rise // duskclan writing // dnp!

[weegeestar5]

ｄｕｓｋｃｌａｎ ／／

"like the sun, our clan will fall into darkness,
but it will also reappear again - as bright as ever.
we must be as constant as the sun to survive"

xxxxx
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hello! this is a writing thread for duskclan, where I will be posting stories of various lengths!

please do not post here! if you have any comments or questions, pm me instead, please c:

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[right][ "write about or draw a scene of your choice" ][/right]
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[weegeestar5]

ｃｏｎｔｅｎｔｓ

ｓｔｏｒｍｓｔａｒ ／／

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[weegeestar5]

ｗａｒｒｉｏｒ ｃｏｄｅ ／／

• defend your clan, even with your life. you may have friendships with cats from other clans, but your loyalty must remain to your clan.
  
• do not hunt or trespass on another clan's territory.
  
• elders, queens, and kits must be fed before apprentices and warriors. Unless they have permission, apprentices may not eat until they have hunted to feed the elders.
• prey is killed only to be eaten. give thanks to starclan for its life.
• a kit must be at least six moons old to become an apprentice.
• newly appointed warriors will keep a silent vigil for one night after receiving their warrior name.
• a cat cannot be made deputy without having mentored at least one apprentice.
• the deputy will become clan leader when the leader dies or retires.
• after the death or retirement of the deputy, the new deputy must be chosen before moonhigh.
• boundaries must be checked and marked daily. challenge all trespassing cats.
• no warrior can neglect a kit in pain or danger, even if the kit is from a different clan.
• the word of the clan leader is law.
• an honorable warrior does not need to kill other cats to win his/her battles, unless they are outside the warrior code or it is necessary for self-defense.
• a warrior rejects the soft life of a kittypet
• a medicine cat may have a mate and/or kits, but if they would expect the kits, they must have another fully-trained medicine cat in the clan
• the leader must have approval for a deputy before officially appointing them
• each cat must contribute in any way they are physically and mentally able to [not just hunting and fighting, but also helping queens, helping the elders, helping out the medicine cat, giving advice, gathering bedding, etc.]

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ｓｐｅｃｉｆｉｃ ｃｕｓｔｏｍｓ ／／

• duskclan cats greet each other by rubbing their muzzles together briefly
  
• on the first new moon of a season, there is a large race in the clan! cats race those the same rank as themselves, as long as they are fit to race
  
• every half-moon, the eldest and youngest cat [who is able to eat solid food] share a piece of prey
• they often share tongues at dusk; cats should generally not leave camp at dusk unless necessary
• they believe they have the greatest connection to starclan as they sleep under the sky
• remains of any prey is always buried
• they have a great respect for the wind
• belief that a cat made out of wind exists - the wind traveller - and they leave small offerings for good hunting and weather

[weegeestar5]

these are events and likelihood of these happening! feel free to use these figures for your own clans, I just made them up on the spot
please remember that this is for a clan set in the moorland in the uk!

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ｓｅａｓｏｎ ／／

newleaf [1-25]
greenleaf [26-50]
leaf-fall [51-75]
leaf-bare [76-100]

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ｗｅａｔｈｅｒ ／／

ｎｅｗ－ｌｅａｆ
-windy [1-25]
-rain [26-50]
-cloudy [51-75]
-sunny [76-90]
-snow [91-95]
-hail [96-100]

ｇｒｅｅｎ－ｌｅａｆ
-sunny [1-35]
-cloudy [36-55]
-rain [56-75]
-windy [76-95]
-heatwave [96-100]

if heatwave is rolled:
---> just a heatwave, no other effects [1-80]
---> fire [81-90]
---> drought [91-100]

ｌｅａｆ－ｆａｌｌ
-cloudy [1-30]
-windy [31-60]
-rain [61-90]
-sunny [91-100]

ｌｅａｆ－ｂａｒｅ
-windy [1-30]
-snow [31-40]

if snow is rolled:
---> blizzard [95-100]
---> just snowfall, no blizzard [1-95]

-hail [41-50]
-rain [51-80]
-cloudy [80-95]
-sunny [96-100]

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ｐｒｅｙ ／／
ｈｕｎｔｉｎｇ ｐａｔｒｏｌｓ

- nothing: 1-15 in newleaf and leaffall / 1-5 in Greenleaf / 1-30 in leafbare
- finding prey: 16-100 in newleaf and leaf-fall / 6-100 in Greenleaf / 31-100 in leafbare

-rabbits [1-30]
-mice [31-50]
-voles [51-70]
-birds [71-90]
-lizards [91-100]

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ｂｏｒｄｅｒ ｐａｔｒｏｌｓ ／／

-nothing [1-40]
-cat scent on territory [41-50]

if cat scent is rolled:
---> no prey scent; no evidence of them hunting [1-50]
---> with prey scent [51-100]

-random enemy scent [51-70]
-friendly rogue/other clan cats [71-80]
-hostile rogue/other clan cats [81-90]
-random enemy [91-100]

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ｅｎｅｍｉｅｓ ／／

-nothing [1-30]
-foxes [31-50]
-badgers [51-60]
-dogs [61-80]
-adders [81-85]
-rogues [86-95]
-other clans [96-100]

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ｌａｒｇｅ ｅｖｅｎｔｓ ／／

-nothing [1-97]
-fire [98]
-flood [99]
-two-leg land development [100]

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ｈｅｒｂｓ ／／

-chance of finding herbs [1-80 in newleaf, Greenleaf, leaffall / 1-50 in leaf-bare]
-chance of finding nothing [81 - 100 in newleaf, Greenleaf, leaffall / 51-100 leaf-bare]

-chance of finding any herb(s) [roll for random herb(s)] [1-50]
-chance of finding needed herb [51-90]
-chance of finding needed herb + others [91-100]

[weegeestar5]

[ 660 words ]

[ sheeppaw, fawnpaw, daisykit, stormstar, peachblossom ]

[ "write about or draw a scene of your choice" ]

Sheeppaw lazily stirred on the warm rock outside of his den. He was very bored. Everyone else was either out or sleeping still. He couldn't even do any training; Stormstar, Peachblossom and Swiftpaw were speaking about something supposedly important. Sheeppaw's ears perked in curiosity. There was a small scrabbling noise from the nursery. Daisykit - only a few moons old - was sneaking out of the den and, after checking the camp, made a beeline for the camp entrance. Sheeppaw snorted amusedly, and decided to follow the small kit.
"Where are you going?" Yawned a voice from the apprentices den. Sheeppaw turned around to face his sister.
"Daisykit's snuck out of camp - I'm gonna follow him!"
"Fine. I'm coming with you," Fawnpaw meowed, "because otherwise you'll get yourself into all sorts of situations."
Sheeppaw rolled his eyes at his sister's insult, and began to creep after the small Daisykit. He was bounding along the moorland; oblivious to the two cats only tail-lengths behind him. The two had to stop themselves from giggling when the small kit tried to leap up to grab a butterfly that flew past.

The cats made slow, yet steady, progress across the moorland terrain. Sheeppaw thought that it was... Pretty impressive of such a small kit to make such a long journey across the territory.
"We should get him back soo--" Fawnpaw started, before being interrupted by a terrified squeal.
The rank scent of fox hit Sheeppaw's muzzle.
Sheeppaw and Fawnpaw exchanged a panicked glance with each other.
Daisykit was in trouble.
The two apprentices shot forward to see the fox backing Daisykit against a rock. Sheeppaw hissed and launched himself right at the fox - claws digging into the fox's pelt. The fox yelped with surprise and whirled around to snap at Sheeppaw, who narrowly managed to whisk his tail away from its jaws. Fawnpaw snarled and went to the fox's other side, and began to batter it with her front paws. The fox turned around to attack Fawnpaw, yet a blow from Sheeppaw caused it to swing back around. Sheeppaw felt confident that hey could win. That was until the fox suddenly clamped it's jaws around Sheeppaw's front leg. Sheeppaw let out a loud yowl, and his eyes only widened further in fear when the fox kicked his sister away, and she lay dazed a few tail-lengths away. Sheeppaw held the bitten forepaw off the ground and snarled at the fox. He clumsily leaped out of the way when the fox lunged for him, and yelped as its teeth made contact with his tail.

Suddenly, there was a yowl.
Stormstar and Peachblossom shot forward from over the ridge, and began to battle against the fox.
"Stay back!" Peachblossom hissed at the injured apprentices and the frightened kit.
Sheeppaw watched in awe.
The usually gentle Stormstar's eyes were lit up with a feral fury he had never seen before. Peachblossom's eyes were shining with determination. The two nimbly jumped around the fox - darting in close to swipe a paw at the fox. Frustrated and in pain, the fox let out a sharp bark before it whirled around away from the cats.
"And what," growled Peachblossom, "are you all doing out of camp?"
"I wanted to explore..." whined Daisykit.
"I thought I should follow him in case he got into any trouble. Pretty brave of me, huh?" Sheeppaw replied; feeling his chest well up with pride.
"Well, you shouldn't have done that whatsoever. You should've brought him back or told one of us," Stormstar scolded; tail fluffed up with fear, "you could've died."
"We're sorry," Fawnpaw meowed apologetically, though not before shooting a scathing glance at her brother.
The leader and the deputy exchanged a glance. "Have fun being confined to the camp for the next moon," Peachblossom snorted.
Stormstar's eyes softened. "Come on then, let's get you all back to camp for Swiftpaw to patch you all up," he meowed soothingly; allowing Sheeppaw to lean on his shoulder.

[weegeestar5]

[ 512 words ]

[ entire clan ]

[ "write about or draw a scene of a clan meeting" ]

A lithe silver tabby exited his den; paws brushing against the coarse grass gently. His bright green eyes surveyed the peaceful camp, and a light purr rumbled in his throat. He quickly leaped onto the top of his own den; digging his claws into the moss to make sure he did not slip.
"Cats of Duskclan, gather beneath the den for a clan meeting!" He called out; waving his tail for emphasis. The second he called that out, Peachblossom instantly grumbled as she had to stop washing her tail. Still grumbling, she sprinted over to sit down at the base of the den. Swiftpaw stuck their head out of their den; covered with all kinds of leaves. Without even pausing to brush some of them out of their fur, they quickly dashed over to sit besides Peachblossom. She snickered at them; leading them to swat a paw at her face. The silver tabby crouched down and lowered his head so that he was inbetween the two quarreling cats, leaving them to huff and mumble apologies whilst glaring at each other.
Sheeppaw and Fawnpaw paused in their conversation and angled their ears towards Stormstar. Ravenpaw's ears twitched towards the camp as he sat at the entrance; guarding it. Ratpaw practically jumped 5 ft into the air at the sudden meeting. Pearflower slowly left the nursery to lay down in front of the leader's den. Behind her, Daffodilkit shot out excitedly, whilst Daisykit followed more calmly. Littlekit came out last, looking meek. Spiderpelt looked up from where she was sunning herself and approached the gathering group; pausing to lick Littlekit's head, although this action was clearly rejected. Wolftail curiously and calmly trained their attention towards the silver tabby.
"Our clan has gotten bigger over the past few moons, and it will only continue to grow. So, I believe it would be great if we created traditions for us to follow, and our future clanmates to follow - to promote a greater clan-wide bond," Stormstar mewed; looking hopefully at his clan. Most look excitedly up at him, although some looked confused.
"What kind of tradition?" Peachblossom meowed curiously; briefly forgetting her argument with Swiftpaw.
"Duskclan cats are known for our quickness, so what about a race? Those who are able to and wish to participate would race against others sharing a rank."
Yowls of excitement erupted from below, Stormstar let out a purr as he saw multiple cats get to their paws eagerly; some boasting about how they would win.
"When will these be held?" Swiftpaw asked; calmly looking towards Stormstar.
Stormstar looked to his clan for suggestions.
"How about the first new moon of every season?" Fawnpaw suggested; eyes bright with excitement. Stormstar purred and nodded.
"Then that is settled! Winners will get first pick of the prey pile," he purred; watching as the excitement fizzed about amongst his clanmates, "that is all I wanted to say, you may go back to your duties now." With that, the leader jumped down from his den and nudged his apprentice; angling his ears towards the training area.

[weegeestar5]

[ 531 words ]

[ swiftpaw ]

[ "write about or draw a meeting between your leader, medicine cat, or applicable rank with the ancestors" ]

Silence filled the cave. A lithe shape was padding quietly through the darkness; the flashes of white on their chest contrasting against their surroundings. They opened their mouth to scent the air, and found only to find cool, damp air.
With a hint of frost.
In greenleaf.
Swiftpaw knew that was the scent of StarClan. They had visited the ancestors often enough to know by now. As they continued to pad forward along the cave, they heard the faint sound of the wind outside. Swiftpaw knew that they were in the cave of the Starlit Pool. Stretching their muscles, they closed their eyes briefly and wondered what their ancestors would share. Probably some incomprehensible nonsense. Swiftpaw let out a faint amused snort. It was fairly certain that the ancestors often barely knew more than them. They padded forwards until their paws reached the edge of the pool. They bent down to lap up a few mouthfuls of the bright, sparkling water. It tasted of frost and fire. They then curled up into a tight ball and let their breathing slow; focusing on the rhythmic sounds of the outside world.

When their eyes opened, they were standing on a field; colours flowing from the sky as the sun set. Swiftpaw looked about for other cats, and noticed a figure bounding towards them. They had not met this cat whilst she had lived, but they knew who they were.
Blizzard.
Stormstar's mother.
The silver tabby she-cat slowed her pace until she stood in front of Swiftpaw. She touched noses with their's, before sitting down on the grass. Swiftpaw blinked their eyes to adjust to the bright starlight sparkling around her pelt.
"Swiftpaw."
They dipped their head in greeting. "Blizzard," they replied, "is there a message from StarClan?"
Blizzard sighed, closing her eyes and curling her tail around her paws. Swiftpaw's pelt prickled with anticipation. When she spoke again, her voice was barely more than a whisper, and Swiftpaw had to strain their ears.
"We have been given a prophecy."
"From who?"
"That doesn't matter," she mewed; opening her eyes again, "all that matters is it may bring great danger to the Clan."
"From what?"
Blizzard's tail lashed in frustration, but Swiftpaw could see that her gaze did not rest on them. "We do not know," though her voice was calm, an irritated edge to her voice betrayed how frustrated she was with the lack of knowledge.
"What can you tell me?" Swiftpaw asked, feeling the apprehension in their fur.
"Wilder than moonlight, smiling like sunshine, forces of nature will clash and fight, and one will cross the line."
"Wonderful, a prophecy that implies our destruction that also rhymes. Fantastic." Swiftpaw muttered; flicking their tail uneasily.
"Dark times will lie ahead of you, so you will have to be strong. Be strong and you will survive," Blizzard murmured.

With a jolt, Swiftpaw woke up and found themself in the cave once more. They took a deep breath to steady their breathing. Troubling times would come soon - but from what? Swiftpaw felt uncertainty prick at their paws as they slowly padded back out of the cave. DuskClan was going to need luck at it's side.

[weegeestar5]

[ 436 words ]

[ wolftail [previously called snowshadow ]

[ "write about or draw a scene of your choice" ]

A paw grasped at the cliff edge.
A choked cry escaped from Snowshadow's mouth.
Their sibling was dangling dangerously; the hawk who had caused this soared high above. Snowshadow bounded forwards to their sister. "Wolfwhisper! Just hold on!" They cried frantically. Snowshadow grasped Wolfwhisper's scruff in their mouth and began to tug upwards.
They soon found the weight to be lifted - but not in the way Snowshadow would've wanted it. Opening their eyes, they saw that, rather than Wolfwhisper helping herself back up, she was caught in the talons of the hawk. It had not given up on it's prey. Below the hawk was a devastating drop. There was no way for Snowshadow to fight the hawk and expect either one of them to survive. The only thing they could do was taunt the hawk into coming onto the ledge.

Snowshadow began to limp away from the hawk; letting out yowls of pain as they did so. The hawk's greedy eyes fixed onto the cat, and one of their talons released the grip on Wolfwhisper. They swiftly flew towards Snowshadow, who quickly reared up and slashed at the hawk with claws outstretched. The hawk let out a squawk of surprise, but found that with the weight of holding onto Wolfwhisper and battling Snowshadow didn't allow it much manoeuvrability. Snowshadow pounced on the hawk and sunk their claws into it's flesh. However, before they had the chance to do any damage, the hawk struck out with it's free talons and, with great force, heaved Snowshadow away. The silver lynx point warrior lay winded on the ground; too dazed to get up. A dizzying blackness surrounded their vision, but they still attempted to stand up. When they turned around, they saw the sight of their sister and the hawk getting smaller and smaller. Sobbing, the dazed warrior took a few staggering pawsteps towards the direction the hawk flew off to. Without warning, they found themself collapsing onto the ledge; the last dizzying moments of consciousness filled with the shrieks of their sister.

---

"Are they okay?"
"Wait, I think they're waking up!"
Snowshadow opened their eyes to find themself in the medicine cat den - Wolfwhisper's den. Groggily, they opened their eyes to find concerned Clanmates hovering over them. "Wolfwhisper... Where is she...? She's okay, right?" They mumbled; forcing themself to sit up despite the protests of the other cats. There was silence, aside from the memory of their sister screeching in Snowshadow's head.
"She's dead."
Everything seemed to go dark. The one constant source in their life was gone.
And it was their fault.
Because they couldn't save her.[/quote]

[weegeestar5]

[ 824 words ]

[ pearflower, ravenpaw, daffodilkit, daisykit ]

[ "write about or draw a scene of your choice" ]

Pearflower's eyes burned from the acrid fumes of the Twolegplace. Beside her, Ravenpaw stood nervously - glancing around at all of the different sites and smells. "Let's keep to the small paths," she meowed; pointing her muzzle in the direction of where the paths had much narrower off-shoots - not unlike a river and its streams. Ravenpaw nodded; evidently relieved to be out of the view of Twolegs that were busy doing goodness knows what.

The two cats trotted alongside each other - pelts brushing together as a sign of comfort - as they travelled down a gravel-stricken alleyway. It was gloomy - sunlight blocked by the towering shadows of the Twoleg nests. The two cats paused suddenly. The muffled noises of the busy Thunderpaths could still be heard - but above that, the fierce growling of adult cats and mewling of kits. Sharing a panicked glance, the two cats shot forwards and found themselves watching a blue tabby cat pin a golden cinnamon she-cat to the floor. Behind her, two young kits were mewling in terror. Motherly instincts kicking in, Pearflower shot towards the two cats - yowling for Ravenpaw to guard the kits. He nodded, and the charcoal rosetted tabby dashed towards the two kits and stood protectively over them. Pearflower dashed towards the blue tabby tom; knocking him off of his paws with a hefty shove. With the element of surprise on her side, Pearflower quickly managed to pin down the tom; noting his movements in battle were clumsy and unpractised - yet vicious. Clearly a rogue. Pearflower growled and lowered her muzzle so that she was not even a mouse-length away from his muzzle. "If you don't get out of here when I let you up, I won't be so merciful," she snarled; digging her claws into his shoulders.
"O-Okay, I'll leave!" He yowled piteously; causing Ravenpaw to curl his lip in contempt. Snorting, she deftly leapt off the tom and turned her attention to the she-cat. She had various wounds - including a gash in her throat.
"Ravenpaw, go find cobwebs," she instructed, "We'll need to stop the blee--"
"There's no need for that," a weak voice interrupted her. She looked down to see the she-cats green eyes fix onto her.
"Thank you for getting rid of him, but... I must ask another favour," her voice was weak and she stumbled upon her words. Knowing her wounds were too far gone, Pearflower let out a small sigh and crouched beside the she-cat; stroking her shoulder gently with her tail.
"Of course," she purred soothingly, "just let me know what."
"Please... Look after them... My kits..." Her voice trailed off as she took in a deep, rattling breath.
"You can trust me, I promise," Pearflower promised; settling down to groom the she-cat's dirty and matted pelt. She let out a sigh of relief and closed her green eyes.

After what felt like centuries, the she-cat's pelt went still. Pearflower closed her eyes and rested her muzzle on top of the she-cat's head. "I hope you have good hunting wherever you go," she murmured respectfully. She looked up and saw her own sadness reflected in Ravenpaw's eyes. It was the first death they had seen since the destruction of their Clan. She turned her attention to the kits. One was a blue lynx point tom, and the other was a golden-shaded cinnamon tabby she-cat with white. The tom looked slightly older; which suggested to Pearflower that the mother had adopted him. His eyes were a brilliant, calm blue which reflected the stillness of night. The she-cat's eyes were a dazzling amber - gleaming like sunshine. She padded towards them and crouched low so that she was at their level.
"What are your names, little ones?" She meowed; her voice low and soothing.
The two kits shared a glance before the tom piped up. "I'm Daisy and that's Daffodil," he squeaked.
"Very nice to meet both of you," she purred; gently nuzzling both of the kits.
"What happened to Mama?" Mewled Daffodil; eyes wide.
"She... She won't be around anymore," Pearflower explained quietly, "but don't worry, me and Ravenpaw will look after you. I'm Pearflower."
The two kits exchanged another glance - this time, upset and confused. "Why? Where did she go? Doesn't she love us?" Daisy cried.
Pearflower closed her eyes briefly; her heart hurting for these two tiny kits who could possibly not understand what had happened. "No, dears, she loves you very much. But she can't look after you anymore. She's dead."
The two kits let out yowls of anguish and dashed from where they were under Ravenpaw to stare at their mother's unmoving body. Both of the kits threw themselves against it and buried their muzzles deeply into her fur. Ravenpaw came to stand besides Pearflower. "Where could we possibly bury her? Our claws won't make a dent on this stone," he meowed worriedly.
"We saw a beautiful field of daisies and daffodils. I'm sure she'd like it there."

[weegeestar5]

[ 503 words ]

[ dawnbloom, mistwhisker, peachblossom, stormstar, sheeppaw, fawnpaw ]

[ "write about or draw a scene of your choice" ]

Dawnbloom stretched from where she lay. Just beyond her vision, she knew there lay piles of kits. She let out a soft sigh. As much as she loved to look after them, there sure was a lot of them. She didn't know how this many kits could even fit into one Clan. She licked a paw and drew it over her ears thoughtfully. It was the beginning of leaf-bare, and soon it would get very cold. Determinedly, the she-cat rose to her paws; fluffing out her short pelt. She would get something warm for the kits! But with this many kits, it was hardly a task she could do by herself.

Her eyes scanned the clearing for any sign of Stormstar and Peachblossom. The silver tabby tom was happily perched on top of his den; letting out faint amused, yet sympathetic, purrs. At his paws stood Peachblossom; pelt bristling. The she-cat was clearly upset about something, but Stormstar's relaxed posture let Dawnbloom know that it wasn't serious. She padded up to the pair - somewhat slowly, due to an old injury. "Hey, Stormstar, Peachblossom," she called out; waving her tail to get their attention.
"What is it, Dawnbloom?" Stormstar mewed in a friendly tone; jumping down from the den and striding over to her. He affectionately rubbed his muzzle against her cheek - a custom that Dawnbloom had found strange at first, but had since begun to accept.
"With leaf-bare coming soon, I'd like to gather lots of soft and warm materials for the kits. And since there are so many, I could use a few extra paws," she replied.
Peachblossom's eyes sparked with interest. "I know just the cat to help you," she purred; though the glint in her eyes suggested that this was not merely for the kits' sake.
"Oh?" Dawnbloom meowed; tilting her head to the side.
"Hey! Mistwhisker!" Peachblossom yowled. The blue chinchilla tom padded towards the three cats. A hostile glance between the deputy and warrior showed that tensions were high between them, which was hardly surprising.
"You have to help Dawnbloom and do whatever she says," she meowed matter-of-factedly.
Mistwhisker rolled his eyes. "Is that supposed to be a punishment?" He snorted.
Peachblossom narrowed her eyes. "Fine. Then you will--"
Stormstar cut her off by padding between the two quarrelling warriors. "You, Peachblossom, will be quiet," he meowed; though his tone was light and playful, "And Mistwhisker, please help Dawnbloom."
"Well since you asked so politely, I'd be glad to do so," the tom purred; casting a triumphant glance at the deputy.
Stormstar gazed around the camp before yowling to Fawnpaw and Sheeppaw, who had just woken up from a nap.
"You two," he meowed, "go help Dawnbloom and Mistwhisker collect soft things for the kits, please."
Sheeppaw's response was a yawn, but Fawnpaw nodded happily; tail tip twitching.

The small group set out on an adventure.
They would come back soon; with so much sheep wool that the camp thought small sheep had invaded their camp.