[kittykore]

Username;; Lion Cat Name;; Pumpkinclaw Gender;; Male Age;; 26 moons Rank;; Warrior Clan;; Copperclan


tell me what is an enemy this cat has to defeat?





Pumpkinclaw's enemy is his own father, Sandthorn. He and his father have never been on a good foot, his father blamed him for the reason he and his mother, Palepelt were no longer together. It didn't help that his own father was his mentor, he pushed him too far and often this ended up with him in the medicine cat den. When Pumpkinclaw was just a kit his father would tell him, "You'll never be the warrior that I am, you'll never be good enough to even be made a warrior." This gave Pumpkinclaw a whole other enemy to deal with, his own self-doubt.




"Look his eyes are opening!" Pumpkinkit stirred with a groan and opened his eyes, he had never opened his eyes and this was all new for him. He took a look at his surroundings, a soft homey looking den, the nursery. He looked up and saw his mother and father looking down at him, love in their eyes. "Oh look at your eyes, they're gorgeous" his mother Palepelt cooed looking over to his father, waiting for him to put a word in, "He has your eyes Palepelt." he said, proud and chest puffed out.

The three stayed curled around each other for quite sometime before the young cream colored tom drifted off to sleep, he woke up to shouting, his parents. "This is all your fault! I don't want you near me or Pumpkinkit anymore. I don't want you to lay an eye on him ever again." His mother snarled. He glanced over to where his mother was yelling. His father was shaking with rage, a scratch mark clearly on his face, blood pooling from the scratch. "M-mama...? What's going on?" his mother's angry face looked down at him, her expression and voice changed but her eyes still showed her anger. "Your father did a bad thing Sweetie, he won't be my mate or your father anymore. Don't worry about it." she nuzzled him before Sandthorn butted in "Pale-" he tried to say but his mother let out an aggressive hiss and with that Amberstar pulled the tom away talking softly to him, too quiet for him to hear.



(2500 words + 3 extras are optional)

[wolfpack12]

Username;; wolfpack12
Cat Name;; Reed, Reedpaw, Reedsong
Gender;; tom
Age;; 6 moons
Clan;; Crescentclan
Rank;; Medicine cat apprentice

Prompt;; (2483/2500)

" Now remember, Chervil is a sweet-smelling plant with large, leafy, fern-like leaves an-Reedpaw, are you listening?"

The lynx point quickly snapped out of his daydreaming and glanced at his mentor. The pale grey and white ticked tabby stood quite a good bit away from him. Her mismatched coloured eyes watching him with a mixture of amusement and expectancy. Causing the young tom to give a small sheepish smile in return." ….Yes?", he replied. Uncertainty deep within his tone.

" Oh, really? Do you mind repeating everything I just said then? Just so I know that what your telling me is the truth", The she-cat replied. Amusement clear in her voice. Causing the young tom to nervously chuckle in response. His mismatched coloured eyes darting everywhere in an attempt to try and dodge the question.

" Uh, t-that Chervils are sweet-smelling plants with large, leafy, f-fern-lie leaves?", he asked. A small innocent grin slowly working its way onto his face, as he stared expectantly at his mentor. Who merely stared at him with a blank expression. Before a light breathy chuckle escaped her throat, as she playfully rolled her eyes.

" Eh, close enough", Mistflight replied. Her lips twitching slightly as she fought back a smirk. Her attention quickly turning back to their surroundings as mismatched coloured eyes scanned the foliage for the herb in question. A frown soon appearing on her face when she couldn't find it." We'll have to split up, I'll go left while you go right, if you find it come find me, but if you're in danger yowl at the top of your lungs and I'll come running understood?", she added. Earning a series of quick nods from the young flame point, as he turned around and started heading in the direction she told him to go.

" And remember! Chervil have little white flowers on them!"

Reedpaw lifted his tail in acknowledgement as he darted into the foliage. His different coloured eyes alight with excitement and purpose. Every so often he would stop and scent the air, tasting for both sweet smelling scents and for any signs of danger, before continuing on his way. All while repeating everything his mentor told him inside his head. As if it were a mantra.

Sweet-smelling plants, sweet-smell-

" Aha!", he cried out. His eyes brightening further the moment his nose caught onto the scent he was looking for. Without even hesitating, the young tom was off. Nothing more than a little blur dashing between the trees in his quest to reach his target. Only when he reached his destination did he then skid to a stop. His heart beating wildly in his chest from both the adrenaline and his excitement.

In front of him, hidden in the shadows of an overgrown bush, was the herb he and his mentor had been looking for. Grinning widely, the flame point approached the bush. Completely unaware of the menacing eyes that were staring out at him from the shadows. The only warning Reedpaw had was the threatening hiss, before a small pair of fangs shot out at him. Causing the apprentice to release a yowl of surprise as he quickly leapt away from his attacker. Heartbeat beating frantically as he met the gaze of the adder that had just tried to attack him.

The flame point's legs instantly locked into place as he stared at the creature he dreaded more than anything. While most animals were wisely afraid of the deadly serpents, Reedpaws fear was on a whole other level. He had a phobia of them. In fact any snake he even so much as catches a glimpse of, he would immediately go into either a frozen state or have a serious meltdown. Today it seemed it was the former rather than the latter. But what truly frightened the young tom was how familiar this adder looked. As if he had seen it before. But where?

The sound of frantic paw steps behind him, alerted him to the presence of his mentor as she burst through a bunch of bushes to his right." Reedpaw! Are you alright?! I hear-", Mistflights voice cut off, as she realised the situation he was in. He didn't need to look at her face to know that there was pure horror there.

" Reedpaw! Reedpaw what are you doing!? Reedpaw get away from there! Reedpaw!", the voice of his mentor cried out from somewhere behind him. But the poor tom couldn't look away. Nor would his right leg let him move. Instead it remained stiff and frozen in place, as if it had been poisoned all over again. But that wasn't even the worst of it. The worst part, was the growing tightness in his chest as his fear continued to rise. Making it hard for him to breathe. Not only that, but Mistflight's cries were beginning to fade away. A loud ringing noise taking her place instead. Everything was far too familiar. An old memory floated its way up to the surface. He couldn't breathe as realization dawned on him. He's been here before.

" Reed! Reed what are you doing!? Get away from there!", his mother cried. Her deep blue eyes wide in terror for her son. Yet, Reed couldn't move, his leg wouldn't let him. A few thin trails of blood ran down either side of his injured leg. Bringing with it not only pain, but also a quezy feeling. Like he was going to throw up. Through tear blurred eyes, the kit turned his desperate gaze away from the snake in front of him and in the direction of his mother. Fear and pain shining clearly in his mismatched coloured eyes.

" I can't Mama! My leg won't let me! Help me, Mama! Please! Mama!", he called out. His chest immediately tightening upon hearing the adder grow closer. Its threatening hiss being the only thing he could hear. Filling his heart to the brim with fear. He didn't want to die. With new found energy he made another desperate attempt to reach his mother. Fresh tears quickly replacing his old ones. Running down his cheeks like miniature waterfalls." MAMA!", he cried out. Despair quickly taking away his remaining hope, upon realising that his body still refused to obey his commands.

" Get away from him, you good for nothing scaly rat!"

Everything was a blur after that. From his mother leaping over him and swatting the adder in the head, to the sound of heavy two-leg feet rushing towards them. Why were they running? What happened? Was his mother alright? These were the questions that were currently running through his head as his vision began to fade to black. The last thing he remembered before he passed out from exhaustion, was his mothers face as she collapsed down in front of him. Her eyes filled with tears, as a small sad smile graced her face. His mind too young to fully understand why she was sad.

" It's going to be ok.... they'll be taking care of you now.... I love you.... always.... remember.... that"

Those were the last words he heard before his vision faded to black, and he was lifted off of the ground by giant gentle hands. Completely unaware that when he would finally awaken.... he'll be all alone.

A sharp pained hiss was what had snapped the tom back into reality. A pale grey and white ticked blur now blocking his view of the snake. Confusing the young apprentice for only a split second, before he realised that he had been crying. It took a little bit longer for him to realise that Mistflight had been the one acting as his shield. One white paw was hovering above the ground, covered in little red specks. Causing the flame point to suddenly feel a wave of fear.

Had she been bit?

" Reedpaw! Are you alright!?"

Fearful brown and blue, met concerned blue and green. Yet no words came out. The best he could do was open and close his mouth like a fish out of water. It didn't help that his entire body was shaking. Instead, he settled on giving his mentor a quick nod. An angered hiss was what brought both cats to reality as they glanced back at the adder who now looked beyond annoyed at being whacked in the face. Only then did Reedpaw come to the horrifying conclusion of why this snake looked familiar. On the right side of its face was four claw marks. Left there by his mother when she went to protect him. This adder was no ordinary snake.

It was his mothers killer and the reason he had a phobia of snakes in the first place.

" Get out of here Reedpaw! I'll take care of this slimy lizard!", Mistflight hissed. Anger clear in her voice as she gave the offending reptile a glare. Making it clear she wasn't happy that this adder decided to attack her apprentice.

But Reedpaw didn't budge. He was rooted to the spot as he stared at both the adder and his mentor. A feeling of Deja vu washing over him the longer he watched the scene playing out in front of him. He wanted to run. To follow his mentors orders and get out of there. But a small voice inside his head was screaming at him to stay and fight. To not leave his mentor behind, and for a brief moment it was no longer Mistflight standing there. But his own mother.

" Mythfwight! Mythfwight!", the young tom called out. His mouth full of the weird smelling plants he was carrying. Causing his voice to sound muffled. Which earned him an amused chuckle from the she-cat he was trotting towards.

" Hello, Reed, what can I do for you?", Mistflight asked. Watching the young tom fondly as he stopped in front of her, before dropping the herbs at her paws. Before sitting back and looking proudly up at her.

" You dropped this, so I decided to bring it to you, so you wouldn't have to come back and get it yourself", Reed replied. Preferring to keep his original name, instead of taking the one Dawnstar gave him. At least for now. He may change his mind later.

" Why thank you... but don't you want to play with the other cats your age, instead of helping an old she-cat like myself?", Mistflight asked. A mixture of gratitude and confusion in her voice.

The flame point shook his head stubbornly. Before glancing at the ground in disappointment as he shuffled his paws. Embarrassment flowing through him as he tried to think of the right words to use." No, I don't like it when they play roughly, because I'm always afraid someone is going to get hurt and they always tease me about it, so when I saw you I decided to help you instead, because what you do seems really interesting", he replied.

" You find herbs and healing interesting?"

Reed tilted his head in confusion at her surprised tone. Was it really that odd for a young cat to be interested in those things. But he still nodded in response to her question." Yeah! I've always been curious about how they work, and if I learn enough, then I can help heal the others!", he replied. Causing the pale grey and white ticked tabby to slowly nod in understanding.

" I see, well, I'll tell you what, I'm struggling a bit in sorting out these herbs on my own, so why don't you come over here and help me, and I'll tell you what each one does"

If it were even possible the young tom's eyes brightened even further." Really?", he cried out. Excitement filling his voice as he quickly stood up.

" Yes, really, we'll be healing buddies"

Reedpaw felt a fresh wave of tears begin to form in the corners of his eyes at the memory. Mistflight had been like a second mother to him. Teaching him everything she knew, until the moment he had officially become her apprentice. Now she was risking her life to save his.

No.

That one word echoed within his head as his paws began to tremble furiously. No, he wasn't going to let this adder nor his fear of snakes take his mentor away from him. He was helpless the last time he lost someone. This time he wasn't.

And in that moment he felt nothing but anger. A burning passion that washed away the fear and grief that kept him frozen and replacing it with a wailing hurricane. His lips curled back into a silent snarl as his pupils narrowed. This adder had already taken one loved one away from him, and he wasn't going to just stand by and let it take another. It was these burning emotions that caused his vision to go red.

No, no, no, no

" NO!", he yowled. Rage clear in his voice as he sprang forwards. Surprising both his mentor and his mothers killer. He could hear Mistflight yelling at him to get away, but he paid no attention to her warnings. All he cared about was ending the life of the serpent that caused him so much pain and misery. That had threatened not only his life, but the life of his mentor as well.

The adder hardly stood a chance as the young toms jaws crunched down on its throat.

" Reedpaw!"

Reedpaw lifted his head, his anger slowly leaving his system as he met his mentors gaze. Blue and green eyes wide with surprise and concern. Something he was confused about until he looked down and noticed the dead snake that was now lying at his paws. His own eyes widened as he realised what he did. His body trembling from the adrenaline and shock of what he did. That was when he felt tears begin to fall down his cheeks. But this time, they were different.

These were tears of utter joy and relief. He had done it. He had not only overcome his fear to protect his mentor. But had also defeated the enemy that had killed his mother.

" I did it", he whispered. A trembling smile appeared on his face as he rushed towards his mentor. Burying his face into her chest as broken laughter left his mouth." Mistflight, I did it! I overcame my enemy! I defeated my fear of snakes!", he added. Nothing could describe what he was feeling at that moment. He felt free, as if a massive weight had finally been lifted from his chest. His smile only grew when the she-cat returned his embrace.

He had done it. He had faced an enemy from his past and defeated it, and in turn was able to defeat his phobia of snakes.

And he couldn't be happier.

[ataraxic_gone]

┌ ──────────────────────────────────────────────┐

•
│
Username;; dewly_noted Name;; Ilv'auri [LynxSun] Gender;; female
Age;; 21 moons Clan;; beachclan Rank;; wave runner
│
•
└────────────────────────────────────────────── ┘

Her mother had gently placed her nose upon her forehead, a quiet will coming from her whispers as she tried to let her know just how much she loved her only child. She strung together whispers of comfort with whispers of promised love and care only getting louder as metal bars clicked open, doors creaking as what held them captive revealed their captors. A pale human hand reached into the cage, grasping on the small flame points scruff, pulling her free from her mother.

There was a moment of pause before her mother lashed out at the humans flesh, only causing the young unnamed kit to be pulled away faster and faster. Then the cage door was closed, sealing her mother away from her forever. She cried out, her fearful calls being turned to silence as she was pushed into yet another box, one for transport. The kit's breath caught on her sobs as her small form curled tighter and tighter upon itself until she was nothing but a violently shivering ball.

The cage around her shifted back and forth before stopping, releasing her into the world once more, however, this time the larger cage where she would be held was empty, all around her the sounds of animal shouting rang out. She scurried to the back of her holding after being placed, pelt raised as she ran through everything her mother had told her.

Her birth rite; to be free amongst the forest, to live in peace with the wild, to be a part of her clan and defend her people.
Her birth code; to never be cruel nor cowardly, to always respect the land and never do harm to the youth of any when instead you could instead be kind.

Her people were wild cats who lived in mountains and treetops, hunted the wild creatures and spoke with the wilder things. She was taught from a young age that the only thing stopping you from hearing the story of the land you lived on was listening.

She held on silently to that last thought as she closed her eyes and listened to the calls of other- stranger animals ringing out around her. There was beeping from the human's machines, bells tinging and more present around her, the barks of dogs. She closed her eyes and listened as her tiny body shook with each loud bang that echoed from the cages around hers.

Hours of silence spun themselves into days and the small kit found herself growing comfortable alone. She learnt several things, there was no hope here, all the cats sounded distraught like they were fighting their woes and what scared her more was the strange calls of dogs, songs of woe and anger which were beginning to sound like normal. She would occasionally shout, listen closer, just in case her mother was out there somewhere- there was never a reply.

It wasn't until she met her first cage-den-mate that everything began to fall into place, that her life started.

He was an old rustic looking thing, with scrappy fur and an overbite, more importantly, he was no cat. He was a dog. He had turned to look at her after being placed in the cage and despite the worn look of a thousand sunrises in his eyes he didn't attack. This didn't stop the young kit from letting her fur grow, letting her anger escape her in hisses steeped with venom. She hissed the entire day, letting any air she came into contact with flow through her in an angry noise of self defence.

She knew dogs- dogs were a species of savages and she had to protect herself. Protect herself from what? She began to question as day in and out that retaliation she expected never came. This dog was patient most likely from his elderly years and when she finally surrendered herself to the idea of peaceful coexistence he spoke.

"My name is Az'iah,"
His cat speak was fluent and well learnt, so much so that the kit abandoned her fears and replied.
"My name is Daughter,"
Az'iah shook his head,
"That's not your name, that's what you are, you are a daughter. Your name is who you are."
There was a long silence before the kit spoke again, a whisper to herself, "then what's my name?"

As the days past by the routine truly began, the routine of the humans. They would open the cages to give food and change things like litter and water. They would patrol the corridors and harass the occupants of caves with offers of love only to betray that trust as they leave once more. It became clear to everyone involved that the animals kept here had one common enemy; humans.

"Why won't they let us go," The kit had said with a hiss after the next round of food was delivered, "because they think they're saving us," Az'iah said matter-of-factly.

So the days went by and the days turned to weeks. The young flame point grew, as did her mind. With all the time they had to spare Az'iah taught her the language of canines. It was difficult at first but she was young and her ability to learn was blooming. It wasn't long before they traded conversation between canine and feline with ease- it wasn't long before the cages beyond theirs started to listen back.

By the time she was the half the height of Az'iah she had begun to know the names of the creatures beyond her dens metal walls like the sister felines, Missy and Lulu, the deep voiced dog Va'syn and many more. The cries of sorrow began to die down in their vicinity and the hours of the day began to be replaced with quiet discussion. This discussion would be what saved them from everything that came next- it was what made them stronger to everything they would do and prepared them for who they would become.

The humans didn't come as often and when they did they were becoming lazy, slowing down and always mingling with each other, preoccupied with something that had set their hackles up. It burnt an idea in the mind of the young lass.

"They aren't paying attention anymore," She announced in cat to the quiet of the room once the humans left. There were some soft noises of agreement from the cats, followed by understanding and agreement from the dogs as Az'iah repeated her words for his kind. A discussion followed, one which Az'iah and the lynx point spent translating instead of interjecting. It all fell into one synonymous understanding.
The humans didn't care for them anymore, they had what they wanted and would leave them to rot just like they always had before. They would be taken away and never be seen again or maybe they would die. That word was thrown around in both languages so much it made the lynx point squirm as she translated it over and over.

She didn't want to die.

The days continued on and much to the fear and dismay of everyone who lived amongst their group they realised that the humans were growing even more distant.

It was just like every other day, the rounds were going by, the humans were at the cage of a gruff sounding dog, with a soft heart but a speediness to anger that was scary sometimes. His name was Myr'har and he was good at listening. The visits had become less and less and the numbers in her head were crunching.

They would die if they didn't do something, they would fade into nothing without food and they had to do something. Things had to change, something had to break. She had to speak.

"Myr'har get out!"

She snapped, loud and jarring in the quiet the humans always brought. The reaction was immediate, the sound of the cage being pushed open, the shrill scream of the human as they turned heel and ran, slamming the door shut. Myr'har walked forwards, towards the door and the flame point felt her soul jump as she saw him for the first time.

Myr'har was a gruff looking soul, tall with a brown and black pelt that was littered in scars. He looked like he had seen the worst of the world and taken it out by himself. His brown eyes had a wild glint to them before they settled and turned to meet the young kitten for the first time, confusion lacing his gaze for a moment as he pinpointed the cat who had set these actions in motion. She had grown from a tiny kitten, she was old enough in other lands to have started training and she had the glint in her eyes of something more.

"Can you open the door?"

She asked as Myr'har's gaze searched for another command from the cat who had started it all. There was no hesitation as Myr'har reaches up and grabbed at the handle on the cage, shaking it with his teeth, following the give until it gave back. The door swung open, for the first time in her life she stood on the ground of her choice, free. The world was so much bigger than she expected and this was only one small room.

"Keep going!" The kit spoke with a growing energy that she had lacked after so long of being trapped. The door clattered, as a human peered through the glass of the door, a shocked expression on their face as they retreated. They spent the next moments chewing on metal as one door opened to another. The lynx point always holding hope that when she spun around to another den cage she would see her mothers face. She never did.

It wasn't long before there was a tension in the air, two dozen animals free and closed up in one small room waiting for the next order. It fell on the only creature who had spoke up thus far.

Her kitten fluff rose and she felt herself buzz with excitement. They could do this- they could be free, she could see the sun, she could see the world her mother had told her about.

Her fluffy tail rose into the air, straight and strong. "Is everyone free?" She asked and after a moment of confirmation that they were all safe she pushed forward, childish enthusiasm throwing her and her new family forward. She eyed Az'iah and then after a small nod from the elderly dog she purred.

"Let's be free!"

She called, Myr'har and another dog who had always been quiet and never spoken his name stepped forth and pawed the door. It wasn't long before the handle gave and there was slack, that slack was yanked upon and the door spun open. Then there was chaos. It was cats and dogs- but they weren't raining, they were flying. At some point Az'iah grabbed her by the scruff and they were travelling together through the halls. Humans letting out shrieks of panic as they gave the flood of fur lee way. She watched as a few of the voice she'd know for so long were yanked up by humans, screeches of panic. Her mind slowed, never be cowardly, the voice of her mother echoed and she felt her heart twist.

She could do nothing as she was carried by Az'iah, but she still had her voice.

"Protect each other, Stay close!"

There was growls, hisses and soon the voices shrieking stopped their panic and thanks found their place. She could only hope that the humans would let them leave now and they did, their combined unity lead them towards the doors to freedom. They opened and their enemy was behind them.

Once the humans and their building faded behind them, as they walked along the human pathways away from the human buildings into the wild. They settled on the edge of a forest, hidden from sight by bushes and trees as they caught their breathe. Az'iah let her down, smiling as she took in the wonder of it all.

"Ilv'auri" He stated, smiling down on the kit as she gazed back at him confusion on her face. "That's your dog name, your cat name, the name of the clan's you will see one day- that is LynxSun."

Ilv'auri felt a burning in her heart as she a burst of tears and happiness well over her soul, accompanied by a sweet loss. They never found her mother but they had escaped the monsters who held them captive, defeated the humans who thought they could hold them forever.

Cats and dogs travelled together for some time, it wasn't long before they interchanged language and with heavy hearts, went separate ways. Az'iah had died before they separated, his heart too weak but Ilv'auri had grown and one day she would rise to the challenge once more and use her wits and words to defeat any and all enemies her family faced.[2,166/2,500]

[drift.]

Username;;drift.
Cat Name;;
Gender;;
Age;;
Clan;;
Rank;;

Prompt;; (2500 words + 3 extras are optional) WIP

[a ghost!]

marking for later, if I have time

[ellipses]

Username;; jester ;;
Cat Name;;
Gender;; Tom
Age;; 34 moons
Clan;; PeachClan
Rank;; Warrior

Prompt;; (2500 words + 3 extras are optional)

[.Foxtrot.]

▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄
Username: .Foxtrot.
Cat Name: Sweetheart
[Sweet~ his personality |
Heart~ loyal and kind nature]
Gender: male
Age: 30 moons
Rank: Beta [Deputy]
Clan: Mourningclan
▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄

"My enemy" snorted Sweetheart as an awful chill was sent down his curly, warm coloured fur. His claws unsheathed automatically as if he was reading himself for the fight of his life. His enemy a dark, malnourished figure loomed high above him menacingly - it was ready for an onslaught. The flame coloured tom stood up bravely and walked forwards, prepared to do anything to stay alive. The opponents sharp, prickly, claws raked his flank with unwavering rage. In a blur of red the tom spun round with an earsplitting shriek to face the monster.

"Are you ok there Sweetheart" a flame point molly mewed. "Ahhh Morningstar, how long have you been there" the deputy screamed as he fell over trying to untangle his curly locks from the bramble. "Long enough" the she cat teased. The she-cat padded up to her deputy and freed him from the brambles delicately with her needle-like claws. Sweetbriar sat hunched over panting ferociously trying to catch his breath from his ordeal. Morningstar sat next to Sweetheart and wrapped her silky, feathered tail around him and sweetly mewed to him "I know you're terrified of the Withered Forest, but we need to get some cobwebs. Besides you wouldn't want to upset Shrewpool now would you?" The she cat jumped to her feet and skipped into the decaying forest. The trees are withered and twisted, the ground harsh underfoot and cold and the plants were a range or poisonous to a death trap of thorns. Sweetheart hoarsely whispered "But Shrewpool is dead."

...
[11 moons ago]

A quiet, peaceful, numbing, glacial leaf-bare morning Sweetheart and Morningflower awoke to all the variety of birds in the North Forest chirping. They were the only to cats in their "clan" so got up early to do chores and keep the camp shipshape. Early in the morning the two cats set out to find some moss, they would go to Cetus Lake which was located just by their camp. As they reached the border of the lake, Sweetheart's sapphire and sepia coloured eyes spot a small brown figure on the other side of the lake. As he yells out to the cat across the lake it skiddaddled towards the Withered Forest. Glancing at each other, Morningflower and Sweetbriar dip their soft paws into the cold water. Swimming almost like fish, they reach the bank. They notice just before the Withered Forest lays a collapsed brown ball of fur. Morningflower meows softly "Hey we don't mean to hurt you. Oh how rude of me, I'm Morningflower and this is..." She's cut off by Sweetheart "and I'm Sweetheart." The small seal mink, oriental shorthair tom spun his head round violently to face the two large cats. The small tom is panting heavily and his big blue eyes look terrified. The brown ball hesitantly stammers "So you won't hurt me? Are you clan cats?" Shaking his large head, Sweetheart mews "No we won't hurt you." Before Sweetheart could answer the second question Morningflower butts in "No we won't and we are kinda a clan... well just the two of us. Are you ok and what's your name?" The ball uncurled itself and mewed "Oh I'm Shrewpool. I'm fine I just needed to catch my breath." Morningflower spoke softly "Well nice to meet you Shrewpool, but if you don't mind me asking how come you're on your own?" Before the tom could answer Morningflower's question Sweetheart questioned "Are you sure you're alright you didn't get very far and don't look very well?" Shrewpool's head snapped back and fourth between the pair. Sheepishly Shrewpool mewed "Well I was a medicine cat.... was... but I was first excommunicated by starclan and then driven away from my home." Sweetheart and Morningflower both glanced at the ground, unexpectedly in unison they state "Well you can stay with us." Shrewpool's malnourished frame sauntered to his feet. With blazing hope in his eyes he mewed "Really? Can I?" "Of course you can." Morningflower happily cried.

All three cats wandered happily back to camp. That night they talked for hours on end, as if they had all been best friends all their life.

...
[Present]

The crisp frigid ground underfoot sent chills up his sturdy legs, making them feel like jelly. The bitter air whipped and raced around the large tom and nipped at his extremities. The sky clear, not a single cloud - as if the forest had chased them away. The sun shone unmercifully on them, blinding them, the day was just like... just that day. Despair warped over Sweetheart as he shook his head to get rid of the unsightly and repulsive thoughts. The flame lynx point tom couldn't give in, not now, if he did he couldn't vanquish his enemy. Feeling a gaze, he looked at Morningstar who was staring at him. Her blue pools for eyes burrowed into him, the molly clearly wanted to ask him a question - one he wouldn't like. Hesitantly, but as predicted by Sweetheart, Morningstar mumbled "You never did tell me what happened that day?" The tom looked down at his paws, maybe he wouldn't have to answer if he printed he was selectively mute on one occasion. With a huff the tom stated "let's keep moving, we should be quick. I'll tell you along the way."

...
[6 moons ago]

A lithe seal mink tom clambered to the top of the sandstone dens. "Ok tomorrow is going to be Morningflower's leader ceremony, today I will go to Lost and make preparations. I'll set off soon." Sliding down the rough rock, he landed with grace at the bottom and was met by Sweetheart. With a concerned tone the larger tom stated "If you're going through the Withered Forest I'll go with you." Shrewpool grinned and merrily purred "Well it would be great to have a friend for the journey. My first time going, though Morningflower has warned me about that place... well she's warned everyone." Sweetheart chuckled "She's probably just messing with us, it only has a couple of dead trees." Shrewpool renewed with confidence chirped "Yeah you're right." The two toms made their way towards Lost, which was situated at the far border of the Withered Forest. The journey was moderate to start off with, just a few scratches from brambles here and there. But as they ventured further they started to notice some odd shadowy figures looming in the undergrowth. "What are those?" Shrewpool frantically whispered. "I'm not sure what they are... but they're getting closer." Sweetheart hissed through seething teeth. A black matted face emerged through the bushes, bearing its yellowed fangs. "RUN!!!" shrieked Sweetheart as he bolted towards an old cathedral ruin, known as Lost. Sweetheart could hear the pounding of Shrewpool's paws and heavy breathing behind him until they vanished with a sudden thud. Whipping his head around Sweetheart saw his friend collapse behind him. As he screeched to a halt the large tom went to bolt back but a swarm of large hideous creatures swarmed Shrewpool. Frozen Sweetheart stared in horror at the corpse of his friend in the frenzy of the swarm of large rats. Looking around he noticed more rats surrounding him, he knew they wouldn't dare enter the Lost so he made a beeline for the Lost. The tom scarped up the crumbling building, once safe he lay down with his paws over his head. The ground became saturated with the tears of the tom, wiping them away with his cut and bruised paws to no avail. Guilt flooded his mind, Shrewpool had somewhat severe asthma, as his friend he should have defended him and not expected him to just sprint. Sweetheart would later flee back to camp and wouldn't tell anyone what had occurred. Sweetheart wouldn't talk to anyone for a moon, guilt had utterly consumed him.

...
[Present]

"Ahh... I see now. Them rats found you. We will need to do something about them. Though we shall not venture that far in, I can assure you" Morningstar uneasily whispered. Sweetheart nodded as tears trickled down his soft muzzle. The rest of the journey searching was silent until they turned to leave. Morningstar mewed "You know I don't think you're enemy is this forest or even the rats. No, it's your guilt. Listen when I say this I think... No I know Shrewpool won't want you to feel guilty he will want you to stand up and protect our clan." Sweetheart's tear-stained face looked astonished before changing to a smile. Smiling he looked up at the sky and chuckled "Yeah I think you're right."

[1426/2500]

[solas]

there were no requests for an extension, so this is now closed for judging!

[dimi.]

Solas asked me to take over judging!

First of all, thank you guys so much for all entering, this was a joy to read and y'all had such nice interpretations of the prompt. I'd give you all cats if I could, but alas I sold all mine xD

For starters, I'd like to give shout outs wolfpack12!
Wolfpack, your approach to the prompt was super interesting to me, as not many people decided to go with making an animal a fear. The detail you put into your writing was very nice to read, and I would love to read more of your entries in the future.

With that being said, I would like to happily award SurgeFire a Runner Up!
Your writing was focused on dialogue, which I usually don't like. In this case, the most focus on dialogue was really impactful for the writing, and gave me a sense of what your character was experiencing. Please DM Solas on Discord (solas #6943) for details regarding this RU. [Your RU may have rare heterochromia, and may not be custom lined.]

The winner of 1400 is...
Yellow.!
I just want to say, wow, your writing blew me away. I could really feel the tension from the nightmares, and it just left me with a chill that I usually don't get from writing. I loved how you divided up your form, and you really put your all into this competition. Enjoy developing Emberheart!

Warrior | Ridgeclan | 54 moons | tom
For form click picture

[Yellow.]

Thank you! So I saw this last night before work but didn't have time to respond. Had to come back after and make sure I was reading it right! Thank you dimi and Solas, I'm glad you enjoyed my writing and my attempt at artwork for this beautiful one. Emberheart has been a concept of mine since I started Rise and I'm glad it took this long to get him because once I saw this one I knew it was perfect.

Congrats wolfpack12 and SurgeFire I loved reading through all the other forms and getting everyone else's take on the prompt, always fun to see the different directions.

Thank you again!