[nio]

closed for judging!

[nio]

Username: Hush
Cat Name: Birchstep (formerly Birchstar)
Gender: female
Rank: warrior
Clan: Clan of Roaring Silence
Age: 34 moons
Prompt:
Birchstep is the reincarnation of the clan that was in the mist vailed valley, The Clan Shrouded in Mist’s leader, Birchstar. Neglecting her duties as a leader lead to the destruction of her entire clan. She ‘slept’ for many moons in sorrow and repentance for her failures as a leader, unable to die until a very old queen because of her many lives as a leader. Instead of being accepted by StarClan, her clan met her at the entrance and her former medicine cat scolded her for her arrogance and purposeful ignorance to StarClans warning. Instead of sending her to the dark forest for her crime, she was given a second chance and reincarnated as the kit of a rogue, destined to join the new clan in her former territory. In her first chance of life she had done everything she could for her clan, being the most dedicated warrior then deputy and finally leader. Though as she got older as a leader and didn’t loose any of her lives, she started becoming less vigilant and willing to listen to Starclan’s warnings. The arrogant leader believed their clan was the safest territory there could be, surrounded on all sides by steep hills or the mountain. Even though her medicine cat and other leaders warned her of the signs, she continued on her stubborn track and Starclan punished her by sparing her from the fate they’d tried to warn her about.

One particularly hot and dry season, Birchstar was away from the clan after the medicine cat told her of a vision and refused to let her ignore it, getting angry and nearly forcing her out. The annoyed leader went on her journey to visit the clan to the north and speak to the leader and medicine cat about the visions of her own. Because nothing serious happened to the clan in her time as leader despite never listening to StarClan, she didn’t take it serious of course and took her time, resting every night and not in any particular hurry. Every night during her long journey up the mountains she was haunted by visions of red, smoke and fire and an overwhelming heat consuming her. Still refusing to listen or give in to the warnings, she stubbornly wrote it off as her imagination due to the intense heat.

By the time she reached the peaks of the clan above it was already too late for her clan. The dry foliage and brush around the clan made it an easy target for one of the worst ways for a cat to die. For many moons they had been having issues with the clan to the west of them, fighting over prey that managed to go up the steep hill between them. They had gotten into so many quarrels that they had planted thorn bushes at the tree line to give them a bit more protection. Recently the clan had been taken over in a plot to control the nearby clans or in her clans case, wipe it out. They snuck across the fallen tree over the river with a single ember. Together they loudly announced themselves to draw some of the warriors out of camp, the camps defense plan going into action as they knew it would from their spy on the inside. An apprentice from their clan had pretended to be a kit and was taken in and raised as one of them, meeting once in a full moon to report back. With this knowledge they were able to trap most of the clan in the camp before lighting the brush wall ablaze. After that the warriors that had come out to defend the clan tried everything they could but it was no use and they too were picked off by the enemy attack.

Birchstar saw the billowing smoke from the raging fire below rise above the mountainside and she knew what had happened. Birds flying away in panic, she sprinted as fast as she could while the clan to the north prepared a party to come and help her. Seeing no other option, she threw herself off the meeting spot at the top of the giant waterfall, landing in the water and breaking a few of her legs but able to survive, a punishment from StarClan as the rains finally came and extinguished the flames. By then the clan to the east was already gone and her clan was no more. In this life she spent the rest of her days in a den outside of the clan to the north, being taken care of by them but living in a bit of a daze, rarely leaving her den for anything. Once she came to the end of her long life, she saw StarClan, leaving its mark on her soul as she awoke to her new life, a chance to make up for her failures as StarClan called a new leader to the once great clan’s territory. They knew he’d need guidance and sent her so she’d be older than him by the time they sent him to her. In the meantime Birchstep listened to every vision she received and did whatever she could to prepare the territory for the new clan.

As soon as she was able to fend for herself, she left her mother and began her life of tending to the land, planting trees replenish the ones lost to the fire around the camp and spending many moons digging out many escape tunnels to avoid such a terrible fate happening again. No longer was she carefree and arrogant, instead she was driven and vigilant. Though she would act as a mentor to the new leader once he arrived, she had adamantly decided that she would never take a position of power within the clan again, even if offered. Though she had learned her lesson, she didn’t want to risk becoming arrogant again and loosing her place in StarClan that she was fighting so hard to earn.
[1k words]

sorry for the late judging! congrats!

[Hush]

Oh yay! Thank you so much! This much needed part of my lore is now filled!