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 Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2016 8:10 pm
 Flσσdclαn Dєputч
ᴡʜᴇʀᴇxx FloodClan camp
ᴡɪᴛʜxx Lynxstar, Dreampaw
ᴏᴏᴄxx ...
xxx◢ Sunshade padded into the warrior's den as the sun itself was barely awake. The dew still clinging to his pelt from his morning walk, the golden tom had woken with an uneasy feeling twitching in his paws. Three days remained until the next Gathering, and he was still unsure of what was going to happen. How was Lynxstar going to convince the other two clans to share their territory? How was Lynxstar going to convince his brother to share his territory? The thought somehow made both his heart ache and his claws unsheathe themselves. There was no doubt Stormstar had been actively trying to find their camp this past moon. But considering he was clearly unsuccessful, Sunshade was sure his brother was incredibly frustrated by this.
Ducking into the warriors den Leafpaw had been the primary builder of, the tom was reminded of the little apprentice. She really deserved to sleep in this den as much as the next cat, with how well she'd taken her punishment. In truth the last moon had been good for FloodClan. Prey was running well, and they'd been joined by several cats, mostly from DawnClan but also one rogue named Lavender. She'd earned her warrior name and place within the clan in half a moon, and Sunshade had been happy to welcome her, as he had ever other cat that had joined since he had.
Nudging Skychase awake with his nose, he kept his voice low as to not disturb any other cat. "Skychase. I need you to lead dawn patrol." Once he was satisfied the other tom was awake and not intending to claw his ears off for waking him he moved on to the tom's brother and prodded him awake. "Ripplepool, when you're ready take Sharptalon, Rosepaw, Hawkpaw, and Owlpaw hunting with you. The apprentices need something to keep them out from under paw." With a pang he wished he could include Leafpaw in this list, as he knew her pelt was itching to leave camp. But she'd been true to her punishment and hadn't tried to sneak off. Finally allowing himself to rest after having led dusk patrol the night before, Sunshade curled back into his nest, trying to catch a bit more of the sleep that eluded him.
Crash! Sunshade woke with a start, on his paws almost immediately. "What happened? Are there any cats injured?" He yowled over the commotion as he stepped out of the den. Looking around, he spotted the source of the noise as the large oak just outside of the twoleg den had crashed into the top, sending down a rain of branches and broken twoleg ice that had completely covered the nest floor. The FloodClan deputy did a quick head count, and considering he knew which cats he'd sent out for patrols that meant ever cat was accounted for except for... A yowl laced with pain reached his ears half a second before her name did. Cloverstream!
The tom watched as Lynxstar reacted before he could, jumping to action to aid his mate. Sunshade moved to join him but winced as some twoleg ice pierced his pad. "Stay clear of the ice-- every cat clear out of the nest now!" He yowled the order as he went to help Lynxstar, ignoring the pain as more ice cut into his pads. Lynxstar made it the furthest of the two of them, but even still the other tom was unable to cross the ice covered floor, and Sunshade managed to drag them both back, his pads cut to ribbons. Limping, he managed to make it back to where the rest of the clan stood, unable to do anything but look at where Cloverstream lay, heaving in pain and calling for Moonpool.
Sunshade was as distressed as the rest of his clanmates, but he kept himself from letting that distract him. Instead he took to counting her breaths, watching her body language and assessing her kitting. "...Something's wrong." Sunshade winced as he tried to get up, letting another cat help him to his feet. "She's too tense. She can't kit when she's in so much pain. She needs raspberry leaves or she'll..." The former medicine cat apprentice held back his description of what would happen if the she cat didn't get the herbs, knowing her mate stood but a tail length away. "Dreampaw, we can't get to the medicine cat den. Where does do the raspberry bushes grow? Can you get us some?" He addressed his inquiry towards the medicine cat apprentice knowing she could fetch them faster than Moonpool could. Still, that left the problem of getting the herbs to the queen. Sunshade winced as another of her pained yowls ripped through the air. "Cloverstream needs those herbs, and she needs them now."
  floodclαn αpprєntícє
ᴡʜᴇʀᴇxx FloodClan camp
ᴡɪᴛʜxx Lavendersky > Lynxstar, Sunshade
ᴏᴏᴄxx ...
xxx◢ Leafpaw opened her eyes as Ripplepool stuck his head into the apprentice's den to wake Rosepaw, Hawkpaw, and Owlpaw to join him on a hunting patrol. As the other apprentices shook off their grogginess and padded out of the den Leafpaw shifted closer to where Nightpaw still lay curled. Seeing the other apprentices leave camp without her never failed to make her heart ache to see the outside of this creaky old twoleg nest. But she took comfort in the nearness of her friend, hoping he'd forgiven her for her escapade almost one moon ago. She'd certainly worked hard to rectify her wrongs. She'd almost single-handedly built the remaining dens for her clanmates, keeping her paws busy to help keep her mind off of other more painful thoughts. Still, this moon had been a long one, and although she was pretty sure Lynxstar wasn't going to take her to another Gathering anytime soon, she looked forward to being able to patrol and hunt with her clanmates again. These thoughts along with Nightpaw's warmth nearby helped lull her back to sleep.
When Leafpaw woke again midday light was streaming into the den. Getting to her paws, she smoothed down some of her more unruly patches of fur before padding out into the new day. Looking around the clearing, it seemed like most cats were either out on patrol or still sleeping off dusk patrol. Still, a lilac and copper she cat caught her eye and she padded up to where Lavendersky sat grooming herself. "Morning Lavender... er, sky! I'm still getting use to your warrior name, heh. But I like it, it suits you a lot!" The little apprentice purred, out of all the cats who'd joined FloodClan this moon she was her favourite. This was because when she first showed up Leafpaw had been caught staring wide-eyed at the she cat's scars, but Lavendersky hadn't scolded her or held that against her. And now in truth Leafpaw went days without noticing her new clanmate's scars.
Leafpaw had just been about to grab some fresh kill before a loud crash followed by shattering cracks filled her ears. She leaped back as twinkling bits of twoleg ice fell down beneath the weight of a fallen tree, covering the floor of the twoleg nest. Leafpaw's along with a few other's fear scent filled the air as she instinctively backed away. She watched as other cats pulled the shards from out of their pads as Cloverstream's wail filled the air. Leafpaw's eyes went wide as she watched her leader and deputy, two of the bravest, strongest cats she knew and admired, tried desperately to reach the queen, but both failing to cross the lake of broken twoleg ice.
Leafpaw resisted the urge to run and cover her hears from Cloverstream's cries. She had grown close to the queen in the moon she'd been confined to camp, the queen even playing games with her to help keep her from losing her mind in boredom. It was hard to hear her in such agony. But Leafpaw's ears swiveled to Sunshade as he asked Dreampaw to fetch a specific herb. In that time Leafpaw risked a glance towards the wide stretch of twoleg ice. It was actually less of a lake and more of scattered patches. Upon closer inspection, there was actually small areas where the ice had not completely covered, and Leafpaw began connecting these in her head. Some would be difficult to reach, but it was a usable path. When Dreampaw returned a short time later, Leafpaw padded up to where Lynxstar and Sunshade sat trading ideas.
"I'll do it. I'll take that to her." She kneaded the ground slightly when the two toms turned to look at her. "Please, I know I can do it. Just let me try." Her expression pleaded with them, and she was almost surprised when they agreed, though she didn't let that throw her off. She bent to pick up the herbs by their stems, careful not to crush the leaves in her mouth as the bittersweet scent and flavour filled her senses. Forcing herself to focus she stepped carefully onto the first open patch she'd spotted.
Keeping her pawsteps light and quick, she hop-jumped to the next patch, twisting her body with each step to place her feet carefully on ice-free areas. She winced as she overstepped and a shard cut into her pad, but she kept moving. From afar Leafpaw's small form was lithe and graceful, moving swiftly back and forth as she weaved her way to the other side. As the apprentice neared the queen she ran out of patches, but instead of freezing or panicking she stood up on her hind legs, jumping and twisting in the air before landing lightly on her paws on the other side. I... I did it! But instead of letting herself celebrate, Leafpaw rushed to Cloverstream's side, letting the queen lap up the herbs before looking back over to where her clanmates watched from the other side. Glancing up, Leafpaw spotted where a broken branch had been caught on the side of the den, its dense leaves fanning out over the structure. This gave the little she cat an idea and she ran over to the branch, picking it up by the thick base. Padding over to the edge of the ice, she moved her head back and forth in a wide arc, using the leaves to clear the ice in front of her paws. Taking a step, she repeated this until she'd made her way back across the lake. Exhausted, she dropped the branch and collapsed as her paws gave out from beneath her. Only then did she let herself rest, watching as Lynxstar followed by a few others crossed the lake by the path she'd just made. Please StarClan, let Cloverstream be okay.
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Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2016 1:39 pm
FloodClan, Frogleap was beginning to think, was every good thing he remembered Clan life to be. He'd been carefully considering the unheard of Clan ever since a patrol came across them weaving throughout the abandoned twoleg nests. As abnormal as their open borders were, he could understand the reasoning for wanting to allow in whatever cat was willing to commit to the Clan. They needed strength if they were to stake their claim on the forest. Not only were they taking in numbers, though, but loyal numbers. The cats around him all leaned on each other, brought together in this temporary safe haven by shared dilemmas and empathy for one another. It hadn't been long after he, Spidersilk, and Thistle had arrived and decided to stay in FloodClan on a trial basis that a DawnClan family of cats had turned up. Stunned with trauma, the FloodClan cats had ushered Cedarmask and his kits to the medicine cat den, where they were treated for shock until they could speak to Lynxstar of their experience with Stormstar. Stars, FloodClan had even managed to build a stable alliance with local rogues. If all of this didn't speak on behalf of the Clan, Frogleap didn't know what would.
It helped that, in his dreams, he was seeing signs that hinted towards the cleanse this flood of cats could bring to the forest. With everyday he lingered here, the want to join their ranks grew.
Spidersilk, however, did not share the sentiment. She hated Clan queen life with a passion. As loners, they couldn't afford for her to be laid up in a den with Thistle all day, every day, for six moons. She had the freedom to choose a different way of life. In the Clan, there were expectations that she absolutely refused to abide to. Which is how, on this chilly morning, Frogleap ended up on "Queen duty". Spidersilk had gone out to hunt with all her antsy, pent up energy, while Frogleap stayed in camp to bat multitudes of moss balls around with Thistle. Occasionally Thistle would aim wrong and send a ball flying towards a den, or Frogleap would underestimate the strength of his own paws and send one arcing over Thistle's head. Each time the two would slink away momentarily, only to scrounge up another rolled up bit of moss and resume.
Thistle was just turning to fetch their twelfth ball from where it had rolled--just in front of the nursery entrance--when a crack reverberated through the twoleg den, shattering the sound of distant wind into howling as a falling tree tore through the camp. Frogleap launched himself forward, swiping a paw out to yank his kit backward suddenly. He pulled him to safety just barely in time, crouching low over Thistle's small frame. A tree branch smacked the exact spot Thistle had been in not two seconds prior. Shards of twoleg ice rained down around them, slicing into Frogleap's pelt. He didn't dare make any movement until everything had stilled around them, and cats began meowing concerns. Slowly, very slowly, Frogleap sat up, allowing Thistle to jut his head out between his father's front legs. The tree had lodged itself firmly into place, stretching across the clearing to completely. Both father and son were thoroughly shaken by Thistle's brush with serious harm. "Probably best... to not tell mom..."
Frogleap choked on the inappropriate laughter bubbling up within his chest. It would've been drowned out by the cry coming from the nursery anyway. Just like every cat in camp, the two shot to attention, realizing who was still in the den in an instant. "Cloverstream..." Frogleap's chest filled with dread as the full reality of the situation hit him. Without medicine cat assistance, and with the added stress of sudden tree-relocating developments, Cloverstream and her kitting were in imminent danger. Some cat had to get to her, or there wouldn't be much hope.
The dark tom whirled towards where Sunshade was assisting Lynxstar, calling out a command for the rest of the Clan to clear out. Though not a proper member of said Clan, Frogleap followed the swift obedience of the other cats, snatching up Thistle, who had gone silent in the wake of Cloverstream's screams, in his jaws as he went. Though the medicine cat in him demanded to reroute and help in the aiding of a queen in distress, Frogleap firmly reminded himself that his first priority was getting Thistle a safe distance from the unstable tree. He placed his kit gently down in the midst of the gaggle of Clan cats, setting to work licking the shock from Thistle's shaking limbs.
+
Cedarmask had been up early again. Maplefeather's voice continued to replay itself, over and over, in his dreams. 'Go! Get them out of here! Please, Cedarmask!' Her bright eyes were on him for only a heartbeat, and in that time managed to communicate to him her actual parting goodbye. 'Go on. I love you.' He woke up this morning and wondered if he'd ever hear her voice grace him with those three words again.
He left his nest with bleary vision, not just from disrupted sleep.
Skychase approached him not long after, requesting him for the dawn patrol. He tailed the other tom towards the camp entrance, only pausing to make a brief detour. Sticking his head into the apprentice den, Cedarmask's expression softened at the sight of his two kits curled up in a nest together, Grasspaw sprawled over his sister and Fawnpaw's voluminous tail wrapped around the both of them. He imagined he could feel Maplefeather looking on next to him, purring proudly in his ear. 'You did well, love.' Soothed, he ducked back out of the den, tailing after the rest of the dawn patrol.
+
Fawnpaw's whiskers twitched as consciousness tugged at her. She stretched her paws out before her, squirming in her nest to dislodge the weight settled over her. When it meowed in protest, she peered out from behind her eyelids blearily. "Grasspaw? What in StarClan...?" Grasspaw rolled off of his sister, slowly sitting up to groom himself awake. "Hello, lovely-sister-of-mine. Sleep well?" Fawnpaw snorted and rested her cheek on her tail, effectively muffling her speech. "Hm?" Grasspaw hummed. "I said," Fawnpaw lifted her chin, "'Of course. I always sleep well with a fat brother pinning me to the nest.'" Grasspaw laughed, shoving his sister's shoulder with the paw he was using to clean his ears. Fawnpaw stifled a smirk in the fluff of her tail.
A sudden crack tore through their moment, the sound turning to a crash just as Nightpaw woke with a start, launching himself out of the apprentice den on Grasspaw's and Fawnpaw's flanks. The three of them spun around, trying to take in the chaotic scene around them as quickly as possible. Comprehension dawning on them roughly the same time, they sought out their deputy for instruction.
"Stay clear of the ice-- every cat clear out of the nest now!"
"Come on, Nightpaw," Fawnpaw meowed, nosing the fellow apprentice to follow her brother, who had started towards where the rest of their clanmates were gathering. Everyone was meowing loudly over each other, some fretting, others trying to sort out what exactly had happened and who had been where. Grasspaw turned to the other two after ensuring a couple cats that the three of them were accounted for. "I don't think any of us needed a wake-up call like this, wind," he muttered, his fear coming out as frustration and mixing with his panic. Fawnpaw pressed herself to her brother idly, not really paying attention to whatever he and Nightpaw may or may not be saying. Her eyes and ears were trained on what was happening with Sunshade and Leafpaw, who appeared to be begging before she snatched up a bundle of leafs and took off towards the tree. Tilting her head inquisitively, the dappled apprentice weaved her way through her clanmates to stand among Sunshade, Lynxstar, Moonpool, and Dreampaw. Here, there were front row seats to witness Leafpaw, gracefully maneuvering her way through the stretch of twoleg ice towards the queen. Fawnpaw looked on in barely disguised awe as the older apprentice reached Cloverstream, only returning and clearing a path through the ice after having delivered the bundle of leaves.
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Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2016 7:07 pm
Lynxstar had come to one very firm conclusion - if the emergency involved mainly his pregnant mate, he was roughly as good at caring for the problem as a day old kit. His lungs felt like they did in the fire - every breath burned from his nose to is belly, and he could hardly draw enough breath to keep going. His paws itched with the desire to get to her, with no clear path ahead of him for how to do so. His eyes kept trailing the length of the tree, trying to scout out a path through it, but the dead branches were jagged and thickly placed, offering no avenue there. As for the path Lavendersky spotted, he could already see he would never make the leaps necessary - he'd always been stocky, meaning he could go for high jumps, but more then a tail-length long usually was impossible, especially under pressure.
Sunshade, though he cared dearly for the tom as a friend, was not helping with his assessment of the situation. Had it been any other tom's mate wailing, he probably would have had the presence of mind to reprimand Sunshade for saying that within earshot of a cat that was panicking enough. As it was, he was mostly kneading the ground, trying to think of some way to get himself and Moonpool across, though his thoughts were disjointed. His eyes could see every inch of what was happening, but his mind refused to offer a path through the various obstacles that got himself and his medicine cat where they needed to be. Thankfully, the rest of his clanmates were not nearly as mouse brained as he; Lavendersky had found the beginnings of a path, and Leafpaw volunteered to be the one to take the raspberry leaves across. Though reluctant to send an apprentice, he trusted Leafpaw's strength and gave her the go ahead with Sunshade.
His heart remained firmly lodged in his throat as he watched her move, though in the small part of his brain that was actually functional, he was deeply impressed with how she maneuvered her way across. After a lifetime, Leafpaw was safely on her paws, handing off the herbs to CLoverstream. The queen ate them up, and Lynxstar heard a quiet mew of gratitude from where he stood. With his mate's cries quieting, it was easier for him to think, and he almost had a plan when his apprentice blew his mind a second time: using a leafy branch, she knocked away debris to grant him and Moonpool a safe path to the nursery. 'She's going to the next gathering as a warrior' He decided in that moment, watcing her as she finally moved to the side to rest.
"That was brilliant, Leafpaw, thank you. Join the rest of the clan when you're ready." He wished he could spend more time expressing his gratitude for his apprentice, but for now ignored the idea in order to lead Moonpool to Cloverstream. The medicine cat sank her teeth into his stubby tail, and he took her into the den, where the fear scent still lay thick.
--~--
"Y-yeah, okay." Nightpaw mewed, letting himself be guided away by Fawnpaw. His tail was still fluffed out pretty wide, his own fear scent certainly mingled with the rest of it hanging in the air. He shook his head, taking a deep breath as they stepped outside the den into the early sunshine.
"Seriously... Do you think that might have been StarClan's way of saying they didn't want us living in a two-leg den anymore?" He replied to Grasspaw, though his attention was diverted when Fawnpaw turned back around. Not wanting to disobey orders, but still curious as to what the other apprentice had seen, he peered back through the door, watching Leafpaw's journey.
He worried for a moment when it seemed she had missteped into some of the glass, but relaxed a bit when she kept moving. He couldn't help but purr when she cleared a path on the way back, waiting for her to drop down and rest before finally running back into the den to check on her. He offered her a friendly nuzzle to the cheek, purring all the while at seeing she was relatively unharmed.
"Leafpaw that was so cool!" He mewed.
Lavendersky, who had remained behind to be available to fetch anything that might be needed, was just as impressed with Leafpaw. She padded over, though she didn't grant the physical affection Nightpaw did.
"That last jump was particularly impressive. It was incredible you knew just how to move. Are you hurt? Would you like help getting outside? I've witnessed a kitting before, and I'm not liable to recommend it for any cat not involved." She added. Leafpaw had certainly made it further than any of them, an injury, if not at least a sore muscle, seemed likely. While she was no medicine cat, she could at least lend a paw to her clan-mate.
--~--
Cloverstream's kitting, overall, was at least short. After the initial few moments of panic, having her mate and Moonpool arrive on the scene calmed Cloverstream enough that between that and the raspberry leaves, she relaxed significantly. Dreampaw still had to fetch her a stick to sink her teeth into, but her twitches seemed to dissolve into that of regular pain, and her fear scent faded from the den pretty quickly.
Soon enough, the sounds of panting and re-assurances were replaced with the high-pitched mews of their two newborn kits. Both were healthy, and once they had been thoroughly cleaned, tucked themselves quite happily against their mother's belly. The mess was cleared away, and soon enough Moonpool was comfortable to leave the two new parents alone with their litter.
Nuzzling his mate's cheek, Lynxstar looked over the two tiny bundles in awe, watching as their tiny paws kneaded against Cloverstream's belly. He'd scarcely been able to process when Moonpool listed their genders, but he finally noticed the slightly bigger kit was the tom, and the other a she-kit.
"I suppose, after all of that, I should give you names to tell the clan. Any ideas?" Cloverstream mewed softly, not even glancing up from the little ones.
"After all that, you can name them whatever and whenever you want." Lynxstar replied with a purr.
"I like Chirpkit for the tom... And Songkit for the she-cat. I thought about changing it after everything, but I don't want their names to remind them of our first tragedy." Cloverstream spoke slowly, drawing out the sentances as she thought. Lynxstar nodded, offering her one more nuzzle before straightening up.
"Those are perfect, Cloverstream. Just the note our clan's first two kits should start their lives on. I'll go let the rest of the clan know all three of you are safe and sound."
"The hard parts over. Go be our leader instead of my nervous mate for a little while." Cloverstream commented, tone warm even through the teasing when she saw her mate's hesitation. Lynxstar nodded, heading back out to the clan feeling like he'd received a 10th life while watching his kits come in to the world.
He padded outside to where most of the clan had congregated, seeing that the two patrols that had gone out had returned as well. Nodding to all the cat's gathered, he raised his voice to be heard above the clamor.
"I am thrilled to say, that StarClan had granted us our first healthy litter of kits. Cloverstream will be just fine, as will our little tom Chirpkit, and his sister Songkit." He mewed, feeling his chest warm as the atmosphere of the gathered cats changed from fearful to joyous. He gave the clamor of congradulations a moment to settle before continuing on. "I couldn't be more proud of all of you, for how well you handled the situation. Thank you, everyone, for working together and keeping your wits about you so that no one was hurt.
I do have to make a special mention of Leafpaw. If it weren't for your quick thinking, we never would have made it to Cloverstream on time. Your actions today were that of a warrior, and I am so proud to have you for an apprentice." He met the she-cat's eyes, letting the words sink in. They weren't enough, in his mind, to truly encapsulate the gratitude he felt for her, but he wanted to at least have one tom say that to her before she was made a warrior.
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2016 7:09 pm
floodclαn αpprєntícє
ᴡʜᴇʀᴇxx FloodClan camp
ᴡɪᴛʜxx Nightpaw, Lavendersky and Sunshade
ᴏᴏᴄxx ...
xxx◢ Leafpaw purred at her leader's compliment as he went to go help his mate. More than anything she just hoped Cloverstream and her kits would be okay. StarClan, even if those kits climb all over me I'd give anything just to see them be energetic furballs getting under paw. It was true Leafpaw wasn't fond of kits in general, mostly because she wasn't much bigger than most of them. But despite having absolutely no desire for kits of her own, she knew without a doubt that if any two cats would be incredible parents, it would be Lynxstar and Cloverstream.
The little she cat looked up as Nightpaw approached her, purring and returning her denmate's nuzzle. "Thanks Nightpaw! But I'm sure any cat would've done it too." She blinked as Lavendersky complimented her, kneading the ground bashfully. "You think so? That means a lot that you think that, thanks!" Leafpaw lifted her paw, a single piece of Twoleg ice was still lodged in it. Gritting her teeth she pulled it out and spat it back towards the rest of the ice. "I'm okay, just a little nick on my paw, I'm sure loads of other cats need Moonpool and Dreampaw's attention before I do." Leafpaw could feel her tired muscles begin to ache, but she was still too hopped up on excitement to pay them much mind. Tomorrow may be a different story though.
Leafpaw looked up as the large shadow of her deputy fell across her. She complacently offered him a sniff at her pad. "See? All just dandy thanks." Following Lavendersky's advice, she followed the rest of her clanmates back outside the den for the remainder of Cloverstream's kitting. When Lynxstar emerged sometime later she cheered just as loud as her clanmates at the announcement of the safe arrival of Songkit and Chirpkit. Her little chest felt warm at such high praise from one of the cats she admired most, and she dipped her head back at him at his words. If this is a dream I never want to wake up.
Flσσdclαn Dєputч
ᴡʜᴇʀᴇxx FloodClan camp
ᴡɪᴛʜxx Frogleap and Thistle > Fawnpaw, Grasspaw, Nightpaw, Lavendersky and Leafpaw
ᴏᴏᴄxx ...
xxx◢ Sunshade let himself lay still for a bit. His front pads had taken the worse of it, cut to ribbons at his failed attempt to cross the twoleg ice. Trying not to wince he licked them until they stopped bleeding for the most part before trying to stand. These next few days will not be fun. He tried to keep the pain from his face as he limped to where Leafpaw lay.
On his way he walked passed Frogleap and Thistle and he stopped to check in with the tom. "Are you two hurt?" The golden deputy made sure the two cats weren't in need of immediate medical attention before moving on. When he reached the small group of cats clustered around the small framed apprentice he passed Fawnpaw and her brother. "Any injuries besides a rude awakening?" He teased the two apprentices easily, bopping Grasspaw on the nose with his tail playfully. He was fond of the two siblings, they had come through a lot and were facing their new clan life with an admirable resilience.
Finally he reached Leafpaw, walking into the conversation just as Lavendersky was suggesting they give the kitting queen some space. "I second the opinion that kitting is not a spectator sport." He purred slightly at his own joke before moving closer when Leafpaw pulled out a piece of ice from her paw. "Are there any more? Let me see." He gave the apprentice a cursory sniff and once over before relenting. "You were amazing today. Well done Leafpaw." The golden warrior led the rest of his clanmates outside of the den, but not before casting a backward glance to where Lynxstar, Moonpool and Cloverstream huddled in a tight circle. "StarClan, those kits are FloodClan's first. Please take care of them."
When Lynstar announced the names of the two healthy bundles of fur Sunshade called their names with pride along with his clan. This day had been a long and eventful one, but Nightpaw's earlier words somehow burned themselves into the forefront of his mind. Was StarClan really trying to tell them that FloodClan didn't belong inside an abandoned Twoleg nest? But if not there, then where?
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 7:12 pm
Lynxstar paused, pleased to see Leafpaw glowing just a little bit under the praise. He thought for a moment, wondering if this was the time, and feeling only slightly guilty that Cloverstream would be left out. But she knew the queen would congratulate Leafpaw later.
"With that said, I have a ceremony to perform. One that I think more than a few cats would say is over due." He mewed, before gesturing for Leafpaw to come close with his tail. This wouldn't be the most common of ceremonies, but he supposed it would be better then none.
"I, Lynxstar, leader of FloodClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn." He mewed, working carefully and smothering the purr that wanted to rise in his chest at the look on Leafpaw's face. "Leafpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do." Came Leafpaw's reply, though Lynxstar had not expected any different.
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Leafpaw, from this moment you will be known as Leafdance. StarClan honors your grace, speed, and determination, and we welcome you as a full warrior of FloodClan." Lynxstar finished, before stepping forward to rest his muzzle on her head. He felt her lick on his shoulder after a moment, before stepping back to let the clan greet her.
"Leafdance!""Leafdance!""Leafdance!""Leafdance!""Leafdance!""Leafdance!""Leafdance!""Leafdance!""Leafdance!""Leafdance!" The clan cheered, rallying around the new warrior.
"Congratulations! And what a perfect name for you!" Lavendersky purred.
"Aw, now who am I going to sleep next to?" Nightpaw mewed, mock sadness in his tone, even as he purred and rubbed against Leafdance affectionately. Rosepaw scoffed at him, mock offended that he was complaining, before also stepping up to congratulate her den-mate. The rest of the clan stepped forward in turn. Lynxstar gave them their time, letting Leafdance hear the praises before finally clearing his throat for attention.
"With that done, we are going to need to find a new place to stay for the next few nights, until we find a more permanent camp. Sunshade, take two warriors and find us a spot to stay. Ripplepool, I want you, Cedarmask, and Stardancer to try to get back into Moonpool's den so we can hopefully get to her supplies. Frogleap, I know you gave up on being a medicine cat many moons ago, but would you mind helping Moonpool tend to any cats who were injured in the incident? And Lavendersky - I'd like your help in moving the kits when the time comes, please. We don't know how stable the den is going to be after that tree fell, I'd like to risk as little time as possible inside." Finally dismissing the clan with a wave of his tail, he stepped forward for a private word with his new warrior.
"Your vigil will be on hold until we find a place to camp tonight. But thank you, again, for what you did today. I cannot find the words to tell you how grateful I am to you, Leafdance. And any time you ever feel bad about what happened in DawnClan, I want you to remember today, and remember that you earned your warrior name not just by being good at your duties, but by putting your clanmates before yourself. And that makes you already truer to the code then many clan cats can say they are." He pressed his nose to his former apprentice's forehead. With that said, he lead Lavendersky into the nursery.
As much as he hated to move the two kits, who were resting happily against their mother, he didn't want to risk any more danger for them. He warned Cloverstream of their plan, and after a few moments of reluctance, she agreed to the plan of not wanting to risk their safety in the den they now knew to be compromised. Lynxstar took Chirpkit carefully, while Lavendersky lifted Songkit like she was trying to carry a sparrow's egg. Together, they lead Cloverstream out across Leafpaw's path, and outside to a more sheltered area, where the queen could lay with the two kits out of the wind, but still be outside. Cloverstream nodded tiredly when she was settled, and the two cats placed the kits back at her belly again.
--~--
Ripplepool padded back into the den, curious as to how they were supposed to get to Moonpool's supplies. Stardancer, who had been around to witness Leafdance's performance, grabbed the branch from before and mimicked the apprentice's motions, clearing the ice from their path. Ripplepool jumped up on to the trunk of the tree, managing to weave himself a path through the branches, and find his way to the entrance of the medicine cat den.
"Okay, I'm in! Do you think I could just pass you the supplies, so that way we don't all have to do that?" Ripplepool called.
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2016 5:52 am
Frogleap didn't cease warming Thistle until the shuddering died out of every limb. Only then did the dark tom raise his head, rolling a crick out of his neck while he tried to catch up with the FloodClan cats, who were all beginning to crowd about one of the older apprentices. 'Leafpaw?' He managed to catch the eyes of Grasspaw, who was happy to bound over at the beckoning wave of his tail. "Did you see her go?? She practically flew over all that ice!" Frogleap stifled an amused laugh at the young tom’s gushing. “Who now?” “Leafpaw!” ’Ah,’ Frogleap thought to himself, nodding in acknowledgement of Grasspaw’s answer to his question. He looked to the knot of clan cats, purring at the sight of Leafpaw receiving well deserved praise. Not only had the she-cat practically built the camp herself, but she had also saved FloodClan's first kits, as well as the leader's mate. Even from a ways off, he could see pride, admiration, and gratitude mixing in Lynxstar's expression, and some distant corner of his mind knew that there'd be one less cat in the apprentice den tonight.
The passing bright pelt of Sunshade caught Frogleap's eye just before his voice rumbled beside him. "Are you two hurt?" He shook his head, "No. Shaken but still both in one piece."
+
"Do you think that might have been StarClan's way of saying they didn't want us living in a two-leg den anymore?" Grasspaw considered the other apprentice's proposed question, chewing on it for a long moment. "I dunno," he admitted, his eyes trailing after his sister as she got distracted by something and padded away from their conversation. "It's not like we have many other options to set up camp in though." It'd be unfair of StarClan to disapprove of the best sheltered place they could find, wouldn't it?
And then Nightpaw's attention was claimed by whatever Fawnpaw had gone off towards, and Grasspaw followed suit. "Woaaah, look at her go!" He watched alongside the darker apprentice, his amazement much louder than Fawnpaw's stifled awe, and contrasting greatly against Nightpaw's concern. He sped off as soon as Leafpaw returned, beaming with having successfully saved the clan's distressed queen. Grasspaw jostled his sister's shoulder excitedly, his eyes bright. "That was unbelievable." "Yes. She's beauty, she's grace--" "She laughed in Trouble's face!!" Fawnpaw snorted. "Any injuries besides a rude awakening?" She shook her head 'no' in answer to their giant walking sun of a deputy. "Do you think we'll be able to rebuild camp around the tree??? Wouldn't that make this place feel more like the foreshtp?" Grasspaw's voice muffled in the fluff of Sunshade's tail, affectionately papping him on the nose. Fawnpaw paused to listen for Sunshade's thoughts on the idea, but Grasspaw's attention caught on Frogleap waving him over. He shot off before he could even get an answer to his own question.
+
Cedarmask was headed back with the rest of the dawn patrol from stealthily walking their, ideally temporary, border. The three of them tread in relative silence, one occasionally piping up to announce a portion of border clear or comment on the extreme winds. The dramatically swaying trees mixed with haunting notes whistling through the empty twoleg dens had them all on edge, but nothing compared to the sight that greeted them as they rounded an alley to come face to face with their camp, a tree trunk that had always made the cats nervous slicing through the structure. Cedarmask froze in place with Skychase and Dewheart. He was the first to reanimate, plowing forward, a wash of frantic worry driving him with the single, repeating cry, 'Go! Get them out of here!'.
Charging through the camp entrance, his eyes rushed to take in the state of the camp. Most of the clan were gathered on the far side of the twoleg den. He rushed through the choke of cats, only breathing again when he spotted his two kits, speaking to different cats. Practically shaking with relief, Cedarmask swept the two back together, wrapping them to him with his tail tightly. "Neither of you are hurt?" "No, we're fine, you can let go now," Grasspaw grumbled, though he only pressed his face deeper into his father's pelt. Fawnpaw quietly licked his cheek before stepping back to lay her ruffled fur flat once more.
+
"I, Lynxstar, leader of FloodClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice." Every cat's ears perked at the familiar words, their heads swiveling to bare witness to Leafpaw sitting beside Lynxstar, glowing under the eyes of all her clanmates. "She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn." The leader turned to Leafpaw, asking for her committed word, a key aspect to any warrior ceremony. "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Leafpaw, from this moment you will be known as Leafdance. StarClan honors your grace, speed, and determination, and we welcome you as a full warrior of FloodClan."
Grasspaw leaped from his father's embrace, joining Fawnpaw and the rest of his clan in the calling of the new warrior's name. "Leafdance!" "Leafdance!" Cedarmask, despite the circumstances, was alight with relief and happiness, for his kit's continued safety and for the excitement of FloodClan's first warrior ceremony. His voice rose up with the rest of the clan. "Leafdance!"
Coming to sit with Cedarmask and his family was Frogleap, nosing his son ahead of him. His purr was muted beneath all the chanting. Whether he officially joined FloodClan or not, clan life was a welcomed feeling to him. Celebrating young warriors never ceased being one of the highlights. He crouched beside his kit. "That's Leafpaw--Leafdance, now--graduating to a well deserved warrior status. Tonight she'll keep vigil, and tomorrow there'll be one new nest in the warriors den." Thistle tilted his head toward's his father's voice, bewilderment clear on his face. "Why do they need to change names so often? Don't they forget who they are?" "It's sort of like earning a title. Every clan cat aspires to live up to their warrior name." "That sounds sort of dumb." Frogleap frowned, but said no more. His own promise to Spidersilk echoed through his head. 'I just want to make sure they're okay, and then we can go back to our life.' He knew the three of them weren't going to stay on in FloodClan permanently. Just until Frogleap could help the clan in training up a medicine cat.
Once the cheers quieted, Lynxstar went on to deliver the beginning of a long list of reconstructive orders, calling out both Cedarmask and Frogleap. "Ripplepool, I want you, Cedarmask, and Stardancer to try to get back into the medicine den so we can hopefully get to the supplies." Cedarmask sought out the other two cats in the tangle, already weaving their way through to the far side of the camp. He nosed his children warmly before following suit, meeting up with Ripplepool and Stardancer at the base of the fallen tree's trunk. He watched Stardancer sweep the ice away. Having not seen Leafdance's act of heroism, he mewed a little kudos to the she-cat with her jaw clamped on a tree branch. Ripplepool pushed his way into the den before calling back out to them, "Do you think I could just pass you the supplies?" Cedarmask and Stardancer shared a look, both of them shrugging. "I don't see why not," Cedarmask responded in kind. He padded forward as Ripplepool began passing bundles of herbs through the branches, the system quickly collecting a pile of accessible herbs for Frogleap's administration.
+
"Frogleap, I know you gave up on being a medicine cat many moons ago, but would you mind tending to any cats who were injured in the incident?" The dark tom dipped his head, rising to his paws. Thistle jumped up, whirling towards him. "But you can't!! Mom assigned you to queen duty already," he protested loudly, earning a few chuckles from the surrounding cats. Frogleap flushed, trying to ignore the attention his kit had drawn to them. "Spidersilk would understand under the circumstances, Thistle. Grasspaw--could you and Fawnpaw keep an eye on him for me?" The two apprentices nodded, taking Thistle off his father's paws while he started to take inventory of the clan's injuries. Most were minor, everyone having hurried to escape the path of the collapsing trunk just in time. Considering, Frogleap put the cats with the most torn up pads on the top of his mental list. Meaning, Lynxstar and Leafdance, with Sunshade and Lavendersky as runner ups.
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2016 12:19 pm
 Flσσdclαn αpprєntícє Wαrríσr
ᴡʜᴇʀᴇxx FloodClan camp
ᴡɪᴛʜxx Nightpaw, Grasspaw, Fawnpaw, Lavendersky and Sunshade > Frogleap
ᴏᴏᴄxx ...
xxx◢
Leafpaw hesitated when Lynxstar beckoned her over with his tail. Was this really happening? She felt a tightness in her throat as the shock of disbelief froze her steps. But after a second the feeling passed and she padded up to where her leader sat. Then came the words. The words she'd dreamt of hearing her entire life, the words she'd heard over and over but never for her. But this time she'd done something right, something to make her clan proud to welcome her as a warrior of FloodClan.
Leafdance. The name made her heart swell with pride. It was absolutely perfect. She'd lain awake some nights thinking of what kind of name she'd have one day, and she'd never imagined one as great as this one. Now every time she was called for a patrol, or addressed by one of her clanmates she'd remember today and what she'd been able to do for her clan. Then suddenly the space around her was filled with shouts of the cats she loved shouting her new name. It made her pelt prickle with excitement and pride. She was a finally a warrior worthy of FloodClan. This was her home now, her family.
Then the moment was over and she was swarmed by her clanmates, purring in delight at their congratulations. "Thanks Lavendersky! And me, silly." She nuzzled Nightpaw back happily. "Because you're going to be a warrior too in no time!" She burst out in a mrrow of laughter at Grasspaw and Fernpaw's little rhyme about her. Thankfully Lynxstar had postponed her silent vigil until the clan had a new temporary camp. With a longing look she glanced over her shoulder at the moon's worth of work that had just been made unusable. But still, she looked forward to having a place for FloodClan to call a more permanent home. "Well, I guess if StarClan doesn't want us living in a Twoleg nest it's up to them to tell us where they do want us, huh?" She wondered aloud at this to no one in particular. She glanced at the acting medicine cat Frogleap. She'd overheard an elder say that StarClan wouldn't talk to Frogleap while he was acting as FloodClan's medicine cat because he had a mate. But he was such a skilled cat with herbs and knew so much about StarClan that Leafdance thought he was an excellent medicine cat, acting or not.
Overhearing Lynxstar's command for the herbalist to take a look at injured cats she decided to head Frogleap off before he tried to come find her. "Hiya Frogleap! I'm actually okay, just a little sore from all the jumping but there are a ton of cats more injured than me. I only had one piece of ice stuck to my pad but it's all okay now." She held up said pad for him to see, but was interrupted when Sunshade called her over. "Thanks, but I gotta go, catch you later!" Glad to have avoided any fuss over her she bounded off to where Sunshade and Skychase stood waiting.
Flσσdclαn Dєputч
ᴡʜᴇʀᴇxx FloodClan camp > FloodClan territory
ᴡɪᴛʜxx Fawnpaw, Grasspaw, Nightpaw, Lavendersky and Leafdance > Leafdance and Skychase > Lynxstar
ᴏᴏᴄxx ...
xxx◢ Sunshade watched as Grasspaw bounded off before he could answer. Though admittedly Sunshade could empathize with the apprentice's line of reasoning. It didn't feel right to call a Twoleg nest home. I felt so... disconnected from the forest. The golden tom made a note of this, but right now his clan needed him to find them a place out of the wind. Particularly for the two newest and smallest additions.
"Leafpa-- er, Leafdance. You and Skychase are with me. We need to find some place out of this wind, and as much as what Leafdance just did was amazing I don't want her to have to do a repeat performance, so we're not going to choose another Twoleg nest." Sunshade nodded at this, doing his best not to limp as he led the two warriors into the underbrush. "We're looking for anything that can provide temporary shelter. We don't have to worry about sectioning it off into dens." The broad-shouldered deputy studied the sky. It didn't seem like rain would be an issue but he'd like to be prepared.
"Over here Sunshade!" Sometime later the deputy's ears pivoted towards the newest warrior's cry. Following the direction of the call he emerged into a clearing where Leafdance and Skychase stood in the middle of a sandy hollow surrounded by gorse. Surveying it, Sunshade decided that it wasn't an ideal place for a permanent camp, but it could shelter the entire clan for now, albeit a tad snugly. Nodding his approval, he turned and led them back to report the find to Lynxstar.
"It's not much, but it's what we need right now. It's about three tree-lengths that way." Sunshade beckoned the direction with his tail. "Cloverstream can make it if you help her, Lavendersky and I can take the kits." The golden tom had spotted the lilac she-cat already with Cloverstream and the kits. He resolved then to personally see to it that Lynxstar's family made it safely to the temporary camp.
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2016 8:09 pm
Lynxstar let Frogleap examine his paws, wincing a little when he set them back down. With the excitement over, the pain was letting itself be known, the multitude of cuts aching with the weight of his frame upon them. He mewed his thanks to the medicine cat, letting him move along to the rest of the cats gathered. He watched as the hunting patrol from before gathered the prey they had caught, offering it up to the rest of the clan. He waved them past, wanting to see the rest of the clan eat before taking any for himself. He saw Cloverstream tearing into a mouse eagerly, and part of his chest loosened at seeing her able to do so.
Lavendersky was at her side, chatting idly with her. Based on the way the wind was blowing, she could also tell she was subtly trying to block the wind from giving the kits a chill. Apparently the temporary resting place was less sheltered than he thought.
"As long as it's safe for now, I'm happy with it." Lynxstar admitted, gesturing for Sunshade to go ahead while he padded over to Skychase.
"Skychase, stay here for when Spidersilk comes back so you can explain to her where we've gone." Better a cat that had already seen the way stay behind. He'd hate to have Spidersilk come back to the scene, with no cat to warn her what had gone on and that her kit and mate were safe. In the mean time, it seemed the rest of the clan had completed their tasks and we're ready to move. Glad to see it, he also moved over to Cloverstream, helping her out of the nest once Lavendersky had grabbed Songkit and Sunshade Chirpkit. Songkit mewled loudly in protest at being pulled away from Cloverstream again, while Chirpkit's paws churned the air grumpily, letting out the quietest of hisses.
"It's alright kits. Last time, I promise." Cloverstream mewed, her voice causing both to calm their protests. Lynxstar stepped forward, helping her to her pads and offering his shoulder for her to lean on. He was almost surprised when most of her weight pressed against her. 'She must be exhausted... I'm sorry Cloverstream. It can only be easier from here.' He thought guiltily, padding after sunshade.
"Alright FloodClan, follow me! We'll sort out nests when we get there!" Lynxstar called carefully over Cloverstream's shoulder. It wasn't the fastest trip, with Cloverstream too tired to walk even as far as they were going. He was relieved to finally help her to the back of the hollow, with the wall high enough to at least shelter from the wind. At least for the night, he would curl with her to help keep the kits warm. He watched as the cats settled in, feeling once again what a great relief it was that everyone had made it safe and sound.
When Lavendersky and Sunshade dropped their kits, he thanked them both wth Cloverstream. Finally able to stay put, Cloverstream curled around them both and closed her eyes. Lynxstar gestured for Sunshade to follow him, trying to avoid disturbing his family any more than they had already for the day.
"Thank you Sunshade. For now, this will work. But I agree it's not ideal. We'll have to fan out further toward the forest and try to find something more suitable for long time living. Let's dedicate tomorrow to finding a better spot. We can send a few warriors out in different directions in the morning." He mewed, hoping having a goal in mind would help all of them.
--~--
Ripplepool passed what supplies he could reach back to Stardancer and Ceadarmask, grateful that he had been the one sent instead of Skychase. He barely had the room to move in the den, his pelt snagging with every move, pads aching from being unable to avoid the shards of ice that lined the inside of the small space.
Few of the herbs in the den were accessible. From the outside, the den had appeared relatively unharmed. However, half of it had collapsed under the tree, and unfortunately the herb store happened to be right under the massive trunk. What little he retrieved came out at least partially shredded, and by the time he wiggled his way out, little of the store was actually saved.
"Mouse-dung! That's it?" Ripplepool groaned as he jumped back to the others, wincing as he landed. He paused for a moment, taking the time to inspect his pads and pull what shards he could from them. Helping the others grab what they had fetched, Ripplepool lead the way back outside. It was just in time for Lynxstar to announce they were moving, so he padded after the group.
Upon arrival to the new camp, he placed the herbs where Frogleap instructed, for now leaving the remains of the plants in a shallow dip in the ground. He let the others do the same, settling off to the side to wait for Frogleap to have time to look over his pads.
--~--
Lavendersky was careful as she carried Songkit, though the little one squirmed in her jaws. In the corner of her eye, she could see Chirpkit was struggling as well, though at least he was being gentler now, tiny feet kicking the air. She followed Sunshade to the new location, walking more carefully then she was sure she ever had. She was relieved when Lynxstar helped Cloverstream lie down once more, and could put her squirming bundle back and her mother's side.
"Do you need anything else, Cloverstream?" Lavendersky murmured, nodding when the queen waved her off with her tail. She felt her stomach ache a little as she backed away, looking upon the queen and kits with a mix of envy and affection. The envy came from the spot in her chest that both wanted but doubted she would ever have that. The affection, of course, came from the fact that Cloverstream was an amazing cat who deserved all the happiness she had and more.
Since it seemed, for now, everyone was finished with her, Lavendersky settled herself down as out of the way as possible to tend to her pads and clean the cuts she'd earned.
--~--
As the clan padded away, Skychase settled down to wait. Even in the semi-sheltered doorway of the den they were abandoning, the wind was enough to send a chill down his spine.
Once the voices of the clan was gone, he couldn't help but notice how eerily quiet the den was. He had considered this space home the last moon - filled with love and safer then he ever had in the tunnels. Now, glancing back, the dens were a semi-circle of open maws, waiting to attack it seemed. The tree was an ominous shadow as the day grew darker. Shuddering openly because he was alone, Skychase returned his focus to the world outside.
Hopefully, Spidersilk would be back soon.
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Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2016 1:47 pm
Flσσdclαn Dєputч
ᴡʜᴇʀᴇxx FloodClan temporary camp
ᴡɪᴛʜxx Lynxstar > Nightpaw and Smokewing > Lavendersky
ᴏᴏᴄxx ...
xxx◢ Sunshade held the kit in his jaws like he may break, nostrils flaring slightly as the kit began to protest and churn the air with his tiny paws. Is this normal? Am I hurting him? Oh no I'm hurting him! StarClan, what have I done! His thoughts along with the kit were quieted by Cloverstream's soothing reassurance to her son and soon the golden tom was able to lead the family and Lavendersky to the temporary set up. Setting Chirpkit down at his mother's side, Sunshade felt relief but also a sting in his heart. We never did get to name ours, huh, Blue? Wonder what they would have been like. The thought was not as painful as he'd expected it to have been, but it still hurt.
"Alright Lynxstar, I'll send a few out along with myself first thing tomorrow morning." Clearing his mind, he pushed aside that painful train of thought in favour of something a bit more productive. "Smokewing, Nightpaw, I know everyone's tired but there's still something we need to do." Leading the two cats back towards their old encampment, he used the path Ripplepool and the others had made, extending it to the fresh kill pile. "This prey can still feed FloodClan. And I doubt anybody's really up for hunting right now. Just give it a good shake with your paws before picking it up." The tom demonstrated by nudging the nearest vole, twoleg ice falling off of it with a soft tinkling sound as it hit the floor of the nest. Picking it up by its tail he shook it more vigorously before setting it down on an ice free area and moving on to a thrush.
Sometime later the three of them returned to the temporary camp, having salvaged most of the prey. Sunshade made sure the elders, queens and senior warriors ate before picking up a scrawny squirrel. Tiredness and pain pricked his paws, but he caught sight of Lavendersky and padded up to her, setting the prey down between them. "Hey there Lavendersky. Great work today- sorry there's not much on it, but if you're not picky I don't mind sharing." He'd hoped to have been able to bring back more, but there were enough that if everyone shared at least the entire clan could have something. Trying not to wince, he lay down, examining his pads with a cursory glance. What I wouldn't give for some dock leaves... And maybe some chervile root Giving each of his pads an apologetic lick he started into the squirrel, taking as little as possible before curling up next to Lavendersky. It would be a tight squeeze with everyone in this cramped hollow, but with the brisk leaf-fall wind hinting at the beginnings of leaf bare he was glad for his clanmates' shared warmth.
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Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2016 4:10 pm
⁙⁙ SMOKEWING ⁙⁙ FloodClan Warrior ⁙⁙The events of the day had left Smokewing drained, licking the few cuts and bruises that she'd obtained during the tree fall. There wasn't much mourning going on within her at the loss of their camp. She had been there for less than a moon and hadn't called it home yet. So she had joined the other cats into their new territory, wrinkling her nose at the sight of it. It wasn't much, but she supposed that at least it was something. It wasn't like she could go back to DawnClan. This was her clan now, and she'd vowed to be loyal to it. It was her sense of duty, rather than any empathy or concern for others, that had moved her to the aid of any cat that needed it during the disaster.
Now the black and white cat sat at the edge of the clearing, watching with yellow eyes the scene that unfolded before her of cats trying desperately to salvage what they could of their destroyed home, and repurpose it into a new one. Smokewing flicked an ear at the sound of her name, but otherwise acted as if she didn't hear. She was tired and frankly didn't much care for obeying orders. But as Sunshade and Nightpaw passed her on their way to their old camp, a twinge of guilt poked at her and she let out a sigh and a "Yes, Sunshade," before grudgingly following, doing a half-hearted job at cleaning off the prey.
When they'd returned back to the clearing, Smokewing could feel the sharp pain of a particularly deep cut in her shoulder. She had refused the help of the phony medicine cat, Frogleap, but now she began to regret her stubbornness. Feeling as if she couldn't suddenly change her mind, she set to work on licking her shoulder between painful winces, the taste of blood suddenly ridding her of an appetite.
Smokewing's mind wandered to the night she'd decided to leave DawnClan. It was a strange and dismal thing to be thinking about, but she found it oddly therapeutic to replay the events in her mind and reassure herself that she'd done the right thing. Stormstar was not a leader. He was a tyrant. Cats had no control over their parents' disregard for the rules, so therefore they should not be required to be punished. Smokewing could see the signs that this new leader of DawnClan did not have the clan's best interest at heart, but had his own agenda to accomplish.
The she-cat was nudged away from her thoughts as she noticed Leafdance pass by her. Smokewing remembered the day that she'd been given her warrior name, and she saw a bit of herself in this newly appointed warrior, a sort of elated pride that was so visible in her eyes. "Leafdance," she called out, surprising herself. Smokewing never spoke to anyone unless spoken to. "Congratulations." And with that, she turned and padded away, trying to keep a good distance from everyone else, like she always did.
⁙⁙ STONEPAW ⁙⁙ FloodClan Medicine Cat Apprentice ⁙⁙Stonepaw was surprisingly calm as she examined a deep wound in the pad of one of the warriors. The blood didn't phase her, even though she really hadn't had much experience with it ever since becoming the medicine cat apprentice. Perhaps she really was meant to do this sort of thing. The surge of joy that filled her being when a cat sighed in relief of their pain or thanked her for helping out was strangely satisfying. She felt a sense of great accomplishment and, however terrifying and life-threatening this situation had been, she was grateful for the opportunity to showcase what she'd learned and what she was capable of doing. I hope you're watching, StarClan!
After finishing up with her patient, Stonepaw looked around the clearing, proud of the work that she and Frogleap had accomplished. Even though Frogleap wasn't an official medicine cat anymore, she still valued his knowledge. He was a great teacher, even though Stonepaw secretly used him to have an excuse to play with Thistle. The gray cat perked up when she saw Smokewing off to the side licking a pretty bad wound. With a little leap in her step, Stonepaw hurried over to the she-cat, but faltered as she neared. Smokewing gave her the sort of look that would make any cat freeze in their tracks, and Stonepaw couldn't help but think that she didn't want any help.
Instead, she turned and made her way over to Ripplepool. "Hey," she called out as she neared. She touched her nose graciously to his when she stood before him. "Thanks for helping out with getting the herbs. You're a lifesaver." Stonepaw purred and sat down, looking up at Ripplepool with a tilted head. "Would you like me to take a look at your pads?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2016 10:05 pm
Nightpaw rose to his pads quickly, following his mentor to their old camp. He nodded briefly at Skychase as they passed, watching Sunshade as he cleared the way to the fresh kill pile. He still watched his step when he followed, not eager to figure out if the ice biting into his pads would hurt as badly as it appeared to. He shook off the pieces of prey he got carefully, not eager to taste the ice either.
When they padded back to the new temporary camp, Nightpaw helped his mentor with making sure the others had eaten, before picking up a vole and padding over to where the other apprentices had settled down.
"Anyone else hungry?" He offered, setting the prey within reach of the others, after taking a bit himself.
--~--
Lynxstar nodded to Sunshade, letting him leave with the cat he had chosen. StarClan had truly blessed him by giving him Sunshade - always thinking of others, and always knowing what to do. When it came time for him to give up his last life, he almost hoped it would still be Sunshade there to take the helm. He would make a good leader, if it came to it.
He checked on his clan again, assuring that those who had been closest to the tree when it fell were fine. When Sunshade's patrol returned, he was more than grateful to get a piece of prey, devouring a small mouse faster then he probably should have. When he finished, he padded over to Leafdance.
"Alright, the sun is setting. Now your vigil begins. Sit next to where we were all coming in, and remember you're not allowed to talk until you're relieved unless its an emergency. Good luck." He mewed, tone light as he offered he reminder. He doubted she actually would forget - the poor thing had waited moons and moons for this night. He couldn't help but feel grateful he'd been the one finally able to give it to her. Watching her pad in to place, something in his chest warmed.
After a moment, he picked his way carefully through the cats who had already settled down, making it back to Cloverstream without much fuss. He settled next to her, lying carefully so he was around the kits, his nose almost touching hers. He was hoping his body would provide them enough warmth that wasn't being held by the walls of a den. Hopefully, that wouldn't be a concern for long, but until it wasn't he already knew he would be spending every night like this. Not that he minded, but he wished he were doing it out of desire for companionship over necessity. He closed his eyes, falling asleep to the quiet sounds of the now three breaths of his family.
--~--
Ripplepool purred when Stonepaw approached, pressing his nose to hers in return. He couldn't help the warmth that spread through his chest at the apprentice's praise. It was surprisingly nice to get to do something so involved with clan life again.
"It was nothing, Stonepaw. I'm glad we could save what we could, a shame there wasn't more I could reach." He commented first, before nodded at her offering to look at his pads. "I'd appreciate that. That two-leg ice bites a lot harder then it looks like it would." He held his paws so they would be easier to examine, trying not to wince as he worked. One of his pads had apparently been cut pretty deep, and was still slowly oozing blood as he sat.
--~--
Lavendersky was surprised to be startled from her thoughts by Sunshade of all cats, offering to share prey. She couldn't help the small thrill that fluttered through her chest at the idea, trying to force herself to reign it in.
"After all the excitement today I don't think I could eat much anyway." She managed to purr with the joke, pleased with herself when she didn't flounder her words. She knew he was probably just being kind, and he was the first warrior he'd spotted, but the attention still felt nice. She enjoyed what of the squirrel she split with him, taking note of the fact that Sunshade ate as little as possible. She wondered if he wasn't feeling well, or if there was something more to it. She brushed the thought away, knowing she needed to stop over-analyzing every move the tom made.
'You're being hyper sensitive because you like him. Stop thinking so-- Oh he's lying next to me, StarClan what do I do?!' Doing her level best to keep her panic on the inside, she managed to keep herself relatively still as she felt Sunshade's pelt brushing against her own. He was just close enough for her to catch his scent, and part of her hated herself for liking it.
'You are being dumb. It's a small hollow. This was just convenient. Stop acting like a kit.' She scolded herself as she curled up as well, grateful for his warmth regardless. Thankfully, with so many cats in the hollow packed so tightly together, the chill of the wind wasn't burrowing that far in to her pelt. Though again, between Sunshade's thick pelt and her own embarrassment, she had plenty of things to keep her warn, so she wondered if perhaps she wasn't the best judge. She finally managed to close her eyes, forcing her body relax so she could fall into a comfortable slumber, where at least she could just enjoy the moment for what it was.
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Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2016 2:08 pm
"Hiya Frogleap! I'm actually okay, just a little sore from all the jumping but there are a ton of cats more injured than me. I only had one piece of ice stuck to my pad but it's all okay now." Frogleap blinked, unable to help a purr of amusement at the new warrior racing up to him, assuring him of her well-being so he could focus his efforts elsewhere. "Alright, Leafdance, you're free to go then," he replied, waving his tail as she bounded off towards Sunshade. He crossed the clearing to where Ripplepool, Stardancer, and Cedarmask had managed to gather a couple pawfuls of what had been his entire herb storage. He tried not to appear too disappointed. He probably failed. "Stars..." he murmured, touching his paw to a torn borage leaf. "Stonepaw and I can replenish it," he assured the warriors, though the look in his eyes said it would be some time before he could scrounge his entire stock back up. "Thank you," he mewed as Ripplepool and Cedarmask scooped the herbs up for him, padding out of camp. He padded after them, following the lead of Sunshade and Lynxstar to a sand hollow, where the clan cats were beginning to take their rest after the seemingly too-long day of tree terror and kitting scares.
Frogleap took to his business of examining every cat, from most extreme to least. In between stopping by each and every warrior to wrap their pads in oak leaves--"It's the best Ripplepool and Cedarmask could save."--he also frequently checked on Cloverstream and the kits, though remaining careful not to disturb their rest. It was the best thing for them right now. After he and Stonepaw had thoroughly ensured the Clan's well-being, he wrapped his tail around the apprentice's shoulders comfortingly, pulling her to the side of the hollow. "We're going to need to go on quite the expedition bright and early tomorrow for herbs," he mewed, his lethargy not taking away from his matter-of-fact attitude about the situation. "Mind you, we most likely won't find every herb in the forest, but we'll get everything we absolutely need to keep this clan all patched up." He glanced across the clearing, to where Fawnpaw and Grasspaw were making quick, simple nests for cats, showing Thistle the way to curl ferns beneath moss into what could be deemed an acceptable nest. Watching his son scamper after the two apprentices, laughing at Grasspaw, who was tripping up on the fronds trailing from his jaws, and trailing after Fawnpaw, who remained the most stoic of the three, caused his whiskers to twitch in endearment. 'If only Spidersilk were here to see you, Thistle. Would she still be able to think so badly of clan life?'
Pulling his attention from his kit, he released a sigh as the cats surrounding him in the slightly-too-cozy hollow collectively began to curl up around one another. "StarClan were walking among us in that Twoleg den today," he announced, turning his head towards the sky. "It's a miracle that not a single cat was seriously harmed. And that Leafdance would grace us all with the spectacular acts of a star-blessed warrior." His eyes searched the sky for a long moment, instinctively waiting for the scent of an ancient cat or an acknowledging starry pelt brushing past his flank. None came. He knew he should be thankful--it was what he'd been asking for sine the day he left DawnClan with Spidersilk--but his sudden missing link with the stars he'd always kept in sight left him feeling like half a cat. He knew he couldn't have it all, but the loud silence still left him wishing he could anyway. He closed his eyes, blocking out thoughts of stars and ancestors. "Anyway," he continued, "You should go rest up with the apprentices. I'll wake you when we need to head out for those herbs."
+
Cedarmask assisted in the relocation of Frogleap's bare-bones pile of herbs, trotting next to Ripplepool to the hollow the clan was led to. He waved off Frogleap's motion to come forward so he could be checked for injuries, insisting that he was without any. With a sigh of resignation from the medicine cat, Cedarmask left him to round up the Fawnpaw and Grasspaw, the latter of which was rowdily exploring the little "camp" with Thistle hounding after him, Fawnpaw simply poking about on her own. "Alright you three, make yourselves useful. Grasspaw, go fetch as many fronds of fern you can find. Fawnpaw, moss. I've got Thistle. When you two get back you can show him how to make a nest. Who knows," his chest rumbled, causing Thistle to inch away from him warily. "He may even find himself an apprentice one day having to make one on his own." The little silver tabby screwed up his nose, the scorn in his face identical to the look his mother gave nearly every clan cat who approached her. "No, not gonna happen," he mewed defiantly. "Mom says so." Cedarmask's ears flicked. "Very well. The skill can still be applied to a loner life." The kit dubiously accepted this, settling next to the warrior to await the return of his kits, who returned not too long after. Grasspaw called Thistle to him, already dropping the ferns and arranging a few into a cat-sized bed.
Leaving them to it, Cedarmask looked towards the exit from the little sandy hollow, considering before he quietly dropped by his leader. "The sky's darkening, and who knows how long still Spidersilk will be out. I'm going to go wait up for her with Skychase so he's not left alone out there, okay?" Waiting for Lynxstar's "go-ahead" before exiting camp, he darted back out to where the twoleg den squatted, half squashed in the distance. "Hello, Skychase. Figured it wouldn't be too much fun waiting out here in the dark alone, let alone having to walk Spidersilk to the new camp on your own. She's not the most pleasant cat to be left with, after all." He sat himself with the younger tom, blocking the worst of the wind from him like he would for his own kits. He was coming around to making a habit of fathering half the clan, it seemed.
+
"Grasspaw, what're you doing to him?" "Teaching him to make a nest!!" "You've made him a part of the nest--how is that teaching??" "To truly know the mechanics of a nest, Fawnpaw, you must first be the nest." Grasspaw and Thistle promptly dissolved into another fit of laughter, Thistle rolling out from between the curled frond of the make-shift nest in his display of hilarity. Fawnpaw looked on, amused but trying not to show it. "You two are going to get us bickered at. Come on, let's make a nest around Cloverstream and the kits and then be done with it." The two toms, of course, conceded, trailing after her. When she turned to check back on them, a few tail lengths from where Cloverstream was sleeping deeply with her new-borns, her brother was giving Thistle a ride on the dragging ferns, creating a pattern in the sand behind them. She rolled her eyes, breaking her poker-face to playfully chase the kit off the ferns. "Get out of here you little mongrel!" Thistle chortled as he darted away from the tufts of fur in her paws tickling him. Grasspaw sobered enough to gently tuck the ferns and moss around the sleeping queen and her kits with his sister, the two bowing away when Lynxstar picked his way over to curl up with his mate.
"Alright, Thistle. Come along, let Fawnpaw and Grasspaw go rest with the other apprentices," came Frogleap's voice, beckoning his son away. Thistle waved goodbye with his little tail, bounding away to settle down with his father. The two apprentices made their way to where Stonepaw and Blackpaw were, with Nightpaw arriving soon after, a vole in his jaws to share with the lot of them. Grasspaw followed the other tom, purring his appreciation for something to eat after burning up all of last night's fresh-kill running around with Thistle. Fawnpaw shook her head to the offer, figuring the other apprentices would need the energy more. She could wait for prey later, when hunting brought in enough for everyone. It's not like she'd done much more than kitsit, anyways. Settling next to Nightpaw's flank, she wrapped her thick tail around her and over her nose, closing her eyes to the ever-changing world that seemed to be FloodClan life.
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Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2016 10:48 am
⁙⁙ STONEPAW ⁙⁙ FloodClan Medicine Cat Apprentice ⁙⁙Stonepaw purred in response to Ripplepool's modest reply. "Well, I don't think it was nothing."She then took a look at his pads, scrutinizing every cut to make sure there were no shards of twoleg ice still in them. One cut looked particularly bad and was still bleeding quite a bit. Stonepaw ripped off some cobwebs that she'd hooked around her claws to travel around with and used it to hold against his deepest wound. "I'm worried about this cut getting infected since it's so deep and you've been walking around on it," she mewed around the mouthful of cobwebs. When she was sure that the blood had clotted well enough, she removed the cobwebs and wrapped oak leaves around his paw. After finishing, she looked up at Ripplepool. "Hopefully these oak leaves will keep it from getting infected. Let me know if it starts swelling badly or any yellowish stuff comes out, okay?"
Pleased with herself, she gave one last grateful prod to his shoulder with her muzzle and then hurried over to Frogleap. "I think that's every cat. Well, all except for Smokewing. Looks like she's got a pretty nasty cut on her shoulder, but she wouldn't let me come near her..." Stonepaw purred as Frogleap put his tail around her. She never felt underappreciated when she was around him. He gave her a lot of hope that she could actually do this medicine cat thing. When he mentioned the need to scavenge for herbs tomorrow, she nodded a little hesitantly. This place was still so unfamiliar to her. StarClan knew if they'd even find anything worthwhile. It was worth a try, she figured, but there was still a nagging worry that they wouldn't get what they needed.
At his remark about StarClan, Stonepaw closed her eyes, focusing in on the scent of StarClan that she'd begun to recognize so often now. There was that warmth that she had never felt before she came to FloodClan, and she relished in it. "Yes, they were definitely watching over us." She then opened her eyes and found Frogleap looking into the night sky, a sort of longing in his eyes. Stonepaw couldn't imagine not being able to communicate with StarClan after being able to do so almost regularly. It was like being used to sleeping in a nice, warm nest sheltered from the harshness of the outside world, and then suddenly having to sleep on cold rocks by yourself. She couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him, and she had to remind herself that he had chosen to leave the medicine cat life. She knew he loved Spidersilk and Thistle, and seemed happy with his choice.
Stonepaw lit up when Frogleap encouraged her to to rest with the other apprentices. Ever since becoming the medicine cat apprentice, she had felt a little ostracized from the other cats around her age. They all got to learn how to fight and hunt and protect the clan together, while she was off learning about herbs and treatments for bellyaches. She knew she shouldn't complain, it wasn't all that bad. Yet she felt so elated at the prospect of being able to mingle with the other apprentices for once. So before Frogleap could change his mind, she hurried over to where Fawnpaw, Grasspaw, and Nightpaw were resting.⁙⁙ SMOKEWING ⁙⁙ FloodClan Warrior ⁙⁙The frenzy of the clan had died down, and Smokewing could feel the exhaustion weighing down on her. She contemplated going to bed, but her mind was still wide awake, and she knew that would prevent her from getting any real sleep. So she picked a small mouse from the fresh-kill pile and brought it back to the edge of the new camp. As she settled down to eat it, Smokewing felt the unfamiliar ache inside her that she felt ever since she left DawnClan. She missed her brother more than ever before. It felt unnatural to be without him. He had been her rock, her best friend, her confidant. And she'd lost him to a power-hungry, phony leader. What did Cliffstrike see in that crazy furball, anyway? He had claimed that her leaving was a form of betrayal to her clan. But in her mind, it was betrayal to allow that monster to lead DawnClan.
Smokewing heaved a sigh, trying desperately not to let regret sink in. She'd made her decision, she needed to stick with it. After finishing her small meal, the she-cat rested her head on her front paws, eyes wide awake, ears pulled back in grief, silently praying to StarClan that Cliffstrike would change his mind. And soon.
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Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2016 8:17 pm
Hazeltail and Blackpaw sat together silently. What passed between them was a silent agreement of things that had happened weren't good. What good could come of their new camp being crushed beneath their feet? Blackpaw was completely unscathed by the entire occurance, but Hazeltail had a sprained paw that he tried to hide. He didn't want to skewer the attention of the Medicine cat from someone who needed it more.
"A bad sign... A bad omen." Blackpaw expressed. That was the only words that passed between them for an uncomfortable amount of time and it only made Hazeltail flick his tail in response.
"Wanting to go back to where you came from?" He hissed, in a low tone to keep anyone from hearing what they were saying. "You do that and I'll kill you myself. I can't stand cowards. Especially cowards who can't suckle a little bad luck." With that, he got to his paws. Hazeltail limped towards Sunshade, nodding to the cats that were with him. "What can I do?"
-
As Blackpaw watched Hazeltail limp off he noted where their temporary camp was and slipped out of it. He wasn't going to make his escape, instead he prowled the area for food. The chaos was dying down but the sooner that there was food the better- which meant not addressing the clan deputy or leader. They wouldn't notice his absence, at least he hoped not. He wanted to prove he can make it in and out silently. Hunting was the reason but in honesty he just wanted to take a moment to be alone.
Starclan sent this omen, but he wasn't a medicine cat and he shouldn't be trying to decipher it. It still made him uneasy. As he prodded along a narrow path, he realized that this was less a hunting mission but a need to clear his head. He was afraid that he made a mistake joining Floodclan, but somewhere in his heart... It told him not to question it. So instead he shut up and slithered down the path until he finally caught a wiff of something. Perhaps he could take this fresh kill for himself? The selfish thought made him pause. The warrior code, an oath he swore to withhold. Despite his mouth watering for the vole that was only leading itself into his trap, he shut his brain off and caught it. Not too scrawny, but he could have done better. He picked it up and brought it back to the camp, slipping in the way he had come and dropping it into the fresh kill pile. Stepping back and making sure everyone else eat before.
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