ve been here recently,❞ he whispered, ❝Not sure why they’d come so deep in the territory though. Don’t think we had any sightings at the border at all. Might want to ask Sunstar if anyone else has noticed anything.❞

———————–

Silverpaw growled back at her and she tried some moves herself and pushed Mistypaw away and got in a defensive stance, in which both of the mentors approved of.

Piketooth looked at Mistypaw and he smiled, humored by her still playful nature. She’d grow out of it, eventually, but for now there wasn’t any huge issues with her acting like that. It added a bit to it, he felt. Maybe that some cats would underestimate her,

❝Next thing would be to learn some defensive things. Can’t always be on the offensive, no matter how hard you try, so you have to learn when to fight back, but to try to block blows and get away from attacks.❞

Piketooth and Voleclaw demonstrated some defensive moves and Piketooth wasn’t able to duck out of the way or get away in time and was smacked in the face by Voleclaw who grinned at him and the warrior starred back, slightly annoyed, but looked to the two apprentices.

❝Try that! Always good to practice it,❞ he said and watched as Silverpaw took no time in order to go after Mistypaw and to try and attack her. She was missing a few strikes, but she was able to get a few hits in with her paws, trying to circle around her and strike her from behind, instead of just the front.    

[wolfpackmuses-a]

Stonepaw had gone out early with Whitestorm to try and get some training started before anything else happened and Whitestorm obviously wanted to try and get whatever they could done. Stonepaw had just been practicing a bit on how to hunt some nice and he looked up at Bluefur and smiled a bit.

Whitestorm raised his head as well and he looked between the two of them, thinking. He knew what they should practice and he gave a nod,

‪❝I say we continue the practice on hunting. That’s been something I feel we need to get down before leaf-bare sets in,❞‬ he replied and nodded, ‪❝What do you think, Stonepaw?❞‬

Stonepaw smiled and he nodded enthusiastically at the idea,

‪❝I think that’s a good idea! I think I can get the hunting down pretty quickly, it seems simple enough. Especially before the gathering tonight,❞‬ he said.

———————

Piketooth purred at his apprentice and he simply shook his head. He looked over at Voleclaw who was getting rid with Silverpaw and walked over to meet the other.

Voleclaw raised an eyebrow at Piketooth and the warrior nodded a bit,

‪❝I don’t see an issue in starting the battle training today,❞‬ he replied and nodded as he looked at Mistypaw and Silverpaw each and tilted his head a bit,

‪❝Are you two ready?❞‬ he asked with a somewhat toothy grin, ‪❝Because I’m sure you two are wanting to start as soon as possible! I know I certainly was when I first started training as an apprentice.❞‬

blxestar​:

“I’ll take you on an afternoon patrol. Then you can train with Whitestorm in the morning, and if you want me to, I can help and offer advice.”

Bluefur smiled at her son. “I’m very proud of you. I know it’s a bit random to say it now, but it’s true, Stonepaw. I just know you’ll be a great warrior. You already are.”

…

Mistypaw grinned. “Thank you, Crookedstar. I’m going to do my best. I’ll make you proud!”

She carefully (and a bit clumsily) hopped down, tossed a smile over her shoulder that must’ve looked much like her mother’s, and trotted away to join Oakheart and Silverpaw by the warriors’ den to chat.

…

As night rolled around, Bluefur crawled into her nest and laid down, yawning softly. It had been a long day, she had to admit. She fell asleep soon afterward, just as Rosetail came into the den and laid down as well.

In her dreams, Bluefur found herself walking slowly through the forest. Nobody was around- she was alone. It was rather peaceful.

Then Stonepaw appeared beside her. And Mistypaw, at her other side. In front of her was her beloved Crookedstar.

Her family… they were all here!

Bluefur suddenly woke up, causing a feeling of deep sadness to wash over her. But it was only a matter of time before her family could finally discover each other, after all.

What could go wrong?

Stonepaw gave a small nod and he smiled at her, his tail flicking gently with happiness as he purred softly at her praise. He was more than happy to train in the morning with Whitestorm and go on a patrol with them later! He was also more than happy to hear any advice she may want to give. It seemed like a win-win to him!

❝Of course! I would love that,❞ he said back,  ❝It would be rude of me not to accept the offer.❞

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