[ellipses]

Username: classy n flashy
Cat Name: Sparrowdust
Clan: PeakClan
Rank: Warrior
Gender: She-cat
Age: 26 moons
Prompt: What do you get for the most conceited cat in the world?
wip

[OYSTERSMANNN]

Username: galaxiewonder
Cat Name: Flurrytail
Clan: Horizonclan
Rank: Warrior
Gender: Male
Age: 19 Moons
Prompt:
Flurrytail had lived alone for most of his life. He used to be a rogue living near Horizonclan and had wanted nothing to do with Horizonclan. He didn't really like them because he thought they only stole his prey and they wouldn't let him hunt on their territory. That was what he thought of them until Hazelstar had invited him to join the clan. He was reluctant to do so at first but ultimately decided to join them and see what it was like to be in a clan. Flurrytail soon found out he liked living in the clan much more than being alone and hunting for himself. He had friends in Horizonclan, and he enjoyed hunting and patrolling with clan members. As time passed, Flurrytail decided he wanted to give some sort of gift or thank you to Hazelstar for letting him join the clan. He didn't know what to give her though. He asked several of his clan mates for ideas, and they all gave him plenty of choices. Flurrytail knew Hazelstar really liked birds, especially the large owls that flew around the camp. So, he decided he would catch one.
Flurrytail was ready to catch that owl and had even asked some of his close friends in the clan to help him take it down. He knew it would be hard to do it all by himself. Soon, they were all ready to go out and hunt an owl. "All right guys, the owl lives over there," Flurrytail told the other two cats. "You two will climb the tree and scare it out, and it should fly over to where I am. I'll attack it first, then you guys will come down and help me fight it," the cats nodded and got to their positions. "Ready?" Flurrytail asked. "Ready," one of the cats responded. The cats successfully scared the owl out of it's home in the tree, but now there was one problem. It was flying away from where Flurrytail was. "Mouse-dung!" He growled. He and the other two cats walked to where the owl had previously stood before flying away. "Oh well," Flurrytail sighed. "I'll just get her something else." "Wait, Flurrytail! Look, on the ground!" One of the cats pointed with his paw to the large feather on the ground. "What if you give her this owl feather? It' close enough to the real owl! I'm sure she'll love it!" Flurrytail hadn't thought of that. "You're right! Thanks for the help guys," he said before picking up the feather and walking back to camp with his friends. Just as Flurrytail's friend had predicted, Hazelstar loved the feather and Flurrytail was glad he got the gift for her.

[liightning]

Username: liightning
Cat Name: Kestrelfall
Clan: DeltaClan
Rank: warrior
Gender: male
Age: 72 moons
Prompt: [439/500]

On the day before the first snowfall of marsh-frost, when pale clouds gathered on the horizon and wind whipped across the marsh, he knew it was time. Once finished with his warrior duties, Kestrelfall excused himself and slipped out of camp, the last dying rays of light brushing his fur in an almost heavenly appearance.

It was the sheer cliffs of the gorge that he picked his way down, careful pawsteps on rock slick with water, whistling a cheerful melody that was echoed by the birds. The river tumbled by, gurgling its own tune, as if responding to him. Further upstream, a magnificent waterfall cascaded down, creating little white flecks of foam that imitated the clouds in the pale sky above.

He slipped into a crevice in the cliff, pausing to take in the cavern before him and petals of ghostly white bobbing in the breeze. This was his garden, a little patch of soil where he'd poured out his heart and soul into the earth, calling forth blossoms of every type. Here the spray of water from the river could reach the flowers that he'd carefully sown into the earth; rays of sunlight that slanted in from the entrance fed hungry leaves; and the rock above sheltered from the elements. When the river was low and no mist could reach the hidden garden, he would dance among the rocks, bending to scoop riverwater in a wide shell, repeating until his precious blooms had been spared from dehydration.

Two fragile stems of orchids were all that remained, the only survivors of the cold. Despite their frail leaves, withered from the rapidly dropping temperature, the blossoms themselves were stunning - smooth petals of snow-white swooping gracefully, folding neatly to form the orchid. Little starbursts of violet bleeding into the white. With careful jaws he snipped their stems, taking the last of his extravagant garden, the last of the flowers he'd spent hours upon hours tending to. When marsh-bloom arrived, he would once again sow the seeds and watch them bloom.

Out of the cave he went, and back up the rocks he bounded. His paws carried him to the bank by the waterfall where a deliberately placed rock jutted out of the ground.

"Flowers for you, my love," he whispered, the ghost of a smile tugging at his muzzle, the breeze whisking his words up towards the heavens. "The last of my garden."

With infinite delicacy, as if a sudden movement would shatter the world, he rested the orchids on the frozen earth - a gift for a cat buried moons ago, a gift for a spirit among the stars.

[Goner.]

Username: Goner.
Cat Name: Beartooth
Clan: Autumnclan
Rank: Warrior
Gender: Male
Age: 25 Moons
Prompt:

Autumnclan has a kit who is quite.... special. The little guy has a mouse. Not like a mouse to eat, he has a pet mouse that he named Squeak. Everyone in Autumnclan thinks this behavior is strange. Well, everyone but Beartooth. See, Beartooth loves this kit as if he was his own. One day, Beartooth came up with a perfect idea. He gathered twigs and small leaves and began crafting a little, warm, suit for the mouse. He made a shirt and a hat, as well as tiny little gloves. Once he was finished, he trotted over to the queens den and poked his head in.

"Hey there," he said to the kit, hiding the outfit in his paw. "I made a little gift for squeak!"

"Really? Where is it?" The kit yipped in excitement, carrying the little mouse upon his head.

Beartooth lifted his paw up to reveal the small outfit made out of leaves. "These are for Squeak, just in case he gets a bit cold. Leafbare is just a few days away and I feel like we'll be getting our first snow storm of the year."

"Woahh!" The kit said, "It looks so cool! Thank you so much!" The small kit set Squeak down on the ground and gave him the outfit. Squeak very happily put on the leaves and hopped around once he was done. "He loves it!" The kit smiled. "Thanks again uncle Beartooth!"

Beartooth gave a proud smile, "You're welcome," he purred. He sat in the den for a few minutes watching the kit and the mouse play around before very happily leaving. He felt all warm and fuzzy inside after giving the kit and the mouse the gift he made. From now on, Beartooth decided he was going to start making gifts for other people because he loves to see their face light up when they see what it was.

[CertainNorth]

This is now closed for judging!

[Goner.]

Good luck everyone!

[CertainNorth]

Congrats, Kazin! I loved your story and the gift!

Also, HMs to 11:11, Shadowflight13, and Goner! Thanks for all the stories everyone! <3

Username: Zelos Wilder
Cat Name: Coppersplash
Clan: BreezeClan
Rank: warrior
Gender: male
Age: 27 moons
Prompt: 445 words.

"Curse him, curse her, and curse my entire family!" Coppersplash was trudging through a lot of snow. His feet were wet, his long fur was wet - sticking to him like a common Twoleg dog's mangy fur, and he was angry. Angry that he couldn't be with the cat he loved the most right now, though mostly angry at himself. Angry that he didn't think of finding her the perfect gift earlier, and angry that he allowed himself to be pressured into finding a gift in the dead of leaf-bare by his own brother. "Oh, why don't you just go find something she loves?" His brother had asked, seemingly innocently. Coppersplash didn't think it would be that hard, not thinking about the freshly fallen snow.

Of course his crush had to love pine cones. Of all things, why pine cones?! Especially the blasted small, tiny hemlock pine cones. Buried in the snow, not a single one left in the trees that he could find. He was exploring the depths of the territory for a hemlock pine cone.

The occasion was a tradition, rooted deep in his Clan's history. It was a somber one, yet happy. Bittersweet.

Somber because it was a tradition to present a gift on this day to your mate, or the cat you wanted to be your mate. And that meant Coppersplash might be rejected. Somber also because it was StarClan that watched the occasion, lost family members watching as their living relatives might start a family. Happy because Coppersplash was nearly certain that he knew the feelings he had for this cat were mutual. He was just nervous.

Yet it was with an elated heart that Coppersplash caught the small brown speck, freshly fallen from a hemlock tree. He carried it gently in his teeth, his heart nearly skipped a beat in relief. "I'm sorry," he mumbled around the small pine cone. "I don't actually wish to curse anyone." Coppersplash was speaking to the now darkening sky now. "I'm just nervous about what she might say."

Snow swirled around him, causing his fur to ruffle in the slight breeze. No need to be scared, it seemed to tell him. She feels the same way you do. We wish you happiness in your future.

Coppersplash smiled, a sense of calm around him as he listened to the words of his ancestors. Perhaps hers, as well.

"Thank you," he whispered, coming back into the territory with enough time to spare before the ceremony started - he could clean up his fur, and now couldn't wait to present his small, significant hemlock pine cone to his favorite cat. The cat he wanted to be his mate.

[Goner.]

Congrats Kazin! Thank you for the HM, as well <3

[Kazin]

Ahh oh my goodness thank you so much <3 I will treasure this beauty. Congratulations to the HMs, I really enjoyed reading your entries!

[Shadowflight13]

Congrats Kazin! And thank you for the HM <3