hickoryclan's archives ✧ dnp

[sunfool]

WEATHER: it is currently leaf-bare. the snow coating the ground is growing thicker and thicker by the day and the darkening clouds warn of a violent snowstorm approaching. make sure all of the dens are well sheltered. cats will be easy to find today since they are all looking for shelter from the coming storm.

xxxxx"come on, I'll show you the way to camp."
xxxxx"this is a newer clan, correct?"
xxxxx"oh yes, it is i suppose! even though i hope for it to flourish in no time."
xxxxx"well i don't," the tom exclaimed, following by a quick snicker. poppystar turned to him in surprise -- a little gleam of disgust in her pale eyes. "oh no! did that offend you? i have a bad habit of making the most snarkiest comments," the young tom stressed. he shook his head softly. "i just like a small clan! less cats to worry about -- hm?" he shouted in a disturbed manner. oh i must of already ruined my shot at nearly anything close to respect in this clan, he thought to himself. poppystar let out a small giggle at the youthful medicine cat. the new clanmate had such a different nature. he came off as rude but had such guilt that he would apologize in an instant. was that a bad or good thing? a bright smile was plastered on poppystar's face as always, she swung her head back to the path to camp, "oh it's alright. what's your name?" the lean tom gave an awkward beam back to his leader. "mosspelt," he responded shyly. poppystar intoned in a much higher pitch, "moss! ah -- i could due to a nice moss bed right now. building this clan has laid down quite the stress on me." mosspelt gave acknowledge to the she-cat's simple statement, noticing her low and slow pace in the short snow. "you should rest. i'm sure your warriors can take-over your new and busy schedule." the two nodded in agreement. the newly appointed leader was happy to finally lay down for a quick minute. she was getting restless but this would often happen back in her time as a kittypet. she remembered a stray that showed up at her doorstep, looking as if he had died. he healed and left without a thought; is what she had in mind anyways. she had a problem for worrying about other's problems, a habit she had picked up from her father.

xxxxxbumblebelly laid in the half-made warrior's den next to ashenstorm. their thin pelts huddled together to gather as much warmth as they could. ashenstorm was nearly dead asleep, it seemed as if any sound from anywhere couldn't wake the tired tom. oh i might as well go for a quick walk.. i'm not nearly as tired as this goofball, the restless she-cat thought. "ashenstorm? i'm going to head out for a walk. i will be back in no time!" she gave a quiet whisper to his ear. he responded with an unclear mumble. the warrior giggled as she ran out of the den, heading south of the camp. she ran as the soft snow crunched beneath her paws. she stumbled across a bare meadow, leafbare seemed to be eating it alive. she slumped down in the thick cloud beneath her, rolling in it playfully as if she were a kit. she stopped shortly after. what a strange new scent. an essence lingered in the air. it certainly wasn't any kittypet nor outsider. this aura had their on specific ring to it, almost like hickoryclan's sweet scent. this would be a good thing to report, also hide the fact that she came here to play. bumblebelly spent her time on the way back looking for other cats to bring to the clan.

xxxxxthe two clanmates had finally reached clan camp. ashenstorm seemed to be resting as well, he did deserve it for all the work he contributed with poppystar. deputy... that's right! she needed a deputy to help co-lead her clan. he was a good choice for his intelligence and nobility, but he was reserved and kept most of his thoughts to himself. bumblebelly. she was an open story to follow along. naive and troublesome though.. "poppystar?" mosspelt questioned the leader zoning out into what seemed nothing. the tom repeated himself once again since she seemed not to notice him speak at all. "oh sorry," she laughed. continuing slowly, "just thinking to myself! getting rest now, don't worry!" she yelled; running to her own special den. mosspelt was already doing a great job, keeping the worrisome leader in shape was a great start.

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( @border patrol bumblebelly sets out on her own to look for a warrior, she finds strange scents near the meadow /briarclan/
@sorting mosspelt organizes his herbs
poppystar and ashenstorm rest at camp )
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Bumblebelly trotted through the snow, kicking it up with her paws and somewhat playing with it as she made her way back to the camp. She was distracted by the sparkling snow and didn't notice the cat in front of her. "Oomph!" She collided into them and both fell into the frigid snow. "S-sorry!" Bumblebelly quickly apologized as she hurried to her paws. Once she got a look at the cat, she knew why she hadn't seen them: they blended in perfectly with the snow.
"It's not your fault, I wasn't watching where I was going either," they mewed quietly, staring at their paws.
The warrior tilted her head to the side a bit. "Are you okay? You aren't hurt, are you?"
They shook their head. "No, I'm fine. I - I'm just lost...." they muttered, obviously embarrassed. "My twolegs let me outside last night like always, but this time I couldn't find my way back through all this snow."
"You can stay with us!" Bumblebelly suggested. "I'm sure Poppystar would be alright with it."
A smile found its way to the white cat's face, and they nodded eagerly.

bumblebelly found a warrior!

[sunfool]

WEATHER: it is currently leaf-bare. the snowstorms are coming to a close! the snow has not yet begun to melt, but no more is on the way. most creatures are still hiding in their burrows, so not much prey nor new cats will be found.

ixxxxt"I'm sorry! I have to go, see you at the gathering hmm?"

ixxxxtBefore Cloudstar could respond Poppystar ran into the forest. She didn't need to hear what he would reply, she knew she would be seeing him. It was great to see her old friend; she could barely remember her other worries. Oh no! I have to get to the moonpool! And then it was back. The she-cat let out a sigh, at least that was a good excuse of escaping from her clan. She took a tumble to the snowy ground, her flank now becoming a light white. "Wow!" she yelled. Then a giggle slipped out of her mouth, then a long laugh. Why was she so tense? Cloudstar had made her remember that when she was a kittypet she was carefree. She can still be like that.. right?

ixxxxtHickoryclan's leader had finally made it to the moonpool, snow still hanging from her pelt. She dipped her nose into the icy water, it was colder than usual, probably caused by the harsh weather of leafbare. "I ask for an apprentice," she whispered, hearing her quiet words bouncing off the walls. The she-cat then fell into a deep slumber.

----

ixxxxtShe's gone. the thought came to the young medicine cat. He wasn't worried, he knew it was time for a trip to the moonpool. It was as if he was her deputy, helping her manage the clan every second. Oh! She still needs to appoint her deputy!.. I'm too young for this. A chuckle came from the tom. Still, Mosspelt was lonely without her anxious bickering every second. He walked out of camp in a slow manner. He might as well take a walk by himself.

----

ixxxxtBumblebelly had returned with a tom by her side; they were chatting away. Ashenstorm turned to them with a bit of jealousy stuck in his whiskers. "Hey Ashenstorm! Look who brought home a warr-i-or!" she giggled, swinging her tail in his face. The new warrior stood their smiling. "I'm Softstep," he said, a soft chuckle following afterwards.

ixxxxtHe excused himself from the two warriors' bickering. The fluffy warrior was now running to the fresh-kill pile. Softstep was starving, he never got much prey during leafbare; it was hard. He was glad he had a clan to hunt with. A clan to talk with. Finally, he had a family once again.

ixxxxtAshenstorm swiped at Bumblebelly playfully, leading to Bumblebelly pouncing on him. She instead tripped and fell onto him. They both toppled over. Ashenstorm quickly got up and licked his chest in embarrassment. Softstep was watching. "You must be terrible in battle! But you are the worse at hunting," the tom whispered in the molly's ear. A smirk following afterwards. He knew this wasn't going to end well.

ixxxxt"Yeah like you're any better!"

ixxxxt"I am."

ixxxxt"Pffft.. how about a little competition then?"

ixxxxt"You're on."

ixxxxt"Whoever get's the biggest prey!" she yelled, running into the forest not even letting Ashenstorm speak a word. The tom followed and then Softstep ran after his two ambitious clanmates. "I'm coming too!"

ixxxxtSoftstep was already imagining catching the biggest piece of prey that anyone had ever been found. The other two warriors were too busy to think about hunting, they were in their own little conversation so the new warrior decided to leave the two blind lovebirds alone. "Warn me next time you leave. You really got me worried," Ashenstorm mumbled to Bumblebelly. A large smile appeared on the orange-spotted she-cat. "Admit it." Ashenstorm turned to her, confused by her odd exclamation. He replied, "admit what?" She giggled and nuzzled the side of his cheek. The tom was surprised by her outburst, but not as surprised as he would be. The crazy warrior was known for loud actions. "Uh- that you are totally infatuated with me!" she yelled. Ashenstorm shook his head bizarrely. She turned to him and rubbed against his flank to rile him up. "It's fine.. I love you too." Ashenstorm smiled. He licked her chin, "fine.. I love you too. Will you be my mate?"

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( the clan eats a squirrel )
( @meadows Poppystar runs into Cloudstar, leader of Briarclan )
( @moonpool Poppystar asks for an apprentice )
( @border patrol Mosspelt takes a stroll through the snow, looking for a new clanmate )
( Ashenstorm and Bumblebelly are now mates, trying for kits )
( @hunting party Ashenstorm, Bumblebelly and Softstep head west to hunt )
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starclan has given you an apprentice!
mosspelt's patrol was uneventful.
bumblebelly is expecting kits! she is due in two moons.
ashenstorm, bumblebelly, and softstep caught a rabbit!

[sunfool]

WEATHER: it is currently new-leaf. now that new-leaf is here, kittings will go much more smoothly, and prey and herbs will be more abundant. the trees are beginning to grow their new leaves.

storage

ixxxxtThe skies are cloudy.

ixxxxtMosspelt was running; running to get something, but he didn't know what he was searching so hard for. He was out of breath and tired. He could see a whole large group of cats in front of him, in Hickoryclan's camp. This was clearly the future. The camp was larger and there was a fresh-kill pile that was bigger than Mosspelt had ever seen. The problem was; someone was missing.

ixxxxtThe storm is near.

ixxxxtThe black and white tom didn't care about the cats. His heart was set on something. He was searching for something to save a dear friend. What was he getting? He didn't know. Who was he getting it for? He didn't know. All of it was on the tip of the young medicine cat's tongue.

ixxxxtTake shelter or the mountains will swallow you whole.

ixxxxtNow the mountains were rumbling, physically shaking! All he could hear was squealing. It was a bunch of kits; he needed borage leaves! Who was kitting? So many questions were flying in the tom's head. He could now see a cat in the distance, with a familiar build he had seen before. It was --

ixxxxt"Mosspelt!" a she-cat yelled. It was Poppystar. The tom jumped up, alert but still tired from his crazy dream. Poppystar laughed and motioned the young cat to follow her. "We have a busy day. I will be appointing our deputy!" the she-cat exclaimed. "Alright, alright -- I'm up," he replied. Mosspelt followed after her, he was quite excited too. He just needed to warn her about his dream... later of course. She was racing to the Wind's Tree, her tail hitting the ground in excitement, and at this point he didn't really want to ruin her happy mood. It wasn't too important anyways, he was speculating that it was about Bumblebelly's kitting and Poppystar being under too much pressure. Maybe I should get extra herbs. The medicine cat needed to anyways and it would assure his conscience.

ixxxxt"Hickoryclan! I call for an important clan gathering!" The word important grabbed the clan's attention, of course most of the cats knew what was to happen. The whole clan has been talking about it for awhile; the deputy. The clan has thrived without a deputy but it needed one and the day had finally came. "Ashenstorm, please make your way to the Wind's Tree," she yelled to the tom. He made his way to her swiftly, with his head held high for the whole clan to see. They both exchanged smiles. "I say these words before StarClan, so that the spirits of our warrior ancestors may hear and approve of my choice. The new deputy of Hickoryclan is Ashenstorm," she yelled once again. The now deputy dipped his head to show respect to his leader and licked her shoulder.

ixxxxt"Thank you."

----

ixxxxt"I knew you were going to become deputy. You're lucky I'm a queen or a might of beat you," Bumblebelly purred to her mate. He pawed at her paws playfully, "you wish!" He joked. Bumblebelly was already a moon into holding their kits and Ashenstorm couldn't stop thinking about it. He worried about it more than Bumblebelly herself.

ixxxxt"Do you need anything? Prey, water --"

ixxxxt"No I don't!"

ixxxxt"Well I could get Honeypaw to fetch you something."

ixxxxt"Maybe you should train the tom instead," the queen spat.

ixxxxtAshenstorm was guilty for that. He has barely even trained the tom, all he has done is send him on silly errands. Well, maybe today was the day because Honeypaw was already running up to his mentor in delight. "Congrats Ash!" he yelled to his mentor. The deputy laughed and rolled his eyes playfully. He liked to put on a show of hating when a cat calls him Ash, but he actually enjoyed it. It was probably because his mate and Honeypaw love to call him that every and he has just gotten used to it. "thanks Honeypaw, want to begin training today?"

----

ixxxxtSoftstep was making his way to the medicine cat who was sorting through his herbs anxiously. The warrior noticed that he looked worn out and tired. "Need any help? I was going to go on a border patrol but I have a little time before I go," the white tom offered. Mosspelt shook his but gave him a small nod in gratitude. "Thanks for the offer but I was just about to head out to gather some herbs,"

ixxxxt"It's truly no problem! Remember to tell me if you ever need any help!"

ixxxxt"Haha- alright,"

ixxxxtThen Softstep ran off before the medicine cat could do anything else. Mosspelt couldn't help it but let out a small chuckle. The warrior was always running from place to place offering help, he was a friendly tom but couldn't handle the responsibilities of taking care of the whole clan responsibly. But it didn't seem like Softstep was bothered by not getting the rank of deputy. That's good. The medicine cat set out to the forest to look for more herbs. Maybe this would solve his worrying about his odd dream.

----

ixxxxtPoppystar was heading to the forest to do a small lone hunt. Her bones ached but she couldn't go to sleep, she might as well do this to tire her out. This is what Mosspelt had told her over and over. She moved her lithe body swiftly through the thick trees; searching for any movement. The she-cat heard rustling a couple tail-lengths away. She pounced on in a quick manner, but the bird-shaped animal flew away. She squinted her eyes trying to get a better view of it. It was a crow? There have never been any crows on Hickoryclan's territory. The leader turned her head to the sun, her vision became blurry and she collapsed to the floor, unaware of anything around her.

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( Ashenstorm was appointed deputy! )
( @near mountains Ashenstorm and Honeypaw are training )
( @meadow Softstep searches for stray cats to recruit )
( @forest Mosspelt searches for herbs )
( @forest Poppystar hunts but passes out from exhaustion )

Quite shaken by his dream, Mosspelt found it difficult to concentrate on herb hunting. Every time he managed to turn his attention back to the herbs, within a few seconds his thoughts had wandered back to the dream. He sighed as he trudged through the territory, glancing here and there for herbs that had survived the winter - the ones that were just beginning to grow now were too young to collect. Finally he caught sight of the bushy herb horsetail and bounded toward it. Although it was a mostly hardy plant, there wasn't much of it left after the snowstorms. The medicine cat picked as much as he could, tucked it under his chin, and hurried back to the camp.

honeypaw learned the battle skill!
softstep found a warrior!
mosspelt found horsetail!

[sunfool]

WEATHER: it is currently new-leaf. All the snow has melted at last, but because of this the water levels have grown immensely. Additionally, storm clouds heavy with rain are approaching and a few small rain clouds are already here. Your territory will soon be flooded, so make sure to keep a close eye on kits and apprentices.

ixxxxtPoppystar hadn't returned from her small hunting trip; it was starting to trouble Mosspelt the more and more he thought about it. The deputy had took more than half of the clan to hunt while the weather was as nice as this. What was he to do...

ixxxxt"That's it!" the tom exclaimed in a harsh manner which lead to the expecting queen poking her tired head out of the quiet den. Mosspelt rolled his eyes. "I don't care if I yelled loud enough for Starclan to hear, you need rest!"

ixxxxt"You act old enough to be a grumpy elder -- even though you are the youngest one here."

ixxxxt"Hilarious, Bumblebelly but I'm serious. Poppystar has been out for quite awhile so I will stop my duties to go search for her and I need you to prepare for your kitting."

ixxxxt"-- oh but me, the defenseless queen will be here all alone. Oh no!"

ixxxxt"Haha. You know you will be fine; the hunting party is coming back soon anyways."

ixxxxtAnd like that Mosspelt was off into the forest, making his way to the mountains but forgetting that his leader headed to the deeper part of the forest. Luckily, Bumblebelly didn't forget. The young medicine cat was already out of her sight. Being as naive as she was, the queen was already heading to Poppystar's old tracks.

ixxxxt( hehe sorry for it being so short but i couldn't find time for this post.. the next will be quite dramatic and long / yayy?? / )

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( the clan eats a rabbit )
( @river border Hailstrike, Softstep, Ashenstorm, Honeypaw go hunting )
( @river border Ashenstorm teaches Honeypaw hunting /or/ fishing )
( @mountains Mosspelt searches for Poppystar )
( @forest Bumblebelly sneaks out of camp to search for Poppystar )
( Poppystar still lays unconscious and gains a fever )

Bumblebelly hurried along Poppystar's scent trail, pausing every now and then to check the air again, making sure she didn't stray off track. As she trotted through the forest, she wondered what had befallen their dear leader. Had she been attacked by a fox or another creature of the sort? Captured by two-legs? Ambushed by a neighboring Clan's patrol? She was so lost in her thoughts that she almost walked right past the leader.
"Poppystar!" she cried, wheeling around and bounding to her leader. "Poppystar, are you alright? Can you hear me?"
No answer came from the unconscious leader.
The tortoiseshell queen began to pace frantically and mumbled to herself, not thinking straight for fear her leader was dying somehow. "Oh, Poppystar, what am I going to do with you? I can't get you back to camp if you won't wake up...." Suddenly she regained her senses and came to a decision of what she should do. "I'll be right back Poppystar!"
She hurried off back to the camp. She needed to tell the others so perhaps they could carry Poppystar back. She knew that they would all be upset with her for leaving the camp, but it would be worth it if it meant that their leader would soon be alright.

your hunting patrol caught a water shrew and a rabbit!
honeypaw learned the hunting skill!
mosspelt's search for poppystar was unsuccessful.
bumblebelly found poppystar and returns to camp to tell the others where she is.
poppystar needs borage leaves for her fever.