[TheLilLeopard]

username: TheLilleopard
cat name: PhoenixFire
gender: Female
age: 22 moons
clan: Cloud of the Endless Skies
rank: Warrior

prompt: (300 word max)

"Hold your head up high down even if the world wants you to fall"

[coppercanary]

username: Canary22
cat name: Flameripple
gender: She-cat
age: 29 moons
clan: Dawnclan
rank: Furcatcher

prompt:
Flameripple looked down at the two apprentices, Emberkit and Smokekit. “Your first lesson is the most important you will ever learn,” she dictated, pacing in front of them. “You must listen to my every word and hang onto it for the rest of your lives. It is more important than honour, will save your life more times than swift or silent paws will. Many of our warriors did not know this when the clan began, and we learned this lesson the hard way. You younguns are lucky. Though I’m not too old myself, I was one of the ones who had to live in the dark, not knowing of this life rule that can get you out of more scrapes than you can imagine, if you follow it to the word. This simple lesson will-”
“Can you just tell us what it is already?” Smokekit interrupted, her head tilted sideways in confusion.
Flameripple sighed. “You always were impatient,” she mewed. “Alright, I’ll tell you. Just so long as you promise not to tell any other clans or tribes this. It must remain Dawnclan’s secret and ours alone.”
“We will!” They promised.
She leaned in closer to the sisters, lowering her voice. “Never, ever, listen to Pebblefall.” She directed their gaze over to the brown and white warrior, who was crouched a few fox-lengths away.
“Pebblefall closes in on his prey. The small mouse has absolutely no idea it’s being stalked by the best hunter in the forest,” he muttered to himself.
Emberkit giggled and looked back up at Flameripple. “Is that really it?” She mewed.
Flameripple looked down at her, purring in amusement. “Of course it is, little one. Now, who wants to learn to hunt?” The two apprentices cheered and bolted away, followed closely by the tortoiseshell.
(298)

[ataraxic_gone]

username: dewly_noted
cat name: Amber [Amber that traps spider]
gender: female
age: 71 Moons
clan: BeachClan
rank: Coast Guard

prompt:
The tortoiseshell she-cat eyed the dumpy looking kit pensively- he had the eyes of her sister but everything else reeked of the sinister cat her sister had chosen as her mate. Amber pulled her eyes shut, struggling in a deep breathe to calm herself as those familiar eyes gazed up at her all whimsy and wonder. It was so achingly familiar, the empty hole in her heart letting on a pang of grief- she'd promised she'd raise Ripple as well as she possibly could and that promise started now.

She looked down at the kit and felt herself peering away, grimacing as she worked through the irritation and let her gaze soften upon him, he who was now hers to protect and shelter. "You are loved," she said plain and simple, trying to make the words sound genuine when she couldn't bring herself believe in her nephew. "You are so, very loved."

She'd said it to her apprentices before, in a world so filled with hate there was one thing she swore she would teach each and every cat. She needed them to believe they were worth more than what other's thought about them, that they were important and that they were loved. It was harder with Ripple, the way his pelt was a mirror of his father, the way he didn't seem to understand that his mother was gone- he kept asking about her. Yet she would try to practice what she preached and teach the first and most important lesson.

"You are loved."[255/300]

[groenii]

username: Groenii
cat name: Cinderash
gender: female
age: 74 moons
clan: Moorclan
rank: warrior

prompt: (300 word max)

Cinderash scrutinized the small cat in front of her carefully. She circled around the youngling and eventually sat down in front of him. “So… you want to become a warrior?” the she-cat said to her new pupil.

“Y-yes m-miss” the Barkpaw answered nervously.

“Alright then.” Cinderash said slowly. “So, for your first assignment, go into the Moors and bring me a fish. Don’t come back until you succeed.”

Barkpaw flinched fearfully. “B-but around this time of the year there are no fis-“

“Silence!” Cinderash hissed. “You shall not disobey me. Now go!” the large molly said sternly.

Barkpaw conceded and hurried to the river, fear beating in his little heart. For the remainder of the day, Barkpaw desperately tried to catch a fish. However, due to the time of year, there were barely any fish in the stream, and even if there had been many, Barkpaw’s lack of experience meant he was unable to catch any.

Cinderash had said that he could not return without a fish, but Barkpaw knew he may not survive the night on his own. He also could not support the clan if he gave up. So, he picked up a dead mouse that he had found and he returned.
“That is not a fish.” Cinderash said angrily to her young apprentice.

“There were no fish! I did the best I could, survival is all that matters anyway!” Barkpaw bravely retorted.
Barkpaw braced himself, expecting scorn, but he heard laughter instead.

“Well done, kid!” Cinderash praised him. “I watched you, and you learned the most important lessons today. You never gave up, you were resourceful, you put the clan first, and you stood up for yourself in the face of danger. Tomorrow I’ll teach you how to hunt properly.” And thus, Cinderash's teaching journey began.

[299/300 words]

[Birchii]

username: Birchii
cat name: Sorrelflash
gender: Female
age: 46 moons
clan: GealachClan
rank: (Senior) Warrior

prompt: Most of the clan think of Sorrelflash as an expert in the art of listening alongside her responsible warrior nature. She listens intently to the deputy as he explains the preferred routes for morning patrols, and always ensures she understands what the particular herbs look like when she assists the medicine cat with herb hunting. It is often Sorrelflash, the happy and more understanding tortoiseshell sister, who will listen to any felines’ problems before offering a sound piece of advice.

What many of the younger clan members don't know is that she often went about things her own way as an apprentice. Eager to explore, she would race on ahead of her mentor in the first few days of apprenticeship, beaming as she rushed through the woodlands and over the heaths. Too often would her mentor, Kestrelstrike, would shout after her, begging for the young Sorrelpaw to slow down, take things in. And too often did the bubbly molly ignore her and continue bounding on. It wasn’t unusual for an apprentice to not listen, but the tortoiseshell seemed to be especially carefree of her mentor’s warnings.

Until one day, she rushed up a steep hill. Though Kestrelstrike tried to warn her, Sorrelpaw ignored once more, glancing behind with a cheeky grin before finding herself stumbling headfirst into a particularly dense patch of thistles. It was definitely a slow and sore walk home, with tail tucked between her legs as she heard the clan's gentle teasing, and the young tortoiseshell soon learned to listen.

And so, it is listening that becomes the first thing Sorrelflash would teach, and has been for all her apprentices, or anyone who cares to be taught a lesson or two. To listen. And to watch where you run would be a close second indeed. (298 words!)

[Yellow.]

username: Yellow.
cat name: Siren
gender: female
age: 24 moons
clan: Ridgeclan
rank: spy

prompt:
"You ever think about having kits Siren?” Kestrelstar asked as he sat next to the molly in camp after having listened to her latest report, a distance off you could see Kestrelstar’s own kit Doekit chasing a leaf around just outside the nursery.

Siren let out a short laugh as she looked from the leader to the kit a bit in front of them, “You know that doesn’t work well with my job Kestrelstar, don’t have time for things like that.”

“You know you could if you wanted, you’d have a lot to teach any kits brought into the clan it’d be good for everyone.”

“Ha like what how to get information out of cats without them knowing what you are doing or maybe something like how to use your surroundings to your advantage when you are gathering information and don’t want anyone to know you’re there. Let’s be real Kestrelstar no one would trust any kits I brought into this clan and there’s nothing good for me to teach them.” Siren told the leader sternly, not caring how harsh her tone got at the older tom. She may respect him, but that didn’t mean she always agreed with him.

“Why don’t you try again Siren, there’s a lot you could teach anyone and your kits would bring something into this clan that it needs. You’d teach them how to be adaptive, how to never give up no matter what’s thrown at them. To hold there head high even if they can hear the whispers of those around them. You’d teach them to be strong and smart and kind even if no one else sees those things in them. You’d teach them everything.”

Siren didn’t say anything back at first, thinking over Kestrelstars words before nodding, “I’d teach them, love.”

[liightning]

(shoutout to dimi. for helping me judge <3)


I will be awarding HMs to SurgeFire and Eclectic; your forms were very cute and meaningful.

Congrats dewly_noted! Your story was sweet and had a lot of emotion and development that we loved.

username: dewly_noted
cat name: Amber [Amber that traps spider]
gender: female
age: 71 Moons
clan: BeachClan
rank: Coast Guard

prompt:
The tortoiseshell she-cat eyed the dumpy looking kit pensively- he had the eyes of her sister but everything else reeked of the sinister cat her sister had chosen as her mate. Amber pulled her eyes shut, struggling in a deep breathe to calm herself as those familiar eyes gazed up at her all whimsy and wonder. It was so achingly familiar, the empty hole in her heart letting on a pang of grief- she'd promised she'd raise Ripple as well as she possibly could and that promise started now.

She looked down at the kit and felt herself peering away, grimacing as she worked through the irritation and let her gaze soften upon him, he who was now hers to protect and shelter. "You are loved," she said plain and simple, trying to make the words sound genuine when she couldn't bring herself believe in her nephew. "You are so, very loved."

She'd said it to her apprentices before, in a world so filled with hate there was one thing she swore she would teach each and every cat. She needed them to believe they were worth more than what other's thought about them, that they were important and that they were loved. It was harder with Ripple, the way his pelt was a mirror of his father, the way he didn't seem to understand that his mother was gone- he kept asking about her. Yet she would try to practice what she preached and teach the first and most important lesson.

"You are loved."[255/300]

[SurgeFire]

aaH thanks for the hm!!
and congrats dewly !!! too tired, almost called you Amber

[ataraxic_gone]

sfhdsfkh Yesss thankyou! I have become one with amber surge

Also congrats on the HM's SurgeFire and Eclectic!