༺ 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙡𝙮 – wc rp

[rey skywalker]

❝ 𝐒𝐘𝐊𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑 ！
( ＬＥＡＤＥＲ | ＭＯＬＬＹ | ４１ ＭＯＯＮＳ | ＳＹＫＥＳＨＡＤＯＷ )

apprentice: jackalpaw - setting | medicine den, clan high ledge
tags | briarseed
￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣

✦

━━having turned away from the glaring of cats amassing at her direction, sykestar lifts her face to the rain, feeling the elements faintly drizzle her muzzle. licking at her whiskers, she sighs while realigning her thoughts and feelings towards the direction needed for her clan. "coyoteleap." she whispers to the wind before turning away to address other cats needing her.

━━amidst the motion of fallsclan assembling to rebuild, her gaze gravitates to the hollow cavern of the medicine den where briarseed's darkened coat glistens with the minimal light. while gazing over the molly, an image of a younger kit flashes before sykestar's gaze: briarpaw sorting through herbs with stiff shoulders and a rigid tail. the memory seems to rush towards her:

"briarpaw," fogfern called to sykeshadow's terminated apprentice. "briarpaw come here." eventually, like flowing water through a forest, the shy feline emerges to greet sykeshadow, a shiver in her fur.

"briarpaw..." sykeshadow spoke, voice faint, grappling for some understanding of how to address her former apprentice. "i...i expect you will settle, well. into this new position." despite her grace and her abilities, the warrior's voice seemed to hollow the more briarpaw seemed to evade her gaze. the dark furred molly should be capable of producing more than a simple line, she practically raised briarpaw since her apprenticehood...but now, the bi-colored molly could barley meet her gaze. sykestar's throat tightens at the image of her apprentice, no, her former apprentice, finding such difficulty in her presence. only once fogfern replaced briarpaw in the den, did sykeshadow's fur begin to bristle with frustration at the lack of vocalization from the younger cat.

"i realize this new appointment might be a shock to you briarpaw, but..," her ears flick back with the conflict swirling on her tongue. a quick glance into the den to reveal the medicine cat deep as the cavern would allow, a spike of fury lances through her and her tail lashes as she makes her way onto her paws, "i thought with all our time together, you might have learned how to speak for yourself by now." frustration now more neutrally masked by her position, a younger sykeshadow wasn't afraid to show her former apprentice how she felt.

━━ the memory drifts away at the sound of cats milling around, and of the sniffling faintly heard from the depths of the cave. sykestar glances a final time at the ruined garden, almost imaging fogfern tending to the wilted roots and drowned seeds. sometimes it felt like she was governing a clan of more lost souls, than those that wished to live in the present.


WC: 400+ here

❝ 𝐊𝐘𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐏𝐀𝐖 ！
( APPRENTICE | MOLLY | 10 ＭＯＯＮＳ |

mentor: starlingflight
setting | clearing, starlingflight's side
tags | starlingflight [mentioned]: cloudpaw
￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣

✦

━━the faint rain watered down the darker markings that painted kyanitepaw's features. she had been watching the night sky when the lightning pierced through the veiling darkness, splitting the sky with a bright white blaze that reminded her of a fish bone, before it snaked down and made contact with the tree. when the tree splintered from contact, a blast of bright embers had been sent in all directions and filled the air with a watery scent of ash. despite the power of the storm, kyanitepaw admired the beautiful danger of the elements.

━━when morning came, she was not in the apprentice den and would not be found at the fresh-kill pile. it wasn't a fresh kill pile. with the prey assorted there, quickly picked apart as the other carcass' appeared intertwined, and rotting at a central core. having stared at the damp, musty mound of meat, the light-furred, almost silver-tined bodied apprentice ignored the sharp pain of hunger lancing through her underbelly. she wanted no part of the other cats, or a meal for that matter.

━━having witnessed the destruction to the herb garden, the movement of the soils roused no intention of helping the medicine den party reassemble the remaining piece of fogfern. there was no salvaging what was lost, as sykestar had explained. onto the current motion within the clan, kyanitepaw shook her fur and gave her shoulder a quick lick, tasting the minerals in the rainwater, before approaching her mentor out of obligation, rather than enthusiasm.

━━her gaze aligned to his, piercing visionaries studying the emotions of his oculars. "are we participating in patrols today, or training, starlingflight?"


WC: 300+ here

[selasphorys]

𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗥𝗦𝗘𝗘𝗗
(medicine cat) (27 mns) (she/her) (appr: cloudpaw) (x)
(location: medicine den) (tags: sykestar, cloudpaw) (mentions: mothgaze, neritebloom, rabbitsong)

Briarseed glanced toward the entrance, watching Mothgaze's tail disappear into the morning fog. Her mint-tinged scent lingered like the warmth of her words. This was not the first time the two of them had huddled here together, whispering away the hurt of the world beyond. Those many moons of failure could never reach the dark of the den. But she couldn't hide forever. Just as Mothgaze returned to the rain, so must Briarseed return to duties of her own.

The storm may have stolen their spirit, but the work of the morning still must go on. The clan would always come first. Her voice did not waver when she called to her apprentice again: "Cloudpaw, why don't you go check on Neritebloom and Rumblespout? See if any cat is in shock after all that has happened." The medicine cat flicked her tail toward the mouth of the cave. She could see glimpses of the queen's red pelt in the clearing outside. Internally, Briarseed winced at her own reaction to the flood. She had let her emotions overwhelm her when her clan needed her most, running away to her den before even glancing at her clanmates' condition. A shadow crossed her face, but she composed herself enough to continue. "Wait for me when you're done. I'll need to meet with Sykestar, but we can gather fresh herbs together afterward." Though the words leapt lightly from her tongue, the reminder of the meeting sent a stone in her stomach. She left her apprentice with a strained smile.

Briarseed focused her attention on the final remains of the garden. Rabbitsong had placed a sodden but sizable collection of herbs at the entrance. Nosing through it, she found some sturdy stalks of horsetail. Her golden eyes lit up. She snatched up the herbs, laying them out to dry on a flat stone slab. A whole root of burdock here, a good scrap of mallow there. Even some ragwort and chervil leaves had survived the flood. Some could be saved for the new garden, and plenty could be used for poultices. She would have to thank the deputy later for all his work. Whiskers twitching, Briarseed sifted through the rest with a newfound spark. Sykestar was wrong. The sudden words seared through her like lightning. The plants, the herbs, the garden, they still could be saved...! But her leader had dismissed them all like so much dirt under her paws. Like wasted lives and wasted time, useless from the start. The molly's claws curled into an herb until the bitter tang of its sap jolted her to the present. Guilt and shame washed through her at once. How dare she criticize her leader and mentor, as if she hadn't caused more trouble herself.

The medicine cat busied herself with her work, separating leaves and stems while planning out the new garden in her head. If only the storm had struck in leaf-bare. Without the nurturing of newleaf, most of the seedlings would die in the leaf-fall frosts. The clan would be without a garden for many moons. Surely, StarClan had considered this when sending the prophecy? The cliff had sheltered rare herbs that could only be gathered with dangerous climbs. This garden saved lives, medicine cat and warrior lives. It was as permanent as the camp itself. Was it a sign... that the camp could also be destroyed in a single, storm-torn moment? Should they leave this all behind? Perhaps "roots will rise" like an uprooted clan and its uprooted herbs. But those same words could point to an entirely different meaning. Perhaps they should cling to their roots in these troubled times, rebuilding anew after every disaster.

Briarseed sighed. Some medicine cat she was, lost at the very first line. She longed for Fogfern's warmth, for her gentle words untangling all the worries in her head. No other prophecies had been told since she had begun her training. Briarseed had always assumed Fogfern would be there when the time came, but now she was all alone. Sykestar would know what to do. The red molly resorted to reciting the prophecy under her breath, trying not to forget a single word. "Roots will rise as rocks now roll..." she mumbled, staring off at a wall as she mused. So when a familiar shadow appeared at the mouth of the den, she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Ah--- Sykestar! D-do you wish to meet with me now?" Briarseed stammered, stumbling back like an apprentice caught slacking. Only she wasn't slacking. But she could never show it, could she? Lowering her voice and casting a furtive glance at the warriors in the clearing, she murmured. "I... I have something I want to discuss with you as well." She fumbled with her herbs, like she had fumbled with her prey not so long ago. Memories flitted unbidden in her mind's eye. The flapping wings of birds, shrieking as she startled them from her unsteady hunting crouch. The heavy thud on moss, ripping her breath away as she fell out of her fighting stance. And a thousand other tiny failures. Prickling fur, an averted gaze, hushed words from outside the cave. Shaking herself to shake the images out, she flung water droplets everywhere. Too late, Briarseed became all too aware of how drenched she had gotten in the morning storm. She roughly cleaned the worst of it out of her fur, flushing under her disheveled pelt. The young molly willed herself to talk. Stiff meows came from her muted muzzle: "I apologize for my behavior this morning. It won't happen again. I will rebuild the garden in a better location, one that will sustain the clan for many moons." Somehow, these last words rang hollow in her chest. Would there still be a clan here, many moons from now?

𝗦𝗪𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪𝗦𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧
(warrior) (40 mns) (she/her) (appr: goosepaw) (x)
(location: by the river) (tags: amberpaw, perchwood, cinnamonthorn, owlsong, goosepaw, rabbitsong) (mentions: none)

Swallowsight nodded at Perchwood's words. Maybe some closure would be just what the young tom needed to heal. Before she could respond, she heard her name called in the distance. Cinnamonthorn wanted her on patrol. "Of course! I'll be right there," Swallowsight called back. She couldn't do much more for Amberpaw, but maybe his new mentor could help him find peace with the mentor he left behind. Casting one last worried glance at the pair, she mewed, "Take good care of him, Perchwood." As she left, she passed by Owlsong waiting a distance away. Swallowsight gave the young warrior a quick nod of greeting before hurrying to find her apprentice.

Joining up with the rest of the patrol, the blue molly found herself delighted to see Goosepaw bouncing along with the others. She hadn't needed to wake him or chase him. Pride bubbled up in her chest and she couldn't help but purr. Her trust in her apprentice was rewarded after all. Swallowsight padded up to Goosepaw, nudging him playfully with her nose. "Hunting today, huh? Your favorite! Let's try to take down a duck together this morning," she chirped, spotting a few mallards bobbing lazily in the water up ahead. That was also when she noticed a certain someone nearby, too close for comfort. Pine flooded her senses and her easy confidence wavered away. "Oh...! Um, hello Rabbitsong!" she meowed, dipping her head to the deputy. "Who could imagine we'd be on the same patrol?" Her eartips burned as soon as the words tumbled out of her mouth. Of course he could imagine... he was the deputy, so he'd assigned this himself!

𝗛𝗢𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗣𝗔𝗪
(apprentice) (9 mns) (he/him) (mentor: spottedfeather) (x)
(location: cliffs above camp) (tags: goosepaw, gullsplash) (mentions: rabbitsong, yarrowpaw, spottedfeather, stormpaw)

As Gullsplash scrambled away from the deputy, Hopperpaw seized his chance. The flustered warrior was the perfect distraction. He caught Goosepaw's gaze, the beginnings of a grin on his muzzle. But all he saw was disappointment written all over his friend's face. For a split second, genuine regret wilted his whiskers. He knew he shouldn't leave the two of them behind, but... the reckless apprentice could never resign himself so easily. Without looking back, Hopperpaw dove alone into the mist.

The golden tom raced up the slope, surging onward in long, practiced strides. From a tuft of dewy grass to a clump of spiny brush, he flitted in and out of sight. He darted up a series of increasingly precarious ledges, balancing on narrow stone switchbacks made slick with rain. The danger heightened that feeling he chased--- that feeling of being incredibly, impossibly, indescribably alive. Up here, Hopperpaw could finally breathe. No walls closing in around him, no boring patrols or tedious duties. No stuffy elders telling him what to do. He was free to be.

Hopperpaw skidded to a stop underneath a scrawny shrub. Breathing heavily, blood pounding in his ears, he paused to check if anyone was on his tail. The young tom crouched in the mud and dust, letting the vegetal scent of undergrowth mask his own. Poking his head out of the bush, he spotted a gray-and-white face up ahead. "Some slick moves ya got there, Gullsplash," he called out, voice dripping with sarcasm. But he couldn't be all mad at the wayward warrior. "Thanks for taking off like that. Gave me an opening to escape, too." Hopperpaw shook out his mud-splattered pelt, tail twitching irritably. "If you're wondering, the rest of them aren't coming," he spat. A knot of anger tightened in his chest after he made the trek alone. Because their plans were ruined by patrols... and because, deep down, he knew he was a bad friend for leaving them behind. Well, he'd just have to make them wish they came with him. He'd bring back a rabbit so big, the three of them could share it and there'd still be more to go around! Goosepaw's jaw would drop to the ground.

Cheered by the thought, the mischievous tom trotted out to catch up with Gullsplash. "It's just the two of us, so don't go around acting like you're my mentor or something," he meowed, head held high. Not that he's any good of a mentor to Stormpaw, Hopperpaw thought to himself with a wry smirk. But the mention of mentors made him think of Spottedfeather. If part of him felt bad about sneaking out, he didn't show it. They should've hunted together on patrol this morning, right? He'd just bring back a fat rabbit or two, and his duty will be done. Spottedfeather might even be proud of him for practicing his climbing and stalking on his own. Just a few fox-lengths more, and they'd reach the meadow.

𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗕𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗨𝗧
(elder) (121 mns) (he/him) (x)
(location: elders' den) (tags: spottedfeather, cinnamonthorn) (mentions: none)

"Thank you, Spottedfeather," Rumblespout muttered with a satisfied nod. He finally got his answer. Though the news of the medicine den was troubling, at least it seemed that no cats were injured. The self-appointed guard made a note to survey the damage himself later. While the blustering elder was often blind to social graces, even he caught on to the faltering in Spottedfeather's voice. His steely demeanor softened. Bowing his head, he murmured, "We all feel the effects of her passing. FallsClan lost many good cats this past moon." Rumblespout sighed, matted fur slumping with his shoulders. Fogfern was truly the only cat who could make his days as an elder bearable. Others would drag him kicking and screaming to the elder's den, but that medicine cat had a way with words. She could treat the wounds in his heart as well as the wounds on his body. Her successor, on the other paw, had much to learn in both regards.

Ears flicking to the entrance, Rumblespout lifted his head to see a brown-furred warrior approach the den. "Good morning, Cinnamonthorn," he greeted the gentle molly. Finishing the last bite of fish, the gray elder rose to his paws. He stretched out stiff joints and felt them pop. "Well, I shouldn't keep you from your patrol. Unless I could go on it instead!" he joked, a hint of jealousy in his gravelly voice. But he was confined to camp with these old bones. "Bring Hopperpaw around sometime, will you? That rascal could learn a thing or two about respect. An afternoon of moss cleaning and mouse bile ought to do him good."

[Rae'tia]

Wolfpath
❝Gastly Night❞
gender; male age; 32m rank; warrior apprentice; none sexuality; pansexual
────────────────────────────────────────────────
mentions; Rabbitsong & Dapplepawtagged; various

indentation Sykestar wasn't wrong about his strengths, but still questioned his own ability mostly due to his confidence. Which wasn't anything new. His ears were still flushed with heat, though his embarrassment stemmed from the praise. Nodding a few times rapidly, not trusting himself to speak, the brute made a move to leave when Dapplepaw's voice rang in his ears. A rush of anger and humiliation ran through him,can't you keep your opinions and thoughts to yourself frogbrained little chit! He thought with a glare at the retreating back of the smaller feline. As kind of she might have meant her words, no one liked having their preserved weaknesses talked about in public. Tail lashing with agitation, the tom drew up short when Owlsong padded over. A patrol doesn't sound too bad right now, but what kind of patrol? He watched as the brown tabby darted off once more, he assumed to get the other members of the hunting patrol. He started to trail after, heading towards the entrance to camp, so they could leave quickly.
When Lynxspring and his apprentice; Finchpaw approached, he blinked and nodded in a silent greeting, still not trusting his voice just yet to stutter. A hunting patrol then, interesting. Not my greatest skill. He grimaced slightly and opened his maw to speak. "I'm not sure I'll be much help on a hunting patrol," he started, swallowing a few times. "Aside from maybe some protection if we run into some trouble." He added, gaze flickering between the two cats.

Amberpaw
❝Pale Ghost❞
gender; male age; 10m rank; apprentice mentor; Perchwood sexuality; Androsexual
────────────────────────────────────────────────
mentions; none tagged; Swallowsight & Perchwood

indentation He looked between the two warriors, blinking rapidly to clear his eyes of tears, feeling very confused about... everything really. He barely remembered leaving the apprentice's den in a panic, and everything after that was kind of hazy. He swallowed roughly and tried to get his bearings back while Swallowsight and Perchwood whispered like two chittering squirrels. Anger stirred in his belly at their words, he knew Coyoteleap wasn't coming back, he wasn't a mouse-brain. He watched Swallowsight leave dispassionately before returning his gave to his new mentor. "My mentor, was killed yesterday. I watched him die, because of me. Of course, I'm not okay, Perchwood! In what realm of yours would anyone be okay after watching their father figure get splattered by rocks three times their size?" He said voice devoid of most emotion. Amberpaw could admit he blamed himself a little, he'd wanted to do some battle training that day. But he blamed Starclan more.

Finchpaw
❝Sickly Hunter❞
gender; female age; 7m rank; apprentice mentor; Lynxspring sexuality; questioning
────────────────────────────────────────────────
mentions; Sykestar tagged; Lynxspring, Owlsong, & Wolfpath

indentation She blinked as the small brown figure of Owlsong darted over to the duo. The large-eared feline gave a respectful dip of her head, smiling as she heard that they were going on a hunting patrol. Seems like a large patrol, I wonder if the other apprentices are coming too. Finchpaw considered it for a moment, then mentally shook her head, as she trailed after Lynxspring as he padded over to Wolfpath. She blinked when the hulking tom spoke of his own lack of skill when it came to hunting, or at least his alluding to it. The seemingly joking note of protection on the other paw was just as odd, but much appreciated. She figured that there weren't many cats, that would think about fighting against a cat as large as him. Now that she thinks of it, maybe only a fox or a badger would, maybe a bird of prey, though I'm not sure if they could lift him. She mused, whiskers twitching with amusement as she imagined a large bird trying to fly off the tom.

Paledapple
❝Lost Hope❞
gender; female age; 62m rank; warrior apprentice; Lemmingpaw sexuality; androsexual
────────────────────────────────────────────────
mentions; tagged; Rabbitsong(briefly), Russetnose, Gorgefang

indentationShe had just finished her meal as the new deputy, Rabbitsong approached. She blinked as she was told to lead a patrol, and nodded. Of course sir," she mewed softly, as she watched the tom pad over to his next victim. She busied herself with burying the bones before she would have set off to gather the members of her hunting patrol. Thankfully, it seemed that a few of them already heard and made her job easier. "Good morning, Russetnose, Gorgefang." She mewed cheerfully, before cuffing Gorgefang on the head with one paw to wake the tom up. "Yes, Rabbitsong wanted us for a hunting patrol, she mewed, " I need to go collect Lemmingpaw, Gullsplash and his apprentice. If you could gather your apprentice, Russetnose, and keep Gorgefang awake, and meet me by the entrance, I should have us all ready to go quite soon." Paledappled said, hoping to keep this as efficient as possible with such a large group.

[wonpil]

☇ wildfleck
━━━━━━━━━━━━

( rank: warrior ) xx( location: in patrol group ) xx( mentions: rabbitsong, wolfpath, gorgefang )xx ( tagged: paledapple, dapplepaw )

wildflecks nose twitched as the warriors grouped up with the occasional apprentice and were ready to set off into their territory. her ear swiveled over to where her deputy rabbitsong was speaking with her apprentice dapplepaw, her eyes narrowed when she overheard her name. she was grateful to have an apprentice, but dapplepaw was quite a unique she-cat. her tart and blunt personality made her want to scratch her fur out at times, but alas she was determined to make her a great warrior. she shook her fur and padded lightly over to paledapple, wolfpath and dapplepaw. she gave a curt not to rabbitsong as he bounded off for his next task. her paws froze to the ground as she was acutely aware of wolfpaths hard gaze at dapplepaw and the sudden lash of his tail. what did i walk into…she grimly thought to herself.

her mood immediately lightened as paledapple gave a friendly flick over gorgefangs ear, feeling sympathy for the tired tomcat. she was now almost certain that no one in camp had gotten enough sleep. wildflecks slim gray speckled tail laid flat on her apprentices shoulder, announcing her presence formally. “i hope you slept well,” she started while simultaneously nodding her head at paledapple with a light smile. “i know we haven’t been quite consistent with hunting, but i hope you havent forgotten anything!” she trailed her words off with a purr, kneaded the ground with anticipation. she had focused on battle training recently with dapplepaw, and only lightly touched on hunting. her paranoia to her surroundings made her sometimes want to leap out of her pelt, and she felt more secure teaching fighting techniques first, in case all else went wrong. which didnt seem too far-fetched.

☇ patchpaw
━━━━━━━━━━━━

( rank: apprentice ) xx( location: in a patrol group ) xx( mentions: russetnose, wildfleck )xx ( tagged: russetnose )

the black and white tom-cats large head stared intently at where his mentore had padded up to his clanmate. his ears strained as he tried to make out what they were saying, in the most discreet way possible. he circled around the prey pile, so that he could watch them chatter while nosing through the prey. his black nose sniffed the nearest mouse, it was plump, but cold and frostbite had already nipped at the round ears. “that ones no use…”he muttered out loud, annoyance laced in his tone. he bit the tail, dangling from his jaw as he padded a little ways off, digging a shallow hole and dropping the mouse in it. he shoveled dirt over it, still saying a thanks to starclan for honoring them with the kill. he tried not to think much about starclan at the moment, all hope felt lost within him.

he trotted back over to the pile, his ears twitched when he noticed russetnose signaling for him to come over. his paws itched badly to get out of camp. he followed his mentor over to a group of cats, nudging his nose into wildflecks shoulder in greeting. the she-cat and him were quite friendly, he was glad to see her in his patrol.

[necrobinical]

- - -| Mistback |- - -
She/her ⛲ 43 Moons 💙 Brook Outside Fallsclan Camp ☄️ Tagged; Milktuft

Mistback purrs right back at Milktuft, her eyes soft at the other molly. Mistback was similarly inconsolable when Thundercloud died, though the fact that she had Dapplekit had kept her from wasting away as much as Milktuft. She idly wonders if that really was just because of Dapplekit, or if Milktuft and her were really that different. No, that's a bad way to think. "Well, isn't that good for the both of us! Let's be careful in this rain, ya hear?"

Maneuvering down the way so carefully, Mistback assures that Milktuft wouldn't slip. She would feel truly awful if anything happened to the sad molly. "Uh. It's been a lot the past half moon, Milk-and-Honey. Coyoteleap... Er." Man. No, no she shouldn't talk about all this death and stuff. Would be worse for Milk's mental health. "Coyoteleap's been busy as always! A bit of lightning struck but it wasn't too serious. I'll take you to Briarseed after we get something to drink, alright? I think I oughta ask about some, uhh." Shoot! What was a herb and what was it for? "Ssssome poppy seeds for my paw pain! Yeah, twisted it a little bit yesterday, it's fine but it aches y'know?"

- - -| Dapplepaw |- - -
She/her 🍂 10 Moons 💛 In Patrol 🪐 Tagged; Wildfleck

Dapplepaw's tail lowers, tip brushing against the ground below as Wildfleck approaches. Great, this again. She blinks slowly, already slightly bored, at her mentor. Oh, what would it be this time, she wondered? More battle training while her hunting skills languished in the shade? Would Wildfleck allow her paranoia to ruin another chance at Dapplepaw's success? She looks blankly at Wildfleck as the older molly begins to lay out her plans. "Sure." She doesn't sound upset, but then again, Dapplepaw never sounded much of anything. "I have been awake since midnight, watching the clan. But I am more than awake and able to keep up and surpass you, Mentor Wildfleck." She looks away, stretching her claws before padding after the rest of the patrol, half ignoring the rest of what Wildfleck said.

- - -| Risingpaw |- - -
They/it 🏵️ 17 Moons 🧡 Fallsclan Camp 🌠 Tagged; Owlsong Mentioned; Briarseed, Cloudpaw, Sykestar

Well. This was the worst day of their life. Only slightly beating the day Fogfern died.

Risingpaw remembers that day too well. They were going to follow Fogfern along to the Moonbow, but had stopped because of a thorn in their pawpad. When they finally caught up, she was gone. Just like that. As if she hadn't ever even existed. They had heard the crack, and it still rings in their ears now, around a moon later.

Now, today was awful in a fun, different way! There went all their herbs. Well, almost all, given that every cat and their mother had been scouring Fogfern's den for herbs to recover and found a few, but certainly not enough for Risingpaw's tastes. Especially not when Briarseed seems to be doing nothing but faffing about and getting chewed out by the leader and deputy. Disgraceful.

Instead, as patrols are assigned, the large medicine cat apprentice slinks away from their place adjusting the moss nests in Fogfern's den and over to Owlsong, one of the leaders of a patrol. Their head is held high, so is their tail, and they seem wholly unaffected by the ruins that they'll still have to call a nest tonight.

"Owlsong! Mind if I tag along? I would be safer with a warrior escort, after all. You lot can get in some hunting and I hunt down some more herbs. A brilliant idea, I do think, but what about you?" Their confidence and casual tone did not reveal any of the churning emotions in their belly. Fogfern's beautiful garden that kept this clan alive, just, gone! Like that! And they'll have to rebuild? Did Starclan really hate them that much? That rage for Starclan that had been a mere puddle explodes into an ocean within them. They will never forgive Starclan for taking their mentor and leaving them with Briarseed, they will not forgive them for ruining the last thing Fogfern had left them! Oh, Fogfern...

They had been terrified as a kit. Risingpaw had wanted, so much, to just be a warrior and contribute something worthwhile to their clan. Maybe become leader someday, be heralded for generations as Risingstar, the last bastion against terror, the patron Starclan cat of the truly unique! But, apparently their mother thought they should be a medicine cat. Which, sure. They could contribute plenty in that occupation, but who ever remembers the medicine cats? No one. Until Fogfern, that is. Risingkit adored Fogfern, and Fogfern adored Risingkit. Once they were of age, they were actually excited to become a medicine cat, because that's where Fogfern was! And they could surely always give it up and become leader later, right? Cats sometimes became medicine cats as adults, so why not the other way around? It made sense! Risingpaw adored every moon spent with Fogfern, and Fogfern felt the same. A stellar duo, endlessly smart and confident and cool--and, Risingpaw guesses, Briarpaw was also there. And then she was Briarseed, and two moons later Fogfern was gone. Suffice to say, Risingpaw wasn't a big fan of the cat who took up Fogfern's time, in Fogfern's den, where Fogfern an Risingpaw took care of Fogfern's garden. Ugh.

But that wasn't now. It was the recent past, but it wasn't right this second. Right now, they were purring at Owlsong, and burning with carefully concealed hatred for the stars.

[peachpit.]

« 𝚛 𝚊 𝚋 𝚋 𝚒 𝚝 𝚜 𝚘 𝚗 𝚐 ! »
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
tom | forty-five moons | deputy | crush: swallowsight | heterosexual | location: patrolling | mood: content | tags: yarrowpaw, goosepaw, swallowsight | form | relos
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Rabbitsong’s trio consisting of Goosepaw, Yarrowpaw and himself traveled loosely behind the rest of the patrol, bantering amongst themselves. The deputy’s nerves had finally calmed, getting a sense of control over his morning once again. The rushing hum of the falls swirled with the soft chatter of the birds and ducks nearby, quite pleasant to the lanky tom’s chocolate pointed ears. “A bit of fishing this morning Yarrowpaw, what do you think?” He purred to his apprentice, startled by the sudden presence of Swallowsight. She had crept up onto her apprentice, nearly causing him to jump out of his skin.

“Ah, Goodmorning Swallowsight.” Rabbitsong’s cheeks burned as his eyes drifted to his side, ears flat against his head in a bashful manner. “I was just keeping these two troublemakers in check!” the towering tom chuckled, pawing playfully at the apprentices. He couldn’t help but feel awkward every time he caught sight of Swallowsight’s brilliant gaze, truly enamored by her beauty. “I hope your morning’s going better than mine. Regardless, you look lovely.” He purred, flashing a toothy grin at her. He couldn’t stifle a purr deep in his chest, a bit embarrassed by how audible it was.

« 𝚖 𝚒 𝚕 𝚔 𝚝 𝚞 𝚏 𝚝 ! »
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
molly| sixty two moons | warrior | crush: open | bisexual | location: outside camp | mood: at peace | tags: mistback | form | relos
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Milktuft and Mistback had finally reached a small river, boulders piled high on both sides. The river babbled innocently as their paws finally embraced the soaked slate around it. The sky was mucked with gray clouds, casting a cold draft in the cavernous cut-out they happened to be in. Milktuft listened attentively as Mistback attempted to catch her up, brow furrowed as Mistback seemed to stumble over her words. She would have questioned the molly if she hadn’t felt so tired, and thirsty. “I’m glad to hear Coyoteleap is in good spirits. A clan is only as good as their deputy, y’know. They practically do all the work.” She pondered how on earth a cat could have enough energy to pull it off. Mistback borrowed her ear once again, promising a trip to the medicine cat’s den. “Oh dear, Mistback. How did you hurt-”

Milktuft’s concerned expression turned to one of confusion in almost an instant. Loud, rushing water barreled toward the two from up river, causing her head to whirl around. Before she could even let out a squeak, water had rushed around her. The kind embrace of the floor was no longer, instead her paw floated freely suspended in the water. She had been fully submerged, her frail frame tossed through the currents. Milktuft was terrified. In only an instant, Starclan had decided her fate. A sob began in her chest, met with water filling her lungs. Mistback. She needed to find Mistback. A sudden adrenaline coursed through her body, just enough to pull herself to the surface. Hacking and gasping for air, she recognized a wet clump of grey fur floating lifelessly on the top of the water. Dread filled her body as she made her way over to the molly, becoming increasingly aware of just how tired her limbs were becoming. She could not go for much longer. Mistback was her priority, it did not matter how tired she was. After wrestling with the tide, she was finally able to get to Mistback’s side. Milktuft had been hyperventilating, the strain of swimming too harsh on the current state of her body. Mouthful of the limp mollies scruff, Milktuft used her last given strength to hoist Mistback onto a nearby long. She caught one last glance of Mistback’s pale blue gaze as it fluttered open, her strength finally giving out. The river swept her under once more, for good.

Milktuft remembered that last moment, that last shared glance with a new friend, as she squeezed her eyes shut and let go. Everything was silent and dark.

Her eyes fluttered open, a familiar face standing above her as she came to on the shore of the river. “There you are, silly!” A familiar voice, a voice that had caused hot tears to flow down her cheeks immediately. She knew right away. Oceaneyes. She was still beautiful, even after death. Her mottled pelt had shone with stars and her bright blue eyes twinkled gracefully. “I’ve been waiting for you to catch me all this time!” Milktuft unsteadily got to her feet, warm tears dripped down her face and onto her paws as she faced her lover once more. She knew there was only one way this was possible. “Am I…?” She posed the question, but choked on the rest. A quick glance to the side revealed her limp, sunken frame, confirming it at once. “Don’t you worry, my love.” Oceaneyes purred, affectionately rubbing her head against Milktuft’s shoulder. “C’mon! You’re still it silly-goose!” Oceaneyes nudged her lover once more before bounding away playfully. Filled with the urge to chase after her, something in her head planted her feet where they stood. Mistback. “One second, my love!” She called to Oceaneyes, turning back the opposite way. She traveled solemnly down the bank until she stumbled upon it. Mistback laid on the shore, the rhythm of her chest still falling and rising softly. “My dear Mistback.” She purred, lapping at the fur between the unconscious molly’s ears. “Thank you,” She whispered. “You saved me more than you can imagine.” She pressed her nose affectionately to Mistback’s forehead, one final act of gratitude before her starry figure rose to its feet.

“I’m coming Oceaneyes!” Milktuft called, bounding back up the shore. One last glance back at Mistback, she heard the voices of other cat’s coming. Mistback was safe, and Milktuft was home. Milktuft and her sweet Oceaneyes played chase in the sky, all the way until they had found themselves in Starclan. If you looked hard enough, two shooting stars made their way through the sky in the broad daylight.

« 𝚖 𝚘 𝚝 𝚑 𝚐 𝚊 𝚣 𝚎 ! »
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
molly| twenty five moons | warrior | crush: open | heterosexual | location: in camp | mood: reassuring| tags: snakepaw | form | relos
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

The dilute spotted molly was taken aback by the state of her apprentice. Snakepaw had dashed under her tail, rambling on about how terrified she was. “Oh, Snakepaw.” Mothgaze began, her voice soft and reassuring. Another cat to comfort, what a day. The pretty molly groomed affectionately between Snakepaw’s ears in an attempt to calm the slate-pelted apprentice. “Nobody will be crushed by rocks, my dear.” She purred, wrapping her tail around the young molly. “I will make sure of it myself.”

As she comforted her apprentice, Mothgaze had been watching Cinnamonthorn gather cats for a patrol. Nudging Snakepaw with her nose, she began once more “C’mon Snakepaw, you can follow right at my heels. Nothing bad will happen as long as you stay close to me.”

Mothgaze had joined the patrol, dipping her head to Rabbitsong and his apprentice who had also tagged along. “Look Snakepaw, we even have the deputy to keep a close eye on us.” She reassured with a hushed tone, once more before the patrol left the camp grounds.

« 𝚐 𝚘 𝚘 𝚜 𝚎 𝚙 𝚊 𝚠 ! »
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
tom| 8 moons | apprentice | crush: cloudpaw | bisexual | location: patrolling | mood: hungry, excited | tags: yarrowpaw, rabbitsong, swallowsight | form | relos
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Goosepaw continued on with Rabbitsong and Yarrowpaw, eager to finally get his morning breakfast. It wasn’t long before his mentor Swallowsight snuck up behind him. The molly nudged him playfully on his shoulder as he was too caught up in thinking about how hungry he was, causing his fur to puff nearly twice his size. “AH!, Dear Starclan! You scared me half to death, Swallowsight!” Goosepaw grumbled, his poofy white pelt returning to normal. All in all, he was a little grumpy because he was “starving.” His spirits were instantly lifted as his mentor recommended they attempt to hunt down a duck this morning. “A duck! I bet I could take down a whole duck by myself!” He puffed out his chest boastfully, turning to Yarrowpaw. “What do you think Yarrowpaw?! Do you think those ducks are a match for a skilled hunter like myself!” He giggled, bounding around his friend excitedly. As his attention floated away from his friend and back to the adults, who had been speaking to one another now, he couldn’t help but wrinkle his nose. “Yuck! Mr. Deputy Rabbitsong, are you flirting with my mentor?!” Goosepaw pretended to hack up a serious hairball, hoping his dramatic performance would make Yarrowpaw giggle.

[necrobinical]

- - -| Mistback |- - -
She/her ⛲ 43 Moons 💙 Flooded Creek near Fallsclan Camp ☄️ Tagged; Milktuft, open

All at once, there had been nothing but air around her and stone beneath her paws, a mouthful of water in her maw, and then everything was water. And, notably, her head ached fiercely as she fought to even stay awake. A massive branch had managed to hit her as the water roared down to the two mollies, and Mistback found herself losing consciousness. All she could think as she felt water beneath her paws was Is this how Thundercloud felt?

She gathered her mind enough as someone managed to pull her out of the water to open her eyes. Her head swam, and as her sight came into focus, all she could see was Milktuft being swept away. And then an afterimage of Thundercloud being swept away. Swept away. Gone. One of her paws weakly raises, as if trying to save Milktuft, but the she-cat is gone. Gone. Her paw falls into the water, but it isn't enough to sweep her away as well. Her head damage, however, does take her away. To unconsciousness, where she feels the lick of a friend upon her brow, and hears the echoes of a scream Milktuft hadn't managed to make, but another cat had.

When Mistback eventually comes to, her mind coming back together after being slammed apart, she is alone. It isn't for long, she can hear a patrol approaching, but in the minute she is alone, she's almost at peace. Some part of her thinks she's dead. The pain in her head certainly suggests as much. But as she tries, and fails, to rise to her paws, she knows she is alive. And she knows she was saved by Milktuft. She can vaguely recall the feeling of teeth in her scruff, of being dragged to shore, that last sight of Milktuft being swept away...

Mistback begins to cry. Silently at first, but it isn't long before her claws dig into the soil between stones and she yowls at the top of her lungs. A pitiful thing, the yowl of a cat who truly just watched a friend she had just made, who she knew needed a friend as well, who she saw herself in, who she wanted to live--she had followed so she would live! And what happened? What happened except that Mistback failed? Failed another cat. Lost another cat. Starclan must know what she has done, and ripped Milktuft away to punish her.

Once her voice and lungs give out, she just goes limp. Her head and heart ache, and she can't find the energy in her paws to move an inch. All she can do is whisper "Milktuft, I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry, Milktuft, Milktuft, you shouldn't have done that, Milktuft, I should have protected you, died in your place, oh Milktuft..." to the water rushing right out of reach of her paws. The water doesn't answer her pleas. It doesn't give her Milktuft back. As it always does, it takes from Mistback and leaves her hollow. Leaves her full of regret, and to pick up the weathered pieces alone.

"Milktuft..." She whispers once more, before her eyes close and she goes limp, breathing hard and unsteady. She'll live, but that blow to the side of her head is gently bleeding, which isn't good.

[TheClockmaker]

Gullsplash
Warrior | 25 M | Male | Tags: Hopperpaw| Mentions: Stormpaw

"You know, I'm okay with them not being here. We could just explore by ourselves. Also, don't worry, I won't act like a mentor to you. We'll have fun!" Gullsplash chirped to Hopperpaw. It was then that he realized that he had entirely forgotten about Stormpaw, his actual apprentice. He just hoped that Stormpaw would be okay with that, as always. The cliff is pretty tall and Gullsplash and Hopperpaw were on the halfway mark. They could see the cats down below like they were the size of mice. The cliff was muddy and rocky, with ledges cats could climb on. When he looked around, he saw little plants sticking out of the cliff, he and Hopperpaw could hide. They jumped from bush to bush to reach the top. Gullsplash knew that the meadow atop the cliff was full of rabbits. He turned to Hopperpaw and meowed, "Hey, I heard you were talking about a meadow with a lot of fat rabbits in it. I think I found that place back when I was an apprentice. I buried a blue shiny rock there to show I was there. Back then, I wanted to explore every mouse-length of this territory. I think it's still there."

Snakepaw
App | 7 M | Female | Tags: Mothgaze | Mentions: None

"But the deputy could get killed again!" Snakepaw whimpered to Mothgaze. She again thought about the previous deputy, and the fear in Snakepaw's eyes when she heard the rocks falling. She didn't think the new deputy would be any safer than the old one. However, Snakepaw followed Mothgaze. She walked right behind her, looking around her like the rocks could fall on her at any moment. She felt safe when Mothgaze was around. Maybe the patrol wouldn't be so bad after all.

Gorgefang
Warrior | 48 M | Male | Tags: Paledapple, Stormpaw | Mentions:

As Gorgefang got woken up by Paledapple, he realized he had fallen asleep too many times, and he finally decided to start his day. "OK, see you at the entrance." Gorgefang said drowsily to Paledapple. When he went to the entrance, he didn't see any sign of Gullsplash, even though he should be in the patrols as well. Knowing his nephew, Gorgefang decided to go to Stormpaw, because Gullsplash probably forgot about her. What an irresponsible tom. When Gorgefang walked up to Stormpaw, he said "Alright, you need to head out on your patrol. Since Gullsplash isn't doing his job again, I'm going to help you. We're on Paledapple's patrol today."

[Lights.Out]

• Owlsong •
warrior | bio | tags: Wolfpath, Lynxspring, Finchpaw, Risingpaw | mentions: Mistback, Amberpaw, Perchwood

Amberpaw's stress and panic was clear to see, and she had a feeling those two wouldn't be making it to the patrol. As she turned to head back to the group, she noticed Risingpaw approaching. “Morning Risingpaw, of course I don't mind if you tag along, we're just about to head out now,” she told them. Her ears flicked as she finally started towards their little hunting patrol. “Still no sign of Mistback, but we can keep an eye out for her,” she thought, not worried at all. She was sure Mistback just went out to hunt earlier than the others, maybe they would run into eachother outside of camp. “I don't think Amberpaw and Perchwood will be joining us, and Mistback is nowhere to be found, so it'll just be us!” she told the group, turning to leave the camp.

• Russetnose •
warrior | bio | tags: Patchpaw, Paledapple, Gorgefang, Wildfleck | mentions: Gullsplash

He gave Wildfleck a respectful nod as she approached. He padded over to the entrance, a few tail-lengths behind Gorgefang. “We'll be leaving for a hunting patrol soon, Paledapple is just grabbing a couple others before we go,” he told Patchpaw, glancing over at Gorgefang as he walked away to see Stormpaw. “That Gullsplash is so irresponsible, I can't believe he has an apprentice,” he thought, shaking his head disappointedly. His gaze drifted over the clan lazily, waiting for the patrol to set out.

• Stormpaw •
apprentice | bio | tags: Gorgefang | mentions: Gullsplash

At first, waiting for her mentor to show up had been fun. She could sit for a little longer before it was actually time to get stuff done. But as time passed she got more and more upset. “Why does he always do this?” she thought, gritting her teeth and digging her claws into the ground. The more often he forgot about her, the more she started to dislike him. When she had first become an apprentice she was elated to have such a chill mentor, he seemed so cool. “I wish they had given me a different mentor,” she huffed, her tail flicking back and forth. Her attention was pulled to Gorgefang and she sighed. All the anger was gone, and replaced with sadness. Why did he always forget about her? Was she not a good enough apprentice? She nodded to Gorgefang and stood to join the rest of the patrol. Her eyes never left the ground, as she walked over to the entrance, feeling defeated.

[Nunavik]

･ ｡ﾟ☆ LYNXSPRING ────────
── a shorthaired red-and-white mackeral tabby with a sickly appearance
35 moons | tom | warrior | apprentice, Finchpaw | crush, Wolfpath | tags: Wolfpath, Finchpaw

Lynxspring's ears perked at Wolfpath's response. He sometimes forgot the tom was one of FallsClan's newer warriors, having been apart of the ranks and their duties for a fraction of the time Lynxspring had been. While Lynxspring had been molded into the duties of the clan since birth, Wolfpath was still growing accustom to life here. Even with a background of being a loner in FallsClan vast terrain, Lynxspring wondered if his answer was of modesty or physical lack of ability to hunt. The tabby elected not to pry. "Perfect then." Lynxspring replied, a soft smile pressing into his maw. "I'll hunt and you can protect. We'll make a perfect team."

He allowed his words to settle for a moment before glancing at Finchpaw. He beckoned his head, indicating to follow before turning to Owlsong and the remainder of the patrol as they disembarked from camp. Lynxspring had gone quiet for a moment as the echos of voices slowly dissolved and it was nothing but the found of rushing water and faint thunder overheard before he turned back to Finchpaw. "Since we're on a hunting patrol today, I'm going to let you take point in catching prey. I'm fairly confident on your skills as a hunter already so let's work on signaling and working in pairs to catch prey. Sound fair?"

･ ｡ﾟ☆ SPOTTEDFEATHER ────────
── a long-haired dilute calico with green eyes
41 moons | she-cat | warrior | apprentice, Hopperpaw | crush, none | tags: Rumblespout, Rabbitsong, Yarrowpaw, Swallowsight, Goosepaw, Kyanitepaw, Mothgaze, Snakepaw, Cinnamonthorn (all cats in Cinnamonthorn's hunting party)

Spottedfeather willed her face to ease into neutrality. It had sputtered for a moment, expressing everything she was feeling on the inside: annoyance, disbelief, grief. The she-cat tried to hide this emotions. To bury them deep down and locked away from anyone especially Rumblespout. Alas, he always had a way - with words alone - to make her show her cards. As their conversation shifted entirely, the calico bowed her head. Her green eyes closed, turning her vision black as memories of Fogfern passed through her mind like an instant replay of her life. "I don't understand how so many lives can just be gone." Spottedfeather murmured, more to herself than the elder in front of her.

The she-cat opened her eyes. The figure of Rumblespout came back into view. She began to speak again before Cinnamonthorn had entered the elder's den. Spottedfeather's ears perked at the mention of a patrol. Was is that time already? She figured Skyestar and Rabbitsong had wanted for FallsClan's daily activities to resume as normally as possible despite the recent circumstances. Surprisingly, Spottedfeather did not feel quite as keen to hunting as she would otherwise have been. "Um, kind of?" She meowed, ears perked as Cinnamonthorn also made the request to gather Hopperpaw and Swallowsight.

Spottedfeather was not keen on continuing a dark encroaching conversation on death with Rumblespout either. Something told her he would not be either. Thankfully, Spottedfeather did not need to quickly add another remark to cover her previous as the elder quietly threw a joke. Despite the tension at the start, the dilute calico offered a quick teasing scoff. "I don't think so. I'm sure you'll be having plenty of things to do here in camp shortly anyway." She rose to her paws, giving a nudge to Cinnamonthorn against her shoulder to indicate she understood and she would join the she-cat shortly. Effectively dismissed, Spottedfeather turned back to Rumblespout, "Somehow, I don't think that will teach him more about responsibility more than encourage him to think of ways to torment you." The laugh followed her words as she made for the exit of the elder's den. "Nonetheless, I will have him visit. Perhaps some well-bestowed wisdom from you will curb some of his new exhibitions. See ya, Rumblespout!"

With that, Spottedfeather exited the den to join Cinnamonthorn. Her pawsteps were quiet as she gathered where Cinnamonthorn's patrol were awaiting. There wasn't much of a signal before some cats began to break and she eased into a relaxed gallop to catch up. The hunting party had eased into a comfortable routine in search of prey when it dawned on her regarding her apprentice. The calico stopped in her tracks, eyes narrowing. Perhaps what Rumblespout had said to her before she had taken her leave had gotten under her skin. "Hey, did anyone see Hopperpaw this morning?" The she-cat tried to shake off the feeling of embarrassment for her lack of knowledge for not knowing where he was. Internally, however, she knew he'd keep himself busy while she was away.

･ ｡ﾟ☆ STARLINGFLIGHT ────────
── a shorthaired, dark brown-and-white mackeral tabby with green eyes
29 moons | tom | warrior | apprentice, Kyanitepaw | crush, none | tags: Kyanitepaw

Starlingflight had already exited the warriors' den and discovered he had been assigned to Cinnamonthorn's hunting patrol when Kyanitepaw approached him. The dark-colored warrior's eyes were piercing as he watched the party gather while listening to the quiet pawsteps of his apprentice signal her arrival. He was still slightly annoyed at the rude awakening from Swallowsight this morning as he sat, shoulders locked with a frown upon his maw. "Well, aren't you just a bundle of excitement this morning?" He responded immediately, voice dripping in sarcasm as he shifted a glance at the she-cat. While his tone was harsh and unforgiving, sometimes Starlingflight was grateful to have an apprentice who was atleast slightly more mature than many - atleast in the sense he would not expect her to vanish on adventures. Starlingflight's gaze soften slightly as he picked himself to his paws and padded after the patrol. "We're with Cinnamonthorn's hunting patrol this morning. Maybe we'll train later so long as the fresh-kill pile is replenished after the hunt."