[ `` groveclan !! ] [ archives - dnp ]

My gallery · by **solyn** » Thu Aug 30, 2018 6:11 pm

𝔾ℝ𝕆𝕍𝔼ℂ𝕃𝔸ℕ !!
# of cats; 24 (♀: 11 / ♂: 13)
servings consumed; 5 servings
next moonpool visit; 28/08 onward

𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕠𝕟 𝕒𝕘𝕠,
Ashenstrike's paws crumpled leaves underfoot, crushing them with sharp rustles as he made his way back toward camp. His head felt heavy. Harder than it looks to lie, he thought to himself wryly, go figure that one. He ducked under some shrubbery, branches scraping against his back in a comforting manner. The pressure helped, and he missed it when he finally straightened to his full height in a clearing beyond it. He scented Lionheart- fresh, nearby- and his heart twinged with painful regret. Lying to her was the worst of it, really.
But there was something else. Sharper, stronger, more recent. Like Lionheart, but without the earthen vein that ran common among GroveClan cats. This one smelt more like travel, like... the massive tom shouldering his way into the clearing. Ashenstrike shrunk back on himself. He had long since been regarded as one of the biggest cats in the clan: he was tall and stocky, and his jovial personality made him a big presence. Then it was considered to be Flintburr, still tall but a little slinkier than both he and Lionheart, whose strength rivaled his own easily, even if she lacked an inch or two on him at the shoulder. This tom made Ashenstrike feel like a kit again; not only was he tall and muscle-bound, short coat slightly haggard in a way that suggested a long pilgrimage, he also carried a dignified air, like that of a leader much older than that of GroveClan.
"Hey," he managed, sharp and abrupt enough to make the massive tom's golden eyes swivel to him, "this is clan territory. What do you want?" His fur bristled. He regretted, almost instantly, the decision to square off with this cat. Even tired and hungry as the unfamiliar tom likely was, his muscles rippled under his fur, and Ashenstrike had no illusions. If he chose to attack, the grey tom could go down fighting, but he would go down.
"I mean no trouble," the cat said, voice calm and oddly familiar, "I thought I scented something familiar in your territory. I apologize for trespassing but it was... important."
"Like what?" Ashenstrike asked, suspiciously. The great tom paused, hesitant. He cleared his throat, and Ashenstrike could have sworn he heard his voice waver just a little. "Like..."
"Roseclaw?" The tom didn't get time to finish his thought. Lionheart's voice struck Ashenstrike like a well-placed kicked to the chest. So breathy. So hopeful. The tom spun, amber eyes wide with recognition. Ashenstrike watched Lionheart's own widen in surprise, before she let out a gleeful yowl and bolted forward, away from a bewildered Shadowtail and their two young apprentices. She met the large tom in two easy steps, winding around him with a delighted purr. Ashenstrike was sure the tom- Roseclaw, her brother, he reminded himself- could shake the earth with the force of his returning purr.
"I knew it," he was definitely choked up, and unashamed of it, "I knew I scented you. Lionheart, oh, I was so worried you were dead. I'm so sorry for leaving you, it was foolish of me." Lionheart headbutted his shoulder, with a strangled laugh, her emotions bubbling and welling up over her stoic exterior. "Shut up," she purred, "I thought you were dead. You have no idea how happy I am to see you. After you went back, I couldn't find you, and I-"
"I know," he pressed their foreheads together, and Ashenstrike caught Shadowtail ushering the apprentices back to camp quietly. They bounded off, and she circled the clearing to stand next to the grey tom, watching the siblings reunite. He could see Lionheart's shoulders shaking with silent sobs, and he ached to go to her, but he was acutely aware now more than ever that that wasn't his place. After a long period of silence, Lionheart finally spoke again:
"The others?" Roseclaw shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. Lionheart let out a shuddery sigh, and a hiccuped sob. "I thought so. I had hoped... but I think... Adderbite?" She didn't seem able to finish her thought, and Roseclaw stepped around her so that she could lean her full body weight on him, his jaw rested atop her head. "I saw him escape with the kits. Marigoldleaf died with mother, defending the nursery." Lionheart made a choked noise that sounded almost like a laugh.
"Of course she couldn't just stay retired," she said, and Roseclaw let out a wheezing chuckle, leaning on his sister. Lionheart was quiet for a long time, and then she asked, tentatively, gently, as if Roseclaw was the first ice on the lake in leafbare and she was afraid of cracking him. "And... Pinefeather?"
"I found him," Roseclaw said, [ color=#BF4000]"we were travelling together, but we got separated by a rockslide in the mountains. I made it through, he didn't. He told me to go and he'd catch up, so I've been trying to mark my trail, but the rains..."[/color] Roseclaw trailed off with a sad smile, and Lionheart touched her nose to her cheek. "He'll find you," she said, adamantly yet still gentle, "nothing could deter that tom from you."
"No, not even cantankerous orange mollies," Roseclaw teased, and Lionheart slammed him with her shoulder, making him stumble. He chuckled, straightened up, and his eyes caught Ashenstrike's. His face tilted, and he gave the grey tom an amused look. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends? This one seems almost as cranky as you are." Lionheart let out an incredulous laugh, flicking her eyes between her brother and her friend.
"Who, Ashenstrike? No," she laughed, "Ashenstrike is as different from me as possible. He's...," she trailed off, and then a fond smile crossed her face, and she squared her shoulders, "earnest. He lives his life unapologetic, and I admire that about him. He's sure of himself, and he has a laugh that lights up the whole clan. We're lucky to have him; he keeps spirits high while I keep paws on the ground. We make a good team."
"I hope your praise for me is just as glowing," Shadowtail teased, with a purr. Beside her, Ashenstrike's gut twisted, but he forced his lopsided smile onto his maw as he watched Roseclaw watch him. His expression only relaxed when the ginger tom's attention switched to survey the brown molly to his left. "Of course," Lionheart purred, "Shadowtail is one of my best friends in the clan. She's been with us for a long time now, and she's relentlessly optimistic and enthusiastic. She makes friends easily, and I've never met someone so personable who can find her niche with any cat. And to top it of, she's an incredible huntress, and a keen tactician. GroveClan wouldn't be as strong as it is without her around."
"And if you are anything like your sister," Shadowtail purred to Roseclaw, "GroveClan is lucky to have you. Lionheart is the strongest, bravest, most intelligent cat I know. She keeps us grounded, she keeps us moving forward, and she managed to teach Badgerstar the way of the warrior code from dead scratch, from what I hear. We couldn't have a better deputy." Lionheart ducked her head, bashful, and Roseclaw's eyes widened as he purred.
"My little sister, deputy? I'm so proud of you, Lionheart. I always knew you were destined for greatness." She snorted, but the two touched noses tenderly, and Ashenstrike didn't miss the sentimental little sniff that Shadowtail emitted. Lionheart turned to the pair of them, eyes sparkling with happiness. "He's staying," Roseclaw laughed, obviously amused that he didn't get a say in this, "come on, we should introduce him to Badgerstar."
"I'd love to meet him, he seems an interesting character from what you all have said about him. What's this about teaching him the warrior code from scratch?" Roseclaw stepped forward with Lionheart, as Shadowtail fell into step with them, bouncing along next to the tall ginger cats. "Now that, is a long story. I first met him after I'd been travelling away from MoorClan for about three moons..."
Ashenstrike stayed in place for a good few seconds, tilting his face upward to the sky to blink back his tears. He watched storm clouds start to fringe GroveClan territory, and the sinking feeling in his gut returned. He took a few steps after the group, trailing them back to camp. Lionheart explained the story of how she'd met Badgerstar, telling Roseclaw about how he hadn't known a thing about the warrior code, about meeting Flintburr first, and then Maplefall, then the twins and Acornstream, as the ranks slowly filled up, prompted by interjections from Shadowtail.
The willow leaves brushed over Ashenstrike's back as he ducked into camp, and all eyes swiveled toward them. Lionheart's chest swelled with pride as she stepped forward. "This is my brother, Rosecalw, everyone. He's come to join GroveClan, after travelling all the way from-"
"Stormgaze?" A familiar voice set ice in Ashenstrike's heart. All familiar faces swiveled toward them, and among them, one so familiar and yet so unfamiliar at the same time; a young tom with a dark grey face and startling blue eyes. Lionheart's amber eyes blinked at him in confusion, as the young tom stepped forward, and he decided that he'd never felt worse.
"Ashenstrike?" Longpaw's tentative meow came, "why is he calling you Stormgaze?"
"Why are you calling him Ashenstrike?" The tom mewed back, with an incredulous laugh. His tail kinked over his back as he moved forward, rubbing around the grey tom. He looked confused as Ashenstrike balked, shrinking back from his touch. Confused, Sootface flicked his blue eyes between the rest of the clan. "This is Stormgaze. Of CragClan, over the mountains some. Stormgaze, tell them! I mean, I know I haven't seen you since Lynxtooth bu-"
"Don't," Ashenstrike's snap seemed to startle everyone in the clan, especially Longpaw, who shrank back against Harrierstreak's flank, the older tom-cat curling protectively around him, "don't say his name." Sootface scowled, fur bristling. "Stormgaze, dude, what happened to you?"
"He told us his name was Ashenstrike of PetalClan," came Lionheart's voice, in the low tone that meant she was losing her patience. Ashenstrike had never felt more fear in his life. "Well he's not. He's Stormgaze. Granted, we all thought he was dead when we found Lynxtooth and he was just... gone. Like, dude, why did you run off?"
"Why are you doing this?" His voice was tight, like he was a second away from slipping.
"Why am I doing what? I just want to understand why you left, dude."
"You know why I left."
"No, I don't? Do you care to enlighten me?"
"Because I killed him!" Ashenstrike's voice rose, and Sootface shrank back from him, eyes wide and ears flattened against his skull. A stunned silence descended over the clan, but nothing was worse than the hot feeling of Lionheart's betrayed, horrified gaze boring into him, like two searing-hot claws being sunk into his heart. "Is that what you wanted to hear, Sootface? You couldn't have just told them I was a murderer, you just had to make me do it myself? Admit I killed my own brother? You think I don't know or something? You think I don't think about it everyday?"
"Stormgaz-"
"You think I don't wish I could take it back? I came here to start again, and I don't deserve to, but I-"
"Stormg-"
"Don't call me that! I-"
"He was the murderer!" Sootface's irate yowl made Ashenstrike blanch, and he fell silent, watching the young tom heave, face clouded with frustration and tinged with concern. "We came looking for you- Sprucetail recovered, he named him and- when we couldn't find you we knew that he thought you were too close to finding out that he'd done it, so we came looking. We found him, and we thought he'd got to you." Silence fell. No one dared to say a word, and it seemed like even the forest was holding its breath, before Ashenstrike took a deep, shuddering sob, and buckled close to the ground.
"I killed him," he sobbed, and Sootface glanced around awkwardly, looking for help. "I know, but he was going to kill you first, St- Ashenstrike." He took a step closer, but Ashenstrike turned his face away. "I... I panicked. I'm so sorry." But he wasn't talking to Sootface, he was gazing imploringly at Lionheart, before his frantic gaze turned to the rest of the clan. His eyes landed on Badgerstar, who was looking grimmer than he'd ever seen him, Maplefall pressed close against his shoulder as he gazed to Lionheart for guidance.
"GroveClan," she said, after a prolonged period of silence, "is a place for second chance. We all came here to escape from something. The destruction of a clan, loneliness, a different life that didn't fit us. Ashenstrike is of GroveClan. What ever Stormgaze of CragClan did was in the past, and what he did seems justified, if this tom is telling the truth. Ashenstrike has been running from his past, the same as the rest of us, and he lied. He lied because he had to, and if we didn't forgive a cat for that, we wouldn't be the clan we are today. He deserves a second chance."
A general murmur of acceptance went up around the clan, and people started to turn away, excitement seeming to be over. Badgerstar motioned for the two new toms to come closer so the could meet them, and as Lionheart peeled away, Ashenstrike bolted after her. "Lionheart- wait-"
"No," she snapped, whirling on him so fast that he tripped over his own paws coming to a stop. Their noses were almost touching, and the angry hurt rolling behind her eyes made him feel sick. "You lied to the clan, and you lied to me. You let me trust you, Ashenstrike. You let me trust a cat I thought I knew who was nothing but a fantasy lie. You might deserve a second chance from the clan, but that doesn't mean you deserve a second chance from me."
She whirled on him, then, so fast that her tail swished across his face with a striking force. He stood alone in a camp full of cats, watching her strong ginger shoulders vanish into the medicine cat den, and he knew with a startling clarity that he could not follow.

𝕥𝕠𝕕𝕒𝕪,
"Hey, Longpaw!" the young tom looked up as his mentor padded over, smile on his face and tail high. "I was thinking we could get in some tracking practice today?" Longpaw shrugged, placing his kill down at his paws. "Sorry," he said, kind of awkwardly, "I'm... training with Roseclaw today. He's going to teach me how to swim with the younger apprentices." Ashenstrike looked a little confused. "Oh, but uh- I could do that?"
"Yeah, well, Lionheart will be around, so," Longpaw shrugged again, and Ashenstrike could feel the thin veneer of normality he'd built up evaporating with every second. "Longpaw, you've been training with Roseclaw basically every day this moon, it's uh. I mean we haven't-"
"Lionheart wasn't the only cat you hurt," the apprentice replied curtly, before he snagged his kill and turned, bounding away to where Harrierstreak was waiting for him. Ashenstrike watched the two toms touch noses, before they settled down together to share some food. With a sigh, he turned to look at the rest of the clan. Most of them seemed to already be out on patrol, and the nursery was very quiet. He spotted Maplefall and Badgerstar heading toward the entrance, so he shuffled on over.
"Hey, Maplefall," he mewed, "no one came to get me for patrol?" The young molly gave a quick glance toward Badgerstar, who simply scampered forward toward Flintburr. Ashenstrike let out a soft sigh. "Lionheart didn't name me, huh?" Sadly, the calico molly nodded, and Ashenstrike felt his entire body sag. He let out a slow exhale, and felt a soft nose press against his cheek. He gave Maplefall the best smile he could muster, as she began to pad after the toms.
"I'm sorry," she said gently, "she just-" She stumbled a little as the she-cat in question brushed past her, with Shadowtail and the two young apprentices following her, and Roseclaw bringing up the rear with Longpaw. The pair of them watched the group depart, but when Maplefall turned to continue her conversation with Ashenstrike, he was nowhere to be seen. Sighing, she shook her head and bounded after her mate and her friend. They grey tom watched her go from the shadows of the warrior's den. He turned, glancing around the empty space under the tree's roots. Lionheart's scent in her nest was faint. She'd taken to sleeping either in Roseclaw's, on the other side of the den to Ashenstrike, or with Badgerstar in his den.
"Are you going to sulk all day today too, or do you actually want to do something useful?" A voice made him jolt, and he whipped around to see Goldleaf waiting for him a few feet away from the entrance to the den, with a concerned looking Mousepaw sitting behind her and glancing at him. Carefully, he exited the den, shaking out his pelt. The medicine cat blinked, clearly impatient. "Mousepaw and I are still trying to stock up on greencough herbs. We'll carry more with three cats."
"Didn't know you were one for pity," Ashenstrike muttered, dryly.
"I can always just leave you here if you'd prefer, Ashenstrike." The admonishment made him duck his head in embarrassment, and he shook it as a tiny 'no'. With a contemptuous huff, Goldleaf stood and stalked off toward the entrance, with Mousepaw bounding along after her. After a beat of hesitation, Ashenstrike took two long bounds to catch up, trailing behind the medicine cats like a chastised kit. After several long minutes of silence, he finally spoke up again: "Thank you, Goldleaf. For letting me help you."
"Your moping was giving me a headache," she replied, gruffly, and Ashenstrike snorted, shaking his head. He caught Mousepaw staring at him, and the little she-cat didn't avert her gaze when he stared back. It seemed odd for her, since he remembered her to be quite shy. "Why did you do it?" She mewed, startling both older cats to a complete standstill.
"Mousepaw-"
"Why did you do it?" She asked again, adamantly, raising her chin at him. Ashenstrike blinked at her in shock, before he felt unease settling in his gut. Goldleaf was giving her apprentice a disapproving look, but he couldn't bring himself to use it as an out. He let out a slow breath, and he felt his haunches hit the ground. It wasn't a question he'd ever been prepared to answer, but he felt like he needed to. Not just because Mousepaw had asked him, but because he hadn't stopped to ask himself.
"I played into his game, I guess," he shrugged, haphazardly, "we grew up together, and I thought I knew him. He wanted to take a walk. He'd been... different, and he kept saying things. I was scared, and he turned around fast and I-" he paused, squeezing his eyes shut. "It was an accident. I just meant to push him away from me but I-"
"Then why are you beating yourself up about it?" Goldleaf looked absolutely bewildered, so much so that she gave Ashenstrike a look that could have been apologetic. "I love Harrierstreak," Mousepaw declared, "but if he did something horrible like your brother did I wouldn't think twice about doing the same. He might be my brother, but I couldn't let him cause that much pain to other cats."
"I thought he was innocent," Ashenstrike said quietly, "for the longest time, I thought I'd killed my brother for no reason but a split second of fear when I thought he was going to attack me." The three of them fell silent as Ashenstrike's head fell, face turned to the ground. His shoulders shook as he tried to keep the emotions in. Suddenly, he felt tiny paws against his shoulder, and a nose nuzzling into his cheek.
"I forgive you," Mousepaw mewed, and Ashenstrike choked, "I think you needed to hear that. And I know everyone else will forgive you too." She leaped down off of him and padded past Goldleaf, who swung her fluffy head between the two of them. Her expression softened as she looked at the shell-shocked Ashenstrike, and got to her paws. Robotic, he stood after her, and with a dry laugh, he spoke. "I think you might be doing too good a job at training her."
"It really has been eating you alive, huh." He nodded, with a lopsided shrug and a weak attempt at a smile. Goldleaf turned to look at her apprentice, standing a few feet away, waiting for them. She inclined her head, and Ashenstrike fell into step with her, letting Mousepaw lead them. "I forgive you too, for what it's worth. And Mousepaw is right, everyone else will too. Even Lionheart."
"I know I messed up, badly, especially with her," he let out a sigh, squeezing his eyes shut. "Yeah, well, we all knew you were an idiot anyway." Ashenstrike snorted. "Is that supposed to make me feel better? Has anyone ever told you that you're really nurturing, Goldleaf?" The she-cat let out a rumbling chuckle, giving him an amused look. "She'll come around, Ashenstrike, but you have to show her you're sorry, and not just tell her. She really liked you, you know?"
"I know," he said quietly, "and I love her. I don't blame her. She was right, I let her trust a lie."
"Well, only partly."
"What?"
"It was only partly a lie, wasn't it? Maybe you lied about where you came from, but who you are is real. You're still the tom that helped Hawkthorn gather feathers every morning before sun up so he could make the nursery nests soft for Acornstream and the kits. You're still the tom that managed to make Badgerstar laugh so hard that water shot out of his nose. You're the tom who stayed with Harrierstreak and Mousepaw when they first came to the clan to make sure they were warm and protected." Ashenstrike blinked at her, surprised. "None of that changed. That's just who you are."
"Goldleaf... I don't know what to say," his smile got real this time, still soft and almost shy, "except for that I'm surprised you noticed." She snorted, gently nudging his shoulder with her own. "Please, I notice everything. The clan will get over it, in time. It's just..."
"She called me earnest. I let her down. I let all of them down." Goldleaf nodded, and Ashenstrike let out a shuddery breath. "But, getting Mousepaw's forgiveness is a good start."

★★★

"So... what did Ashenstrike want to talk about?" Flintburr broke the uncharacteristic silence of the patrol, making Maplefall's ears prick up. "Oh, just... patrol stuff. Lionheart blocking him and all that." Flintburr let out a hum of understanding, thinking about that for a second. "And how is he... doing?"
"He's sad. He made a mistake, but he doesn't deserve to be ostracized by the clan for it. Just because he lied doesn't mean he's not a good cat. I would have done the same in his situation, and it's not really something you could have led a conversation with." The black tom gave a dry laugh, shaking his great head. "I suppose not. I do think it's silly to be wasting cat-power, especially his. He's one of our greatest assets but... Lionheart is hurting. You know she told me about her family a moon or so ago now, and she said she'd only told Ashenstrike otherwise, because-"
"He asked," Badgerstar said, nodding slowly, "she said the same thing to me. But Lionheart doesn't just tell cats things because they ask. I pestered her about it for moons and she only told me names. Nothing about the kits, or anything." He blew out a sigh, hunching up his shoulders. Maplefall reached across to press her nose to his cheek, and he gave her a grateful little smile, nuzzling against her.
"I feel bad," he declared, "I wish there was something we could do, but this is something Ashenstrike has to fix on his own, huh?" Maplefall and Flintburr nodded. "It would help if you two were willing to be his friends again, but I guess I can't rush that. He lied to all of us, but I think if I can forgive him, you two should too. It's killing him slowly, I think. He was so happy before all of this. And I've been talking to Sootface- just because Ashenstrike lied about where he was from doesn't mean he lied about who he is. Sootface said what I told him about Ashenstrike sounded just like how he was in his old clan."
"He wasn't trying to reinvent himself," Flintburr mused, "just trying to escape something he did. Quite a mess, isn't it." Maplefall nodded, and Badgerstar let out a humourless laugh. "You can say that again."

★★★

Lionheart and Roseclaw sat shoulder to shoulder on the bank of the lake, watching Shadowtail splash at Longpaw and Harrierstreak while the two younger apprentices clumsily flailed about in the water. They were slowly getting the hang of it, leaving the older cats to play around a little bit. Longpaw got drenched by a particularly large spray of water and he sputtered, splashing back at Shadowtail and making her squeal while Harrierstreak laughed beside them.
"You and Longpaw got pretty close pretty fast," Lionheart mused, leaning on her elder brother. The ginger tom rumbled a laugh, nodding slowly. "He regards him like a father, you know. He needs someone right now, and I am a particularly good shoulder to lean on." Lionheart sighed, turning her face toward the ground and squeezing her eyes shut. "I don't want to talk about him right now. Or, ideally, ever."
"You're just saying that," Roseclaw said, an amused tone to his voice, "you'll want to talk about it eventually, because you've never been able to keep your mouth shut about anything." Lionheart gave him an offended look, and he purred. "I haven't forgotten the time you dobbed Russetwing and I in to mother for sneaking out of camp as apprentices." She huffed, and shrugged lightly, allowing her brother to touch his nose to her cheek.
"He hurt you, I know. I'm not saying you should forgive him immediately, but... well. Life is short, Lionheart. And we never know when it's going to end. I know you care for him, and spending this time without Pinefeather? Well. I'm sure if you could feel how I feel you'd know that you don't want to feel it ever again. In any case, the least you can do is be there for Longpaw. He's a good cat, and he's going to make a fine warrior for your clan someday. He needs someone right now, and you can empathize with him strongly, can't you?"
Lionheart stared at her brother for a few moments, before her face softened, and she sighed. "I forgot how wise you were. Come on." She stood, and bolted toward the water, splashing into the lake and knocking Longpaw off of his paws to defend Shadowtail from another spray of water. She purred, and Harrierstreak laughed at his sputtering friend, as Roseclaw grabbed him by the scruff and hauled him to his paws.
"Come on, Lionheart," Shadowtail said with a laugh, "let's show these young toms how it's done." Roseclaw backpedaled out of the way as the two warriors descended on the younger toms in a flurry of paws, splashing about in the lake and toppling one another over. He left them to their fun, shifting across to help the two younger apprentices with their swimming technique. When he turned to check on them again, he saw Longpaw's tail kink happily at some of Lionheart's praise. His eyes met his sister's, and they shared a look of knowing, before Harrierstreak tackled her back into the water.

[ the clan consumes two fish and a mouse
badgerstar, maplefall and flintburr patrol the borders
hawkthorn, fawnrunner, stonepatch and sootface hunt in the forest
dustfang, flowershine, boulderflame and burrcall hunt in the fieds
shadowtail, lionheart and roseclaw train longpaw, duskpaw and dawnpaw to swim. harrierstreak joins them.
ashenstrike helps goldleaf and mousepaw search for greencough herbs ]

affiliate clans wrote:ally clans;
echoclan | Katrione
hopeclan | adiebaby11

enemy clans;
Clan Name | Username
Clan Name | Username

borders;
north | echoclan | Katrione
east | kingdom of shattered bones | vivere!
south | Clan Name | Username
west | Clan Name | Username

inventory wrote:medicine store;
catmint [3] | greencough
chervil [2] | wounds/aches
marigold [1] | wounds
tansy [3] | coughs
goldenrod [1] | wounds
catchweed [1] | poultices
poppy seeds [1] | pain
cobwebs [1] | bleeding
fennel [3] | pain
raspberry leaves [1] | kitting
ragwort leaves [1] | strength
alder bark [1] | toothache
beech leaves [1] | use ???
chickweed [3] | coughs
herb [#] | use

fresh-kill pile;
mouse | x1| 1 servings
vole | x4 | 4 servings
rabbit | x4 | 8 servings
bird | x3 | 9 servings
fish | x4 | 8 servings
squirrel | x3 | 6 servings
capacity: 32 servings (6 posts)

relationships wrote:mentors;
ashenstrike | longpaw [4]
↪ battle, hunting, climbing, swimming
shadowtail | dawnpaw [3]
↪ battle, hunting, swimming, skill
lionheart | duskpaw [3]
↪ battle, hunting, swimming, skill
mentor | apprentice [#]
↪ skill, skill, skill, skill

deceased cats;
name | cause
name | cause

family/mates;
flintburr ♡ silvermoon
↪ halfkit & sootkit
tawnycloud ♥ shrikecry
↪ shadowtail & hawkthorn
dustfang ♡ tanglestep
↪ boulderflame & burrcall
hawkthorn ♥ acornstream
↪ squirrelkit & woodkit
ripplebound ♡ junipernose
↪ dawnpaw & duskpaw
adopted by fawnrunner (m. aunt)
eagleleap ♡ dewfeather
↪ harrierstreak & mousepaw
badgerstar ♥ maplefall
↪ not expecting
cherryflower ♡ frostjaw
↪ roseclaw, russetwing, lionheart,
gingerstrike & dawnleap
roseclaw ♥ pinefeather (?)
name and name
↪ kit names

My gallery · by **solyn** » Tue Sep 11, 2018 4:43 pm

𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐍 !!
# of cats; 24 (♀: 11 / ♂: 13)
servings consumed; 5 servings
next moonpool visit; 28/08 onward

𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕠𝕟 𝕒𝕘𝕠,
"You must be excited," Fawnrunner enthused, keeping step with the older tom, "I know I am at least. I've never really gotten the chance to patrol regularly with Acornstream, and I can't wait for her to be participating in the clan again!" Hawkthorn gave a short laugh, ducking his head bashfully, before he lifted his head to meet her gaze. "You know? I really am. I miss patrolling with Shadowtail too, it's like I lost two of my best friends." He paused, for a brief moment, and then sighed. "Well... more like three of them. It's odd to talk about Acornstream like that without Ashenstrike here to tease. No little side-comments about romantic walks through the forest, scaring away all the prey with our sap."
At the mention of Ashenstrike, the whole patrol fell silent, eyes scanning slowly to Sootface, where he wandered at the back of the group. The tom shrugged lightly, casting his brilliant eyes away from them. "Still seems odd to hear you call him that." He said, and the two younger cats glanced between each other, while Hawkthorn squared his shoulders, somewhat defensively. "Whatever his business was in his old clan is behind him now," Hawkthorn said, decisively, "he's Ashenstrike of GroveClan to me, and to Acornstream, and to everyone else who seems to have forgotten that about him."
"Doesn't bother you that he lied?" Sootface snapped back. "He just abandoned our clan and let us think he was dead. Then he came here and pretended to be someone he's not." Hawkthorn's ears flattened, and Fawnrunner backpedalled against Stonepatch, crouching near his side. She'd never seen the usually mild-mannered tom that incensed. "Ashenstrike is my friend. I would have done the same thing in his situation. He was caught between a rock and a hard place, and I forgive him for doing what he had to do to survive. We're all lying if we think we wouldn't have done exactly that if it had been us."
Hawkthorn turned then, and bounded off into the trees. Moments later, Sootface whirled on his heel and stalked off in the opposite direction, leaving Fawnrunner and Stonepatch nestled together in silence. After a moment, the small molly cast her gaze upward at the stoic tom, catching a concerned expression on his maw. It quickly vanished, as he tilted his face downward toward her, offering her a tiny smile. "Maybe we should try hunting further south, toward the lake."
"Good idea," Fawnrunner mewed, releasing a soft breath. The idea of running into either of the angry toms made her shudder, and she willingly fell into step with the patchy tom as they began their trek south. After a moment or two of comfortable silence, she tilted her head upward a little. "So, what's your story? I don't think I've ever heard the clan rumour-mill spinning about where you come from."
"I was a loner," Stonepatch replied, "it's not as interesting as the ties that come with being clan-born, I guess. There's not really much to tell about me. My parents were pretty stoic and independent, I had seven younger siblings-"
"Seven?" Fawnrunner repeated, bewildered, and Stonepatch chuckled. "Big family, big expectations. My parents pretty much had me exist on my own after I was nine, and then I wandered around, and then I came here. Not close to my parents, not all that close to any of my siblings. I guess the downside of that upbringing is that we weren't really taught to develop any bonds. I suppose that's why I don't really have any friends."
"I'm your friend," Fawnrunner protested instantly, before adding; "and I like you." Stonepatch paused, casting the small she-cat a bewildered glance, before his gaze softened and he chuckled. "I like you too. I'm glad to have you as a friend." He lowered his large head, and Fawnrunner willingly lifted her own to touch noses with him, before he let out a nervous little laugh, continuing to walk onwards. "So what's your story? You had a sister, right, the time-paws' mother?"
"Junipernose," she confirmed, with a nod, "and we had a brother, Mosstooth, but he died in the fire. Our parents passed away when we were all young, from greencough. Junipernose caught it pretty badly too, and we were scared we'd lose her. But... aside from that I guess it was pretty normal? She and Ripplebound had one of those apprentice romances, and they were pretty cute. Mosstooth was courting Sandfeather, aaaand I was probably going to get my first apprentice, but that's... well."
"You'd make a good mentor," Stonepatch said. "It sounds like your family was on the smaller side. Did you have a good relationship with your siblings?" Fawnrunner nodded, with a laugh. "I think we were like any- we bickered and squabbled often, but we had each other's back at the end of the day. Oh, I was so jealous when Junipernose had her kits. They're so cute." Stonepatch snorted, shaking his great head a little. "They're cute until they're old enough to have a mind of their own."
"I suppose so. Do you have experience with that?" Stonepatch nodded, laughing to himself at a memory. "My little brothers, Rook and Sleet. They would have been about four moons when I was nine and they were... menaces." Fawnrunner laughed at his tone, gently nudging shoulders with him. He nudged her back, so she narrowed her eyes playfully, and pounced on him, sending him tumbling to the ground with a startled yowl. Purring, she placed her paws firmly on his shoulders. "I win."

★★★

The breeze rustled the grass around Dustfang, as he crouched over his latest kill. He could hear Burrcall cursing a few feet away, apparently having lost her catch. As for his son and Flowershine, he couldn't be sure where the pair had run off to. Either way, it didn't matter so much as the disturbing level of prey did. They were running extremely low, and Dustfang worried about the livelihood of the clan through the impending leafbare.
"Grim, isn't it?" Flowershine mewed, pushing through the grass to stare with the older tom. Dustfang grunted his acknowledgement, nodding slowly as he saw his son's dark pelt appear on the other side of him. "I'm sure the clan will be fine," Flowershine tried, optimistically, but he could sense the worry in her voice. "GroveClan will be fine as long as you're hunting," Boulderflame enthused, startling both his father and the young molly. She laughed a little, shaking her head. "Oh, I'm not so sure about that, but I am sure that Lionheart is too stubborn to allow the clan to die out of starvation."
"You're right about that one," Dustfang mused, "I remember her from the old days, you know, and that molly has always had the mind that she could divert rivers if she just put herself to it. I'd believe it of her too."
"She's scary," Boulderflame added, unprompted, which made Flowershine giggle. The black tom looked exceedingly pleased with himself, and Dustfang shot him an amused look, earning a scowl in return. Chuckling lightly to himself, Dustfang pushed himself to his feet fully. "We should collect Burrcall and get back. I doubt we'll catch much more today."

𝕥𝕠𝕕𝕒𝕪,
"I don't like the look of the sky," Dustfang said, making his kits pause where they'd been trotting in front of him. Around him, the rest of the patrol craned their heads back to look through the canopy, trying to catch glimpses of the sky. After a moment, Burrcall let out a dismissive snort, and she and her brother bounded ahead. After a hesitant moment, Sootface scurried after them, leaving the tangle-furred grey tom standing alone with two of the clan's younger warriors.
"Badgerstar said something about blizzards," Stonepatch said, in his usual way; the kind that was almost a question and almost a statement, but not really either at the same time. Fawnrunner cast the older tom an anxious look. The snow had only just started in GroveClan, marking the beginning of Leafbare. "You don't think we're in danger, do you? Surely the weather won't be so drastic so quickly." Dustfang felt a pang of sympathy for the she-cat, watching as Stonepatch took a step closer to her, to press their shoulders together.
"Duskpaw and Dawnpaw will be fine," he assured her, "they're old enough now that they won't be so susceptible to greencough. Isn't that right, Dustfang?" The older tom gave an affirmative hum, with a sharp nod of his head. Fawnrunner let out an anxious little sigh. "Thank you. I just... worry. They're really all I have left of Junipernose. You'll make a good mentor one day, Stonepatch, you're very calming."
"Calm toms make great fathers," Dustfang said, amusement lilting his voice into a purr as he watched the young pair. They turned to face each other, both smiling fondly, before their noses brushed. Startled, they looked away suddenly, and Stonepatch peeled off after the two youngest warriors and Sootface without another word. Dustfang chuckled a little under his breath, giving Fawnrunner a knowing look. The small she-cat huffed at him and shook her head.
"Don't you start!"
"I didn't say anything." He said, innocently. Narrowing her eyes, she flicked the underside of his nose with her tail, before she began to flounce forward. "You didn't need to, I can hear you thinking." Dustfang let out a rumbling laugh, bounding forward to catch up to her, the pair of them padding in companionable silence after the rest of the patrol. The shaggy grey tom lifted his head upward again, with a soft sigh. "We should hunt fast. I doubt the weather will stay clear for long."

★★★

"Ashenstrike!" The great grey tom lifted his head, ears pricked as he spied Badgerstar across camp, tail high. "We could use you for a patrol!" He abandoned his job, clearing out the front of the den that would be assigned to elders to make sure it didn't flood with all the melting snow. "I thought Lionheart already went out, with her brother?" He mewed, glancing between the leader and his mate with a vaguely confused expression.
"She did," Maplefall said, "but she and Roseclaw are mostly scouting for any signs of his mate. Badgerstar and I thought we'd run an extra patrol to make sure that the borders are secured." Ashenstrike glanced between them, before he nodded, with a small smile. Maplefall beamed back, and he felt warm in his chest. He was pleased that she'd been making an effort to act normal around him, her apparent forgiveness had started to warm the rest of the clan to him again, although it was slow going.
"What border are we checking first?" He asked, watching Badgerstar tilt his head as he thought. "I think Lionheart said they were starting north-west and going east, along the north border. We should start south-west and go east, along the south then. That way we should canvas the right amount." Purring, Maplefall nudged his shoulder, and the small tom ducked his head bashfully, clearly pleased that he was starting to act like a leader. Ashenstrike gave him a broad grin, nodding his head toward the camp entrance.
"What are we waiting for?"

★★★

"It's cold," Duskpaw mewed, blinking up at his mentor and her brother as they strode effortlessly through the snow. Lionheart hummed, sympathetically, watching the short-haired tom ahead of them as he pressed his paws to a tree trunk and sniffed. Overhead, the sky was darkening, and the young apprentice shrunk against his mentor.
"Maybe we should head back," Lionheart suggested, ducking her head to touch her nose to Duskpaw's cheek. He huddled close to her side, pressing into her long fur to steal as much warmth as he could. "GroveClan is prone to extreme weather. It could be dangerous if we stay out here any longer." The way Roseclaw moved was tense, like every muscle in his body was just waiting to snap, and he let out a soft huff, flicking his ears. "I'm sure if we give it another sun-shift..."
"We can barely even see the sun anymore," she protested, curling her tail around her apprentice who shot Roseclaw a meek and apologetic glance. The tom softened a little, with a sigh. "I'm sorry," Duskpaw blurted, "I thought I was ready to go on patrol, but it's just so cold and I'm... I'm really sorry I let you down, Roseclaw." He ducked his head, ashamedly, sure that his sister would tease him when she found out he was trembling like a kit with greencough.
"You didn't let anyone down," Lionheart assured him, "the weather isn't good. I think another storm is coming." Roseclaw nodded, his eyes squeezed shut tightly. "I know. I just... I hate the thought of him being out there alone, especially in this. I miss him, and I want him here with me." His sister sighed, shifting from Duskpaw's side to move forward, pressing their foreheads together as the first flakes began to fall. Duskpaw watched them, hunching over his paws as the temperature seemed to drop even lower.
"I know," Lionheart said gently, "but you shouldn't worry so much. Pinefeather loves you, and he's tough. I know he'll make it through, and besides, there's not a single thing in the universe that could stop that tom from finding his way back to you." Roseclaw let out a rumbling chuckle, and gave a slow nod, followed by a deep breath. "I hate when you're rational, you know? That's supposed to be my job." Lionheart snorted at him, shoulder-checking her brother as she moved back toward Duskpaw, letting the apprentice use her as a wind-block.
"We should be getting back," she said again, tilting her face to the sky, where the snow began to fall faster, "I don't have a good feeling about this weather."

★★★

"The snow is fast," Squirrelkit said, solemnly, watching the flakes begin to fall at a faster rate, blanketing the ground in even more white. The kit's quiet and straightforward nature unnerved Goldleaf a bit, if she were being honest. His sister, Woodkit, was a little more kit-like, but the little tom had a blunt and contemplative air about him that was distinctly adult. She hummed her acknowledgement, shifting slightly to watch Mousepaw, where she was batting a little ball of moss with Woodkit. The smaller tabby squealed in delight as an artful flick of Mousepaw's paw lifted the ball high into the air, and Woodkit leaped to catch it.
"Where did you learn that?" Goldleaf asked, impressed with the dexterity of her apprentice. She had thought that the nervous young she-cat would certainly not have any skills suited to a warrior. Startled, and a little bashful at having been caught, Mousepaw gave a soft shrug, and blinked slowly. "Harrierstreak used to play with me since none of the other kits wanted to. I had to learn some tricks so that I could beat him. I didn't think it was that good."
"It's great!" Woodkit purred, tail standing up. A little shiver wracked her, and Mousepaw shot Goldleaf an alarmed look. The medicine cat blinked at her slowly, before she shifted in the empty nest she had taken up, beckoning the three younger cats toward her. "Would you like to hear a story?" She asked, treated to an enthusiastic nod from Woodkit and a curious tilt of the head from her brother. The pair of them scuttled up close, and Mousepaw crawled closer, settling in near Goldleaf's flank. Thankfully, the kits snuggled close too, taking refuge in the heat of her body and her long fur.
"Once upon a time," she began, "when the nights were fleeting and the days were deep, there lived two cats. One was a beautiful ginger cat, so divinely pretty that glancing at her could cause infatuation. Every day, across the border of her clan, she would see a beautiful silver tabby cat, with gorgeous blue eyes that did not see. At a gathering, they became friends, and when the ancestors of Silverpelt rose into the sky, they would meet and the border and talk of their lives, of their clans, of their hopes and dreams. The ginger fell in love, for the cat saw her not for her looks, but for herself. But one day, they were discovered, and jealous cats who wanted the ginger's shining beauty for themselves lashed out, and killed both she-cats. StarClan, knowing they did not deserve their untimely ends, brought their spirits to Silverpelt, and gave them special jobs. Now, they chase each other across the sky eternally as the sun and the moon, fleeing through the heavens and watching over everycat, bringing balance to our lives."
"Wow..." Woodkit breathed. Squirrelkit blinked, slowly, and then said; "did you know them?" Mousepaw couldn't contain her gleeful giggle at that, as Goldleaf sputtered at the insinuation of her age. However, the withering stare never came, and instead Goldleaf glanced at her with fondness, shaking her head softly. "What's all the laughter?" Came a rumbling voice from a brown tabby, and Woodkit squealed with delight as her parents ducked back into the den.
The kits bounded toward Hawkthorn, weaving around his paws, as Acornstream gracefully glided around them to speak with the medicine cat. "Thank you both for looking after them today," she purred, turning her gaze toward her family, "I only regret we had to cut the hunting party so short. The wind is biting, and Flintburr supposes another blizzard is setting in." Goldleaf frowned, pushing herself to her paws. "It's not a problem, but if that is the case, we should relocate the kits to the warrior's den. It's very naturally sheltered and can fit the most cats, it'll be good for the clan to huddle, for extra warmth."

★★★

The blizzard had set in quickly, lashing wind howling about the three cats as they trudged through the rapidly piling snow, eyes squinted against the force of the gale. "Are you sure this is the right way?" Ashenstrike yowled over the weather, hunching down a little. Up ahead, Badgerstar shook his head in frustration, curling himself around Maplefall a little more. The little calico lifted her head, glancing around for any sign that might indicate their location.
"We've gone too far south, I think," she called back, "I think this is the ridge over the lake." Ashenstrike followed her gaze to the massive pine tree, branches swaying in the wind. "We need to go that way, then." He responded, nodding his head forward, and the other two cats pressed on, one foot at a time. The wind fought back against them, threatening to blow even stocky Ashenstrike over. He stayed upright only by digging his claws into the ground, and hauling himself forward.
Then, suddenly, there wasn't any ground beneath his paw, as it twisted, scrabbling for purchase on loose dirt. He felt his body start to pitch sideways, and with startling clarity he realized that Maplefall was right. They weren't simply at the southern lake-ridge, they were standing on it. A cry escaped his throat, and he heard Badgerstar yell his name, watching the black tom try to shove toward him, but he already knew it would be too late. He felt his back leg dangle freely in the air, the rest of his body pitching violently as he began to fall.
Out of the corner of his eye, there was a flash of bright orange, and some strangled cry in the distance stolen by the wind. His descent was brought to an abrupt halt by teeth digging a bit too-hard into his scruff. His body dangled, swinging for a moment like a pendulum, before great force yanked him back, and he fell, flailing, back onto solid ground, and against the heaving flank of a long-haired ginger.
"You saved me," he breathed out, with an incredulous laugh. Lionheart panted roughly, and emerging from the howling snow he could see Roseclaw with Duskpaw surging along beside him. The she-cat let out a shuddery breath as the two groups converged on them, and Roseclaw helped nudge her to her feet. "You could stand to lose a little weight." She said, and Ashenstrike let out a choked laugh, giving her a little smile. Lionheart stared at him for a few moments, before the tiniest hint of a returning smile graced her features.
"Lionheart, I'm sorry, I truly am, I-"
"Let's, not do this here," she interrupted, crouching to block the wind from Duskpaw. Her gaze was imploring, and Ashenstrike nodded his understanding. As the gale howled louder, Ashenstrike pressed closer against Lionheart on one side, and Roseclaw closed in on the other. Between them, Maplefall and Badgerstar wriggled in, to keep Duskpaw warm and protected. The group pushed on ahead, hoping that this time they were headed the right way toward home.

★★★

The warrior's den reminded Fawnrunner of home. GroveClan was her home now, of course, but the few warriors meant the massive den usually seemed all but abandoned. Somehow, the energies of all the clan cats together made it seem a little fuller. Badgerstar and Maplefall lay curled together after having arrived, exhausted, maybe one or two sun-shifts ago. It was hard to keep track of time in this place, after all. Lionheart and Ashenstrike had arrived shortly after them, and they were having a conversation in the back corner of the den in hushed tones that everyone else was pointedly ignoring. Goldleaf sat with Dustfang and Flintburr, Mousepaw with Harrierstreak and the other young warriors, laughing about something that Boulderflame had said. She could see Hawkthorn and Acornstream conversing with Roseclaw and Shadowtail, while Woodkit and Squirrelkit gleefully batted a ball of moss around with Dawnpaw and Duskpaw. Sootface sat on his own, quiet.
"Mind if we talk?" Stonepatch asked, suddenly materializing next to Fawnrunner. She squeaked in shock, blinking at the tom, before nodding her head bashfully. He inclined his head toward the corner, and she followed, the pair of them keeping a wide berth of Lionheart and Ashenstrike. They settled down together, pressed close against one another to conserve warmth. "I... have something important to say." He said, and Fawnrunner tilted her head curiously at him.
"I really like you," Stonepatch declared, finally, after a long moment of silence, "in fact, I think I might love you. I'm certain that I want to be with you, and I want to start a family with you. I can't take my eyes off of you when we're together, and I can't stop thinking about you when we're apart. You're constantly on my mind, and it's driving me crazy." He let out a nervous chuckle, not daring to glance at Fawnrunner's bewildered face. "I guess what I'm asking is... will you be my mate?"
"Yes!" She squealed, too loudly, and several heads turned to look at her. Embarrassed, she shrunk down against him, and he waited until the faces were looking away to nuzzle their foreheads together. Their laughs mingled in the open air around their mouths, and she purred, pressing against him quite happily. "There is nothing I'd like more in the world than to be your mate."
"You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that."

★★★

"He's still not back yet," a concerned voice said from behind Badgerstar. The tom looked up from where he'd been watching Maplefall sleep, curled against him in a ball. Ashenstrike had crouched next to him, staring worriedly at the entrance to the den. He saw Lionheart standing at his shoulder, with Roseclaw not far behind her. "He should have been back by now," Lionheart mewed, "it's not safe for Longpaw out in a storm like this."
"What should we do?" Badgerstar asked in return. "I can't ask you to go out in this weather. You know how hard it was for us to get back." Lionheart sighed, frustrated, but she nodded. Roseclaw looked sympathetic, but his features were tight with worry. Ashenstrike's tail lashed in agitation. Guilt settled in the pit of Badgerstar's stomach as he watched his clanmates worry for the young apprentice. Finally, he wiggled himself away from Maplefall and stood, with a deep breath. "I'll go. I have lives to spare."
"Don't talk like that!" Lionheart hissed, shifting forward a little. "You might need those lives later on, Badgerstar. You have to be careful." He nodded, leaning forward to touch her cheek with his nose. "I will be, Lionheart, I promise. But it's not safe for any of us to be out there, least of all Longpaw, and we can't just hope he's alright. It's safest for me to go, because at least I have my lives gifted by StarClan. I promise I'll be okay." Lionheart looked hesitant, before she let out a sigh and surged forward, winding around him and nuzzling his nose affectionately. "I'll kick your furry behind all the way to StarClan and back if you break that." She warned.
Badgerstar gave her a smile, before he slipped from the den and into the howling gale. The trek across camp was a struggle, but as he reached the sheltered tunnel, he glanced back at the warrior's den, to see two pairs of amber eyes and a pair of striking green watching him. He gave them a nod, before he made his way out onto the other side. Without the walls of the basin that enclosed the camp to protect, the wind was much harsher, and Badgerstar had to sink his claws into the ground to avoid being blown over. One paw at a time, he began to drag his way forward in the direction of the falls.
As he approached, the wind seemed to die down, the snow still pelting down around him. He supposed it must be the eye of the storm, before it got really bad again, and an urgency in his gut told him to hurry. He broke into a run, muscles stretching as he leaped through the snow, making his way toward the eastern border at double his speed. Suddenly, he was skidding to a stop, just in front of a massive tree trunk. The roots sat freshly upward, soil disturbed where they'd been wrenched from the ground by the wind. Badgerstar followed his line of sight to where it ended, pressed against another tree. On the other side of the pool.
The safe path one would normally take to cross to the eastern border was completely covered by the log; too steep to climb and too dampened by snow to get any real purchase. Badgerstar's gaze turned, then, trailing along the shore to a series of rock outcroppings to the right of the waterfall. The pool had frozen over, although the ice was cracked where the waterfall continued to plunge into the depths below, and it looked unstable where the log had fallen, too.
Badgerstar turned his head upward toward the sky. "I hope you're looking out for me," he mewed, before he took his first tentative step onto the frozen plane in front of him. One paw after the other, one careful step at a time, he began to edge across the icy frontier, eyes locked onto the rock outcroppings. They seemed close, but still so far away. Left paw. Right paw. Left paw. Right paw. Badgerstar followed a continual pattern, each slow press of his pad supporting his weight without sending him plummeting southward. His chest swelled, a little. He was almost there.
A cracking noise turned his blood to ice. He glanced down, spotting the thin splits underneath his paw. He followed them toward the waterfall, where they deepened. The ice cracked again. He ran. He could hear it shattering behind him, but he was almost there, so close so close so close-
His paw fell to nothing and the rest of him followed, tumbling headfirst and he was falling and then. He felt cold, a chill all over so persistent that it shocked the breath right out of him. Then, he was shoved, by strong waters, scraping against the fragmented icy surface. Panic made his chest tighten, and he scrabbled at the layer of ice between him and freedom, but the waters dragged him along too quickly for him to make purchase. The chill set into his bones, and he felt heavy. His head felt tight, and he was beginning to feel dizzy. He tried to yowl for help, and water gushed into his lungs, making him cough as the water towed him along, smashing him repeatedly against the surface. His head cracked sharply against the ice, and he cried out, the sound swallowed into the murky water as everything started to feel black.
His eyes snapped open to an expanse of stars. But something felt keenly different. The sky was darker, somehow, not the navy blue he loved but a deep, pitch black, with menacing trees fringing the far fields of his vision, except for when he looked directly at them. A wry laugh made him spin around in panic, and he found himself face to face with a long-hair black she-cat. His first thought was she has my eyes followed immediately by I'm in danger.
"I should have known," she said, although it sounded much less like words and more like disembodied hissing, as if the noise didn't quite come from her, but from somewhere else, and her maw moving was only mere coincidence. "You were always the weakest of them, you know? I knew you'd never amount to much, Blazestar, but your father, he was such an idealist. And now look at you, playing leader as if it was ever a role meant for you. It wasn't fair of him to instill such false confidence in you! He should have let me kill you when you were still just a kit."
"My name is Badgerstar," he said, bewildered, scuttling backward in a circle as the she-cat rounded him lazily, as if she were hunting prey, "and I don't know who you are. Where's Dovestar? I'm losing a life, aren't I? Shouldn't she be here?"
"Dovestar?" The she-cat snorted. "Who is Dovestar? You're so deluded, you don't even remember your own name!" She tutted a little. "Or your own mother, although I suppose I can't be too disappointed about that." Her head cocked, and she smiled wryly, before she cast her gaze upward. "Oh, would you look at that. Time's up. Now, where were we? Oh yes. I do believe you were holding your breath."
Badgerstar's head broke above water, and he shuddered violently. His back slammed against a rock, and he yowled, before water flooded into his mouth again, and the current dragged him under. He wrestled his way back to the surface, coughing as the river carried him forward. "HELP!" He yowled, face whipped by the howling wind. His voice was being stolen, and the panic started to seep in again. He was going to die. He was going to lose the last of his lives, drowned by a river in the middle of a storm. Lionheart would see him in the Moonpool and she would rip him to shreds. His head ducked under the water again, and he swallowed another lungful of water, his head feeling dizzy as he flailed uselessly.
Suddenly, he heard something; his voice, disembodied, as if it were coming from far away. He shook his head, violently, trying to clear it from his ears. "No! No!" He said to himself. He didn't want to face that she-cat again, he didn't want answers to the questions she'd posed; at least, he didn't want them from her. He tried to swim the other way, but his limbs wouldn't work. And then he heard it again; clearer this time, and distinctly not that odd molly he had seen;
"Badgerstar!" Seconds later, something plunged into the water next to him, and teeth were digging into his scruff. Powerful legs heaved, dragging him further downstream slowly but surely, inching the pair of them across the river. With a great heave, the cat's powerful front legs dug into the steep bank, and with a wrench, sent Badgerstar flying up it, paws scrabbling weakly as he hit the dirt. His head turned, watching Longpaw washed back from the riverbank.
"No!" he cried, weakly, trying to struggle to his paws, but collapsing again. Seconds later, the younger tom resurfaced further down, hauling himself out of the water and shaking like a dog. "Badgerstar!" He called again, forcing his way through the wind to his leader. After looking him over for a moment, Longpaw sunk his teeth into his scruff again, towing him arduously toward the top of the riverbank, and to the forest's edge. He nestled him against some tree roots, kicking some of the foliage over him to keep him shielded from the wind.
"I'll be right back," Longpaw promised, before he turned and sprinted away into the wind, leaving Badgerstar alone. The snow set in again, wind howling around him as he laid there, breathing laboured and harsh. He could feel the energy fading from him again, miserable, wet and aching and utterly alone. He fought to keep his eyes opened, hoped and prayed that at any minute he would hear Longpaw return, with Lionheart in tow, and Maplefall too, but all he could see was white and rushing grey. Slowly, his eyes fluttered shut.
This time, he opened his eyes to Dovestar, standing over him, worried. "Badgerstar..." she murmured, touching her nose to his. He hauled himself to his feet, unsteady. "Who was she?" He asked, as Dovestar balked. "That cat- black, she said, mother? Killing I don't?" He crouched, squeezing his eyes shut. Dovestar's shocked silence was deafening. "Your mother?" She asked. "We sent her to the Dark Forest. She shouldn't- I'm sorry, Badgerstar, she shouldn't have been able to reach you."
"Why is she there? What did she do. Who is she? Who am I?" He looked up, but the visage of the white she-cat was nowhere to be seen. "Dovestar?" He yowled, rounding himself several times, frantic. "Who am I?"
This time, he woke with a start inside the warrior's den, with the rest of the clan pressed around him. "Take this," Goldleaf demanded gruffly, a herb pushed out to him. Blinking, he took it into his mouth, chewing obediently, even though it tasted bad. His strength began to return, and he looked around, surveying the clan. Beside him, Maplefall had pressed up against one side, and had been in the process of grooming him, and on the other, Lionheart, who looked frantically concerned and not angry at all.
On the other side of Lionheart, Ashenstrike had curled himself around her, and Flintburr was at his back, with his head resting on Lionheart's flank. Beside Ashenstrike was Roseclaw, with Dawnpaw and Duskpaw curled up together next to him, and then Fawnrunner and Stonepatch on their other side. Back to back with Stonepatch was Harrierstreak, who was grooming Longpaw. Longpaw was flanked by Boulderflame and Burrcall at his rear, Flowershine curled up with them too, while Shadowtail sat next to her, pressed shoulder to shoulder against Hawkthorn, who was curled up tightly with Acornstream, their kits nestled between them. Sootface was sitting on the other side of Dustfang, whose fluffy pelt bracketed Acornstream and Maplefall from each other, and brushed up against him lightly. Goldleaf settled in front of him, curling herself up closer to Lionheart, while Mousepaw clambered over the group to nestle close to Dawnpaw and Duskpaw, while within range of Harrierstreak. The energy of their collective heat thrummed through him, and he gave his clan a tired smile.
"Am I still in for that butt-kicking?" He asked Lionheart. She smiled, leaning forward to lick his forehead. "Oh, most definitely."

[ the clan consumes two rabbits and a vole
longpaw sets out on his warrior assessment! (longriver)
roseclaw, lionheart and duskpaw patrol & look for pinefeather
badgerstar, maplefall and ashenstrike patrol the borders
shadowtail teaches dawnpaw stalking
goldleaf and mousepaw babysit the kits
flintburr, hawkthorn, acornstream, flowershine, and harrierstreak hunt in the fields
dustfang, sootface, stonepatch, fawnrunner, boulderflame and burrcall hunt in the forest
all patrols return early as a storm sets in
-
stonepatch and fawnrunner become mates!
badgerstar loses two lives to drowning! he is saved by longpaw
goldleaf gives badgerstar and longpaw x1 tansy each to prevent them catching a cough [x2 tansy used]

notes: halfpaw + sedgepaw will become officially added to the clan next post
cats to find: novella (formerly kingdom of shattered bones) & pinefeather (any time) ]

affiliate clans wrote:ally clans;
echoclan | Katrione
hopeclan | adiebaby11

enemy clans;
none yet!

borders;
north | echoclan | Katrione
east | kingdom of shattered bones | vivere!
south | open | dm me!
west | open | dm me!

inventory wrote:medicine store;
catmint [3] | greencough
chervil [2] | wounds/aches
marigold [1] | wounds
tansy [1] | coughs
goldenrod [1] | wounds
catchweed [1] | poultices
poppy seeds [1] | pain
cobwebs [1] | bleeding
fennel [3] | pain
raspberry leaves [1] | kitting
ragwort leaves [1] | strength
alder bark [1] | toothache
beech leaves [1] | use ???
chickweed [3] | coughs
parsley [1] | bellyache
rosemary [1] | burial
willow bark [1] | pain

fresh-kill pile;
mouse | x2| 2 servings
vole | x3 | 3 servings
rabbit | x3 | 6 servings
bird | x3 | 9 servings
fish | x4 | 8 servings
squirrel | x4 | 8 servings
capacity: 36 servings (7 posts)

relationships wrote:mentors;
ashenstrike | longpaw [4]
↪ battle, hunting, climbing, swimming
shadowtail | dawnpaw [3]
↪ battle, hunting, swimming, skill
lionheart | duskpaw [3]
↪ battle, hunting, swimming, skill
flintburr | halfpaw [1]
↪ swimming (from prev. clan)

deceased cats;
none yet!

family/mates;
flintburr ♡ bluestripe
↪ halfpaw & sedgepaw
tawnycloud ♥ shrikecry
↪ shadowtail & hawkthorn
dustfang ♡ tanglestep
↪ boulderflame & burrcall
hawkthorn ♥ acornstream
↪ squirrelkit & woodkit
ripplebound ♡ junipernose
↪ dawnpaw & duskpaw
adopted by fawnrunner (m. aunt)
eagleleap ♡ dewfeather
↪ harrierstreak & mousepaw
badgerstar ♥ maplefall
↪ not expecting
cherryflower ♡ frostjaw
↪ roseclaw, russetwing, lionheart,
gingerstrike & dawnleap
roseclaw ♥ pinefeather (?)
stonepatch ♥ fawnrunner
↪ trying for kits!

My gallery · by **solyn** » Mon Sep 17, 2018 10:21 pm

set: during post 15
characters: lionheart & ashenstrike

Dragging herself back into the warrior's den might have been one of the most difficult tasks of Lionheart's life. Her bones ached, her muscles screamed with exhaustion, and her pelt felt whipped from the force of the wind. She shook the snow out of her pelt, making way for the rest of their patrols to scoot back inside, the cats quickly splitting off to find comfortable places to wait out the blizzard. One cat remained, staring at her cautiously and hopefully.
With an incline of her head, she beckoned Ashenstrike to the far corner of the den. The ground was cold here, and she found herself shivering. Much to her embarrassment, Ashenstrike seemed to have caught it, but she didn't move away when he settled down shoulder to shoulder with her, offering to share his warmth. They were both silent for a long while, before Lionheart let out a soft sigh, ears flattening back against her skull.
"Let's get one thing straight," she mewed, keeping her voice low, "I'm ready to talk to you, but I don't know if I'm ready to forgive you. I recognize that you were in a difficult situation, but you hurt me by allowing me to trust you when you knew I could get hurt. I don't know what I expected you to do instead, but that doesn't change the fact that I felt betrayed. I let you into my life, and I thought I knew you like you knew me... but it was all a lie."
"I'm sorry," Ashenstrike said, with a soft sigh, "I know that doesn't fix anything, but I'll do... anything to make it up to you. Lionheart, I really like you, and I hoped we could have had something and I know I've ruined it now but I still really, really do like you and it kills me to have to stay away from you. So anything you ask of me, I'll do it, even if that something is staying away from you. I-" he took a breath. "I love you. And I want you to be happy. If your happiness doesn't- can't include me anymore, I understand."
"I know," Lionheart's voice broke a little, and she cleared her throat, "and I thought I could have loved you, too. But that cat wasn't real. And even though you lied about where you came from, I'm not sure who you are is all that different. I just... I think I want to understand. So, tell me everything. Right from the beginning." Ashenstrike was shocked to find her amber eyes boring into him like dancing wildfires. He cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and leaned into the fall.
"I was born Stormkit of CragClan, to Viridianleap and Thunderwing. My mother- Viridianleap- everyone says that's where I got my eyes. They had trouble conceiving, so I was their only litter. It was me, my brother Lynxtooth, and our two younger siblings Lightningpaw and Cypresskit. The latter of which was stillborn. Lightningpaw got greencough when we were just apprentices, so after that it was just Lynxtooth and I. We were... competitive growing up, I guess is the best word. My dad was pretty demanding when it came to performance, and my mother was intense as well. Lynxtooth craved father's affection and approval, but he got overlooked because he was smaller than I was, and less charismatic."
"Sounds tumultuous," Lionheart mused, and Ashenstrike gave her a curious look, a cue to ask about her siblings. She'd never explained their dynamic, although she seemed to be very close with Roseclaw. Lionheart rolled her eyes. "I loved my siblings. Sometimes we argued, but at the end of the day we were never in competition. I can't imagine what it was like having a brother like Lynxtooth is the point, I guess."
"Not many can," his laugh was dry, humourless, "anyway, we grew up and life was pretty standard. And then, one day, father turned up with his throat cut. Soon after, mother went with grief. Everyone was nervous from the outset, of course. The prospect of a murderer was scary for everyone. And then another cat went, this time a pregnant queen, Silverblossom. She'd shunned Lynxtooth's advances and mated with another tom, so he killed her. The leader posted sentries outside the nursery. Then another warrior went, Silverblossom's mate, Talonpelt. The deputy started a task force of cats to investigate the deaths. I had... suspected, but I didn't want to believe it. And then, I saw him have a fight with his apprentice, Grousepaw. That night, the younger medicine cat Sprucetail found him and woke the clan, but shortly after, his mentor found him too with his belly cut up. Grousepaw had died, but apparently Sprucetail made it, and named Lynxtooth as the killer."
"But you had already killed him," Lionheart murmured, a recollection from the earlier version of events that she'd pieced together from his back and forth with Sootface. Ashenstrike nodded, his face clouded with pain. "Why did you do it? You said you suspected, but you didn't know. And you didn't say anything about being on the task force."
"I wasn't, but I think he knew they were closing in. Lynxtooth and I were never... not close. Didn't you ever wonder why I never had a mate?"
"Not really," Lionheart's tone was dry and sarcastic, and Ashenstrike snorted and told her that was rude.
"I didn't lie to you about that, I had... I don't know what I would call them. Flings? Silverblossom and I had liked each other when we were apprentices, and we talked about having a family one day, but then I found out Lynxtooth liked her, and I felt bad for him. Father always overlooked him, and he was awkward and shyer than I was, and so I backed off. Every time I got close to another cat, Lynxtooth would get bitter and sulky, and they would always decide it wasn't worth the effort of winning him over. I think, maybe, he thought it would make him look less suspicious if I went, since there was no reason for him to kill his best- and only- friend. And so he told me we should go for a walk, because all the death in the camp was making him upset. But he was... peppy? He walked too happily, which sounds weird, and then he was acting odd, he kept asking all these questions as if they were final, and then he started talking about fates and how I was the perfect son and... I suspected. And then he wouldn't look at me, and I kept asking him if something was wrong, but he... wouldn't say anything. He just kept talking about me stealing things from him, and then he turned around, really fast, and I panicked and lashed out, but he- he moved at the same time and I caught his throat, instead of his face."
"Ashenstrike," Lionheart's voice was surprisingly gentle, and he was shocked to find her forehead pressing against his cheek. "I'm sorry. I've been so caught up in how you hurt me, I didn't even think about how this must have hurt you. You've been hurting for moons, trying to act like this never happened. And... I'm sorry that I didn't consider your feelings. I think it was easier to hate you than it was to face that. But I. I just want you to know you didn't deserve to feel that. It wasn't an easy-fix situation. And even though you lied to me, I understand why you did. Breathe out, Ashenstrike. You've been holding it in for long enough now."
Somehow, he felt like all the air had been punched out of his lungs, and he let out a soft breath, that was just holding back a sob. Lionheart pressed closer, rubbing her head underneath his jaw. Ashenstrike leaned into her, tilting his head to nuzzle their foreheads together. He could feel eyes from further up the den, watching them, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Somehow, Lionheart had said some magic words that had alleviated the heavy feeling of guilt in his heart. The whole story being out in the open had brought some sense of clarity to his mind.
"I have been," he said, his voice choked, "I thought I killed an innocent cat- my innocent brother. And I didn't know how I could live with myself. I don't know what I wanted, but when I came across GroveClan, I thought- I thought I could restart. And then I met you, and every time we talked I felt guiltier lying to you, knowing that you trusted me, and knowing that I was letting you fall into a trap. But I liked being Ashenstrike too much, and I couldn't stop."
"I understand," Lionheart's voice was soft, her cheek pressed against his, "I wanted to pretend I didn't, but I do. I know it was a hard situation for you. It still hurt me, and it can't go back to exactly how it was, not yet at least, but we can fix it. I want to fix it. The clan needs you, and today, when I saw you going over the cliffside- I couldn't think about what we would do without you."
"Just say you love me already," he laughed, voice strangled in his throat.
"Don't flatter yourself," she smiled at him, licking his forehead, before nestling hers against his, "all I'm saying is that you're valuable to this clan. Whoever you were in a past life- that's a part of what makes you great. And we've been foolish to think that this changes anything. You lied. It hurt me. But I can see why you did it. I understand. Thank you for helping me to understand."
"You said GroveClan is big on second chances," he said, softly.
"I did say that," Lionheart whispered back, not moving her head away from his.
"How do you feel about third chances?" Lionheart snorted, her eyes narrowing.
"That depends. Do I get to know the real Ashenstrike this time?" The grey tom laughed, a little too loudly, and he nodded, exhaling again. Each exhale seemed to push more of the tension out of his body, although there was a little nagging feeling in the back of his brain that he couldn't quite rid himself off.
"I think I'm done being Stormgaze of CragClan in disguise," he said, "I want to be Ashenstrike of GroveClan now, and I want you to know him for who he is, flaws and all." Lionheart's gaze softened, and she pulled back finally, with a soft little nod of approval. He smiled back at her, shy, as if they were just meeting for the first time.
"I forgive you, then," she said, and Ashenstrike felt all negativity punched from his body in a single blow, "Ashenstrike of GroveClan."
"Can his first act be to tell you you have the most beautiful laugh he's ever heard?"
"It's your story, isn't it?" Lionheart purred, a little. "Why don't you decide?" Ashenstrike thought about it for all of a second, before he fixed a wry grin onto his maw, green eyes sparkling with impish delight.
"I promise I won't ask any more invasive questions about kits." Lionheart's laugh was loud enough to echo around the whole den.

My gallery · by **solyn** » Thu Sep 20, 2018 2:04 pm

𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐍 !!
# of cats; 28 (♀: 13 / ♂: 15)
servings consumed; 6 servings
next moonpool visit; any time

𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕠𝕟 𝕒𝕘𝕠,
For a few days, things had been anxious in the clan. After the blizzard had worn off, Badgerstar had returned to his nest with Maplefall and Lionheart, presumably to keep him warm. Clan life had gone on as per usual, although the prevailing feeling remained: Badgerstar wasn't out of the woods just yet, and losing another life so young could be devastating to the future of the clan. That was why, only a few days later, when Badgerstar dragged himself out of his den and onto highbranch, he already had the clan's attention before he spoke.
"All cats gather beneath Highbranch!" He yowled, and sure enough cats flocked from all corners of the camp. Stonepatch and Fawnrunner settled together, with Duskpaw and Dawnpaw near them. Harrierstreak and Longpaw were sitting with Goldleaf and Mousepaw, while Ashenstrike and Lionheart emerged from the nursery where they had been doing repairs. "We have a very special ceremony today," he purred, "Longpaw, step forward."
"But- but I didn't pass my assessment!" The young tom protested, squeaking a little as Harrierstreak nudged him forward enthusiastically. He didn't miss Ashenstrike's rumbling purr of pride, and he ducked his head bashfully as Badgerstar let out a little laugh. "You went above and beyond, Longpaw. I, Badgerstar, leader of GroveClan call upon my warrior ancestors to look upon this apprentice. He has trained hard to learn the ways of the code, and has shown that he understands it implicitly. I commend him to you as a warrior with glowing praise, as there is not a cat more suited to becoming a warrior than he is. Longpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect your clan, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do," Longpaw replied, still looking a little starstruck.
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Longpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Longriver. StarClan honours your bravery and your selflessness, and GroveClan will not forget that you risked your life to save mine. Longriver, without you, I wouldn't be here right now, and I cannot thank you enough for that. We welcome you as a full warrior of the clan." Cheers went up around the camp, Ashenstrike and Harrierstreak yowling loudest of all as Badgerstar climbed down from Highbranch, and crossed to Longriver.
"Thank you," the young tom whispered, looking extremely excited as Badgerstar rested his muzzle atop his head. "No, thank you Longriver. I owe you my life," Badgerstar replied, as the apprentice licked his shoulder. Then, taking a step back, Badgerstar lifted his maw to the sky and yowled the new warrior's name loudest of all.

★★★

"This is better, right?" Roseclaw mused with a chuckle, watching Duskpaw make a flying leap, sending snow flying everywhere as he landed heavily, drenching his mentor in snow. He gave Lionheart a sheepish smile, and she narrowed her eyes back at him, shaking her pelt and purring as she dislodged the snow directly back onto her apprentice. The old tom laughed, shaking his head a little as he moved forward, back to where he and Lionheart had been forced to turn back during the blizzard. His ears pricked forward.
"Lionheart, come and scent this," the she-cat grunted as snow swiped at her hit her square in the cheek, but she shook it away and bounded forward, with Duskpaw close behind her. She leaned in and sniffed carefully, before she whipped her head upward at Roseclaw, excitedly. "That's Pinefeather's scent!" She mewed, "and recent, too. He's travelling with someone though- see there- a different scent strain."
"I smell it!" Duskpaw said excitedly, beaming upward at his mentor. The she-cat straightened, and yowled Pinefeather's name. All three cats fell silent, listening to the word echo around them. And then, from somewhere deeper into the territory, a tentative echo came, more a question than a statement; "Lionheart?"
Roseclaw took off like a rocket with the other two close behind. "Pinefeather!" He called, as Lionheart nimbly leaped across a fallen log and overtook him, streaking out in front. Pinefeather's echoing response came back, gleeful this time, and closer. The patrol of cats kept sprinting toward the voice, when the sun was suddenly blocked out by a dark shape appearing on top of a log. In the brief second that it happened, Lionheart skidded to a halt, curling her body around Duskpaw and bracing for impact, but the cat soaring from the log was not interested in them.
With a gleeful laugh, Pinefeather landed square on top of his mate, sending the pair of them sprawling into the snow, before they had rolled to their paws and were winding around each other with rumbling purrs. The smaller burmese rubbed his head underneath Roseclaw's jaw, allowing the ginger and white tom to twine their tails as he let out another laugh, the merriest and most beautiful thing Duskpaw had ever heard.
"About time, my love," he purred, before his green eyes lit up in delight at spotting Lionheart, "oh, and you found Lionheart! My dear, look at you! You look absolutely wonderful!" Lionheart laughed, choked up, and she nudged Duskpaw forward as she bounded across to touch noses with Pinefeather, both cats purring intently. The brown tom crouched a little to touch noses with Duskpaw too, and the little tom returned his purr with all the force that he could.
"I missed you so much," Roseclaw's voice was wavering with emotion, "I was so worried about you, Pinefeather, especially with the blizzard that just set in. You have no idea how happy I am to see you." The tom laughed as his mate nuzzled the top of his head, large body almost enveloping the smaller one. "I might have some idea," he teased, before his eyes flicked around Lionheart, "oh, Halfpaw, do come here! Lionheart, Roseclaw, this is Halfpaw. We were travelling in the same direction, and we ended up holed up together during that blizzard. He's looking for his father."
The cats turned to see a slinky tom duck under the fallen log that Pinefeather had sprung from; white, with patches of tabby grey covering him. He glanced around the cats shyly. "Hello," Lionheart mewed, while Duskpaw tilted his head curiously. "You're a bit too old to be an apprentice, aren't you?"
"My clan caught some kind of disease and they died," Halfpaw mewed, ears flattening a little, "I came this way looking for my father and- did you uh, did someone say your name was Lionheart?" He asked, tilting his head at the ginger molly. She looked startled for a moment, so he prompted; "as in Lionheart of GroveClan?"
"That's me, yes." Halfpaw's face lit up, and he let out a tiny purr. "Flintburr is my father."

★★★

"Back so soon, Badgerstar? You must be slacking," Ashenstrike teased, hearing the rustle of the willow leaves. When he received no response, he turned from his repairs, ears shooting upward in alarm. The black cat who had slunk into camp was shielding a piebald little apprentice with a gash across her shoulder. Upon spotting Ashenstrike, the bigger she-cat hissed, hackles raising as Ashenstrike moved forward.
"Stay back," she warned, swiping at him once he was within paw-range. He skittered backward, a frown on his face. "Please, I just want to help," he tried, shifting forward again. The piebald apprentice shrank back, and the black she-cat swung at him again, catching him across the face with a sheathed paw. Ashenstrike backed off again, before he flicked a furtive gaze over his shoulder.
"Goldleaf," he called, trying to stay calm, but when he received no response, he tried again, terser this time, "Goldleaf-"
"I'm coming, Ashenstrike. I'm not some dog, don't try and whistle for me like a ratty old two-le-" she cut herself off as she ducked out of the medicine cat den, a curious Mousepaw at her side. The four she-cats stood, staring at each other, with Ashenstrike in the middle of them. "Goldleaf is the medicine cat," he said slowly, "she can help your friend." The black she-cat cast furtive glances between them, before she nodded and her posture relaxed, gently nudging the piebald forward. "This is Novella, she doesn't speak. Be careful with her, or I'll rip your ears off." Goldleaf hummed, unimpressed, as she beckoned the black and white cat forward. The mute she-cat took one step, face lighting up in alarm as her leg seemed to give out from under her. In a flash, Mousepaw was next to her, propping her up with her shoulder.
The two medicine cats helped her limp away, leaving Ashenstrike and the black molly staring at each other. "I'm Ashenstrike," he tried, eventually, and the she-cat flicked an ear. "Sedge," she replied, coolly, "and you're staring." Ashenstrike couldn't bring himself to feel admonished, as he tilted his head a little. "Sorry, you just... you look like someone I know. I mean, there's no point being vague, you look like Flintburr, one of the warriors in the clan." Sedge looked confused for a minute, like the name meant something to her but she couldn't place it.
"So... you're clan cats, right?" Ashenstrike nodded, and she seemed to ponder this. "What do you have to do to join a clan?"

★★★

The rest of the clan had gathered around the edges of camp, trying not to be so conspicuous about their spying on Flintburr. He stood in almost the dead center of the camp, looking bewildered, face to face with his son. "You... look so much like your mother," he murmured, and Halfpaw ducked his head shyly, before he cast an awestruck glance back at his father. "How did you know to come here? I haven't- I haven't seen you since you were born."
"Freckleheart told me about you," Halfpaw mewed, "so when the clan fell, I thought- well, I guess I thought you'd welcome me." He ducked his head again, and Flintburr moved forward, hesitated, and then shifted forward again, to touch his nose to his forehead. "Of course I would welcome you," he said, gently, "Halfpaw, I've been waiting for news of you and your mother for moons. I'm so happy to have you here with me." Purring, the smaller tom leaned into his father's touch, before pressing into him properly, settling against his chest and leaning in to his thick, black fur.
"There's someone else you should meet," came Ashenstrike's voice from the medicine cat den. He paused, turning to huff at whoever was behind him in the den. "Don't be like that, I'm almost positive I'm right." He took a step to the side, and Flintburr cocked his head curiously, before his eyes widened as the she-cat slipped out into the daylight. Their eyes met, and there was a long moment of silence.
"Sootkit."
"My name is Sedge," she said, glowering at Ashenstrike, "this is stupid, I told you it wasn't-"
"You have a daughter, right, Flintburr?" Ashenstrike mewed, and Flintburr nodded, "and he hasn't seen you since you were born. You don't remember him, or a clan at all. You say you were raised by a loner who named you Sedge. And you have to admit that you look alike. Come on." He nodded toward Flintburr, and Sedge hesitated, before she glowered at the grey tabby and took a step forward, tentatively. Flintburr stood, and she understood what he meant.
It was possible, she supposed, that this was her father. Which would make the bi-coloured tom her brother. It made sense, from what Ashenstrike had said, and the tom sure seemed to recognize her. They stopped in front of one another, their noses almost touching. Sedge watched his amber eyes as they saddened, and he closed them, briefly with a shudder. "I... I had always hoped I'd be able to see you grow up," he said softly, "and you've both grown up without me. Soo- Sedge, I'm so sorry. I wish I could have been there for you."
"It's not your fault," she said, after a moment of silence, "Ashenstrike said you'd been asking for news. I guess it makes sense that you wouldn't have heard anything if my clan disbanded." She was quiet again, before she said; "Are you sure I'm your daughter?" Flintburr let out a choked laugh, and he nodded. "Yes, I'd recognize that stubbornness anywhere. And you have my eyes. I knew it was you from the moment I saw you."
"I'm staying," she said, "and... I think I'd like to get to know you. I never... had any family. And now I have a father. And a brother." Halfpaw purred a little, taking a step forward. He leaned in, and lightly touched their noses together. "I'm happy to have my sister back," he mewed, and Sedge gave a wry smile, before she and Flintburr too touched noses. She was startled backward by a white-blazed tom popping up almost virtually between them.
"Well! I guess we're going to need to have some apprentice ceremonies for these new cats. I'll have to make Sedge into Sedgepaw and Novella will need a warrior n-"
"No," Sedge said, firmly, "I'll take on a warrior name, but Novella doesn't need any more change in her life right now. She's gone through a lot, anyone can see that. She needs something familiar to hold onto." Badgerstar cast a curious look at Sedge, and then at Flintburr, before he nodded. "Okay then, Novella stays Novella. As for you, Sedge. As you join GroveClan, you will be known as Sedgepaw. You will be mentored by Ashenstrike."
"What?" He blinked, and Badgerstar gave him a warm look. "Ashenstrike has made some mistakes in the past," he mewed, "but he is a kind cat with a good heart. He is resilient and determined, and I hope that he will pass on everything that he knows to you. Now touch noses!" Sedgepaw gave the bewildered Ashenstrike an amused look, before she moved forward, and lightly touched noses with him. The rest of the clan sent up a cheer, and Badgerstar chuckled a little, as Flintburr shook his head.
"As for Halfpaw, you will take on a new mentor in GroveClan. Your father, Flintburr, will be your mentor. Flintburr, you have proven yourself to be loyal, level-headed and incredibly intelligent. I know that the arrival of your children is something you have dreamed about for a long time, so I hope that you will pass on everything you know to your son." Flintburr and Halfpaw touched noses, with warm smiles. "Flowershine," he called, watching the gold molly appear, "you were GroveClan's first apprentice. When you came here, you were scared and uncertain. There is now another cat that needs you. You have shown yourself to be good-hearted and compassionate, and when Novella is ready for training, I know you will help her to learn everything she needs to."

𝕥𝕠𝕕𝕒𝕪,
Novella lay calmly in the shadow of the apprentice's den. GroveClan was nice enough, she supposed, even if the weather was kind of odd. One minute it could be clear blue skies, and the next it was pouring with rain. At least some of the snow had melted since she'd first made her appearance in the clan a moon ago. Out in the camp center, Duskpaw and Dawnpaw were tumbling over one another, the ginger molly tugging on her brother's ear, making him yowl.
Her heart ached for her own brother, across the border in the Kingdom. I hope he's okay, she thought to herself, jaw grating in worry. She jumped a little as a shape sat down next to her- the medicine cat apprentice, Mousepaw. Novella liked Mousepaw; she wasn't as high-energy as the warrior apprentices, and she always phrased questions in a way that Novella found simple to respond to. "Is your shoulder holding up alright?" Mousepaw asked, and Novella nodded, shifting a little so that Mousepaw could inspect the wound. Erasmus' gash had healed up quickly, with the treatment from Mousepaw and her mentor, Goldleaf. While Novella found Mousepaw to be an enjoyable presence, Goldleaf scared her.
"All cats gather below Highbranch!" Badgerstar's yowl cut through their conversation, what little of it could be called that, and the two young she-cats shuffled closer as the clan began to gather underneath the branch. Acornstream and Hawkthorn emerged, shepherding their kits along in front of them. Once the clan had settled, Badgerstar began his ceremony.
"Squirrelkit, you have reached the age of six moons and it is time for you to become an apprentice. From this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Squirrelpaw. Your mentor will be Dustfang. I know he will pass down all he knows to you. Dustfang," the shaggy grey warrior stepped forward, "you have shown yourself to be diligent, patient and wise. I have faith that you will teach these skills to Squirrelpaw." The clan cheered as the two toms touched noses, before Squirrelpaw quickly moved back toward his parents.
"Woodkit, you too have reached six moons of age, and so you will become an apprentice too. Until you receive your warrior name, GroveClan will know you as Woodpaw, and I will mentor you." Woodpaw squealed in excitement, causing Badgerstar to giggle. "Woodpaw, I promise that I will teach you all that I know, and I hope that you will accept me as your mentor." The clan cheered again as he climbed down from Highbranch to touch noses with Woodpaw.
"He's so different now," Flowershine's amused voice made Novella jump, skittering closer to Mousepaw. The littler she-cat blinked curiously at the warrior. "You were GroveClan's first apprentice, right?" She mewed, and Flowershine nodded, with a nostalgic purr. "Badgerstar was so uncertain during my apprentice ceremony, so afraid that he'd make a mistake. It's nice to see him confident in his own abilities now, I don't think he's matched an apprentice with an incompatible mentor, ever." Novella gave Flowershine a shy smile, and the she-cat returned her smile with a purr.
"You're in for a treat, Novella, we get to train with Lionheart today. Now you'll be able to see what it was like when I was an apprentice."
"Not much different from having Goldleaf for a mentor, I presume," Mousepaw said, with a chuckle. A yowl of her name jolted her, and she stood. "Gotta go. Bye Flowershine, bye Novella!" She touched her nose to Novella's cheek, before she was bounding off, pausing briefly to nod in acknowledgement of Novella's tail wave, before she was continuing on toward Goldleaf. Novella turned a curious gaze to Flowershine, worry hiding just behind her eyes.
"Don't worry," Flowershine said with a laugh, "Lionheart is a lot softer than she pretends not to be."

★★★

Everywhere was mostly covered with snow, and the sun in the sky was melting it away, so Novella felt uncomfortably damp as she and Duskpaw split away from the group of apprentices with their mentors. It had been good to have a refresher in terms of hunting techniques, and she was excited to learn some more advanced maneuvers, especially from the clan deputy. Lionheart, she had figured out, would be to Badgerstar what Erasmus was to Dante, only Lionheart was much nicer. Tall, stocky and a little cranky looking, sure, but she was patient with the young grey tom with who she was training.
"Duskpaw, you know you have to be quiet all you'll scare off all the prey," she teased with a rumbling purr, as Duskpaw let out a laugh and shook his head, dislodging a glob of snow from behind his ear. "Come oooon, we're not even catching any real prey right now! Besides, Novella likes it when I talk, right?" She startled at being put on the spot, before she shrugged, sheepishly, and Duskpaw gasped, dramatically, flopping sideways into the snow. "Novella," he whined, "I thought we were friends." Novella couldn't help but smile at Duskpaw's dramatics, glad that both of their mentors were laughing.
"Come on, Duskpaw," Flowershine mewed with a purr, "the best apprentice gets the juciest mouse in the fresh-kill pile." The grey tom rocketed to his feet almost immediately. "That's going to be me! Get ready to eat my dust Novella!" The little she-cat stuck her tongue out at Duskpaw, startling as he flicked a little bit of snow at her. She glanced to Flowershine for guidance, and the she-cat nodded to him with a wink. Novella reared up on her back paws, and came down hard on her front ones, spraying Duskpaw with a shower of white.
Flowershine and Lionheart dissolved into laugher, and after a moment of stunned silence, Duskpaw started to laugh too, Novella's tail kinking above her back as a smile overtook her maw, glancing around the small group. Lionheart finally pushed herself into a crouch. "Okay okay, enough of that. Pay close attention now, both of you."

★★★

"So how did you two meet?" Burrcall asked, trotting alongside the toms leading the border patrol. Even though Roseclaw had been assigned to lead it by Lionheart, Pinefeather had stuck close by his side the entire time. So far, from what everyone had seen of them, the pair seemed to be inseparable, with the smaller burmese tom practically glued to his ginger mate's side. They exchanged a glance, before Pinefeather purred.
"Well," he began, "Roseclaw was this big, sulky apprentice when I came to the clan. My two-leg died, and I ran away from the house when other two-legs tried to take me away. And so the clan made me an apprentice, and Roseclaw was about to become a warrior, so I demanded that he help me catch up so that I wouldn't be so far behind in my training. He was very patient with me, and we sort of danced around our attraction for a long time, until a queen died from greencough, and I decided to foster her kits."
"He made such a good father," Roseclaw mewed, "I sat with him in the nursery- and Lionheart was there too, at that time, so it helped- and we decided to become mates. Those kits felt like our own, since we couldn't have them biologically. But ever since then, Pinefeather and I have been a team, isn't that right?"
"That's right. It's what I used to convince this big sap to leave me in the mountains so he didn't die," Maplefall laughed a little at Roseclaw's indignant huff, and Pinefeather purred smugly. "Oh, please darling, don't be like that. I knew that us being a team would get to him- I knew he trusted me to get back to him, no matter what, and I certainly wasn't going to die without seeing such a handsome face one last time."
"You," Roseclaw mewed, knocking his mate's shoulder, "are a menace." Pinefeather preened, and shot the two she-cats a wink, making both of them laugh. "I think it's cute," Maplefall declared, "and we're really glad to have you around, Pinefeather. We heard so much about you from Roseclaw and Lionheart over the past couple of moons."
"Sentimental, are we?" Pinefeather teased his mate, earning himself a fond nip on the ear. "You seemed really cool from what they said about you. Is it true that you clawed a fox so badly that it moved out of your territory?" Pinefeather thought about that, and then nodded. "And is it true that you once beat Lionheart in a spar?" Another nod. "And that you once sprinted vertically up a tree trunk and then twisted around midair to catch a squirrel before landing on all four paws?" Burrcall's tone was distinctly over-excited, and Pinefeather couldn't help but laugh. "Roseclaw sure did talk me up a lot."
"Because I love you!" He protested, placated as his mate dragged his tail under his jaw. "I did do all of those things yes, although the last one was very dangerous, a little bit idiotic and only worked on a fluke. But it still looked cool." Maplefall laughed again, her tail kinking over her back. "I like you, Pinefeather. I'm glad the pair of you decided to stay with the clan."
"But of course, darling, neither of us would ever dream of abandoning dear Lionheart. And deputy, too? I'm so proud of her, you must feel so lucky to have her." Maplefall nodded, cheerily. "Oh, we do. I don't know where we'd be without her. She's been a great friend to me, ever since I've known her. It seems like she was a good friend to you, too. You seem close." Pinefeather nodded a little, with a hum. "Of course we're close. Lionheart is very dear to me, plus she's the only one of Roseclaw's siblings who ever had a shred of humour in her body."
"Hey, come on, that's not true," Roseclaw protested, and Pinefeather fixed him with an amused look, "Russetwing was crankier than you were, Gingerstrike was incredibly standoffish and I never heard Dawnleap laugh once in the entire time that I knew her. Lionheart, on the other hand? Very lovely she-cat. Am I right?"
"You're right," Burrcall enthused, and Maplefall nodded her agreement. "See? I'm right," Pinefeather purred, ducking out of the way of another nip and sticking his tongue out at his mate. "You're awful," Roseclaw said, with a laugh, pressing close against him and nuzzling their noses together, "and I'm so glad that I have you."

★★★

Dawnpaw and Boulderflame loped along together at a reasonable pace, watching the three older cats streak along at break-neck speed, Acornstream's long fur flowing in the wind. Nimbly, she pushed off of the ground, landed momentarily on top of a fallen log and kept going. Shadowtail followed suit, while Hawkthorn ducked low to the ground and slipped through the gap under the log. As the younger two followed them, they found them paused on the other side, Acornstream and Hawkthorn nuzzling each other contentedly.
"It's good to have you back, my love," Hawkthorn mewed, and Shadowtail twined around the pair of them happily. "It feels just like old times, doesn't it? Dream team!" Dawnpaw laughed a little at her mentor's enthusiasm, and Acornstream's purring became even louder as she leaned into her mate. "It's good to be back. I loved looking after our kits but by StarClan did I miss hunting with the rest of the clan. I can't wait to be active again!"
"So no second litter in the near future?" Boulderflame asked, and the mated pair exchanged looks, before Hawkthorn shrugged. "Maybe when newleaf, or greenleaf roll around. For now, I think Acornstream deserves some time to herself. Besides, I want my mate to be around more too." He nudged her shoulder with his, and she tucked her head under his jaw, purring relentlessly. "You guys are so cute," Dawnpaw sighed, tail kinking over her back. Boulderflame was quiet for a moment, before he asked: "how did you two get together?"
"Well," Acornstream blinked, "Hawkthorn and I were friends, and I thought he was cute. I guess our friends kind of let us know that we liked each other, and then he asked me to be his mate? Why, is there someone on your mind, Boulderflame?" The tom-cat let out a sigh and he nodded. "I really like Flowershine, but I feel like she thinks I'm just some immature kit, since I just became a warrior you know? Plus she was already a pretty senior apprentice before me."
"Don't write yourself off," Hawkthorn mewed, "just talk to her, you might surprise yourself with the results. I'm sure Flowershine thinks you're great." Shadowtail mumbled; "bold words from someone who froze up every time he tried to talk to Acornstream." Her brother glowered at her, and she smiled back at him smugly. Laughing, Acornstream nodded. "Exactly. Besides, you shouldn't be too shy to tell someone how you feel. Isn't that right, Shadowtail?" The brown tabby molly stuck her tongue out at her friend. "I don't know what you're talking about," she mewed evasively, and Boulderflame purred. "Please, everyone knows you like my dad," he laughed at Shadowtail's startled expression, "don't worry, we didn't say anything to him, but we think you'd be good for him."
"You're all really intent on making me admit I like Dustfang," she grumbled, before her face softened a little, and she sighed. "Okay, yeah, I do like him- but it's not that important! What's important is that there's young love in the clan and we should be focusing on getting them together!"
"No, don't make this about me, this is about you and dad!"
"You made it about you first when you told us about Flowershine!"
"Yeah well it's about you now because this pining has gone on for long enough!"
"Well I can pine for a little longer because Dustfang needs time and second of all-" Hawkthorn, Acornstream and Dawnpaw exchanged amused looks, the little ginger she-cat giggling to herself as the pair of them bickered. "Looks like we have a lot of matchmaking to do," she mused, and the pair of mates gave twin long-suffering sighs, before they dissolved into laughter.

★★★

"So no luck with kits, huh?" Harrierstreak asked, nimbly stepping around some debris that had washed up during the blizzard. Longriver steadied him, ears pricked forward at Fawnrunner and Stonepatch. The brown tabby molly nodded, with a soft huff. "That's okay though, it probably would have been dangerous to kit during Leafbare anyway. We'd be better trying to start a family in newleaf, isn't that right?" Stonepatch nodded, bending to touch his nose to Fawnrunner's forehead.
"I think it's sweet that you paired off now," Longriver offered, "it's been nice seeing all these romances pop up. Badgerstar and Maplefall, Lionheart and Ashenstrike, Shadowtail and Dustfang, you two, Roseclaw and Pinefeather of course... I feel like newleaf is going to be exciting!"
"Well, if all us mollies are having kits in newleaf, you might end up having an apprentice, Longriver," Fawnrunner purred, making the tom duck his head a little. "Oh, I don't know if I'm ready for that. I mean, I only just became a warrior, I'm not sure if I would make a very good mentor." Harrierstreak nudged him with his shoulder. "Uh, yeah you would? You plunged into a raging river to save Badgerstar even though he's bigger than you and everything. You risked your life for him! Plus, you're really sweet and patient and any apprentice would be lucky to have you as a mentor."
"You're just saying that!" Longriver protested, huffing as his friend winked and shook his head firmly. Stonepatch let out a rumbling chuckle, before blinking at Sootface up ahead, who had stopped to watch them with a quizzical look. "We're coming," he assured the tom, who simply rolled his eyes and continued on his way around the lake. "It must be hard, being Sootface," Longriver said sympathetically, "he seemed really nice when we first met him, but he's been sulking a lot since he got here."
"I guess it would be hard to see a familiar face and end up entrenched in some drama," Harrierstreak suggested, glancing at Longriver, "what's up with you and Ashenstrike anyway? You don't talk about him much anymore." The younger tom shrugged, shuffling his paws a little. "I forgave him, but we don't really see each other much since he's not my mentor anymore. And I'm kind of always hanging out with you."
"Well stop hanging out with me and hang out with Ashenstrike more!" Harrierstreak exclaimed, before thinking on it. "Actually, keep hanging out with me a little. You're good company." Longriver rolled his eyes, nudging Harrierstreak with his shoulder. "Oh yeah, I'd love to keep hanging out with the tom who would have named me Longlegs!"
"It was a joke!" Harrierstreak protested, bounding after Longriver as the grey tabby cat shot off after Sootface. Laughing, Fawnrunner watched them go, before she turned her face to blink at Stonepatch. The tom was looking at her fondly, and she laughed again. "What?"
"Nothing," he said, shaking his head, "I just wanted to check that you're really okay. About... not being pregnant, I mean." Fawnrunner thought about it for a second. "The important thing is that we're together," she mewed, "I'm excited to start a family with you, so it stings a little since I had my hopes up... but it makes sense because it is Leafbare. I'm okay though, really." Stonepatch touched his nose to hers with a little purr. "I can't wait to start a family with you too, Fawnrunner, but your safety is more important to me than kits, okay?"
"Okay," she mewed, eyes tracking the sprinting young toms, "but... I trust Goldleaf. And I want to be a mother to your kits. I don't really want to wait." She blinked up at her mate, and he let out a rumbling little purr, nodding slowly. "Okay. If you're sure, we can start our family now."

[ goldleaf uses x1 marigold on novella's wounds
-
the clan consumes two birds
all mentors teach their apprentices hunting (advanced for duskpaw and novella)
shadowtail, hawkthorn, acornstream, dawnpaw and boulderflame hunt in the forest
sootface, longriver, harrierstreak, stonepatch and fawnrunner hunt near the lake
roseclaw, burrcall, maplefall and pinefeather patrol the borders
goldleaf and mousepaw look for greencough herbs
stonepatch and fawnrunner try for kits again ]

affiliate clans wrote:ally clans;
echoclan | Katrione
hopeclan | adiebaby11

enemy clans;
none yet!

borders;
north | echoclan | Katrione
east | kingdom of shattered bones | vivere!
south | open | dm me!
west | open | dm me!

inventory wrote:medicine store;
catmint [3] | greencough
chervil [2] | wounds/aches
marigold [0] | wounds
tansy [1] | coughs
goldenrod [1] | wounds
catchweed [1] | poultices
poppy seeds [1] | pain
cobwebs [1] | bleeding
fennel [3] | pain
raspberry leaves [1] | kitting
ragwort leaves [1] | strength
alder bark [1] | toothache
beech leaves [1] | use ???
chickweed [3] | coughs
parsley [1] | bellyache
rosemary [1] | burial
willow bark [1] | pain

fresh-kill pile;
mouse | x2| 2 servings
vole | x4 | 4 servings
rabbit | x5 | 10 servings
bird | x1 | 3 servings
fish | x4 | 8 servings
squirrel | x4 | 8 servings
capacity: 32 servings (5 posts)

relationships wrote:mentors;
shadowtail | dawnpaw [4]
↪ battle, hunting, swimming, stalking
lionheart | duskpaw [4]
↪ battle, hunting, swimming, adv. hunt
flintburr | halfpaw [2]
↪ swimming, hunting, skill, skill
ashenstrike | sedgepaw [1]
↪ hunting, skill, skill, skill
flowershine | novella [3]
↪ hunting, battle, adv. hunt, skill
dustfang | squirrelpaw [1]
↪ hunting, skill, skill, skill
badgerstar | woodpaw [1]
↪ hunting, skill, skill, skill

deceased cats;
none yet!

family/mates;
flintburr ♡ bluestripe
↪ halfpaw & sedgepaw
tawnycloud ♥ shrikecry
↪ shadowtail & hawkthorn
dustfang ♡ tanglestep
↪ boulderflame & burrcall
hawkthorn ♥ acornstream
↪ squirrelkit & woodkit
ripplebound ♡ junipernose
↪ dawnpaw & duskpaw
adopted by fawnrunner (m. aunt)
eagleleap ♡ dewfeather
↪ harrierstreak & mousepaw
badgerstar ♥ maplefall
↪ not expecting
cherryflower ♡ frostjaw
↪ roseclaw, russetwing, lionheart,
gingerstrike & dawnleap
roseclaw ♥ pinefeather
stonepatch ♥ fawnrunner
↪ trying for kits again!

My gallery · by **solyn** » Sun Sep 23, 2018 11:59 am

𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐍 !!
# of cats; 28 (♀: 13 / ♂: 15)
servings consumed; 6 servings
next moonpool visit; any time

𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕠𝕟 𝕒𝕘𝕠,
Dusk fell over the GroveClan camp, cats gathered around the camp in various patches of snow. Sometimes, the sun would peak through the Leafbare clouds, and even as the temperature dropped away, the last golden rays were a welcome comfort to the cats weary from a day's work. Lionheart stretched out, muscular frame pinning Ashenstrike's against the Leader's tree and making him wheeze in half-amusement, half-pain.
"It was nice to have a calm moon," Lionheart remarked with a sigh, and Ashenstrike snorted, smiling sheepishly at Roseclaw and Pinefeather as they settled in next to the pair. The two gingers touched noses, and Lionheart let out a rippling purr, laughing as Pinefeather flopped all but on top of her. "Truly. I was worried that you'd gone and sought out the most difficult place to live, as you seem rather apt to do." He teased, and Lionheart flicked snow at him.
"How are you settling in?" Ashenstrike asked conversationally as the burmese tom settled himself against Roseclaw's flank, purring as his mate began to groom him carefully. "Oh, just fine! The snow is a little daunting, but the company is too good to pass up, my dear Ashenstrike. Besides, I'm just so elated to be with Roseclaw and Lionheart again, my two favourite gingers in the entire universe."
"I should hope so," Lionheart purred, narrowing her eyes, "since someone was a particular pain in the flank when he wasn't even pregnant and I stood by his side through all of his pesky demands." Pinefeather let out a loud laugh, so loud that Hawkthorn and Acornstream looked up from where they were grooming their kits with Duskpaw and Dawnpaw tumbling nearby. With a snort, Pinefeather shook his head. "Oh yes, if not for you I'm sure that Cranberrytuft would have ripped my ears off. You were such a darling mediator."
"I can't imagine that," Ashenstrike teased, "she's so hot-headed." The ginger molly rolled her eyes, flicking the grey tom with her tail so hard that he sputtered. She gave her brother and his mate a smug look, the two of them dissolving into laughter. "What's so funny?" Maplefall's voice called as she and Badgerstar approached, the black tom's head tilted curiously. "Ashenstrike thinks Lionheart is hot-headed," Roseclaw informed them, looking amused.
"No!" Badgerstar gasped. "Our Lionheart? Hot-headed?" He nimbly bounced out of the way of the snow flicked at him, before he settled down near to Lionheart and let Maplefall curl against him. "I don't suppose she's any more impulsive than you are, Ashenstrike," Maplefall teased, making the grey tom sputter. "I'd second that," came Flintburr's mew, as he approached, with Halfpaw bouncing alongside him. Ashenstrike's green eyes searched for another fluffy black pelt, but only found Boulderflame, rolling about in the snow as if demonstrating some sort of fighting technique to his sister and Flowershine, while Shadowtail and Dustfang looked on.
"Excuse me a moment, I have to go lick my wounds," Ashenstrike sniffed, shifting a little to give Lionheart warning, before he carefully extracted himself from the group. When they were no longer looking at him, he switched course from the warrior's den and ducked into the apprentice's instead. Sure enough, Sedgepaw sat alone in the far corner, curled up in her nest. "You know, clan life isn't any fun when you sulk in your nest all the time."
"I'm not sulking," she snapped, which just made Ashenstrike chuckle as he approached, carefully picking his way through the nests to make sure he didn't mess up any occupied ones. "Okay, then what are you doing?" He crouched, keeping his paws warm under his body as he blinked at his apprentice. Finally, she sat up, shaking her pelt out with a shrug. "I don't know. I guess it just feels like I don't know anyone, so I guess they wouldn't want me around."
"That's not really how clans work," Ashenstrike said, gently, "the whole entire point is you get to know everycat. Some you'll get along with, some you won't, but clans give you an opportunity to try. And besides, you do know cats. You know Novella- you helped her get here after all. And you know me, and your dad is out there too." Segdepaw's glowing amber eyes turned to face him, and he gave her another encouraging smile. "I know it must be tough for you, but Flintburr has been good to me, Sedgepaw. I know he missed you, and it would mean the world to him if you'd at least try to get to know him."
There was a silence, before Sedgepaw let out a sigh, and nodded, fixing him with a determined half-smile. Ashenstrike stood, and together, the pair of them exited the apprentices' den. They made their way back toward the group, and Lionheart shifted forward so that Ashenstrike could fit himself around her again, relishing in the way the warmth of her pelt sunk into her own. Sedgepaw stood awkwardly at the edge of the semi-circle, glancing furtively at Flintburr and Halfpaw.
"I hope Ashenstrike isn't teaching you the same nonsense he taught Longriver," Lionheart teased, and Ashenstrike nipped the tip of her ear in a huffy manner. Sedgepaw's eyes widened a bit, and she laughed. "Wait, you trained the apprentice who jumped in the river to save Badgerstar? No wonder he had so little brains." Flintburr laughed, and Ashenstrike sputtered, before a voice piped up from behind them: "what's this about me not having any brains?"
"You jumped in a rapid river to rescue a cat who is a fair amount bigger than you," Harrierstreak reminded him. Sedgepaw ducked her head shyly. "It was brave... but dumb." Longriver laughed, nodding emphatically. "Yeah, you're right. I'd do it again in a heartbeat though. Ashenstrike taught me that sometimes things are worth getting into a bit of trouble for." He gave his mentor a warm smile, and Ashenstrike smiled back, motioning for Longriver and Harrierstreak to get comfortable. And so they did, the pair of them pressed closed together.
"You can sit if you want," Halfpaw's voice cut through, and all eyes turned to a stunned Sedgepaw. The smaller tom curled himself up a little to make room for her next to their father, and next to him. She hesitated, shooting a nervous look at Ashenstrike, before he nodded to her with an encouraging smile. Shyly, she nodded her head, padding closer to settle down next to her father and brother. Instantly, Halfpaw turned and began to groom her, and she let out a startled laugh.
"In all seriousness, I'm sure Ashenstrike is teaching you great things," Flintburr said, with a fond smile at his two children. Sedgepaw nodded. "He's a great teacher, although there's some things that I just want to learn from my dad."

𝕥𝕠𝕕𝕒𝕪,
"You must be excited!" Duskpaw enthused, winding around Stonepatch with practiced ease. Lionheart watched him blabbering away with a fond smile. It seemed like just yesterday Duskpaw had been a kit the size of her foreleg, and now he was almost full-grown, and would be taking his warrior assessment in a moon. Stonepatch laughed, nimbly hopping around the apprentice. "I am," he said, before he shoulder-checked the grey tabby hard enough to send him flying, "although if my kits are anything like you were I'll have my paws full."
"Hey!" Duskpaw sat up, shaking the snow out of his pelt as the two ginger cats laughed. Sheepishly, he ducked his head, pushing himself to his paws. "Okay, I suppose that's a fair point. But I'm excited for you! I'm going to be an uncle! Kind of! Like a cousin but also not a cousin but also like an uncle and not an uncle.... weird!" Lionheart let out an amused purr. "They'll have great role models," she said, and Duskpaw stuck his tongue out at her, before he flounced ahead to sniff at something.
"Really, Stonepatch, the clan is very excited for you and Fawnrunner. We know you're going to make great parents." The patched tom ducked his head shyly, before his ears pricked up and a yelp from Duskpaw. The rest of the patrol surged forward, crowding around a dip where Duskpaw was sitting up, shaking the snow out of his pelt. "Misstepped! Don't worry about me!" He called, beginning to bound back up toward the patrol. As he breached the top of the hill, Lionheart reached out to groom the last of the snow from between his ears. "Stonepatch is right, if his kits are anything like you are now, he really is going to have his paws full."

★★★

Flintburr slammed into Ashenstrike hard, sending the grey tom off balance. His shoulder hit the ground, and he bounced, using the momentum to flip himself onto his feet. His claws unsheathed momentarily to gain traction on the ground, before he launched back at Flintburr, claws sheathed again to batter at his face. For an older tom, Flintburr moved fluidly, much faster than Ashenstrike had expected him to. In fact, he was caught off guard as Flintburr ducked a clip to the ears, and instead swiped a paw at his legs. He could feel himself wobbling, before two solid paws caught him in the chest, knocking him fully off balance.
He hissed as he hit the ground, Flintburr on top of him. Proud, the black tom turned his gaze to the two apprentices watching. "Did you get that?" he asked, making Ashenstrike laugh. "I think it was a little advanced, Flintburr," he prompted, gently wiggling his way out from under the older tom. "No, I think I got it," Sedgepaw mewed, getting up from the spot where she had been seated next to Halfpaw. Her brother watched her with curiosity, as Flintburr dipped away to leave her facing off with her mentor.
Ashenstrike squared himself, as Sedgepaw readied across the clearing. She leaped at him, and he started to side-step to the left, when Sedgepaw landed in front of him, shoulder-charging his legs and sending him sprawling. Two black paws landed on his chest, pinning him to the forest floor again. Flintburr yowled with laughter, and Halfpaw let out a pleased purr next to him, as Sedgepaw gave her mentor a devious smirk and let him up. "Okay... okay, not bad. Sit down, show-off," he teased, but the pleased tone to his voice made Segdepaw purr. The pair of them replaced Halfpaw and Flintburr as the two toms repeated the same little show-down, although Halfpaw's movements were significantly more clumsy and unsure than his sister's.
"Where'd you learn to fight like that?" Ashenstrike asked, watching the father-son duo face off. "I kind of had to learn? I was surviving on my own for a long time, it sort of became necessary when little baby foxes came sniffing around, or another lone cat wanted in on my kill. I don't mind this though, the clan has unique ways of fighting, and... I like spending time with my father. It's weird to actually have one, but I kind of like it. And I like spending time with you."
"So if Flintburr's your dad, and I'm the sage older figure who gives you wise advice, what does that make me?" Sedgepaw wrinkled her nose, deep in thought. "Liiiike... the weird uncle, I guess." Ashenstrike nudged her shoulder with his, and she laughed a little, before the pair of them turned their attention back to Halfpaw and Flintburr just in time to see the former pin the latter to the ground, triumphantly.
"Nice going Halfpaw," Ashenstrike enthused, and Sedgepaw nodded. Flintburr's rumbling purr spoke for itself, as his son let him up, and the four of them converged again. "Alright, now that you've got the hang of a basic pinning maneuver, Ashenstrike and I will teach you how to escape a pin, should you ever lose one of those face-offs." Sedgepaw and Halfpaw nodded attentively as their mentors backed up a little to give themselves space. A quick conversation with just their eyes and they had the specifics worked out. Ashenstrike started with a paw on Flintburr's throat and the other on his chest, holding him down.
Flintburr moved quickly this time too, bringing a paw up to bat at Ashenstrike's face, before both back paws pushed against his stomach at the same time that Flintburr rolled his body to the side, sending them tumbling over so that their positions could switch. Flintburr turned back to the apprentices with his mouth open to ask if they'd caught the move, blinking in surprise to see them ready with their weight on their haunches, as if they were about to attack.
"Get him!" Halfpaw said with a lilting laugh, and together the pair of them launched themselves at their father before he even had time to move. With a yowl, Flintburr went down in a flurry of black, white and grey, and when Ashenstrike rose to his haunches, laughing loudly, he saw Flintburr flat in the snow with his kits perched triumphantly on top of him. Flintburr let out a choked laugh of surprise, as Ashenstrike regarded them with amusement.
"Well, they certainly have your fighting spirit," he teased, and Flintburr shook his head at his friend as the kits leaped off of him, allowing the black tom to get to his feet. "And you've certainly taught them a great deal of mischief, Ashenstrike." He paused, looking thoughtful for a moment, before he glanced at both of his kits. In tandem, three sets of eyes turned to look at him with sly looks of glee.
"What?" He asked. He comprehended just what only a moment too late, as Flintburr and the two apprentices jumped at him, knocking him back into the snow with an undignified yowl.

★★★

Novella watched as her mentor moved forward, small body not making a single sound. Carefully, the young she-cat copied the movement, watching how Flowershine's tail shifted just slightly so as not to disturb the forest floor. Narrowing her eyes, the black-and-white molly saw the muscles in her mentor's flank tighten, before she leaped forward to pounce on invisible prey. Something slammed into Novella's brain in that moment, making her shrink back with a terrified shudder.
Haunting, glowing eyes watched her, and a paw swiped, in the same arcing motion as Flowershine's had as it landed on thin air. "Novella?" She could barely register the tone of her mentor. She cowered even further, turning her face away from Flowershine and trying to protect her side that had been injured by Erasmus. "Novella, what's wrong?" Flowershine's voice was gentle, worried, nothing like the spitting disdain with which her old mentor has spoken. Still shaking, Novella lifted tear-filled eyes to look into the ocean-coloured ones of her mentor.
"Was it something to do with your injury?" Flowershine asked, crouching down so she and her apprentice were almost nose to nose. After a moment of hesitation, Novella nodded. "I'm sorry," Flowershine mewed, "I know whatever you went through must have been pretty bad, but you're safe here. I would never hurt you, nor would anyone else in GroveClan. I know you're scared, and I know you don't know whether or not you can trust me, but... I am here for you." Novella sniffed a little, before she shakily reached out to touch noses with Flowershine. The shorthair she-cat settled herself into the snow, and Novella curled against her flank, curling her tail over her face.
Flowershine let her stay there for a long while, lightly grooming her fur until the shaking subsided. Finally, Novella lifted her head to blink at her mentor, a worried look in her eyes. She gave a helpless shrug as a means of apologizing, but Flowershine just shook her head. "It's okay Novella, I understand. I'm not ever going to tell you off for needing some calm like that, alright?" Novella nodded, shyly. "Alright then. Would you like to try again?" A pause, and then a nod. Flowershine purred, and stood, nodding to the she-cat. "Then let's try again. You're so quiet, I'm sure once you learn this skill, no prey will know what hit them."
Novella couldn't help the tiny smile that cracked across her maw.

★★★

"So, about you and dad, Burrcall and I have been deliberating and we've been thinking about dropping hints about your favourite type of flowers, which we can't do unless we know what they are, so do you have a favourite type of flower." Shadowtail snorted, bounding ahead of the fluffy black tom and making him scramble to keep up. "I don't know what you're talking about," Shadowtail said, as Dawnpaw groaned and rolled her eyes. "Not this conversation again."
"What's this conversation?" Pinefeather asked, clearly amused. Behind him, Longriver and Harrierstreak looked amused, heads tilted in twin expressions of curiosity. "This conversation," Boulderflame huffed, "is about how Shadowtail refuses to tell dad that she likes him, even though everyone and their mother has known about it since Burrcall and I were the same age as Hawkthorn's kits." Pinefeather laughed a little, with a hum at Shadowtail, prompting her side of the story. "Yes, okay, everyone knows that I like Dustfang, but he's still not over their mother, and I'm not going to infringe on his time for grieving, so therefore-"
"That's so weak! It's been over a full season-cycle since we lost our mother, his time for grieving is over and his time for moving on is long overdue! Plus, I don't want him to wallow around in this forever, or he's just going to be unhappy." Shadowtail let out a sigh, and beside her, Dawnpaw let out a giggle, which made Boulderflame pout at her until she forced herself to stop. "Well, I personally think that Boulderflame is right, my dear! Dustfang is such a handsome cat too, it would be a shame to let him slip through your paws. And besides, his kits already like you, it's like you already have an inside advantage."
"Exactly! That's what I've been saying! Thank you, Pinefeather."
"I cannot believe you're taking his side!" Shadowtail complained, which made Boulderflame purr. "It's not my fault that Pinefeather is an intellectual who can see how right I am about everything ever." Dawnpaw raised a curious ear toward Boulderflame, amusement written clearly in her features. "I mean... you insisted that male and female peacocks looked exactly the same, and you made Sedgepaw so incensed that she had to get special permission from Ashenstrike to escort you way way way over to the two-leg place beyond the waterfall so that she could prove you wrong."
"Okay, so I was wrong about THAT," Boulderflame mewed, "but I'm not wrong about this! And Pinefeather knows it." The patrol was still moving forward, the four cats bickering among themselves. Longriver watched in amusement, going to take a step after them when Harrierstreak nudged him. "Hey, can I talk to you? Just you." The tom mewed, and Longriver tilted his head. The patrol stopped to look at them, and Longriver purred. "We'll catch up with you, we're going to do a loop through the forest in the other direction." He mewed. The other four cats shared a knowing look, before the bickering started up again, and they began to move away.
Longriver and Harrierstreak moved in the opposite direction, making sure that they couldn't hear the rest of their clanmates anymore. They walked in companionable silence, shoulder to shoulder, although Longriver noticed Harrierstreak fidgeting, and he let out a light laugh, shouldering him gently. "Hey, what's going on? You look more nervous than the time you accidentally collapsed Lionheart's den repairs."
"Sorry!" He laughed a little, carefully pulling to a stop. "I guess I've just been thinking about how to say this? You know, with Fawnrunner and Stonepatch pairing off, and then all this talk about Dustfang and Shadowtail, and Maplefall and Badgerstar thinking about having kids and then Lionheart and Ashenstrike getting close I guess- the mood is just in the air? And I. I have something I want to say to you but I guess I'm afraid that you won't- that something- that-"
"I like you too," Longriver said, with a light laugh, but Harrierstreak shook his head. "No, no you don't understand. I love you Longriver. When you rescued Badgerstar and you fell asleep next to me, I couldn't sleep because I was too worried about you. I kept thinking about what Maplefall would have done if you hadn't saved Badgerstar- and I realized she would have felt the same way that I would have felt if I lost you. So... I. I love you. And I just wanted you to know that." Harrierstreak cast a shy look up at Longriver, who was staring at him in stunned silence.
"I love you too," after a long moment, the other tom spoke again, quietly. Harrierstreak's ears swiveled forward and he let out a light purr. Both toms laughed, as if the sound was being punched from their lungs. Harrierstreak stepped forward, and Longriver followed him, their noses touching, before the pair of them wound around each other with a contented purr. Nestling his head under Harrierstreak's jaw, listening to the tom make a rumbling purring noise, he asked; "so... does this make us mates?"
"You know," the other replied, "if you want it to, I think that it actually does."

[ the clan consumes 2 rabbits and 2 voles
lionheart, stonepatch, roseclaw and duskpaw go on border patrol
hawkthorn, acornstream, maplefall, sootface and burrcall hunt near the lake
shadowtail, longriver, pinefeather, harrierstreak, boulderflame and dawnpaw hunt in the forest.
ashenstrike & flintburr teach halfpaw & sedgepaw the battle skill
flowershine teaches novella the stalking skill
dustfang & badgerstar teach squirrelpaw & woodpaw the climbing skill
goldleaf and mousepaw search for kitting herbs
badgerstar and maplefall try for kits
longriver and harrierstreak become mates! (cannot biologically have kits) ]

affiliate clans wrote:ally clans;
echoclan | Katrione
hopeclan | adiebaby11

enemy clans;
none yet!

borders;
north | echoclan | Katrione
east | kingdom of shattered bones | vivere!
south | open | dm me!
west | open | dm me!

inventory wrote:medicine store;
catmint [4] | greencough
chervil [2] | wounds/aches
marigold [0] | wounds
tansy [2] | coughs
goldenrod [1] | wounds
catchweed [1] | poultices
poppy seeds [1] | pain
cobwebs [1] | bleeding
fennel [3] | pain
raspberry leaves [1] | kitting
ragwort leaves [1] | strength
alder bark [1] | toothache
beech leaves [1] | use ???
chickweed [4] | coughs
parsley [1] | bellyache
rosemary [1] | burial
willow bark [1] | pain

fresh-kill pile;
mouse | x4| 4 servings
vole | x2 | 2 servings
rabbit | x3 | 6 servings
bird | x3 | 9 servings
fish | x4 | 8 servings
squirrel | x4 | 8 servings
capacity: 37 servings (6 posts)

relationships wrote:mentors;
shadowtail | dawnpaw [4]
↪ battle, hunting, swimming, stalking
lionheart | duskpaw [4]
↪ battle, hunting, swimming, adv. hunt
flintburr | halfpaw [3]
↪ swimming, hunting, battle, skill
ashenstrike | sedgepaw [2]
↪ hunting, battle, skill, skill
flowershine | novella [4]
↪ hunting, battle, adv. hunt, stalking
dustfang | squirrelpaw [2]
↪ hunting, climbing, skill, skill
badgerstar | woodpaw [2]
↪ hunting, climbing, skill, skill

deceased cats;
none yet!

family/mates;
flintburr ♡ bluestripe
↪ halfpaw & sedgepaw
tawnycloud ♥ shrikecry
↪ shadowtail & hawkthorn
dustfang ♡ tanglestep
↪ boulderflame & burrcall
hawkthorn ♥ acornstream
↪ squirrelpaw & woodpaw
ripplebound ♡ junipernose
↪ dawnpaw & duskpaw
adopted by fawnrunner (m. aunt)
eagleleap ♡ dewfeather
↪ harrierstreak & mousepaw
badgerstar ♥ maplefall
↪ trying for kits
cherryflower ♡ frostjaw
↪ roseclaw, russetwing, lionheart,
gingerstrike & dawnleap
roseclaw ♥ pinefeather
stonepatch ♥ fawnrunner
↪ due in two posts
longriver ♥ harrierstreak

My gallery · by **solyn** » Thu Oct 04, 2018 9:10 am

𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐍 !!
# of cats; 28 (♀: 13 / ♂: 15)
servings consumed; 6 servings
next moonpool visit; any time

𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕠𝕟 𝕒𝕘𝕠,
"I bet you miss when Burrcall and I were that age, huh?" Boulderflame chuckled at his own joke as he settled down next to his tired-looking father. Dustfang had been watching Woodpaw and Squirrelpaw demonstrate some hunting techniques to their parents. Rolling his eyes, Dustfang knocked his son's shoulders with his own. "I sure miss you not having an attitude," he teased, which made the fluffy black tom laugh.
"I can't wait to have an apprentice," he mewed, "is it fun?"
"Most of the time. Squirrelpaw is good, a lot quieter than Woodpaw, who is still quieter than you two were at her age." Boulderflame let out an offended gasp, before the pair of toms burst into chuckles, huddling closer against the winter breeze. Boulderflame's eyes roamed around the camp, before they seemed to stop in one certain place. His head tilted to the side, and his ear flicked lightly. "Hey, dad? Do you still miss our mother?"
"Every day," he mewed, "but... it's been a long time. I know if she were alive, she'd have my ears for moping around for so long. She always just wanted cats to be happy, regardless of what that meant for her. Not that there are any repercussions here: she will see us all in StarClan, and she will get to watch her family live happy lives, get to watch over her grandkits."
"Who said grandkits were in the future?" Boulderflame huffed, feeling his pelt heat up as Dustfang gave him a curious look, and then let his eyes slide across to Flowershine, who was wedged up against Lionheart in a big group of cats, all of them laughing and looking quite amused. "Okay, I see your point. Maybe grandkits are in the future, and I would like them to be, but... well. We'll see." He nudged his father's shoulder, a sly smile overtaking his maw.
"What about Shadowtail?" Dustfang startled, eyes travelling over to where the tabby she-cat was chatting amicably with Stonepatch and Fawnrunner, Dawnpaw and Duskpaw curled up against her side. "What about Shadowtail?" He asked, bewildered. What could his son possibly mean? Sure, Shadowtail was great. Kind, enthusiastic, smart and headstrong, pretty and capable... "She's nice isn't she?"
How hadn't he noticed it? The moonlight dappled her dark stripes as she tipped her head back in laughter, and his heart swelled with fondness, watching her tail flick through the snow as her ears pricked forward, stars reflecting in her eyes. His maw dropped open, just a bit, and he let out a breathless sigh, watching the way she ducked her head bashfully at some inaudible praise from Dawnpaw, and a kind word from Fawnrunner. She was beautiful.
He was in love with Shadowtail.
She looked up, then, certainly feeling eyes watching her. He couldn't bring himself to look away, pelt heating up at the shy way she ducked her head, with a soft flick of her ears as an acknowledgement. She held his gaze for a few more beats, before something dragged his attention away. Beside him, Boulderflame's eyes found Burrcall's across the camp, and they shared a knowing smile.

★★★

"Mind if I sit?" Novella's ears perked up, and she shook her head, shuffling across to make room for Mousepaw in her nest. The little tabby and white she-cat snuggled in next to her, shaking out her fur. It always surprised Novella, how small she really was. She supposed there was a reason her friend had been called Mousepaw, but now that they were a full season-cycle old, she'd somehow expected her to be bigger. Mousepaw was still small, and dainty, and Novella wondered how she would ever survive. If she was struggling, surely Mousepaw could not be faring much better?
"I heard you had some kind of a fright in training today," Mousepaw mewed, and Novella ducked her head in embarrassment, "it's okay, I'm not shaming you for it. I just wanted to check that you were okay." She was still for a moment, before she nodded a little, and then shrugged. It's not a big deal. Mousepaw shrugged then, snuggling into Novella's longer fur. "Well, maybe you don't think it's such a big thing, but I used to get them too. Goldleaf calls them panic attacks. I haven't had one since my first couple of weeks in GroveClan."
It always caught Novella off guard, how Mousepaw seemed to know exactly what she was thinking. She tilted her head toward the other she-cat, curious. Green eyes met hers, and Mousepaw purred with a short laugh. "I was just a nervous kitten, Goldleaf thinks I was probably born with an anxiety disorder, but she taught me some good ways to cope with it. I could teach you, if you wanted." Novella allowed herself a shy smile. I couldn't think of anything better. "Well, great! The first technique is-"
"Novella, Mousepaw, come quick!" Dawnpaw stuck her head inside the nursery, and Novella could see the shadowy form of Halfpaw just behind her, both of them looking rather excited, "Sedgepaw and Duskpaw are going to have a sparring match! You have to come watch!" Laughing, Mousepaw cast a glance at Novella, a silent question. The black and white she-cat nodded, before getting to her feet. Mousepaw rocketed from the nest, bounding toward Dawnpaw.
"I put the juciest mouse in the fresh-kill pile on Sedgepaw!" She turned, to glance at her friend, watching Novella's tail lift above her back. "And Novella's on her side, too." The black and white she-cat couldn't help but smile, whether at Mousepaw's understanding or the thought of her friend remained to be seen. She couldn't help but feel fondness for Sedgepaw, even if she hadn't had much communication with the surly black she-cat since she'd helped her come to GroveClan. Sedgepaw was difficult, notoriously so, but Novella enjoyed her company when she wasn't floating around her new-found family.
"Novella, come on!" Dawnpaw's laugh was light, and she followed Mousepaw up and out of the den, before the four older apprentices bounded toward a semi-circle formed by some of the warriors to watch the apprentices show down. Ashenstrike said something and nudged Lionheart with his shoulder, and she laughed, and said something Novella vaguely picked up as 'as if'. Mousepaw settled in close to her, as Novella found a place between Shadowtail and Hawkthorn, and Dawnpaw wiggled in on the other side of her. With the warmth of two pelts pressing against her fur, and the merriment rippling through the ranks, Novella had never felt more at home.

★★★

Tucked inside the leader's den, Maplefall groomed Badgerstar's pelt as her mate let out a rumbling purr, his eyes still watching over the camp. Lionheart and Ashenstrike had been bickering about the outcome of the apprentice practice fight for roughly twenty minutes now, but both of them were laughing. It was good for Lionheart, Badgerstar thought. He was happy for her; things were back on track with Ashenstrike, her brother was around- albeit injured, sequestered to the warrior's den with Pinefeather to keep him company- and life in the clan was good.
"You're thinking," Maplefall mewed, snuggling in close for her turn. "I know, it's a rare thing." She laughed, before letting out a content sigh as Badgerstar turned his tongue onto her fur, grooming the unruly mess at the back of her neck. He was always so soothing about it, gentle, like he thought she would break. It always took her head a moment to catch up, to remember that she was the first real family he had.
"What are you thinking about?" She asked, watching as his eyes lighted on Stonepatch and Fawnrunner, where they were laughing with Dawnpaw and her triumphant brother. Stonepatch curled his tail around his mate, and she leaned against his flank, sharing his warmth. "Nothing," Badgerstar mewed finally, "just... happy with how things are going. For me, and for the clan. I mean, I didn't think I could do it, you know? I wouldn't have, if Lionheart hadn't helped me. If you hadn't helped me. Of course I didn't know my up from down when it came to this stuff and certainly I'm not the greatest leader ever but I'm really trying you know and it seems like the clan is really prospering and growing and I'm just proud and-"
"You're rambling," Maplefall said, with a soft laugh, nuzzling her head under his jaw. "It's okay, you know. I know you're thinking about kits."
"We said we'd wait until Newleaf..."
"Newleaf is just around the corner." Badgerstar was quiet, then, appraising her as she watched him, fondness in her eyes. Finally, a tiny smile crossed his face, and he nodded. Maplefall purred, and leaned in to touch noses with him.

★★★

"Can we talk?" Sootface jumped a little at the sound of a deep and familiar voice just behind him. He turned, blinking owlishly at Ashenstrike, whose glittering green eyes stood out in the moonlight. "About what?" He asked, his tone still snappish. He felt bad for a second as the grey tabby tom winced, his ears flattening a little, before he shook his head and squared his shoulders. They stood, silently, facing one another for a moment, before Ashenstrike seemed to collect himself.
"I'm sorry," he said, "for how I acted when you came here. I was afraid of what would happen when my lie was revealed but... you actually set me free from it, and I treated you like dirt. I apologize, it wasn't right of me to do. I know it's been tough for you, coming here and feeling like everyone's against you, and it shouldn't have been like that. You should have at least had me, a cat that you knew, but I was blaming you for something dumb and trivial. I am really sorry, Sootface, and I hope you can forgive me."
The mottled-faced tom thought this over for a second, looking at the older tom. He remembered him from CragClan, so tall and confident and handsome. And then he was gone. And now he was here. And Sootface had thought that he hated him. With a soft sigh, he shook his head, before offering Ashenstrike a small smile. "Yeah. Yes. Of course I can forgive you. I'm sorry too- sorry that I kind of threw you in the deep end. Are things... going okay with Lionheart?"
"Yeah, but she's not the only cat I'm worried about," he mewed, before nodding to the clear patch at the base of the leaders tree. "Come on, you can fill me in on what I missed in CragClan, and I'll tell you everything that happened since I joined GroveClan." Sootface took a step forward, feeling delight well up in his chest. "Okay, but only if you give me all the juicy details on your budding romance. It looks pretty serious this time, Ashenstrike."
"I hope it is. Plus, Lyxntooth isn't here to chase her off."
"As if he ever could. Lionheart looks like she could have taken him out with one solid scratch." They both burst into laughter, settling down at the base of the leader's tree to catch up on each other's lives. For the first time, Sootface exhaled. It was a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding.

𝕥𝕠𝕕𝕒𝕪,
The Newleaf sun was just peeking over the horizon as the clan gathered in the camp for patrol assignments to be given out. In the middle of them, between Lionheart, Badgerstar and the rest of the clan, the three oldest apprentices stood, radiating excitement. Duskpaw, in fact, was bouncing up and down on the pads of his paws, tail snaking gleefully in the air behind him. Dawnpaw and Novella stood next to him, shoulder to shoulder to stave off the persisting chill of Leafbare.
"Are you ready, Dawnpaw!" He yowled, and his sister laughed, before replying; "yes I am!" Duskpaw purred, bouncing in a circle around the two she-cats. "Are you ready, Novella!" A black and white tail lifted, and Duskpaw laughed gleefully. "Yeah you are! We're going to crush it today, ladies, and then we're going to be warriors for life. The ultimate dream team, the likes of which before have never been seen!"
"You stretched for that one," Lionheart said with a laugh, flicking her ear at her apprentice. "Now come on, settle down, or Badgerstar won't be able to send you off in time." That made him quiet, and he circled around to press up against Novella's other side, jostling her shoulder in a friendly way that made her duck her head to hide her amusement. Dawnpaw stuck her tongue out at her brother over their friend's head, and their giggles waned away as Badgerstar began to speak:
"Today, Dawnpaw, Duskpaw and Novella set out on their warrior assessments. If they succeed, they will return as full warriors of the clan. Good luck, you three. I know your boundless enthusiasm and strong sense of kinship will guide you through the day." He stepped forward to touch noses with the three apprentices, before they all touched noses with their respective mentors. Then, with Duskpaw in the lead, they streaked from the camp, the whooping yowls of their rowdy leader echoing behind them.

★★★

"I miss Fawnrunner," Burrcall declared, walking along top of a fallen log, adjacent to where Lionheart and Stonepatch were walking along the ground. "Now she's going to be in the nursery forever because someone couldn't resist being mushy." Stonepatch let out a snort, flicking his tail idly at the fluffy molly. "Don't you have your brother to tease about being in love with Flowershine or something?" He asked, and Lionheart struggled to suppress a smile. "Yeah, but Boulderflame isn't here, so I guess I have to live vicariously through you two. Your whirlwind romance with Fawnrunner, and Lionheart's gut-wrenching slow burn with Ashenstrike, dancing around one another, too proud to admit to pining."
"I don't pine."
"But you liiiiiike him," she teased, and Stonepatch chuckled a little. "Yeah, Lionheart, you liiiiiiike him." She swatted at the grey patched tom, who nimbly stepped to the side, laughing to himself a little. "Okay, yes, I do liiiike him, but we're... taking it slowly. I trusted him before the whole mess about who he really was, and he needs to earn that back. Besides, I like making him work for it. I'm not someone to be easily won."
"Cold," Burrcall laughed, leaping down to join them, "but really, I respect that. He obviously cares about you, and Stonepatch is obviously devoted to Fawnrunner. I'm a little jealous, I'm hoping one day a cat will look at me that way, and then we'll have a bunch of cute little kittens running around and it'll be great." Stonepatch cast a glance toward Lionheart, and Burrcall closed her mouth, ducking her head nervously. "Sorry."
"You don't have to tiptoe around me," Lionheart said, with a soft laugh, "I was running away from it for a long time but... talking about it and having it out in the open? It makes it easier to move on. I'm glad that I said something now, and I'm glad that you all know it. This time, I'm going to be excited for Fawnrunner and her kits."
"Do you think you'll have kits? Or want them, any time in the future?" Stonepatch's voice was quiet, a little shy, like he was afraid to ask. Lionheart was thoughtful. "I always wanted to be a mother. I always did like kits but... I love my clan more. And if having kits puts my life in danger, then it's not worth it. As much as I love them, it's not worth the risk. Maybe, one day. I trust Goldleaf but... I'd want to get her input before I even considered it a possibility."
"You know," said Burrcall, "I really admire how reasonable you are about everything. You're so confident, and smart. Even if you are going a bit soft in your old age and making goo-goo eyes at dumb toms." She leapt out of the way of Lionheart's well-placed swipe, and the three of them burst out into laughter.

★★★

"So, it's nice... weather we're having, huh?" Boulderflame fell into step beside Flowershine, as the she-cat turned her ocean coloured eyes toward him and slow-blinked. "Oh, yes! It's so nice for the sun to be out again, after that Leafbare." She let out a pleased sigh, eyes closing momentarily in a show of peace. "I just love good weather so much. And I can't wait to see new kits running about the clan! Fawnrunner is getting close to kitting now, and Maplefall's joined the nursery too- I can't help but wonder who else might follow suit." She cast Boulderflame an amused look.
"Oh, so you noticed Burrcall's plan, huh?" He chuckled, nervously. "I can't take a lot of the credit, I guess I'm just more subtle than she is? We thought it was about time that Dad got his head in the game again." Flowershine chuckled a little, nodding. "I think it's sweet. I like your father, he's a good cat and he's always been kind to me. I think he and Shadowtail would be a good match." Boulderflame hummed his agreement, before he cleared his throat:
"So... you're pretty excited about the kits, huh?" He tried, and Flowershine nodded, tail waving behind her. "Oh, yes! I just think it's wonderful, how the families in GroveClan are growing. I consider the whole clan my family, of course but... it would be nice to have a family of my own one day." Boulderflame nodded, emphatically. "Yeah! Yeah, so uh. Do you... do you have a certain cat in mind?"
"No, not really," she responded, with a shrug, "I think I'll know when they come along though, like with Lionheart and Ashenstrike. They're so sweet, don't you think?" Boulderflame nodded again, stumbling a little and then bounding forward to keep up. "Yeah! Yeah, uh.... anyone ever tell you that your coat looks a lot like sunshine?"
"Really? Thank you!"
Behind them, Sootface gave Pinefeather an amused look. The burmese tom held up his tail to indicate that they should slow their pace to give the pair of them a little more room. Once the two were safely ahead again, they continued at a languid pace, the sunshine turning Pinefeather's chocolate pelt into radiant liquid, moving smoothly over his muscles. Sootface thought he was probably the most beautiful cat he'd ever seen in his life, and that Roseclaw was an extremely lucky tom.
"How's he doing?" He asked. "Your mate, I mean. Roseclaw?" Pinefeather laughed, ear flicking idly. "Oh, no need to worry about him darling, he's a big kit. He'll complain about being sidelined for a moon, but that's what he gets for thinking he's so invincible. Goldleaf got sick of his whinging and sent him to keep the queens company, so he'll be in great spirits when we get back." Sootface gave a tiny smile at the fondness in Pinefeather's voice. "You miss him, huh?"
"Completely. The best part about being a warrior was getting to go on patrols with him. He's the love of my life, but I will see him soon enough, and he will fuss over me as if I'm the injured one." Sootface laughed a little, purring a bit. It was nice, after making up with Ashenstrike, the rest of the clan had seemed a little less daunting. Even the brown tabby who'd snapped at him on a hunting patrol seemed to be treating him less warily, and he was proud of himself for beginning to integrate so well. "So... Lionheart said something about you being a queen once?"
"Oh," he snorted, "well, yes and no. Roseclaw and I adopted a pair of kits whose mother died during kitting. They had another queen to nurse but the father was one of Roseclaw's close friends, so he took over parental duties, and I stayed in the nursery to look after them until they were apprentice age. So, yes, I do believe I did my time as a queen." Sootface gave him a toothy grin, with a nod. He looked contemplative. "I don't think I could imagine Lionheart in the nursery."
"Oh, I don't think she could either. The amount of times Adderbite had to forcefully march her back to the nursery because she refused to be stationary for any longer than twenty minutes at a time..." Sootface laughed along with Pinefeather, feeling himself relaxed. It was good, to be joking around with the clan. It reminded him of CragClan, before it had fallen to pieces. It was like being home again, feeling like he belonged. Up ahead, Flowershine and Boulderflame had paused, standing close enough that their pelts were touching.
"What's so funny?"

★★★

"Nice! Good job Woodpaw!" Badgerstar purred as his apprentice brightened up from where she'd been demonstrating how to duck and roll away from an attack. Squirrelpaw blinked in that calculating way he was so prone to do, but a small smile crossed his maw when Dustfang nodded to him as an indication that he'd done well. "Keep up the good work, apprentices. You two can try a proper playfight now." Squirrelpaw cocked his head.
"Are you sure we're ready for-" his thought couldn't be finished, as Woodpaw leapt at him with a yowl, knocking him off his feet and sending him skidding into the dirt. He bounced back to his paws, throwing himself at his sister, and the two went tumbling as their mentors laughed, watching their antics with great amusement. For a moment, they sat in silence, just watching the two younger cats duke it out in the dirt. Then, Dustfang spoke.
"Do you know if Shadowtail has a favourite flower?"
Badgerstar's eyes widened, and he let out a delighted laugh, getting to his feet immediately. "No way. No way. It's finally happening, oh, StarClan, it's finally happening!" Dustfang let out a confused laugh, giving his leader a quizzical look. It wasn't necessary, though, as Badgerstar seemed perfectly happy to continue his rambling without any kind of prompting; "oh, the clan has been waiting forever for you to finally realize that you liked Shadowtail! I mean, it's so obvious to everyone that you like each other but she was all like 'oh he's still grieving' and you were all like 'oh I'm focused on the clan' but now it's finally happening. All my dreams are coming true."
"You dreamed about this?" Dustfang was amused. Badgerstar huffed at him. "I dream about my clanmates being happy, yes." The grey tom chuckled a little, before leaning around Badgerstar; "Squirrelpaw, keep your stance wider or she's going to be able to sweep you! Woodpaw, stop flailing your paws, work smarter, not harder." His attention turned back to the black tom, who was giving him a giddy and toothy grin. "Come on, don't look at me like that."
"How can I not! It's exciting! Anyway, you shouldn't be asking me, you should be asking Acornstream and Hawkthorn, they know her best. Or else she's pretty close with Dawnpaw and Lionheart, although I'm sure you can guess which one is a little less talkative." Dustfang gave him another amused look, and Badgerstar gasped in mock offense. "Hey, I won't say anything, I promise. Your secret is safe with me, and... I promise I'll help you any way I can. I think 'cause most of the clan has an inkling already you probably want to talk to her privately, and like... be sweet about it, you have to be sure as well because she's really worried about you not being ready for another relationship, and-"
"Look at you, little love guru," Dustfang smiled, "thank you, Badgerstar. I appreciate the help. I'm just kicking myself for not having figured it out sooner." They both turned to look as Woodpaw pinned her brother with a triumphant laugh. Badgerstar gave Dustfang a smug smile. "See? My apprentice is clearly the tougher one."
"Yeah, well. Squirrelpaw's smarter." Badgerstar and Woodpaw's protesting 'hey' followed in simultaneous tandem.

[ the clan consumes a bird, a fish & a vole
novella, dawnpaw & duskpaw attempt their warrior assessments!
flintburr teaches halfpaw the tactics skill
ashenstrike teaches sedgepaw to swim
badgerstar and dustfang teach woodpaw and squirrelpaw the battle skill
goldleaf and mousepaw search for kitting herbs
lionheart leads the border patrol with stonepatch, and burrcall
shadowtail, hawkthorn, acornstream, longriver and harrierstreak hunt near the forest
flowershine, boulderflame, sootface and pinefeather hunt by the lake
-
note: somewhere i messed up & switched stonepatch/fawnrunner's ages, so they have been adjusted c: ]

affiliate clans wrote:ally clans;
echoclan | Katrione
hopeclan | adiebaby11

enemy clans;
none yet!

borders;
north | echoclan | Katrione
east | kingdom of shattered bones | vivere!
south | open | dm me!
west | open | dm me!

inventory wrote:medicine store;
catmint [4] | greencough
chervil [3] | wounds/aches
marigold [0] | wounds
tansy [2] | coughs
goldenrod [1] | wounds
catchweed [1] | poultices
poppy seeds [2] | pain
cobwebs [1] | bleeding
fennel [3] | pain
raspberry leaves [1] | kitting
ragwort leaves [2] | strength
alder bark [1] | toothache
beech leaves [1] | use ???
chickweed [4] | coughs
parsley [1] | bellyache
rosemary [1] | burial
willow bark [1] | pain

fresh-kill pile;
mouse | x4| 4 servings
vole | x4 | 4 servings
rabbit | x5 | 10 servings
bird | x2 | 6 servings
fish | x3 | 6 servings
squirrel | x4 | 8 servings
capacity: 38 servings (6 posts)

relationships wrote:mentors;
shadowtail | dawnpaw [4]
↪ battle, hunting, swimming, stalking
lionheart | duskpaw [4]
↪ battle, hunting, swimming, adv. hunt
flintburr | halfpaw [4]
↪ swimming, hunting, battle, tactics
ashenstrike | sedgepaw [3]
↪ hunting, battle, swimming, skill
flowershine | novella [4]
↪ hunting, battle, adv. hunt, stalking
dustfang | squirrelpaw [3]
↪ hunting, climbing, battle, skill
badgerstar | woodpaw [3]
↪ hunting, climbing, battle, skill

deceased cats;
none yet!

family/mates;
flintburr ♡ bluestripe
↪ halfpaw & sedgepaw
tawnycloud ♥ shrikecry
↪ shadowtail & hawkthorn
dustfang ♡ tanglestep
↪ boulderflame & burrcall
hawkthorn ♥ acornstream
↪ squirrelpaw & woodpaw
ripplebound ♡ junipernose
↪ dawnpaw & duskpaw
adopted by fawnrunner (m. aunt)
eagleleap ♡ dewfeather
↪ harrierstreak & mousepaw
badgerstar ♥ maplefall
↪ due in two posts
cherryflower ♡ frostjaw
↪ roseclaw, russetwing, lionheart,
gingerstrike & dawnleap
roseclaw ♥ pinefeather
stonepatch ♥ fawnrunner
↪ due in one post
longriver ♥ harrierstreak

My gallery · by **solyn** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 6:55 pm

𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐍 !!
# of cats; 29 (♀: 14 / ♂: 15)
servings consumed; 6 servings
next moonpool visit; any time

𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕠𝕟 𝕒𝕘𝕠,
"Stay away!" The little she-cat shrunk back against the tree trunk, pelt fluffed up and deep eyes brimming with fear. Stonepatch and Burrcall glanced at each other, before the latter took a step forward. The young cat hissed, and swiped at the warrior, making her backpedal fast and turn to Lionheart with a helpless look. The ginger molly shrugged, and nodded her head toward the camp. "You should be getting back. It's late."
"But Lionheart-" Stonepatch began to protest, but the look on her face told him otherwise. He dipped his head, respectfully, and then nudged Burrcall's shoulder with his own. The pair of them turned, and padded away into the underbrush, the she-cat turning back to glance at Lionheart in worry, before bounding after the patched tom. Lionheart stayed alone in the clearing, watching the bicolour cat tremble. She hissed at her, claws unsheathed.
"You should go too, or I'll- I'll-"
"You haven't eaten in moons," Lionheart mewed, matter-of-factly. The cat cast her gaze toward the ground, angrily. "I'm not going to hurt you, you know," she said, settling down onto the forest floor, and stretching out, "but the foxes will. And the badgers. And the birds of prey." The she-cat drew herself up, angling her chin upwards. "So what, I can take them. I'm a survivor. They can't hurt me." Lionheart chuckled a little, shaking her head.
"I like you, you remind me of me when I was your age," she tilted her head, with a warm smile, "my name is Lionheart. What's yours?" The she-cat glowered at her, and then lowered her head, tucking her chin against her chest in embarrassment. "I don't... have one," she mumbled, "my mother didn't give me one." She looked upward again, her jaw quivering as she held back tears. Lionheart's heart broke for her, just a little, but she got the feeling sympathy wouldn't sit as well with the youngster as it might have with any other cat.
"Well," she mewed, pretending to be thinking about it, "I know you're a really tough cat and all, but it can be hard surviving on your own. Of course, you have all the skills for it, so there's not much we can offer you aside from a name, a family, and good food in your belly, even in tough times. Clan life isn't for everyone, but it's a good place to settle down." The little she-cat sniffed a little, watching Lionheart curiously. She took in the sight of the molly: tall and muscular, with a sleek and healthy pelt.
"Okay," she said, quietly, feeling the anger drain from her body as she relaxed, taking a step forward toward the older she-cat, "but if you try to hurt me, I'll rip your ears off." Lionheart let out a chuckle, pushing herself to her feet. "On StarClan's honour. I wouldn't stand a chance against you in a fight, but luckily I get the feeling we'll get along just fine."

★★★

"You could try looking like spending time with us isn't a prison sentence, you know," Roseclaw looked up, sheepish, at Maplefall's teasing. The two she-cats were laying close together, where they had been sharing tongues. Goldleaf had sent Roseclaw to the nursery for a day to 'keep an eye on them', which he knew was Goldleaf talk for 'so they can make sure that you don't disobey my medical instructions and make your injury worse'.
"Sorry," he mewed, ducking his head, "I just... don't like being idle. Pinefeather did always say I would make a horrible elder, and it's a little scary to think that this might be my reality soon." Maplefall laughed a little, and Fawnrunner shook her head. "Don't be dramatic, you're not that old yet, Roseclaw," the bi-colour tabby said, "come on, come sit with us. Maplefall and I were just sharing tales about our youth, and since you are so old, you must have some good ones."
"Oh, I suppose," he chuckled, shifting closer to them, and dropping down next to Maplefall. He thought for a while, before he snorted a little, shaking his head. "I don't suppose Lionheart has ever told you any of the stories from her youth, of which I was witness to many. She sprained her paw like this once too, you know, and over something a lot less trivial."
"What did she do?" Maplefall asked, leaning closer conspiratorially. Roseclaw cleared his throat. "We had a brother, Gingerstrike, second born in Lionheart's litter. And they were at each other's throats, constantly. Dawnleap mostly stayed out of it, let Russetwing and I mediate, but one time, they decided to see who was the better sprinter, and so they decided to sprint across the moors. Only it was early Leaf-fall and the rains had started, so the ground was super boggy. Anyway, long story short she put her foot in a rabbit burrow and went tumbling down a hill into a mud puddle. She came up looking like a swamp-cat."
Maplefall and Fawnrunner burst into laughter, before Fawnrunner managed to collect herself. "You think that's bad? One time, as apprentices, Junipernose and I snuck out of camp to meet these kittypets on the border, and they took us for what they called a 'night on the town' where we basically went running through the two-leg place, except it turned out those cats were part of a city-gang and they ran across one of their rivals, so we had to run away, and poor Junipernose slipped on a- a yellow peel thing-" she hiccuped with laughter, "and somehow she slid at just the right angle through some kind of drain into a human dirt-place."
Roseclaw, Maplefall and Fawnrunner were all in hysterics, as Goldleaf's head peeked into the nursery. She gave the three of them quizzical looks, as they struggled to contain themselves. Maplefall cocked her head, blinking innocently at the medicine cat, who simply shook her head and grumbled something about them being stir crazy, before they resumed their howling laughter. It died down a little, and Maplefall blinked, looking between them.
"Do you miss your family?" She asked, tilting her head a little. Roseclaw nodded. "Every day. I mourn for my brothers, and my sister, and my parents, and my kits. I used to mourn for Lionheart, too, and finding her again was the best thing that ever happened to me. I can't imagine how hard it is for you, Fawnrunner."
"It is hard," she admitted, "but I see so much of her in Dawnpaw and Duskpaw every day, and I know she would want me to be happy. It's... hard, knowing none of you ever met her, but she looked a little like you, Maplefall, and she had this cute little pink nose that twitched when she laughed. I miss her, she was my best friend, but I'm glad that I get to be here to see her kits grow up, and I know she's in StarClan and she's happy to know where I ended up."
"That's really sweet," Maplefall mewed, touching her nose to her friend's cheek. Roseclaw purred his agreement, and Fawnrunner smiled at the both of them, before tilting her had at Maplefall. "You know, I don't think you've ever really told us much about your family, Maplefall. Or, at least, I haven't heard the rumor mill talking about it all that much, just that you used to be a loner and now you're here, same as Badgerstar."
"Yeah, I used to live out back of a two-leg farm. My parents were always fighting and they didn't take very good care of me or my siblings, so we all kind of grew up pretty quickly, but... yeah. Eventually the two-legs started using the two-leg place I was living in again, so I left and just... started wandering, and eventually my paws took me here. I don't know where my parents are now, or my siblings but... we weren't close. You guys are my family." Fawnrunner sniffed a little, leaning in to nuzzle her friend.
"For what it's worth, I'll always consider you my sister," she said, and Roseclaw hummed his assent. "I offer myself up as a pseudo-father figure, if you ever need it, which I think makes Lionheart your cool aunt." Maplefall burst out into her tinkling laughter, leaning into Fawnrunner and purring as Roseclaw leaned into her. "You're both too sweet, but I didn't get a chance to share my funny childhood story."
"By all means, go ahead," Roseclaw said with a laugh. Maplefall cleared her throat pointedly, preening a little in a way that made Fawnrunner shoulder-check her affectionately. "Okay, so once, there was a travelling band of cats that told stories about StarClan that came past the place where I was living, and so they stayed with me for a while, and there was this one she-cat who was really, really pretty, and anyway, it was super obvious that this other she-cat liked her, but they were both... so oblivious. So, I made friends with this tom who really wanted them to get together, and we spent two whole moons trying to push them together while they recuperated and worked on new 'interpretative storytelling methods'. Anyway, that's who Lionheart and Ashenstrike remind me of."
Again, the three of them burst into laughter, the merry sound echoing around the den, and into the afternoon air.

★★★

"Splashing doesn't mean you swim faster," Ashenstrike grunted as another wave of water splashed over his head, drenching his already soggy pelt so that his long fur hung off of his body like soaked rags. Sedgepaw, to her credit, just gave him a smug smile and purred. "I know," she said, and then she splashed him again. Before he could exact his revenge, she bounded forward and pushed further into the lake, demonstrating an elegant paddle.
"Okay, okay, showoff, I've learned my lesson: you know how to swim." Ashenstrike laughed, wading back toward the shore a little until he was comfortably up to his chest, at which point he turned his face upward toward the sun. He heard Sedgepaw splashing up next to him, that teasing lilt in her voice; "what are you doing? Sunbathing is more effective on the rocks, you know."
"Uh-huh," he said, "but you're not supposed to know that." He cracked one eye open, to smile at Sedgepaw's bewildered expression. "Don't look so worried, I'm not going to snitch on you for sneaking out of camp. I know you're used to more independence. I would just like to stress, as your mentor, that a clan is a team. A family. It's bigger than just one cat. You kind of have to think about how things affect everyone else but you now." Sedgepaw nodded, ducking her head shyly. "I know. Sometimes it just gets to be a lot. I went from not having anyone but myself to having a dad and a brother and a weird and wacky uncle-" Ashenstrike snorted- "in less than a moon. It's... overwhelming sometimes. I mean it's good, Dad is great and Halfpaw is really sweet, but..."
"I get it," Ashenstrike said, with a nod, "it's kind of weird, not knowing your family your whole life and then being expected to act like you're a family. If that's hard for you, it's easier to start small. Make one friend and work your way up." Sedgepaw shrugged, glancing at him awkwardly. "Well. We're friends, right?" Ashenstrike let out a short, rumbling laugh, nodding his head. "Yeah, we are, but you should get some friends your own age, kit." This time, he stepped out of the way of Sedgepaw's splash, sticking his tongue out at her.
"But, really. You ever need anything, you can talk to me." Sedgepaw gave him a smile. "Thanks, Ashenstrike. I think you're a lot smarter than you give yourself credit for, for the record. You kind of always know what to say." The grey tabby nodded a little, before he swept a wave of water at his apprentice, leaving her sputtering. "Yeah, and I'm much better at water fights than you give me credit for, too."

★★★

The sun was setting against the horizon, turning some areas of Badgerstar's pelt a chocolate brown. The clan had gathered around the leader's tree, standing huddled close together to fight against the biting Newleaf breeze. Lionheart leaned into Ashenstrike a little, glancing at the nervous little she-cat on her other side. She had already given her recommendation to Badgerstar, but the most pressing issue was the returned apprentices, about to be warriors. She leaned across to Duskpaw, whispering;
"I'm so proud of you." He gave her a massive beam, before sitting upright excitedly as Badgerstar began to speak. "Today is a proud day for our clan," he began, "because the first kits we ever had in the clan are all grown up." The clan let out a chorus of over-exaggerated 'aws', which made Dawnpaw and Duskpaw roll their eyes. "I remember when you two were just loud-mouthed balls of adorable trouble, and we're lucky to have Novella with us to keep them in line. So, without further ado. I, Badgerstar, leader of Groveclan call on our warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand and abide by your code, and I recommend them to you whole-heartedly, in their individual turns. Novella, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect your clan, even at the cost of your life?" The she-cat gave a proud, determined nod, as the twins jostled her shoulders excitedly. "Then you are a warrior of GroveClan. You will still be called Novella, to connect you to your past, and as a reminder that everything you have gone through has only made you a stronger, better warrior. StarClan honours your determination, your kindness and and your bravery. It is my honour to welcome you as a full warrior of GroveClan." He stepped forward, resting his muzzle on top of her head. She licked his shoulder, and the clan yowled her new name as Badgerstar stepped back.
"Duskpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and defend your clan, even with the cost of your life?" The grey-tabby tom nodded emphatically, "I do!" Badgerstar grinned at him. "Then from this day forward, you will be known as Dusklight, for your bright personality. StarClan honours your optimism, your loyalty and your compassion for all cats. GroveClan is a better, happier place with your kind spirit to help guide us. It is my honour to name you as a full warrior of this clan." The clan cried out for Dusklight too, as he repeated the same motion with Badgerstar. He retreated back to Lionheart, who touched noses with him, her chest welling with pride.
"And last, but certainly not least, Dawnpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect your clan, even if it costs you your life?" The ginger molly nodded, firmly; "I would like nothing better." Badgerstar let out a light laugh, and continued; "then you will be known as Dawnblossom, for your youthfulness and enthusiasm. StarClan honours your kindness, your honesty and your deep emotional connection to this clan. You deserve to be welcome as a full warrior to this clan." A final yowl went up of the new warrior's name as she and Badgerstar exchanged the ritual gesture. Fawnrunner crowded around her niece and nephew, purring happily while Shadowtail, Lionheart and Flowershine paid their respective congratulations to their apprentices.
Badgerstar gave them a few moments to collect themselves, before he cleared his throat. "We have one more ceremony," his eyes lighted on the new she-cat, and he felt his heart go out to her. Nemo, just like me, he thought, before he motioned her forward. "I know you have been alone and without a name, and I have lived like that too. So, it is my honour to tell you that from this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Adderpaw. Your mentor will be Acornstream, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she will teach you everything she knows," Adderpaw looked bewildered as an excited Acornstream was nudged forward by her mate and his sister, both of them looking proud. "Acornstream, you have shown yourself to be diligent, compassionate and an exceedingly excellent hunter. I know you will pass down your knowledge to Adderpaw. Welcome to the clan." A yowl went up for Adderpaw's new name, and the little she-cat looked bashful and proud as Acornstream touched noses with her. Badgerstar finally bounded into the fray to pay his congratulations, as the clan chattered excitedly.
"I really am proud of you, Dusklight," Lionheart was saying, "even if you are going to have a tough time with a silent vigil." He laughed, nuzzling his forehead against his former mentor's. "Thank you for everything, Lionheart. I'm really looking forward to getting to work alongside you as an equal, and not as your annoying little apprentice." She grinned, shaking her head at him. "You were only annoying sometimes."
"So you're not going to be my mentor?" Adderpaw asked, looking up at Lionheart with her big eyes. Lionheart shook her head. "I've had enough apprentices in the past several moons, the rest of the clan is going to think I'm hoarding them all. Besides, I suggested Acornstream for you, I think she'll be good to you. See, she has kits of her own." Adderpaw followed Lionheart's gaze, watching Hawkthorn, Squirrelpaw and Woodpaw gather around her mentor. Lionheart nudged her forward. "You should go talk to them," she suggested, "it's always good to make a friend."

★★★

The moon had risen by the time the the excitement had died down. So as not to disturb the silent vigil the three newest warriors were sitting, Lionheart had exited the camp and was resting on the sun rocks near the lake, although they didn't harbour so much of their usual warmth now that the sun had gone down. At the sound of pawsteps, her ear swiveled, and she turned to see Ashenstrike padding toward her. Nimbly, he leapt up the rocks.
"A little birdy told me you liiiiiike me," he sing-songed, settling down next to her, their pelts pressed together. She snorted. "Well, I know for a fact it was either a rock or a tangle in your fur, if you're saying it like that. And don't let your ego get too big because of it, because I know you like me too." Ashenstrike chuckled, nodding a little as he leaned across to groom her fur. She settled into it, leaning companionably against his flank.
"It was the latter, I know you're wondering," he said, and she nodded as if that made perfect sense, "feels weird for you, huh? I bet you don't know what to do without a little cat idolizing you and following you around." Lionheart laughed a little, shaking her head a bit. "I was hoping I'd finally get some peace and quiet, but there's another kind of kit who is following me around." She gave him a pointed look, and he laughed, shaking his head. "You are so mean to me. And I love it. But uh, Adderpaw, huh?"
"Yeah," she laughed, "I lied, when I said she reminded me of me. She does, but she reminds me more of him. I thought it would be... a nice homage to him, wherever he is. I hope he's okay, and at least he's got kits that he gets to watch grow up now, which is more than I could have ever done for him. And I got a family- my family- and a really great set of apprentices who are like kits to me, and a tom that I could maybe see myself with for a long time, so I think things worked out for the best."
"Not gonna let you just gloss over that," Ashenstrike said, but he didn't make a move to comment on it. "Anyway. Life is good. My mother always said that Newleaf was always the best for perspective. Leafbare always comes first and then Newleaf is the hindsight that makes you think about what you have and decide what you value the most. A lot of the time I used to think she was a little full of it, but you know, now that I'm older I feel like she might have been on to something there."
"Your mother sounds smart," Ashenstrike said, "I can see where you get it from. But I'm curious- the muscles seem to be genetic, is that a mom thing or a dad thing?" Lionheart shrugged, with a light-hearted laugh. "A both thing, really. Believe it or not, I look more like my mother, but the long, silky fur? That's all Dad." Ashenstrike chuckled, letting her rest her chin on his paws. He nestled his chin against the top of her head with a slow blink.
"So... you could see us together for a while, huh?" She was quiet for a bit, before she hummed. "I think so. You're a good cat. You made some mistakes, but everyone does. I don't think I'm fully over it yet, but... well. I know that I like you. And I know that if you'd asked me before this whole mess I probably would have said yes to spending forever with you."
"And yes to kits?"
"I thought Ashenstrike of GroveClan didn't ask invasive questions about kits?" She teased. Ashenstrike shrugged, again. "He's branching out and trying new things. You don't have to answer if you don't want to." She shook her head. "I was thinking of having Goldleaf check me over, actually. The old medicine cat in my clan said I'll probably have kitting complications no matter what but... I trust her. And I think if she could keep me safe, maybe I'd be willing. As long as they survived too, I don't want to lose any more kits. Not again."
"I understand. I think you're brave for even considering it. I know if it'd happened to me I'd never think twice about going through it again. That would be it for me." She shot him a grin, and then nodded. "Thank you, Ashenstrike. It's funny, you always seem to know just what to say. I don't know how you do it." Ashenstrike thought back to what Sedgepaw had said earlier, something to almost the same effect.
"You know, I think I just have that gift."

𝕥𝕠𝕕𝕒𝕪,
"Okay, so, would you rather have four prehensile tails instead of legs, or an extra leg instead of a tail?" Novella gave Mousepaw a quizzical look, shaking her head in amusement, but regardless, she flicked her tail in the same direction twice. Mousepaw looked surprised. "Really? What would you do with an extra leg?" Novella shrugged, and then waved her tail around a little bit. "I see your point, I guess four prehensile tails wouldn't be so structurally sounds... and no claws." Novella nodded sagely, before Mousepaw exclaimed.
"Oh, we need some of that. If you see any cobwebs, you should collect those. They're good for bleeding and general wounds. Goldleaf said we're good on the kitting herbs and the greencough herbs for a bit." Novella tilted her head, blinking at her friend. Mousepaw blinked back, before lighting up. "Oh! No, Goldleaf wants me to sit in on Maplefall's birth instead. She said it's more beneficial for me to be keeping stocks up while Newleaf is in full swing so that we don't run short in the colder months." Novella shuddered and wrinkled her nose.
"It won't be so bad, I think the concept of bringing new life into the world is beautiful," Mousepaw protested, and Novella gave her a look that said 'oh, really'. "Okay, smarty, do you remember anything from when your mother had you? No. I've already seen another queen give birth, when my mother was still in the nursery, so, I think I'll be fine." Novella tilted her head again, ear flicking, and Mousepaw shrugged. "I don't know where she is now, or if she's even alive. Sometimes I think she'd be proud of me, and then I realize I don't care. She always treated me like I was going to die the next day anyway, so. All I care about is Harrierstreak and Goldleaf being proud of me."
Novella nodded again, and glanced at her flank. Mousepaw gave her a soft smile. "I bet your brother would be proud of you. You'll get to tell him next gathering that you're a warrior now, huh? I bet that'll give your old mentor a heart attack. He said you were too weak to do it, but he doesn't know anything, because you're the coolest warrior I know. Don't tell Dusklight I said that or he'll get sad, and I can't deal with him looking like a kitten who didn't get invited to play mossball."
Novella's tail waved in amusement, and Mousepaw chuckled at her own joke, settling some herbs onto one of the leaves she was using for collection, and bundling it up. "Do you miss it? Not being in the same clan as your brother?" Novella nodded, solemnly, before smiling at Mousepaw and nudging her shoulder with her own. "I'd hope you're happier here, because otherwise you wouldn't have met me, and that would have been a tragedy." She was quiet for a moment, before she said: "is it weird to say I think we were made to meet in one universe or another and in any way possible? You just seem like someone I was supposed to find." Novella gave her a smile, and shook her head. Mousepaw nodded, contemplatively.
"No, I didn't think it was."

★★★

"I was wrong, this is the dream team," Dusklight announced, bouncing along happily at the head of the border patrol, "me, Lionheart, Roseclaw and Pinefeather- the dynamic duo, partners in justice and also in life- and Flintburr, the universal dad. Together, we kick furry butt and we take names." Lionheart and Flintburr exchanged a look, shaking their heads a little in amusement at him.
"Someone's excited to have some freedom," Flintburr mewed, tilting his head. "Yuh-huh," Dusklight announced, "I sure am. And I'm excited for Halfpaw to join us as a warrior. You've gotta be excited for him too, right? Your son finally gets to be a warrior." Flintburr chuckled a little, nodding. "Excited, and feeling like my gut is going to drop out from underneath me. I shouldn't be nervous for him, I know he knows what he needs to know, but still. It's odd to have my kits back in my life."
"I'm really happy for you, my dear," Pinefeather put in, weaving between the two stocky toms flanking him, "the joy of parenthood... Roseclaw and I miss our kits, but now we've got Lionheart again so I suppose that's almost the same thing." The ginger molly let out an incredulous laugh, shaking her head. "The way I remember it, I had to mother you sometimes, Pinefeather. I'd watch how you run that mouth." The burmese tom chuckled, stepping closer to his mate again.
"Well, I agree with Dusklight," Roseclaw announced, "it is nice to be out again. And for what it's worth, Flintburr, I'm sure Halfpaw is going to smash his apprentice ceremony." The two older toms shared a look, before Dusklight pricked his ears, staring past the dead tree and to the charred forest beyond. He sniffed a little, and then turned his attention to the rest of the party. "The scent here has been getting stronger the past few moons," he mewed, and Lionheart nodded, face creased with worry. "What is it?" Flintburr asked her, gently touching her shoulder with his own.
"A new clan is settling there," she remarked, "I scented it on some big toms at the gathering. They don't seem very friendly." The patrol looked out over the territory next to them, before Dusklight said, very quietly, "it kind of smells like Novella." The group shared uneasy glances, before Lionheart shook her head a little. "What should we do?" Pinefeather asked, turning his stunning green gaze toward her. "For now? Nothing. But keep a close eye on this border, and if you see cats on the other side... don't engage. GroveClan doesn't need any trouble, and that's all those cats smell like to me."
"We should keep moving," Roseclaw said, and the rest of the patrol agreed, beginning to move around the rest of the border, to the forests at the north. As they began to duck into the underbrush again, Dusklight spared a glance back at the lone tree, before he shook his head, and bounded after his companions.

★★★

"Well, I definitely think you should listen to Badgerstar's advice on that one," Acornstream mewed, as their apprentices followed Badgerstar and Ashenstrike's stalking demonstration, "he might be a little bit naive, but he's right about the clan being fully informed of the situation. If you want Shadowtail to feel comfortable, you'll want to talk things through privately. Plus, she's a huge romantic, but that doesn't mean she'll need a huge gesture. She wants something that appeals to her personally, you know?"
"I know. I was thinking if she had a favourite flower, then I could find somewhere with lots of those, and we could go for a moonlit walk, and just... talk, you know? I wouldn't want to risk taking kill from the fresh kill pile, or burying anything in case something else digs it up. I thought that was a relatively safe bet."
"That sounds sweet, Dustfang, she'll love it." Acornstream let out a pleased little sigh. "Oh, I'm so happy for you two. It's about time Shadowtail found a decent tom." Dustfang chuckled, ducking his head bashfully at the inadvertent praise. Badgerstar and Ashenstrike were saying something to the apprentices, that made them laugh, before with a nod he sent them back toward their mentors. Adderpaw trotted toward Acornstream, settling next to her.
"Ashenstrike and Badgerstar want to play a game," Adderpaw announced, "but I think that Sedgepaw and Ashenstrike will have an advantage because Sedgepaw is big." She wrinkled her nose a little, and Acornstream chuckled. "That's because Sedgepaw joined the clan a little late, so she had to go through her training later than everyone else. But what's the game?" Adderpaw opened her mouth to speak, before Badgerstar cleared his throat.
"We're going to play a game I learned in the city," he declared, "called traitor. Everyone is a traitor in this game, and you will all have a target. Dustfang will run the game. He will whisper which cat is your target, and then you will all split off. To 'kill' your target, you have to sneak up on them using the skills you just learned. There's no fighting, so if they see you or hear you coming, or there are witnesses, you can't 'kill' them. When you manage to pin them without them spotting you first, they are dead and they will tell you their target, and you move on to trying to 'kill' them. If you kill the cat targeting you, you win. If you have the most kills at the end of the game, you win. Once you are out, come back to Dustfang, so we can know who the winner is. Clear?"
"Yeah!" Adderpaw enthused. "I'm going to win."
"No way, I'm going to smoke all of you!" Woodpaw replied, and Adderpaw stuck her tongue out at her, which made her laugh. Squirrelpaw snorted. "If you two carry on that way, you'll let your targets know where you are right away." Adderpaw squinted at him. "I hope I get you, just so I can prove you wrong." Squirrelpaw gave her an amused, wry smile in return. "Well, now I'll expect you to be coming."
"Okay!" Badgerstar said, intervening quickly, "it's time to play!"

[ the clan consumes two birds
fawnrunner is kitting! stonepatch is the father. goldleaf stays in camp to help her.
halfpaw attempts his warrior assessment!
novella helps mousepaw gather herbs (any priority)
ashenstrike, acornstream, badgerstar & dustfang all teach their apprentices the stalking skill
lionheart, roseclaw, flintburr, dusklight and pinefeather patrol the borders
hawkthorn, shadowtail, dawnblossom, burrcall and stonepatch hunt near the lake
harrierstreak, longriver, sootface, boulderflame and flowershine hunt near the waterfall ]

affiliate clans wrote:ally clans;
echoclan | Katrione
hopeclan | adiebaby11

enemy clans;
none yet!

borders;
north | echoclan | Katrione
east | kingdom of shattered bones | vivere!
south | open | dm me!
west | highgarden | eagle,

inventory wrote:medicine store;
catmint [4] | greencough
chervil [4] | wounds/aches
marigold [0] | wounds
tansy [2] | coughs
goldenrod [1] | wounds
catchweed [1] | poultices
poppy seeds [3] | pain
cobwebs [1] | bleeding
fennel [4] | pain
raspberry leaves [1] | kitting
ragwort leaves [2] | strength
alder bark [1] | toothache
beech leaves [1] | use ???
chickweed [4] | coughs
parsley [1] | bellyache
rosemary [1] | burial
willow bark [1] | pain

fresh-kill pile;
mouse | x4| 4 servings
vole | x4 | 4 servings
rabbit | x5 | 10 servings
bird | x3 | 9 servings
fish | x6 | 12 servings
squirrel | x4 | 8 servings
capacity: 47 servings (7 posts)

relationships wrote:mentors;
flintburr | halfpaw [4]
↪ swimming, hunting, battle, tactics
ashenstrike | sedgepaw [4]
↪ hunting, battle, swimming, stalking
dustfang | squirrelpaw [4]
↪ hunting, climbing, battle, stalking
badgerstar | woodpaw [4]
↪ hunting, climbing, battle, stalking
acornstream | adderpaw [1]
↪ stalking, skill, skill, skill

deceased cats;
none yet!

family/mates;
flintburr ♡ bluestripe
↪ halfpaw & sedgepaw
tawnycloud ♥ shrikecry
↪ shadowtail & hawkthorn
dustfang ♡ tanglestep
↪ boulderflame & burrcall
hawkthorn ♥ acornstream
↪ squirrelpaw & woodpaw
ripplebound ♡ junipernose
↪ dawnpaw & duskpaw
adopted by fawnrunner (m. aunt)
eagleleap ♡ dewfeather
↪ harrierstreak & mousepaw
badgerstar ♥ maplefall
↪ due in one post
cherryflower ♡ frostjaw
↪ roseclaw, russetwing, lionheart,
gingerstrike & dawnleap
roseclaw ♥ pinefeather
stonepatch ♥ fawnrunner
↪ due now
longriver ♥ harrierstreak

My gallery · by **solyn** » Thu Oct 11, 2018 10:26 am

𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐍 !!
# of cats; 33 (♀: 17 / ♂: 16)
servings consumed; 6 servings
next moonpool visit; any time

𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕠𝕟 𝕒𝕘𝕠,
"They're gorgeous," Acornstream mewed with a wistful sigh, leaning against her mate. The clan had gathered round Fawnrunner, who had Stonepatch nestled behind her, grooming her fur carefully. Their four new balls of fluff were curled against her side, peacefully asleep. Next to her, Maplefall sat with Badgerstar grooming her, tail curled protectively around her pregnant belly. Lionheart leaned down to touch a congratulatory nose to Fawnrunner's, which resulted in the she-cat purring contentedly.
"What did you decide to name them?" She asked, and Fawnrunner beamed at her proudly, before ducking her head to nudge her kits gently, one by one. "This is Elkkit," she mewed, with reference to the bigger tabby kit, with lighter fur, "and her sisters, Thunderkit and Mistkit," each kit was touched by their mother's nose. Thunderkit first, a larger and stockier she-cat who looked like her father in grey and white, while Mistkit was a little darker and a little fluffier. "And this is Deerkit," Fawnrunner announced, her nose touching the last kit- small, with rich brown tabby fur and soft white patches.
"They're perfect, Fawnrunner," Dawnblossom mewed, leaning her head down to touch her nose to her cousins' soft pelts, seemingly in awe of how small they were. Her aunt rumbled a tired purr, at the exact moment that Goldleaf shouldered her way through. "That's enough gawking, all of you. She's had a long day, so clear out, and give me some room to work." The clan said their goodbyes to Fawnrunner and the kits, vanishing from the nursery and into the cool Newleaf afternoon.

★★★

As the sun set over the clan, family groups began to split away to catch up, as they tended to in the night. Adderpaw stood nervously near the apprentice's den and watched them. Ashenstrike padded toward Lionheart, and said something that made her roll her eyes. Longriver trailed along next to him, and Harrierstreak wasn't far behind. Roseclaw and Pinefeather were catching the last of the sun's rays, with Flintburr next to them, and Halfpaw and Sedgepaw nestled near him and discussing something exciting in hushed whispers.
Badgerstar emerged from the nursery, and made his way to the leader's tree. He clawed himself along the branch, and straightened up, calling to the clan: "all cats gather beneath Highbranch!" Slowly, her clanmates turned toward the leader, and Maplefall even appeared in the mouth of the nursery, with Stonepatch's glittering eyes visible in the dim light over her shoulder. Adderpaw was sure that Fawnrunner and the new kits were asleep by now.
"Today, we welcome another warrior into the ranks of GroveClan," he announced, "I, Badgerstar of GroveClan, call upon our warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of the warrior code, and I recommend him to you wholeheartedly. Halfpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect your clan, even at the cost of your life?" The young tom nodded, and yowled back; "I do!"
"Then you receive your warrior name. From now on, you will be known as Halfpond, for your calm, soothing presence. StarClan honours your thoughtfulness, compassion and intellect. It is my honour to welcome you as a full warrior of GroveClan." The clan sent up joyful yowls of Halfpond's new name, as Badgerstar climbed back down the tree to rest his muzzle atop the new warrior's head. Watching Flintburr and Sedgepaw cheer loudest of all, Adderpaw felt her gut twist. She wondered who would cheer for her when she got her warrior name.
The clan gathered around Halfpond to say congratulations, and Adderpaw slipped inside the apprentice den, climbing into her nest and curling up. It was hard, not having any family. Whatever Lionheart had said to her that first day- it was true. She wasn't tough enough to survive without them, even if she wanted to be. A scuffling made her turn, and she blinked owlishly at Woodpaw, who was stationed over her with wide eyes.
"There you are! Come on, you have to come with us to tell dad about our day. I mean, he's gonna be disappointed that I lost, but it'll be way more dramatic if you play up how you and mom had this epic battle! Plus you'll get to brag about beating Squirrelpaw." Adderpaw blinked at the other tabby, bewildered. "But... it's your family time," she protested, and Woodpaw shrugged. "So? You can be a part of our family too! Come on!" When Adderpaw didn't move, Woodpaw nudged her again. Finally, the smaller she-cat got to her feet, trotting after Woodpaw with a bewildered look on her face.
The two she-cats bounded across camp together, skidding to a stop in front of Hawkthorn, Acornstream and Squirrelpaw. The latter gave Adderpaw a quizzical look, and she smiled back at him bashfully. "Squirrelpaw was telling us you all played a game today?" Hawkthorn said, with an amused lilt to his voice. Adderpaw locked eyes with her mentor, who gave her an encouraging smile. The little she-cat huffed out some air, and then nodded. "It was a game called traitor, where we were all trying to hunt each other like prey. It was just me and Acornstream left in the end, but she got me eventually."
"Yes, but you were very elusive," she she-cat said with a tinkling laugh, "Adderpaw gave me the runaround so much, and she always caught me coming just before I was about to pounce." Hawkthorn nuzzled his mate with a rumbling purr. "She sounds very talented, she must have had a great mentor." Woodpaw and Squirrelpaw wrinkled their noses, and let out twin groans at their parent's display of affection. Hawkthorn laughed, swatting at them with his tail. "Alright then, if you don't want to see me cherish your mother, go play somewhere else!"
"Come on!" Woodpaw enthused, leaping to her paws. After a moment's hesitation, Squirrelpaw got to his feet and followed after her, walking shoulder to shoulder with Adderpaw as his sister lead them back toward the nursery. "She'll want to play mossball, you know," he said matter of factly, and Adderpaw rolled her eyes. "I know what Woodpaw likes to play. And it'll be fun- we won't have much time to play soon, since we'll all be warriors in a short amount of time." Squirrelpaw shrugged a little, and Adderpaw rolled her eyes again, nudging him with her shoulder.
"Don't act like you're too old to have fun, Squirrelpaw," she mewed, before she bounded ahead to catch up with her friend. Squirrelpaw slowed to a stop, glancing over his shoulder at Sedgepaw, Halfpond, Dawnblossom and Dusklight. Then, after a moment's more hesitation, he too bounded toward apprentice's den, and ducked inside.

★★★

"Is it weird seeing him become a warrior now even though he's almost as old as you?" Dustfang asked, nestled next to his son as they watched Burrcall laughing with Flowershine, Flintburr and Halfpond. Boulderflame shrugged a little. "Not really. Longriver was older than us as an apprentice, but we became warriors before he did. I guess it just seems a little weird because they're more mature than we are, but... I dunno. It's nice to have some younger cats around. It's kind of weird talking to the older cats like they're the only friends we have."
"Come on, they can't be all bad," Dustfang chuckled a little, before his face got serious as Boulderflame's own contorted into a cheeky smile. "Well, no, they're not all bad. In fact, there's one she-cat I think is pretty swell." He sat up a little, and Dustfang contracted in on himself as his son called out across the camp for Shadowtail. The tabby molly lifted her head, turning to blink at the pair of them, before she let out a laugh and trotted on over, head cocked to the side. "What is it this time?" She asked, before narrowing her eyes playfully at Boulderflame, "you're not going to make me settle another argument with Burrcall, are you?"
"Not this time," he said, "and for the record, she's totally wrong, a bear would absolutely win in a fight against a tiger and there's nothing either of you can say to change my mind." Dustfang gave Shadowtail a quizzical look, but she just shrugged good-naturedly and laughed a little. "Anyway, that's not why I called you over. Dad wanted to know if you wanted to go on a walk." Dustfang sputtered, and Shadowtail blinked, owlishly.
"Like... now? As in, right this minute?" She mewed, looking quite confused. "Yep!" Boulderflame replied, before his father could cut in. Shadowtail blinked at Dustfang, who smiled back, awkwardly, and then ducked his head shyly. "I'd like that," she said, and their eyes met again. Boulderflame got to his paws, and nodded goodbye to them, before bounding across the camp toward Flowershine and Burrcall, tail raised in a happy manner. He said something to Halfpond that made him duck his head in pleased embarrassment.
"So... a walk," Dustfang said. Shadowtail nodded, beaming at him as he got to his paws. He nodded for her to move first, and she did, with him falling into step beside her. The pair of them walked shoulder to shoulder out of camp in companionable silence, allowing the Newleaf breeze to ruffle their pelts. As they wandered through the forest surrounding the campsite, Dustfang couldn't help but sneak glances at Shadowtail, admiring the way the moonlight dappled her tawny fur.
"What?" She asked, with a laugh, and Dustfang shook his head with a wry laugh. "Boulderflame is very good at putting me into situations where I'm not comfortable," he said, and blinked as Shadowtail drew to a halt. "We can go back, if you want," she mewed, her gaze concerned and a little... hurt? Dustfang shook his head, quickly. "No, no. I want to be here, I do. I just... I don't know what to say. Or do. I mean. You look... you are... you're wonderful. Gorgeous. One of the smartest she-cats I've ever met and you mean a lot to me. I don't want to mess this up."
"Well," she said, "in my experience, rambling when you're nervous doesn't help." Dustfang blew out a sigh, and she laughed, nudging his shoulder with her own. "But that doesn't mean it wasn't cute. Come on, I'll race you to the Sunning Rocks." She grinned, and then shoulder-checked him hard enough to send him stumbling. By the time he collected his paws, she was already several tail-lengths ahead, whooping gleefully. Dustfang's shoulders wiggled as he crouched, before surging forward, chasing after her into the night.

★★★

"Are you excited for your vigil?" Dusklight asked, settled beside Halfpond's flank in the centre of camp as the rest of the cats started to melt away. Halfpond shrugged a little, giving his friend a gentle smile. "I suppose so. Isn't it scary, though, spending the night out here on your own? I mean, what if something happens!" Dusklight let out a little laugh, shrugging his shoulders easily. "Well... to be fair, I wasn't alone. It was a challenge though, because Dawnblossom kept making faces at me."
Halfpond let out a little laugh, and Dusklight gave him a small smile. "But... really. If something happens, just yowl as loud as you can, and I'll come running." Halfpond rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Oh, I'm sure. You and your sister can't keep your noses out of trouble." Dusklight laughed, nodding sagely to himself as he thought about that. Halfpond did have a point- he and Dawnblossom were renowned mischief makers, and proud of it.
"Hey, Halfpond?"
"Yes?" He turned his head toward Dusklight, and the tabby tom could feel his heart beating in his chest as his friend stared at him with his wide, curious eyes. "I just wanted you to know," he said, coughing a little to cover his nerves, "I... really like you. As more than a friend. I uh- I've been thinking about it, and... I know I'm attracted to toms. Only toms. And I like you. So... yeah. I just wanted you to know."
Halfpond looked bewildered for a second, before a painfully awkward smile crossed his face. Dusklight thought it looked more like a grimace. "That's... very sweet, and I'm glad you trusted me enough to tell me," Halfpond mewed, "but I don't feel the same way. I like you as a friend, and I... have feelings for someone else." The last part was somewhat muttered, and he ducked his head, as if to avoid Dusklight's gaze.
"Oh," the other said, disappointment palpable in his voice, before he took a deep breath, "that's okay! Romance doesn't always work out, and I'm sure we'll both find someone, in time. I, for one, am still very young." Halfpond gave Dusklight a baffled look, surprised to see that the cheery tone the young tom had re-adopted went as far as to actually reach his eyes. "So. Who is it that you like?" He shuffled closer slyly, and Halfpond gave him another almost-grimace.
"Oh," said Dusklight, and a grin stretched across his maw, "it's Dawnblossom, isn't it?"
"Don't say anything!" Halfpond whined, dropping to the ground and covering his face with his paws. Dusklight laughed. "I won't! I won't, I promise your secret is safe with me. But... if you want, I can help you. She is my sister, and I do kind of know her better than anyone in the clan." Halfpond gave him a quizzical look. "You'd do that? Even after I rejected you?" Dusklight let out a laugh, rocking back on his haunches. "Please, I'm not petty enough to hold a grudge. Besides, I love love too much! If I have the opportunity to make a match that'll make cats happy, I'll take it. Besides, you're my friend, and I love my sister, and I want to see you both happy."
"You're a good cat," Halfpond mewed, touching his nose to Dusklight's cheek. The tabby purred, before his ears pricked up at Lionheart calling his name. "Time to go," she mewed, nodding to the edge of the basin, "the sun's down, it's time for Halfpond's vigil." Dusklight gave his friend one last look, before he turned and bounded away toward the warrior's den. Lionheart padded toward the new warrior, a gentle smile on her maw.
"Excited?" She asked, and Halfpond nodded, which made a deep rumbling chuckle come from somewhere that was decidedly not Lionheart. Ashenstrike appeared at her side, standing close enough that Halfpond could see where their pelts mingled. "Ashenstrike and I are going for a walk," she mewed, "it's kind of like a tradition at this point. We're just letting you know so you don't panic if you hear us coming back. Oh, and Shadowtail and Dustfang are still out there, too."
"I hope they're having fun," Ashenstrike mused, with that sly tone to his voice that meant he was implying more than he was letting on. Lionheart rolled her eyes and swatted him with her tail, before she gave Halfpond an encouraging smile. He nodded firmly to her in return, and the older pair turned and set off through the tunnel and out into the territory. The Newleaf walks were much more pleasant, with a cool breeze keeping them at just the right temperature as they strolled through the forest.
"So, if you were going to have kits, what would you name them?" Lionheart asked, leaping atop a fallen log, and tracing the grain with her paws, following it all the way up to the gnarled roots, where she settled down, body molded like liquid into the crevices that cradled her. Ashenstrike gave her an amused look. "So, I'm not allowed to ask invasive kit questions, but you are?" He teased, placing his paws up against the side of the log.
"Yes," she said, "if you're courting me, I have to know whether you'll name my kits something dumb if I... pass out, or temporarily forget how to speak, or am cursed to not be able to come up with my own kit names." Ashenstrike laughed a little, finally clawing his way up the log to rest underneath her, wrinkling his nose as she flicked her tail over his maw. "Okay, okay," he said, shaking his head, "I guess it depends on what they look like. If we had kits, and they looked like you... maybe... Firekit?"
"Boring."
"Foxkit."
"Overdone."
"Redkit."
"Oh come on-"
"Cherrykit." Lionheart blinked at him, before she laughed a little. "Oh, a sentimentalist, then?" She said, and Ashenstrike nodded, standing up to touch his nose to hers. "Uh-huh, most definitely. I never claimed to be any good at naming anything, but... well. I hope you can forgive me for that, at least." Lionheart nuzzled her head under his jaw, slipping from her resting place to land on the log next to him. "Don't worry," she mewed, "I liked those names just fine."

𝕥𝕠𝕕𝕒𝕪,
"Are you ready for this?" Sedgepaw turned to look back at Ashenstrike, with Lionheart and Badgerstar behind him, and Flintburr flanking her mentor on the other side. She gave the procession a smile, and rolled her eyes. "Of course I am. Or do you want to tell Badgerstar you didn't teach me right?" Ashenstrike shook his head, stepping forward to touch noses with his apprentice. "Okay, smart-mouth," he said, "go. You're going to do great."
"I know," she mewed, casting the cats one last look, "I'm going to make my father proud." Flintburr's chest puffed a little, as his daughter nodded to them. Then, she turned and bounded away, paws flying freely over the ground until she was out of sight. They watched her go for a while longer, before Lionheart turned away from the tunnel and mewed; "I'm going to call up patrols." She disappeared into the warrior's den, and Badgerstar scuttled off to the nursery without much by way of an excuse.
"You must be proud," Ashenstrike mewed, turning to smile at Flintburr. The black tom nodded, staring past his clanmate where the leaves of the willow tree were still swinging from her exit. "I am. And mostly... shocked that I got to witness this. I didn't think I'd get to see my babies grow up. And yet, here I am." Ashenstrike gave him a smile, and a nod. "I'm happy for you, Flintburr, I really am. You've done great with those kits, with what little time you've had."
"And I should thank you, too," Flintburr said, "you've been great with Sedgepaw, like a second father to her. I appreciate that, seeing as she does only have one parent." Ashenstrike narrowed his eyes, teasingly, with a rumbling purr of happiness. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were asking me to be your shiny new co-parent." Flintburr laughed, shaking his great head. "Don't flatter yourself," he mewed, "my heart belongs to someone else."
"As does mine," Ashenstrike said, and both toms turned to watch a fluffy ginger pelt emerge from the warrior's den, and then duck into the medicine den moments later. Flintburr gave Ashenstrike a private, knowing smile, before the two of them turned away from each other, and headed toward the dens to great their clanmates for the day ahead.

★★★

"Is it odd, changing clans?" Squirrelpaw asked, taking extra-long steps to keep up with Roseclaw. Even though the apprentice was nearly grown, the massive tom was still hard to keep up with. He wondered if cats like Flowershine were so small because Roseclaw had just taken all of their leg-length and muscle and hoarded it to himself. The ginger and white tom seemed to think this over, before he shrugged a little, turning to glance back at Dustfang and Shadowtail. They still seemed to be quite deep in conversation, so he decided to humour the young apprentice.
"No, not particularly," he said, "at first, it was hard, because I lost a lot of my friends, and my family too. But... settling here was easy. I had my sister, and the tom I love. It already felt like a home from the outset. It isn't so hard to call it home now." Squirrelpaw nodded, thinking about this in silence. Roseclaw's ear swiveled back to try and pick up what Shadowtail and Dustfang were talking about, but the apprentice piped up with another question. "What is it like to be in love?"
"Why don't you ask Dustfang?" Roseclaw teased, turning to shoot an amused look at the silver tom, who blinked at him, and then look scandalized as Shadowtail giggled. "Aren't you the one with the moons-old mate?" His old friend retorted, and Roseclaw let out a rumbling purr. "Aren't you the one with two kits?" Shadowtail laughed, outright, nudging the silver tabby with her shoulder. "He does have you there, you know."
"I know," Dustfang grumbled, before he shot a shy glance at the she-cat, and cleared his throat, "for me... it feels like coming home. Every time you see them, you get a warm feeling in your chest. It feels good, and familiar, and... right. Something just clicks, right, and whenever you're together it's like you've found a missing piece of the puzzle, like they fit right into whatever you've been missing like they belonged there all along." He coughed, shooting Shadowtail another shy smile. The she-cat smiled back, before ducking her head and turning her gaze to the ground, a pleased smile on her face.
"What do you think, Roseclaw?" Squirrelpaw asked, curious eyes lighting on the bigger tom. "Well, Dustfang nearly nailed it. For me, it's someone you never get tired of. Someone who makes you happy, who always makes you laugh at things you wouldn't normally laugh at, who always seems to understand how you're feeling. Dustfang is right when he says something just... clicks. It's always there, that moment of mutual understanding."
"Interesting," Squirrelpaw said, "you've given me a lot to think about."
"So who's the lucky cat?" Shadowtail mewed, inquisitively. Squirrelpaw squinted at her, and then shook his head. "Please, I'm not mousebrained enough to think telling my aunt about my love life is a good idea." Shadowtail looked bewildered for a second, before she burst into laughter with the other toms. Squirrelpaw ducked his head, but no one missed the quietly pleased smile on his face as he scampered forward to scout ahead.

★★★

"How's operation Lovebirds going?" Pinefeather asked, delicately stepping over some debris near the shore. Boulderflame grinned, chest puffing up happily. "It's great, actually, I managed to get them to go walking together at night like Lionheart and Ashenstrike do, so I figure that's a good step." Longriver chuckled a little bit, and the patrol turned to look at him, where he was wandering along next to Harrierstreak, their tails twined companionably. "That doesn't mean anything," he mewed, "it's a good start, but Ashenstrike and Lionheart have been going on those walks for moons now."
"Yeah, but they're both stubborn and bad at this kind of thing," Harrierstreak protested. "Plus, Lionheart is super tough," Flowershine piped up, "I, for one, think you're doing great work Boulderflame. Shadowtail's not as afraid of her feelings as Lionheart is. And I think they'd be sweet together, they both deserve a happy ending." Boulderflame felt flushed, and he ducked his head bashfully at the praise. Pinefeather chuckled in his rich way. "Oh, most definitely. I remember Dustfang and Tanglestep at gatherings, when they were little apprentices back in the day. Dustfang's a little awkward, but he's got the right spirit."
"Wait, you knew Dustfang when he was an apprentice?" Halfpond mewed, and Boulderflame stared at him with wide eyes. "Wow. I never thought about it, but you must have known my mom. That's so weird." He laughed a little, breathlessly, like the wind had been knocked out of him. Flowershine sidled up next to him, gently pressing against his side. He gave her an appreciative smile, as Pinefeather looked at him with soft eyes.
"Oh darling, you bet I did. Roseclaw always liked Tanglestep and Dustfang, he thought they had spirit. I can't say I knew her extremely well, but I considered us friends, even if she was much closer to Lionheart's age than mine. She was a good cat- strong, moral. She would have been very proud of you." Boulderflame ducked his head again, and Flowershine gave his cheek an encouraging lick. The black tom gave her a shy smile in return, while Harrierstreak and Longriver gave each other knowing looks.
"I can only hope I get to meet my mother, one day," Halfpaw mewed, "Dad says she's still out there somewhere, but... I don't know if that's just what he wants to believe, or if it's really true."
"I think it's true," Longriver piped up, "for what it's worth, I think if Flintburr thought that your mother being dead was a possibility, he wouldn't hold so much hope in his heart. Besides... it might be weird, or superstitious to say this, but if Harrierstreak died... I would feel it instantly. It feels like we're connected, you know? Even if he were miles away, I would still know." He wrinkled his nose as his mate purred and nuzzled his cheek.
"Maybe you could talk to Badgerstar about setting off to find her?" Harrierstreak suggested. "Badgerstar has a lot of friends, and a lot of ally clans who would be willing to help him out, I'm sure. If not allies, at least leaders he's friendly with who would point him in the right direction. If she's still out there, I'm sure we could find her."
"What would I do even if I found her?" Halfpond asked, shrugging a little. Flowershine scuttled across to rub up against his side, comfortingly. "Well... you'd know, wouldn't you? That's better than nothing, and maybe the clan would be willing to let her visit, or to let you visit even."
"What if I want to stay?"
"Then I'm sure Badgerstar would let you," Pinefeather said, "he doesn't seem to be in the habit of breaking up family."
"What if she has a new family?" The group was silent for a bit, before Boulderflame cleared his throat. "Sometimes a new family isn't a bad thing," he said, "I love my mother, and I miss her every day, but... I want my dad to be happy. And I'm excited to have a new mother, and new brothers and sisters. Just because you're apart from your family for a while doesn't mean you love them any less. Flintburr had all of us as a new family, and he was still just as excited to have you back."
"You're right," Halfpond gave him a small smile, "thank you."
"You're welcome, just call me Boulderflame the wise."
"I will not," Halfpond replied, making the group laugh a little, "but I will make a bet that I can catch more prey than you on this patrol." Boulderflame narrowed his eyes, a purr rumbling deep in his chest. "Oh, you're on."

[ the clan consumes two rabbits and a fish
maplefall is kitting! badgerstar is the father. goldleaf & mousepaw stay in camp to help.
↪ maplefall carries long hair.
sedgepaw attempts her warrior assessment.
badgerstar re-trains woodpaw in stalking
acornstream teaches adderpaw to hunt
roseclaw, shadowtail, dustfang and squirrelpaw patrol the borders
pinefeather, longriver, harrierstreak, flowershine, boulderflame and halfpond hunt near the lake
hawkthorn, burrcall, sootface, novella, dawnblossom and dusklight hunt in the forest
lionheart, ashenstrike, flintburr and stonepatch also patrol the borders ]

affiliate clans wrote:ally clans;
echoclan | Katrione
hopeclan | adiebaby11

enemy clans;
none yet!

borders;
north | echoclan | Katrione
east | kingdom of shattered bones | vivere!
south | open | dm me!
west | highgarden | eagle,

inventory wrote:medicine store;
catmint [4] | greencough
chervil [4] | wounds/aches
marigold [0] | wounds
tansy [2] | coughs
goldenrod [1] | wounds
catchweed [1] | poultices
poppy seeds [3] | pain
cobwebs [1] | bleeding
fennel [4] | pain
raspberry leaves [1] | kitting
ragwort leaves [2] | strength
alder bark [1] | toothache
beech leaves [1] | use ???
chickweed [4] | coughs
parsley [1] | bellyache
rosemary [1] | burial
willow bark [1] | pain
bindweed [1] | binds sticks
blackberry leaves [1] | bee stings
borage leaves [1] | milk

fresh-kill pile;
mouse | x4| 4 servings
vole | x4 | 4 servings
rabbit | x5 | 10 servings
bird | x3 | 9 servings
fish | x7 | 14 servings
squirrel | x4 | 8 servings
capacity: 47 servings (7 posts)

relationships wrote:mentors;
ashenstrike | sedgepaw [4]
↪ hunting, battle, swimming, stalking
dustfang | squirrelpaw [4]
↪ hunting, climbing, battle, stalking
badgerstar | woodpaw [4]
↪ hunting, climbing, battle, stalking
acornstream | adderpaw [2]
↪ stalking, hunting, skill, skill

deceased cats;
none yet!

family/mates;
flintburr ♡ bluestripe
↪ halfpond & sedgepaw
tawnycloud ♥ shrikecry
↪ shadowtail & hawkthorn
dustfang ♡ tanglestep
↪ boulderflame & burrcall
hawkthorn ♥ acornstream
↪ squirrelpaw & woodpaw
ripplebound ♡ junipernose
↪ dawnblossom & dusklight
adopted by fawnrunner (m. aunt)
eagleleap ♡ dewfeather
↪ harrierstreak & mousepaw
badgerstar ♥ maplefall
↪ due now!
cherryflower ♡ frostjaw
↪ roseclaw, russetwing, lionheart,
gingerstrike & dawnleap
roseclaw ♥ pinefeather
stonepatch ♥ fawnrunner
↪ elkkit, thunderkit,
mistkit & deerkit
longriver ♥ harrierstreak

My gallery · by **solyn** » Fri Oct 26, 2018 7:38 pm

𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐍 !!
# of cats; 41 (♀: 21 / ♂: 20)
servings consumed; 7 servings
next moonpool visit; now

𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕠𝕟 𝕒𝕘𝕠,
"Okay, so, I'm curious," Dustfang, sprawled out across one of the sun rocks, tilted his head back to look at Shadowtail, who was watching him with an intrigued glitter in her eye, "I have been for a while. About how you know Lionheart, I mean. You two seemed close when you first came to the clan, but you were from different clans, right?" Dustfang let out a soft chuckle, sitting up a bit so he could face her better.
"I wouldn't say we were close," he said, "not before I came here, anyway. We knew each other- our old clans used to share a border. I first met Lionheart at a gathering when she'd just gotten her warrior name, and I was just an apprentice. I remember, one of the older apprentices from my clan- Tansyfoot, Tansypaw then- he was saying something rude to Adderbite, who he'd met before, and Lionheart whirled on him and just about took his ears off." Shadowtail snorted, nodding a little. "I know, sounds right, doesn't it? Anyway, we were all very grateful to her for putting Tansyfoot in his place, he deserved it."
"You sound like you didn't like him much," she said, scooting a little bit closer so that they were shoulder to shoulder. Dustfang felt himself heat up a little. "I didn't," he replied, "he was a braggart and an idiot. He had no clue what he was doing but he pranced around like he owned the clan because his mother was deputy." Shadowtail groaned, tipping her head back. "Oh, that's awful. I can't even imagine how I would have dealt with that."
"He was so coddled too," Dustfang said, with a roll of his eyes, "couldn't say a word against him without his mother practically clawing your throat out, which is why we all appreciated Lionheart so much. After that, I got to see Adderbite every once in a while, while Lionheart was in the nursery, and when she came back... well. She was nice, and the pair of them were only too happy to play matchmaker to Tanglestep and I. Lionheart always liked her, I think because they were similar." Shadowtail watched him for a little bit, and he gave her a curious look, before he watched her face slowly stretch into a grin.
"You had a crush on Lionheart, didn't you." Dustfang was sure if he were a two-leg, his whole face would be that ugly red.
"What- no! I didn't!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"You so did!" Dustfang groaned, tucking his head under his paws as Shadowtail laughed. "I mean, I don't blame you, I was definitely a little bit in love with Lionheart when I first came to the clan, but... wow, that's history. I assume you never confessed?" Dustfang shook his head, pouting at her. "Well, that's understandable, but she definitely knew, you know that right?" He sighed, and nodded, sitting up again and wrinkling his nose as she licked his forehead.
"I know," he said, "I'm just not quite sure how you figured it out." Shadowtail chuckled a little, tilting her head with amusement. "I might like to have fun, but I'm not an idiot. Young apprentice, older and infinitely more brazen cat, but still young enough to seem relatable and obtainable? Conqueror of someone you disliked, similar to your first love? It all adds up to this, in my mind: you were young and probably had feelings for Tanglestep already, but you were too young to know how to address them, so you projected them onto Lionheart who was someone you could never feasibly be with for a myriad of reasons, and Lionheart is an appalling judge of budding romance, so you must have been really obvious if she was that desperate to get you off her tail."
Dustfang stared at her in stunned silence, before he burst into shocked laughter, eyeing her with a new respect, and slight bafflement. "I never knew you were that much of a detective," he said, with a grin, "it's really impressive. Remind me to never do anything shady, because I'm sure you'd find me out in an instant." Shadowtail shrugged, flicking her tail as she blinked with false modesty. "Oh, I know." Dustfang laughed, jostling her with his shoulder, and she laughed along with him, the pair of them settling in close in the warm afternoon light. After a long moment of silence, stretching comfortably between them, Dustfang spoke again.
"You know, just when I think I know all of you, you keep finding new ways to amaze me," Shadowtail blinked at him, before ducking her head shyly. Dustfang gave her a gentle, fond smile, tilting his head. "You do know that you're incredible, right? You're smart- smarter than any cat I've ever met- and you radiate sunshine. I... am really lucky to have met you." She chuckled a little, slowly lifting her eyes to meet his. They sat, staring at each other for a long moment, as Shadowtail's tail brushed over his, and then curled in tandem with it.
"Well, now you're just flattering me."

★★★

"That, if you don't mind my saying so," said Ashenstrike, regardless of whether or not anyone minded his saying so, "does not look good at all." The four cats stood in a semi-circle around the smear of blood on the roots of an oak tree. All expressions were grave. All shoulders were tense. Ashenstrike, personally, felt sick to his stomach with particularly unpleasant memories that the blood smear evoked.
"Should we investigate?" Stonepatch asked, casting a wary glance around the older cats. Flintburr shrugged, and he and Ashenstrike made eye contact with each other, and all three of the toms shifted their gazes to Lionheart. The ginger molly was staring at it hard, face pulled tight in a frown as he tail swished behind her in agitation. They stayed silent, not daring to risk invoking her wrath when she was clearly deep in thought.
"No," she said finally, "not you at least. You and Flintburr have families in the camp. We don't know what happened here, but either way someone or something was injured, and that's dangerous. I don't want to put you in the line of fire."
"But you're alright risking my handsome pelt?" Ashenstrike asked, sputtering as Lionhearts fluffy tail caught him in the face. Flintburr frowned. "You have a family too, Lionheart," he said, "not just Roseclaw and Pinefeather, but all of us, too. You are... my sister, if not by blood then by spirit." She gave Flintburr a little smile- tired- and it didn't quite reach her eyes. "That's sweet of you, Flintburr. You and Stonepatch have young families who need you. I won't jeopardize that. I'm deputy of this clan, and it's my job to keep you all safe. And if there's one cat I trust to have my back, it's Ashenstrike."
Bewildered, the tom shared a look with Lionheart, his face softening at the genuine yet solemn expression on her face. He turned his gaze to the other two toms with a determined smile. "We'll be fine. Someone needs to let Badgerstar know what's going on, after all. Besides, we'll have the advantage of stealth on our side with a smaller patrol." Lionheart nodded, tight and firm. She glanced at Flintburr, and then Stonepatch.
"I don't know how long we'll be gone," Lionheart mewed, "but while I am, I want you to fill in for me, Flintburr. Tell Badgerstar he doesn't have a choice, and he needs to keep things running smoothly." The black tom hesitated for a moment, before he nodded, firmly. She turned to Stonepatch. "Stonepatch... be a good father to your kits. Play with them. Treat Fawnrunner like a goddess. When we come back, we want to see your family happy and safe." She stepped forward to touch noses with both of them, and then Ashenstrike stepped in to do the same.
With one last glance over their shoulders, Stonepatch and Flintburr disappeared into the underbrush, leaving Ashenstrike and Lionheart standing by the blood-stained oak all on their own. They were silent for a long while, before Lionheart closed her eyes and exhaled. Ashenstrike tilted his head toward her, appraising her, slowly. "Are you sure about this?" He said, and Lionheart nodded her head.
"Yes, I am. We know too little, I don't want to put anyone in danger. I trust you to be smart, and to watch my back. If it's a predator, we have a heads up, we run like the wind back to camp and warn everyone. If it's an injured cat, we help them. I... know some medicine techniques." Ashenstrike pricked his ears forward in curiosity, tilting his head. "Really, now? How'd you come about those?"
"After the kits," she said, with a deep breath, "I had some... recovery time. I needed to keep busy and distracted, but the leader felt I wasn't ready to go out and be a warrior again, I needed time emotionally. He was right, although I hated him for it at the time. I couldn't be in the nursery, it was too painful, and I didn't feel like hanging around a constant reminder of death in the elder's den, so, I went to the only place I could think of."
"Your medicine cat," Ashenstrike concluded, and Lionheart nodded, with a wry twist of her maw into a smile. "Cranberrytuft was cranky and impatient, but... he was a friend to me. He knew I needed something to keep me busy, and he said it was good revision for his apprentice to teach me the things she was learning."
"Well, I suppose it's a chance for you to teach me, then," he said, "although I hope it doesn't come to that." Lionheart snorted, shrugging a little. "I never expected to- or wanted to- have to use it. I just didn't have anywhere else to go. Not after the kits, when all my siblings were too sympathetic and my mate and I were on the rocks." She shrugged a little, casting an uneasy gaze at the blood smear. Ashenstrike quickly jumped in to distract her.
"How old were you, when you gave birth?" She blinked, startled, before regarding him with curiosity. "Isn't your whole... shtick... not asking me invasive questions about my kits?" When Ashenstrike didn't respond beyond a shrug, she sighed. "I was 16 moons old."
"That's... young," Ashenstrike blinked, "when you said young, I didn't realize you meant young. You must have been mates right out of apprenticeship, huh?" Lionheart snorted, with a sigh. "Before then, actually. Two weeks before our warrior assessments he asked me, and I said yes. And then we were warriors for a short time, and we decided we wanted a family. And everything was... perfect, it was like I was living in a dream. But the thing about dreams is that you have to wake up some time."
"Maybe," Ashenstrike replied, shifting closer, "or maybe dreams are just the starting point for you to understand what you really want. Dreams might end, but if you're dreaming about something it clearly means a lot to you. Whether that's good or bad is for you to decide."
"I suppose Adderbite's dreams were more about alive kits than a dead mate," she said, wryly. "Then he was an idiot," Ashenstrike responded, without missing a beat, "but I'm glad he was- or is- because that means I get a chance to do right where he did wrong. To care more about you, and not what you can give me." She stared at him, incredulous. He stared back, dead serious, determination set behind his brilliant green eyes.
"Are you serious?" She asked, and Ashenstrike nodded. "Yes. You know I've wanted to ask you for a long time."
"I know, I just- now?"
"Well, the inspiration struck," he gave her a half-grin, in the same easy way she'd come to know so well, "I know it's not exactly the same, and the circumstances have the chance to be a little more dire but- well. If this is our last hurrah, I don't want to go out without asking." Lionheart's eyes narrowed, and after a moment, she chuckled a little. "Well, I'll tell you what," she said, "if we make it through whatever this is... I'll consider it."
"Good enough an answer for me," he replied, pressing his forehead against hers, "now let's go find our bloody buddy."

★★★

"Okay, so Lionheart's gone- probably out of the territory- for who knows how long, and she's appointed you interim deputy while she and Ashenstrike have some kind of romantic field trip where they search for something potentially dangerous, is that what I'm hearing?" Flintburr thought about it, and then nodded. Badgerstar nodded too, with a nervous chuckle. "Great. Wonderful. That's truly just- peachy."
"I'm sure it'll be fine," Maplefall said, looking between the two toms as her newborn kits nestled closer to her belly, "Lionheart is fully capable of taking care of herself, and Ashenstrike would burn the whole forest down before he let anything happen to her. She is going to be fine." Badgerstar sighed, his tail curling tighter around her, protectively. Flintburr sat, curling his own tail around his paws. "I know it's not ideal, but she's doing what she has to do. And I'll do my best to fill in for her. I-"
Shouts from outside the den cut him off, and both toms rocketed to their feet with a panicked exchange of glances. Badgerstar was the first one to react, bolting from the nursery with Flintburr hot on his heels to find the clan scattered, but all facing off against a pair of scraggly looking toms. The bigger one- brown and white- had his ears flattened to his head, while the smaller one, a dark tabby, stood tall and relaxed, looking around with a sheepish smile.
"What's going on here?" Flintburr asked, blinking as his daughter stepped out from behind them, shaking out her fur. "I found them on the way back from my assessment," she replied, "they say their names are Grouseclaw and Willowthroat. I thought Badgerstar would like to see them." All eyes fell on their leader, who eyed the two new toms curiously. "And what are you doing here?" He asked, fully expecting the bristly looking tom to answer. Instead, it was Willowthroat, whose voice was lilted and cheery, smooth like silk.
"Our clan disbanded," he mewed, "we're refugees. We didn't mean to encroach on your territory, so I suppose you could call it a happy coincidence. We were just passing through." Badgerstar studied them for a moment, before his eyes roamed around the rest of the cats, and he hummed, with a soft chuckle. "Well, I suppose we wouldn't be GroveClan without our reputation for refugees," he said, with a cheery smile, "I'm Badgerstar."
"Willowthroat," the tabby said, "this is my brother, Grouseclaw. He's not usually this prickly, we've just had a rough few moons."
"Entirely understandable," Badgerstar said, "Burrcall can show you to the fresh kill pile. We'd be happy to offer you rest, if you wish to move on, but GroveClan will never turn away a cat in need of a home. If you wish to stay, permanently, we'd be more than happy to have you in our ranks."
"We'll see," Grouseclaw said, his voice a deep rumble, "we thank you for your hospitality." He bowed his head, and blinked in shock when he looked up to see Burrcall standing just in front of him. The molly was of a rather average height, but with strong shoulders and keen, glittering eyes. Grouseclaw had never seen anything like her before in his life. "This way, then," she said brightly, nodding over her shoulder, "you must have had such a long journey!"
As Burrcall lead them away, the camp seemed to relax, and go back to what they had been doing. Sedgepaw moved forward, toward Badgerstar and her father. "Not a good time for refugees," Flintburr observed, as the she-cat settled next to them. Badgerstar nodded slowly, with a sigh. "No, it's not. With Lionheart gone-"
"Lionheart's gone?" Sedgepaw asked, before she looked around, eyes scanning the camp frantically. Slowly, she turned back to her father, eyes wide with worry. "Where's Ashenstrike?"

★★★

The sun was setting when Badgerstar settled himself at the base of the Leader's Tree and yowled: "all cats gather beneath Highbranch!" Stonepatch exited the nursery, but Fawnrunner and Maplefall stayed inside. Around her father's paws, a little Thunderkit stumbled along, still clumsy, but determinedly curious. Stonepatch picked her up in his maw and carried her forward, before settling her between his paws to make sure she was safe.
"GroveClan is blessed to have another strong apprentice join us as a worthy warrior," he called, as the cats finished assembling, "I, Badgerstar of GroveClan, call upon our warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your code, and I know GroveClan could not ask for a better warrior. Sedgepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect your clan, even if it costs you your life?" The black she-cat hesitated, casting one last glance toward the camp entrance, before she nodded firmly.
"I do."
"Then from this day on, your warrior name will be Sedgefire, for your passionate spirit. GroveClan honours your integrity, your bravery and your tenacity. I am honoured to welcome you as a full warrior of GroveClan." Cheers went up of Sedgefire's new name as she stepped forward so that Badgerstar could place his chin atop her head. She licked his shoulder, and they parted ways, before the clan surged forward to congratulate her. Flintburr nuzzled her right between her ears, with a rumbling purr.
"Sedgefire," he mewed, "I am so proud of you. And your mother would be too, if she were here." Sedgefire beamed at him, laughing as her brother twined around her with a rumbling purr. "Thank you... dad," she said, watching her father's face brighten. She didn't use the word often, but it was starting to feel right. She still felt heavy in her chest. "I wish Ashenstrike were here, though. I owe a lot to him."
"He's proud of you, wherever he is now," Sedgefire jumped, surprised to see Sootface had appeared beside her. "Trust me," he said with a smile, "Ashenstrike is always proud of his apprentices when they receive their names. He'll be more than happy to celebrate with you when he gets back." Sedgefire's face softened, and she gave him a nod. "Thanks." He nodded back, and moved on, as Sedgefire was shoulder-slammed by a black and white shape, whose tail waved excitedly. She spotted Mousepaw in the distance, who gave her a nod and a wink.
"Thanks, Novella," she said with a rumbling purr, touching noses with the littler she-cat, "finally, we'll get to work together again. I can't believe a scrawny runt like you beat me to it." Novella regarded her with incredulity, and glanced over her shoulder toward Mousepaw and then back, several times, to make her point. "Okay," Sedgefire said with a laugh, "so you're not the runtiest little she-cat around. But you're pretty close." Novella rolled her eyes and flicked Sedgefire with her tail, before her ears pricked forward. She shot Sedgefire a parting smile, before she bounded toward Dawnblossom and Dusklight, who welcomed her with purrs and Dusklight launching into some loud story.
Laughter filled the camp as groups began to split off, leaving Sedgefire with her father and brother, the latter of whom was watching Dusklight with pining. "Go," she said, with a laugh, and Halfpond stared at her, bewildered. She nodded toward the group of young warriors, and after a moment of hesitation, Halfpond nodded and bounded toward them, leaving Sedgefire and Flintburr alone. "Ah, young love," she said, "were you and mom ever like that?"
"No," Flintburr replied, "I was much more hopeless." A fond smile crossed his features as Sedgepaw burst into laughter, shoulders shaking with mirth. "You've come so far," he said, out of the blue, "I'm really glad you decided to stay. I... I thought I'd missed my chance to be in your life. But this? You have no idea how happy this has made an old cat."
"Don't get too sentimental," she teased, touching her nose to his cheek, "and besides, you're not that old... yet."

𝕥𝕠𝕕𝕒𝕪,
Badgerstar's paws ached by the time he reached the Moonpool. Carefully, he navigated his way down the narrow path to the pool of calm water, lapping against the stone of the cavern idly. He stared at it, for a moment, taking a deep breath. It had been a while since he had chosen to come to the Moonpool, but he was a father now. He had kits, and the things that Dovestar had said in his dream when he had lost his last life had been troubling.
Carefully, he settled himself at the edge of the pool, glancing up toward the hole in the roof where the moon shone down. "Hi, Dovestar," he mewed, "sorry it's been a while. I've been scared, and I have so many questions, and nothing has been easier with Lionheart and Ashenstrike gone for the whole moon. I came to request a warrior from you, since we have so many kits. We're going to need bigger, stronger ranks. And I have some questions too, about myself, and where I come from." And with that, he touched his nose to the pool and fell into a deep sleep.
Dovestar stood in front of him, her face creased in worry. "Badgerstar," she mewed, "I'm so sorry." The black and white tom shrugged, glancing around the starry field. "It's okay, I'm not angry," he mewed, "I'm just confused. Who was that she-cat? And what did she mean? Who am I, Dovestar? You have to know." The she-cat ducked her head, as if she were ashamed, a gesture that surprised Badgerstar.
"I do," she mewed, "and I'm sorry I kept it from you. I thought it would cause you less pain." She turned, and Badgerstar looked after her, where a tall and slender tom cat was making his way through the grass. Badgerstar's eyes widened. He was a handsome, long-haired ginger tom with white feet, and a patch of white on his chest. His eyes glittered with the stars, and when Badgerstar met his gaze, he understood who he was, implicitly.
"Dad," he mewed, stunned, and the tom chuckled. "My name is Rowanheart," he said, "and yes, I am your father. The she-cat you saw when you died was your mother, Shadewhisper. Dovestar's great-great-great granddaughter." Badgerstar's wide eyes turned to Dovestar who nodded, ducking her head in shame. He turned his attention back to his father. "Shadewhisper was headstrong, and when we were young I loved her for it. She meant the world to me, but as we got older, she became... obsessed with power, with being strong. We had kits- you, and your siblings- and she decided you weren't strong enough."
"She said she should have killed me when she had the chance," Badgerstar said, feeling stunned, "or something to that effect." Rowanheart nodded, and Badgerstar's heart broke at the sorrow in his eyes. "She killed before you, my daughter- your sister. I managed to save two of you, but the rest... they didn't make it. Just you and Miragekit, wherever she is now."
"That's why she called me Blazekit," he said, blinking slowly, "because I'm your son, Blazekit. That's who I am." He looked between the two StarClan cats, confused to see Rowanheart shaking his head, with a rumbling chuckle that seemed to shake the very plane that Badgerstar walked on. "No, my son," he said, "you are my son, but you are not Blazekit. You were Blazekit, and then you were Nemo, and now you are Badgerstar of GroveClan, leader of free and just cats, humble and kind. You are more than your heritage, my boy, and you shouldn't forget that."
"I... thank you," Badgerstar stepped forward, and then hesitantly touched noses with the ginger tom and then, purring, burrowed close to him, nuzzling his head up under his chin. They stayed like that for a moment, before Badgerstar pulled away, glancing between Dovestar and Rowanheart. "I still don't understand, though. How did Shadewhisper get to me?" Rowanheart and Dovestar exchanged uneasy looks, before the she-cat spoke.
"We don't know," she said, "but you should keep your wits about you, Badgerstar of GroveClan. Wherever Shadewhisper goes, trouble is soon to follow."

★★★

The camp was quiet, with Lionheart and Ashenstrike gone. Usually, there were cats coming and going on patrols, but now it was just Flintburr, Woodpaw, the two queens and their kits. Flintburr sat in the middle of the camp, tail swishing idly behind him as the new Greenleaf sun beat down upon his back. The heat made him lethargic, unwilling to move, but he had promised Lionheart he would keep things running, even if he was sure by now that whatever that blood smear was had taken both cats out of the clan's territory.
The leaves of the willow tree at the entrance rustled, and Flintburr was on his feet, ears pricked forward, when a tiny kit came bounding through, a mother's worried cry following it. The leaves parted, and a grey she-cat came scurrying through, another black and white kit at her heels. She snatched the little molly by the scruff of her neck, staring with wide-eyes at Flintburr. He stared back, bewildered, and a little disappointed.
"Is that Lionheart? Welcome back! I-" Maplefall skidded to a halt next to Flintburr, and the tom could feel the presence of Fawnrunner behind him, hovering anxiously near the mouth of the nursery. The older queen glanced between the two of them, her ears flattening. "I'm sorry," she mewed, "I didn't mean to intrude, we're just passing through. I swear, we'll be on our wa-"
"That's not necessary," Maplefall said gently, her eyes asking Flintburr if she should take the lead. He nodded, taking a step back as the little calico molly stepped forward. "GroveClan offers a home to all travelers, and we certainly wouldn't turn away such adorable kits. Hello." She crouched, smiling at the shy little tom cat. "Hi," he mewed, ducking behind his mother's leg. She smiled at the grey she-cat. "I'm Maplefall, and this is Flintburr. He's acting deputy for this clan and-"
"I'm sorry, did you say Flintburr?" Maplefall looked confused at the interruption, but she nodded. The strange molly put her kit down, taking a step closer to the black tom. "You are... every bit as handsome as Silvermoon said you were. My name is Featherpelt, we were in LilyClan together, but we got separated when the clan disbanded. We were friends, I-" she let out a nervous chuckle, "I can't believe StarClan lead me here."
"You... you knew my mate," he said, bewildered, "is she okay? Is she alive, do you know?"
"Yes," Featherpelt nodded, vehemently, "We heard, when we were travelling, that she'd settled again, with her kits. She- she took a mate again, after you. She thought that you were dead." Flintburr shook his head, dismissing the careful tone Featherpelt was taking. "No, no, I- I don't blame her, don't worry. But I am alive. And so are our kits. They're here- Halfpond and Sedgefire, they just got their warrior names." Featherpelt's face softened, and she stepped closer. "She would be so proud."
Their eyes met, and Flintburr looked between her and the kits. "Stay," he said, "please. We can offer you a safe home for your kits." Featherpelt nodded, glancing shyly at Maplefall. "I'd be honoured to stay. Do you mind showing me where the nursery is? Avocetkit and Ternkit will be tired after our journey." Maplefall nodded, turning and heading back toward the nursery, chatting away to the grey she-cat amiably as Woodpaw emerged from the apprentice's den, fur matted with twigs.
"What'd I miss?"

★★★

"Thanks for coming with us today, Stonepatch," Mousepaw mewed, the little she-cat scurrying double time to keep up with the two taller cats. Goldleaf looked amused by this; although her apprentice was a full year old and more, she hadn't grown all too big, still short and slim in a way that made her seem even smaller. At least she had come into her own a lot more, curious, bright and incredibly smart. Goldleaf was proud.
"Yes, thank you," she said, and the patched tom shrugged. "It's not an issue. I wasn't assigned to a patrol, so I might as well be out herb-hunting. Besides, I was wondering if you could give me an update on my kits." The curled-eared molly chuckled a little, ears flicking a bit as she nodded. "Well, yes, I suppose I can. They're doing just fine, Stonepatch. All of them are healthy, and they'll be doing much better now that they have Maplefall and Badgerstar's kits to play with, it'll help them learn the foundations of the training they'll receive once they reach six moons."
"And they're cute," Mousepaw piped up, which made Goldleaf laugh again. "I was wondering though, Stonepatch. I don't want Mousepaw to be entirely useless if the clan gets into trouble. I think she should have some kind of battle training. I can teach her the basics, but I am by no means an expert."
"You were hoping I could help," Stonepatch stated, and Goldleaf nodded, "I'd be happy to. I've never had an apprentice before, so I think it could be good for me if I could help train Mousepaw." The little she-cat glanced between the two of them, blinking when she saw Goldleaf staring at her. "I like Stonepatch," she said, "he's patient. He'll be a good fit, don't worry." She turned to him then, with a bright smile. "I look forward to training with you."

★★★

Hawkthorn glanced over his shoulder at his patrol, one thought running around his mind: they were all so young. Behind him, Boulderflame and Flowershine were chatting calmly, deep in conversation, and behind them, Dawnblossom and Dusklight were flanking Halfpond, also talking about something, but loudly enough that he could catch snippets of their conversation, which sounded like another argument about what type of animal would win in a hypothetical battle.
It was, in fact, an argument about whether Lionheart would win in a fight against a wolf, which was the worst possible predator they could think of their missing deputy encountering. "My bet would still be on Lionheart," Dusklight insisted, "she's smart and she's brave, she would know how to beat a wolf, and if she couldn't, then she would find a way for the wolf to beat itself." Dawnblossom gazed at her brother quizzically.
"You know that doesn't even make sense, right?" She mewed, and Dusklight huffed. "Yes it does. She taught me that sometimes you come up against enemies who are just too strong for you, and if you do, then you have to figure out their strengths and use it against them. Sometimes you can win a fight by not even laying a paw on them if you're smart enough about it, like when she and Roseclaw were running from the dogs and she told me that she kept running them into rocks and things because she knew her reflexes were faster."
"Lionheart is very smart," Halfpond said, "and she knows how to take care of herself. She and Ashenstrike are fine, I'm sure." Dawnblossom sighed, and nodded a little, nose twitching a bit. "I just... I worry, you know? I don't want anything bad to happen to either of them." The group fell into a solemn silence as they thought about that. Up ahead, Flowershine and Boulderflame's conversation was a little more cheery.
"They're so cute," she enthused, and Boulderflame nodded. "I don't remember ever being that small but wow... kits really are tiny? It's nice to have so many of them around, though. I'm hoping that maybe when they become apprentices, I'll be able to mentor one. That'd be cool, right? You had an apprentice."
"I did! Novella was lovely, and for the most part they're pretty easy to work with. And I think you'd make a good mentor. You're kind, you're fun and you're patient. I'm sure kits would react really well to you." Boulderflame chuckled, ducking his head bashfully at the praise. "Well.. thank you. I'm glad that you think that." Flowershine nodded, pressing close to him. "I really do. I mean, it's so nice of you to help your dad and Shadowtail. They're so cute together."
"They really are, and I'm sure that they're almost at the point where they're going to be mates. I'm foreseeing little half-siblings in a few moons." Flowershine laughed, a petite and tinkling laugh that made Boulderflame's chest warm. "And is Dustfang expecting grandkits any time soon?" She asked, eyes innocent and wide. Boulderflame choked on air, sputtering in the least gracious way he could possibly managed. When he finally managed to recover his wits, he managed to strangle out: "What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing," Flowershine said, breezily. With one last appraising look, she bounded forward to talk to Hawkthorn, leaving Boulderflame to scrape his jaw off the ground.

★★★

The long grasses of the fields waved around the patrol as the cats weaved through them. Squirrelpaw had quickly become more interested in quizzing Longriver and Harrierstreak on how they knew they were in love, and Novella had disappeared some time ago to hunt along the border. No one had elected to say anything, knowing that they shared a border with what likely was Novella's old clan, and perhaps she was searching for familiarity.
That left Dustfang trailing behind Shadowtail, who was moving back toward the edge of the woods, where she knew prey was more abundant. Dustfang's ear swiveled backwards, listening for the fading voices of the other toms on the patrol. When he couldn't hear them anymore, he bounded forward to catch up to the molly. "Shadowtail, can we talk?" He asked, making her stop in her tracks. Dustfang cleared his throat, shifting from foot to foot.
"What's up?" She asked gently, tiling her head quizzically. "Look... Flintburr has been working us pretty hard with Lionheart gone, so I don't know when I'll next get the chance to talk to you alone, and I don't want to wait. Shadowtail, I love you. I'm a fool for not realizing it sooner, I really am, and I can't believe it took my meddling children to wake me up. But you... you're the smartest molly I know, you're so entirely capable and resilient and yet you're so positive and upbeat all the time. You make me feel warm, like I'm in the sun all the time and I... I want to be your mate. If you'll have me."
"Dustfang..." Shadowtail's eyes brimmed with happy tears as she surged forward, pushing up against him and nestling her head under his chin, against his throat, where he could hear her rapid purring. "I love you too. Nothing would make me happier." He let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding, rubbing his jaw over the top of her head. "I promise I'll be good to you Shadowtail, I promise I'll make you the happiest molly in the world." She laughed a little, pulling away to look at him with fond eyes.
"Oh, Dustfang," she mewed gently, "you already do."

[ the clan consumes a bird and two fish
lionheart & ashenstrike investigate the blood smear together
badgerstar requests a warrior from starclan
roseclaw, sedgefire, grouseclaw and pinefeather patrol the north & east borders
sootface, burrcall, and willowthroat patrol the south & west borders
hawkthorn, boulderflame, flowershine, dusklight, halfpond and dawnblossom hunt in the forest
shadowtail, dustfang, squirrelpaw, harrierstreak, longriver and novella hunt in the fields
goldleaf & mousepaw search for herbs, escorted by stonepatch
acornstream teaches adderpaw the battle skill
shadowtail & dustfang become mates! ]

affiliate clans wrote:ally clans;
echoclan | Katrione
hopeclan | adiebaby11

enemy clans;
none yet!

borders;
north | echoclan | Katrione
east | kingdom of shattered bones | vivere!
south | open | dm me!
west | highgarden | eagle,

inventory wrote:medicine store;
catmint [4] | greencough
chervil [4] | wounds/aches
marigold [0] | wounds
tansy [2] | coughs
goldenrod [1] | wounds
catchweed [1] | poultices
poppy seeds [3] | pain
cobwebs [1] | bleeding
fennel [4] | pain
raspberry leaves [1] | kitting
ragwort leaves [2] | strength
alder bark [1] | toothache
beech leaves [1] | use ???
chickweed [4] | coughs
parsley [1] | bellyache
rosemary [1] | burial
willow bark [1] | pain
bindweed [1] | binds sticks
blackberry leaves [1] | bee stings
borage leaves [1] | milk

fresh-kill pile;
mouse | x4| 1 servings [4]
vole | x5 | 1 servings [5]
rabbit | x5 | 2 servings [10]
bird | x5 | 3 servings [15]
fish | x7 | 2 servings [14]
squirrel | x4 | 2 servings [8]
capacity: 56 servings (8 posts)

relationships wrote:mentors;
dustfang | squirrelpaw [4]
↪ hunting, climbing, battle, stalking
badgerstar | woodpaw [4]
↪ hunting, climbing, battle, stalking
acornstream | adderpaw [3]
↪ stalking, hunting, battle, skill

deceased cats;
none yet!

family/mates;
flintburr ♡ bluestripe
↪ halfpond & sedgefire
tawnycloud ♥ shrikecry
↪ shadowtail & hawkthorn
dustfang ♡ tanglestep
↪ boulderflame & burrcall
hawkthorn ♥ acornstream
↪ squirrelpaw & woodpaw
ripplebound ♡ junipernose
↪ dawnblossom & dusklight
adopted by fawnrunner (m. aunt)
eagleleap ♡ dewfeather
↪ harrierstreak & mousepaw
badgerstar ♥ maplefall
↪ juniperkit, midnightkit & twilightkit
cherryflower ♡ frostjaw
↪ roseclaw, russetwing, lionheart,
gingerstrike & dawnleap
roseclaw ♥ pinefeather
stonepatch ♥ fawnrunner
↪ elkkit, thunderkit,
mistkit & deerkit
longriver ♥ harrierstreak
featherpelt ♡ seneca
↪ avocetkit & ternkit
pigeoncall ♡ reedwhisper
↪ grouseclaw & willowthroat

My gallery · by **solyn** » Wed Nov 07, 2018 10:49 am

𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐍 !!
# of cats; 43 (♀: 22 / ♂: 21)
servings consumed; 7 servings
next moonpool visit; 12 nov. '18

𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕠𝕟 𝕒𝕘𝕠,
As cats began to file back into the camp, Flintburr ducked into the nursery to check on Woodpaw. The molly was still dutifully fixing the back wall of the den, ears flattened in concentration. A light, breezy chuckle drew Flintburr's attention, and his eyes lighted on Featherpelt, who was sitting with the two younger queens. Fawnrunner's kits had taken to happily tumbling with Featherpelt's, while Maplefall's smaller kits were nestled against her flank, snoozing peacefully. A painful pang tugged at his heart. He wished he could have seen Silvermoon like this, with his kits.
"You're thinking hard," Maplefall said, amused, "come on, Deputy, surely you're not too busy to have a word with an old friend." Flintburr chuckled, making his way over to the mollies, and settling down in the gap provided for him, between Maplefall and Featherpelt. "I am never too busy for you, Maplefall. How's motherhood treating you?" The calico she-cat pricked her ears forward and let out a rumbling little purr, as her kits snuggled even closer. "It's good. Badgerstar is in here all the time absolutely gushing. He's so excited to be a father."
"I can imagine," Flintburr said, sounding amused, "becoming a father is an exciting thing." Maplefall ducked her head, looking a little embarrassed, but the black tom shook his head comfortingly. "You don't have to be sorry, Maplefall. I wish I could have been there for Silvermoon and my kits, but I suppose it wasn't StarClan's will. Maybe we were always meant to be star-crossed, but I still have hope that one day our paths will cross again, for good this time."
"I have faith," Featherpelt said, which made Flintburr jump, "she talked about you all the time, you know. It seemed like she genuinely missed you." The rest of the group stopped to blink at the newcomer, who just shrugged. "She thought you were dead. She wasn't able to go to gatherings, and no one had any news. Eventually, she had to move on, but... I don't think she ever really did. As far as I could tell, she missed you very much." Flintburr gave Featherpelt a grateful smile, and they shared a nod of solidarity, before Flintburr turned his eyes to Featherpelt's kits.
"And their father?" He asked, which made Featherpelt laugh. "Nothing so tragic, I assure you," she said, "he was just a short romance for comfort after my first clan disbanded. And then I found LilyClan, and by that time I realized I was pregnant with his kits. He doesn't know about them, and he doesn't need to. Maybe one day I'll find the right cat, but for now... all I care about is my kits having a good upbringing, and I think this clan can give it to them."
"It can," all of the older cats jumped as Woodpaw settled down on the other side of Fawnrunner, who began to groom her between her ears to get rid of some of the dirt she'd plastered herself in while fixing the walls of the den. "This clan has been good to me. Squirrelpaw and I were safe, and even though we were the only kits in the nursery we still got to play with some of the younger apprentices, and I know that Badgerstar wouldn't let anything bad happen to anyone here. Neither would Lionheart. Or Flintburr, or any of the cats in this clan. We look out for each other."
"Sometimes you do show pearls of your mother's wisdom," Fawnrunner said, and the nursery descended into light-hearted laughter that made the playing kits lift their heads momentarily, before they exchanged glances and went back to whatever it was that they had been doing. Woodpaw purred a little, resting her head on her paws as she gazed around the nursery with a wistful sigh. "I can't wait to be a mother," she mewed.
"There are a lot of more exciting things to do than be a mother," Maplefall said, sounding amused, "but it is a good feeling. I wouldn't give up my kits for the world." Fawnrunner and Featherpelt nodded their agreement, as Flintburr's eyes locked on some point into the distance, a fond nostalgia causing his eyes to glass over. The queens exchanged a look, before they went back to quietly chatting, letting the old tom reflect on his own completely grown kits.

★★★

"Congratulations," Sedgefire purred, touching noses with Shadowtail and then Dustfang, while her brother purred like a two-leg monster beside her. Next to them, Dusklight looked like he might explode with happiness, the rest of the clan beginning to converge on Dustfang and Shadowtail to congratulate them on the announcement of their mate-ship. Dustfang chuckled, moving to step in front of his new mate, shooing the clan back with practiced flicks of his fluffy tail.
"Back up, we still need some space to breathe," Shadowtail let out her airy laugh, ducking under his chin to touch noses with Dusklight and Dawnblossom, the former of which began to ramble like his life depended on it. "Shadowtail I'm so happy for you!" He enthused. "You're going to be a great mother, I just know it, and your kits are going to be so cute because you're so pretty and I can't wait to see them and you have to promise me I'll be allowed to play with them I'll teach them to be the best mossball players in the entire clan, by StarClan I'm so excited I--" he was cut off by Novella flicking her tail across his mouth, giving Shadowtail a sheepish smile as Dawnblossom and Halfpond flanked the tabby tom and steered him away from her, firmly.
"Looks like I'm going to be an uncle," Hawkthorn said, as the crowd began to disband, and Shadowtail purred, rushing forward to rub around him and then Acornstream in turn. The sorrel somali let out a pleased sigh, licking Shadowtail between the ears. "I've been waiting for the day we all found someone to love. Now we just need to get Flintburr's mate back, and the founders of GroveClan will all have families of their own. Perhaps Hawkthorn and I should have another litter, then we could be in the nursery at the same time." Shadowtail laughed.
"Well, everyone has always said that we do do everything together." The two she-cats pressed their foreheads together and purred hard, nuzzling each other, as Hawkthorn brushed up against his mate and touched his nose to his sister's cheek. "We'll think about it. We all know how distressed I was last time Acornstream had to kit in Leaf-fall." A laugh rippled around the group as Dustfang moved forward with his children, but it was hollow, and they fell silent again, turning their heads to look above the ring of rock that encased them, toward the tips of the mountains in the distance.
"It's not the same without Ashenstrike, huh," Boulderflame said, and the rest of them nodded, before Shadowtail dropped her head with a sigh. "I wish Lionheart were here. It doesn't seem right to share this news without her." Dustfang gave her a comforting smile, and leaned across to nuzzle her cheek. She leaned into him, and Boulderflame glanced at his sister. "Congratulations, Dad, Shadowtail," Burrcall mewed, touching noses with both of them before she bounded off. Boulderflame's eyes glinted cheekily.
"I told you so," he said, before he ducked his head and began to move away from the group, leaving them to celebrate in private. He made it halfway across the camp, toward the warrior's den, when a pelt brushed up against his own, making him jump a little in shock. He turned his head, and found himself staring Flowershine in the eye. She smiled at him, the first stars of the night twinkling in her eyes, and Boulderflame gave her a nervous smile. "Hey, sorry, I didn't see you. What's up?"
"Big news in the clan," she mewed, glancing over her shoulder at Boulderflame's father. A fond smile crossed his face, watching Acornstream and Shadowtail settle in close together while Dustfang and Hawkthorn chatted amicably alongside them, the four of them laughing among themselves. "I saw how you helped them," she said, and his attention swung back to her, "you didn't have to do that but it was... nice of you. Really nice. You're a good tom, you know that?" Boulderflame ducked his head bashfully, blinking in shock as he felt a soft nose press through the fluff on his cheek and nuzzle his face.
"Any cat would be lucky to have you," Flowershine mewed, and Boulderflame's eyes widened in surprise. He turned to speak to her, but she was already giving him an amused look over her shoulder, heading toward the nursery, her ticked pelt disappearing into the shadows created by the mouth of the den.

★★★

Dusklight lay stretched out on the ground, trying to soak up the last of the warmth from the sunlight as the night settled in. Beside him, Novella, Halfpond, Mousepaw and Dawnblossom had been joined by Sedgefire, who looked very amused at their advanced game of Mossball. Novella shoulder-charged Dawnblossom to knock her away from the ball, flicking it up and over the other two, before she expertly weaved between them and with a practiced arc of her paw, skipped it across the 'arena' to Mousepaw, who batted it into their goal.
"Wh- that's a foul!" Dawnblossom complained, all heads turning toward Dusklight and Sedgefire. The black she-cat was first to answer, a rumbling purr coming from deep in her throat. "I'll allow it. Point team, uh-" she turned to Dusklight, looking for help. The tabby cracked one eye open, humming contemplatively, before he lifted a paw toward his sister's team. "Team Sunrise, and Team Medicine." Sedgefire gave him a questioning look.
"Point Team Medicine," Mousepaw said, "we'll take it." Novella preened proudly beside her, their tails twining for all of a second, before their eyes met and they looked away from each other, quite embarrassed. Halfpond huffed and rolled his eyes. "Where's the loyalty to your brother, Sedgefire? Clearly that was a foul." Teasingly, Sedgefire flicked Dusklight aorund the ears with her tail. "I don't hear Dusklight leaping to the defense of his sister, my darling brother. Something you feel like sharing?"
Halfpond ducked his head as well, and Sedgefire let out a laugh, while Dawnblossom shook her head good-naturedly. "Well I think it's sweet he was willing to defend me against some cheaters," she and Mousepaw stuck their tongues out at one another, "apparently that's too much for some cats to handle." Dusklight rolled over, and easy grin on his features as he purred, low and quite pleased with himself.
"I think you've got it covered, sis," he said, "you guys make great teams. Mousepaw and Novella always have each other's backs, and they play to each other's strengths really well. Mousepaw always makes sure she can see what Novella is doing so that she doesn't have to try and get her attention, and Novella never makes a move on Mousepaw's blind side. They understand each other, they work as a team and they accommodate for each other's weak spots." Novella and Mousepaw shared a look, and Sedgefire's features softened knowingly as she saw Mousepaw twine her tail with Novella's again, the black and white she cat resting her forehead against the smaller one's.
"You and Halfpond make a good team too," he continued, "Halfpond is strategic, and he knows you panic under pressure, so he's always making moves that leave you in the clear, that he can back up if you need to, and you know he's not exactly the strongest so you're always giving him options to weave his way through and use his agility to the best of his ability. You work symbiotically because you play to each other's strengths. You don't need me to mediate for you, and you certainly don't need me to defend you. This match is so close because you are good teams. That's the best part about it."
"I guess he's a little bit right," Dawnblossom said, which got a laugh out of the whole group. She turned, to find Halfpond smiling at her. He stepped forward, touching noses with her so tenderly she thought she might have dreamt it. "He is right. We do make a good team." And then, a smile split his face as they turned their combined gaze onto the two she-cats still standing near their goal. "It's why we're going to kick their furry butts." Mousepaw and Novella exchanged a look, before the little molly turned back to them and purred, deep and throaty.
"You are so on."

★★★

Badgerstar's paws were tired as he descended the last rise, back into GroveClan territory. He stretched, arching his back, a motion that caused a sharp click. He winced, but didn't find any pain, and he straightened up slowly, ears swiveling as he turned in a slow circle, keeping his pads quiet against the forest floor. And there it was again, that click, but it wasn't a click, it was a snap. Badgerstar crouched, moving forward slowly, eyes trained on the shrubbery where the snapping twigs were coming from. Then, suddenly, a burst of colour and a black shape was hurtling toward him.
He hit the ground on his back, and almost instantly his back paws slammed into the stomach of his attacker, sending them flying with a hiss. He rolled to his paws, turning to face them, only for a solid shoulder to hit him in the side and send him sprawling. He rolled out of the way of the paws coming down hard where his chest had been, and, still on his side, he flattened his ears and hissed at the approaching shape, swatting at their paws. He watched their claws unsheath in the moonlight, and he pulled his back legs close to himself to protect his stomach.
"Why are you following me," the cat hissed, and Badgerstar forgot to fear for his life as he scowled up at them. "Following you? Why are you following me!" The cat snarled, and a paw slammed down, against his throat, pinning him back to the floor. His gold eyes blazed, meeting another pair of gold in the dark, that of a slender she-cat, owner of the gravely voice that had spoken just before. Her maw parted, and she spoke again. "Very funny. I don't know who sent you, but they sent the wrong cat. You couldn't beat me if you tried."
"I don't want to fight you," he snapped back, lifting his paw to show that his claws were hidden. "That doesn't prove anything other than that you're opportunistic," the she-cat replied, ears flattened against his head as she pressed down harder against his throat. "Now answer my question. Why are you following me? Who sent you?" Badgerstar's mouth turned upward in a small grin. "That's two questions." The molly looked confused for all of a second, but that was all that he needed to swing his back legs around and smash a back paw into her face, sending her stumbling as the rest of the momentum carried him over and back onto all fours. She tried to recover, but it was too late.
Badgerstar bowled her over, slamming both paws hard against her chest and holding her down to the ground. "I'm not following you anywhere. No one sent me. I'm Badgerstar, of GroveClan, and you're on my territory." The she-cat looked bewildered, shocked that Badgerstar had actually managed to pin her, before she eyed him suspiciously, ears flattened against the top of her skull. "You're a clan cat?" She asked, "a clan leader, even. Aren't you... I don't know, a little small."
"Well gee, if there was a height restriction I guess the rest of my qualifications must have been really good. Anyway, Lionheart says I'm StarClan-sent or something, so I guess they were desperate if they forewent their strict philosophies when it comes to the size of their leaders." The she-cat underneath him sneered a little, futilely shoving at him, trying to get him to budge, but Badgerstar was adamant. He didn't plan on dying today, especially not before he got to tell his kits goodnight.
"Who's Lionheart, your mom?" She asked, disdainfully. A voice from behind them said:
"Something like that."

★★★

"Goldleaf!" Badgerstar's yowling brought the clan rushing from their dens. The medicine cat was quick to act, shoving through the throng of cats with Mousepaw stuck to her side like glue. The crowd parted to reveal a travel-haggard Lionheart and Ashenstrike with a young, crudely bandaged tom propped between them, supported from behind by an interestingly chocolate-coloured molly, who looked sheepish and nervous to even be there. She didn't know where to start.
"I've got it," Mousepaw ducked past them, giving her small frame to ease the weight on Lionheart's shoulder. She turned to look at the newcomer. "You-"
"Wolverinejaw."
"I didn't ask," the she-cat blinked, stunned by the fiery attitude of the small apprentice, "take over for Ashenstrike. Sedgefire, come take Lionheart's side. You two help me. Goldleaf, you make sure that they're okay." The older she-cat looked amused at her apprentice as the two sturdy she-cats easily slipped into the places of the older warriors, keeping the young tom steady between them. "Since when were you in charge?" She teased, and Mousepaw just looked smug. "You said the key to my proper name is initiative. Consider it taken." And with that, she was leading the two dark-coloured mollies back toward the medicine den, leaving Goldleaf facing her leader and the two returned warriors.
"You look like mousedung," she said, and Lionheart laughed, picking a bramble out of her coat with ruthless precision. "That happens when you've been away for a moon. But we're fine, I promise. You should go and make sure that Mousepaw is okay." Goldleaf shook her head, a paw moving to stop Lionheart's before it hit the ground. She turned it over, revealing the swollen, lacerated pads from the non-stop walking. Badgerstar winced.
"Is it bad?" He asked. Goldleaf shook her head. "No, they'll be fine. You two, elder's den so I can check you over and get a poultice on those cuts. Badgerstar, you too. I think they should catch you up on what happened." Ashenstrike groaned, leaning on Lionheart, who tilting her head to rest hers against his. "Can we have a nap first?" He asked, tipping his head back in despair as Goldleaf shook her head. Lionheart rumbled a chuckle, gently nudging the tom forward, the weary travelers taking their first steps toward a good night's rest.
"Good to know that some things never change."

𝕥𝕠𝕕𝕒𝕪,
The sun was just starting to rise as a small group of cats gathered at the entrance to the camp. Badgerstar and Dustfang sat together, with Lionheart on the other side of him. In front of them, Acornstream and Hawkthorn gave their kits their final words of wisdom before they imparted on their warrior assessments. Lionheart watched with a bittersweet smile, but Dustfang beat the small black tom to the punch.
"What are you thinking about?" He murmured, and the she-cat let out a gentle sigh. "We've come such a long way," she mewed, "it doesn't seem that long ago that Squirrelpaw and Woodpaw were newborn kits, and I was avoiding the nursery because I didn't want to talk about how I lost my own. Now Badgerstar has kits, and you and Shadowtail are having some of your own and Ashenstrike asked me to be his mate, and-"
"Ashenstrike asked you what?" Badgerstar asked, drawing the attention of the group to Lionheart. She blinked, ducking her head. "It's nothing concrete yet. I said I'd consider it. Anyway! Anyway, this isn't about me," she spoke over top of Badgerstar's protests, "this is about Woodpaw and Squirrelpaw, the first clan-born kits to become apprentices. I remember when you were born, you know, and now you're going to be working alongside as fully fledged warriors. Are you excited?"
"Very!" Woodpaw enthused. "I hope I get a cool name like yours, or Dawnblossom! Her name is so pretty. Badgerstar is pretty good at naming cats, if you ask me." Dustfang let out a chuckle, stepping forward to touch noses with Squirrelpaw, whose whiskers twitched. "I'm sure he's glad to hear that," the grey tom said, sharing a soft smile with the leader, "he used to be so nervous. But Lionheart is right, we have come a long way. Do you two have anything else to say?"
"Only that no matter what, your mother and I are so proud of you." Acornstream leant on Hawkthorn, eyeing her kits fondly. Badgerstar nodded, stepping forward to touch noses with both of them. "You best be going, or you'll be losing time on your task. You are both resourceful, intelligent cats and I know if you're anything like your parents, this assessment will be a breeze for you. Good luck."
The apprentices looked at each other, and nodded. They cast one look back at the group of adult cats, before they turned and peeled away, ducking through the leaves of the willow and out into the open territory. They sat in silence for a moment, before Badgerstar turned toward Lionheart, looking as offended as he was capable of while also trying to repress an excited grin.
"So, about this Ashenstrike thing..."

★★★

"Feel like sharing why Hawkthorn has been looking at me and laughing all day?" Lionheart's ears pricked forward, and she turned on the sun rocks just in time to see Ashenstrike launch himself up next to her and settle down close enough that their pelts brushed. She noted that, like her own, his paws were healing just fine after Goldleaf's rigorous poultice application and rest orders. She snuggled closer, enjoying the way the warmth of his body mingled with the warmth of the sun. His rumbling purr was a welcome feeling as well.
"I may have slipped up and mentioned that you asked me to be your mate when I was reminiscing this morning," she sighed a little, "I suppose it is too soon for me to be back. I've gone soft." He laughed a little, touching his nose to the spot between her ears. "I don't think you could ever be described as soft... and that's not a bad thing. You have the most iron will that I know, but that doesn't mean you're not kind, and gentle. You're malleable, maybe, but you're not soft."
"Poetic," Lionheart teased, leaning back against him, "but... I don't know. I did say I would consider it, but it's a lot to consider. It's not- it's not a you thing, it's just... after everything with Adderbite, I guess I never really thought about my future involving romance again. And if it did, it would be with a molly so I wouldn't have to worry about kits, but even that was a fleeting thought and I didn't think on it too much. It's... strange, to suddenly be faced with this reality and not know where I think I'm headed."
"Well, that's part of the fun, if you ask me," Ashenstrike said in a contemplative tone, "we get to figure that out together, and we don't necessarily need to have a plan. But I know that it's important to you, and I won't rush you. I know you need your time to make peace with yourself, and decide what it is you want- no, need from me. In the mean time... I'll wait. I meant it when I said I'd wait for you. I've never wanted to be with anyone else as much as I want to be with you."
"You're such a flatterer," she murmured, stretching out under the sun. They lay in companionable silence for a moment, Ashenstrike's face tilted upwards to catch the rays. Then, Lionheart spoke again, voice quieter and unsure. "What do you want from the future, Ashenstrike? You're always asking me what I want, but I never... ask you what you want. And I know you'll say it's not important but it is. How could we be happy together if you were padding so carefully around me?" Ashenstrike fixed her with a fond smile, nuzzling their noses together.
"I don't need anything other than you, I promise. You'd make me the happiest tom alive just by agreeing to be my mate, but I'll bite. Ask me anything, I'll answer honestly. You know, that is Ashenstrike of GroveClan's best policy." Lionheart laughed, but she nodded, sitting up a little more so she could face him more readily. "Okay, I suppose the question that weighs most on my mind is... do you want kits?"
"I always wanted to be a father," Ashenstrike admitted, "but that doesn't mean I need you to have my kits. I mean, we've practically adopted multiple kits since we've been here. Longriver is like a son to me, and I know that Dusklight is like a son to you. If I needed kits that badly, I know we could find some kind of a solution, one that doesn't put your life in jeopardy."
"Someone's been rehearsing."
"I was trying to sell myself to you for a long time, Lionheart. I wanted you to see I was a good option."
"I do," she smiled at him, touching their noses together, "and what about if I become leader? What if my duties to the clan get in the way?" Ashenstrike's eyes widened, and he shook his head. "No! They could never! Lionheart, I love you because of your duties to the clan. It's part of who you are, and it's part of what makes you so incredible. Really, this place wouldn't exist without you. You're kind of like the main star in the sky that all the smaller ones branch off of. You're the stable, guiding light. This clan needs you, and I would never get in the way of that." Lionheart's smile was decidedly fond.
"You really are perfect, somehow," she said, which got a laugh out of Ashenstrike, "you've given me a lot to think about, and that's just two answers." She settled down against him again, sighing contentedly as his jaw came to rest upon the top of her head, his purr rattling through her bones in an oddly comforting way.
"However long it takes," he said, "I'll wait for you."

★★★

The group of queens lay stretched out in the camp in the sunlight, letting the Greenleaf rays warm their pelts. Shadowtail's recline was a little more awkward, hindered by the swelling of her stomach that signified her pregnancy. Fawnrunner was curled around her, the pair of them sharing tongues, while Featherpelt and Maplefall watched their kits play. Juniperkit, Twilightkit and Midnightkit might have been smaller than the others, but they were happy to play along as if there were no difference. Featherpelt let out a laugh as Juniperkit tackled Thunderkit away from the mossy ball, leaving an opening for Ternkit to swoop past and knock the ball through their goal.
"No fair," Thunderkit griped, pushing the smaller molly off of her with ease, "you blocked me." Ternkit laughed a little bit, tail lifting like a banner. "Fair's fair, Thunderkit. Nice work, Juniperkit." The calico molly have her friend a smug look, and the three of them collapsed into laughter, before they bounded back to their teams. Deerkit was napping next to his mother, which meant that they'd managed to split into even teams of four. That was Juniperkit, Ternkit, Midnightkit and Elkkit versus Thunderkit, Avocetkit, Mistkit and Twilightkit.
"We'll get you next time," Juniperkit's sister warned, her black tail raised high as she crouched down, ready for the match to restart. Juniperkit batted it forward, and the kittens charged into the fray again, delighted yowls filling the camp. The mothers swiveled to watch Shadowtail as she let out a wistful sigh, a fond expression on her features. When she noticed the others looking at her, she laughed a little.
"Sorry, I was just thinking," she said, "it's nice. This is, I mean. I always wanted to be a mother, and, well. I suppose it's just hitting that that wish is coming true." Fawnrunner and Maplefall exchanged a look, before aww-ing in unison. Shadowtail rolled her eyes, swatting at Fawnrunner as she pushed herself to sit up a little more. "You all suck," she said, "but I'm happy to be here with all of you. Old friends, and new ones." She gave Featherpelt a warm smile, the older molly smiling back.
"You're going to make a wonderful mother," Featherpelt said, "and if they inherit any of your charm, GroveClan is going to have more allies than they know what to do with." Shadowtail laughed a little bit, blinking as the mossball landed at her feet. She looked up to see the kittens staring at her intensely, before Twilightkit began jumping up and down. Not to be outmatched, Ternkit did the same, yowling for Shadowtail to pass to her.
With a practiced flick of her paw, Shadowtail sent the ball high over their heads, watching their artistic leaps, each of them trying to scrabble for the ball, before they crashed back to the ground, rebounding much like the mossball, and sprinting after it with spirited yowls. Shadowtail exchanged a glance with the other queens, feeling warmed by both the sunlight and the laughter surrounding her. Things just felt... right.

★★★

Stonepatch's large paw came swiping right for Mousepaw's head. She ducked, nimbly, stepping easily to the side, moving consistently in a circle as the bigger tom lashed out repeatedly. Her brow furrowed in concentration, her brilliant green eyes fixed firmly on the tom, watching his movements and the way his muscles tensed to get a sense of how he was going to move next, making sure to keep him in her line of sight, and making sure not to blind-side herself. Then, she spotted her opening.
With a swift and decisive move, she darted toward Stonepatch's back leg and swept it, roughly. The tom stumbled, knocked off balance, which was enough for her to spin and slam both of her back paws into his side, sending him tumbling over. Before he had time to react, she leapt onto him, forcing him back against the ground. Stonepatch let out a surprised laugh, before he smiled warmly at the small she-cat.
"Very good, Mousepaw. You certainly picked that up quickly." She purred at the praise, stepping off of him carefully and helping to nudge him back onto his paws. "Novella and Dusklight have been helping me practice. Dusklight is especially tough on me, but it's been really useful. He's a great fighter." Stonepatch rumbled his agreement, grooming himself a little to get rid of most of the debris stuck to his fur after his tumble. "I'm not surprised, he was Lionheart's apprentice after all."
"That's true," she mused, shaking out her own pelt, "and whoever comes up against Adderpaw isn't even going to stand a chance." Stonepatch turned to look over his shoulder where Adderpaw was swiping roughly at her mentor, Acornstream nimbly ducking out of her way, but Stonepatch could see the way the older molly's muscles were flexing. She might have made it look easy, but Adderpaw was barely breaking a sweat and she was definitely making Acornstream work for it. "Adderpaw must have been practicing hard," he mused, watching the way that the little she-cat incorporated extremely technical battle moves into her combination of attacks as if it came to her naturally.
"Definitely not someone I'd want to get on the wrong side of," Mousepaw agreed, licking a dirt patch on her chest, "especially considering how big she's gotten. She's almost as tall as Sedgefire now, and Sedgefire is what? Nearly a whole seasons cycle older than her? She's going to be a formidable opponent." Stonepatch hummed, nodding slowly. The pair of them watched as Adderpaw feinted to the right, stumbling heavily with an expulsion of breath. Acornstream fell for it readily, swiping at Adderpaw's back legs, only for the she-cat to launch herself sideways and tight against Acornstream, shoulder hitting her mentor square in the side at the same time as she shoved it upwards, flipping Acornstream straight off of her feet and onto her back.
"Oof!" Acornstream exclaimed, laughing as Adderpaw's singular paw landed on her chest, and then removed itself. She respectfully gave her mentor a few seconds to collect herself, before the somali rolled upright, shaking out her pelt. "Someone's been practicing," she said, with a grin, "well done, Adderpaw. You're getting stronger every time we spar. But... I have to ask. Are you alright? it seems like you have a lot more anger behind your moves than you usually do."
"I'm fine," Adderpaw snapped, before wincing immediately, clearly guilty. "I mean... it's nothing. Sorry, I didn't mean to snap." Stonepatch and Mousepaw turned away, wandering a respectful distance away to chat about sparring practice times in the upcoming moon to make sure that Mousepaw stayed on top of her training. Acornstream settled next to Adderpaw, wrapping her tail around her apprentice. "Hey, you know you can talk to me about anything, right?"
"I know... it just, it feels so petty. Every time there's a warrior ceremony, I can't help but think... everyone has family out there, and my family didn't even care enough to give me a name. Who's going to yowl for me at my ceremony? I know everyone in GroveClan is a family, but... I don't know. I can't imagine who would possibly care." She lowered her head, sniffing a little more harshly than needed to try and make it sound disdainful rather than sad. Acornstream gave her a gentle look, nudging her shoulder with her own. "Well, I'll be yowling. You know I'm proud of you. Lionheart will be too, and I think Squirrelpaw and Woodpaw will too. You have gotten close, haven't you?"
Adderpaw ducked her head further, embarrassed by the knowing lilt to Acornstream's voice. "Thanks," she said finally, before shooting her mentor a lop-sided half smile, "and for what it's worth, I kind of wish I'd been there to send them off. I know they'll do great... but not as great as I will." Acornstream laughed, shoulder-checking her apprentice again. "Alright then, hot shot, if you're so sure of that, let's see you beat me again."
Adderpaw pushed herself to her feet, readying herself against her mentor with a confident smirk. This would be easy.

★★★

Hawkthorn tenderly stepped over some debris near the shore, watching Novella splash ahead, Flowershine shortly behind her, head cocked curiously as she watched the black and white molly. Novella scampered along, before she spotted something and her ears pricked forward. She ducked her head, and when she came up, she was carrying some kind of herb between her jaws. Flowershine's sweet laugh carried.
"For Mousepaw?" She asked, and Novella nodded proudly. "I'm sure she and Goldleaf will appreciate that, but we're hunting prey here remember." Novella rolled her eyes and tilted her head from side to side rapidly in what was meant to be a mocking gesture, but there was a pleasant, teasing light behind her eyes. Flowershine laughed, gently splashing water at her former apprentice, before she inclined her head up toward the sun rocks. "Come on then, herb-hunter extraordinaire, let's stash them up there and get back to the actual patrol."
Dawnblossom watched them go from where she and Halfpond were crouched on the ruins of an old two-leg creation, a flat platform above the water that had broken and tilted just enough for them to reach the water when they wanted to fish. They sat close enough that their fur could brush, and every time she felt Halfpond's shoulder shift against her own, her heart beat a little faster. After Dusklight's speech about teams a moon ago, Dawnblossom couldn't help but think about what other kinds of teams she and Halfpond could make. Mostly of the romantic sort.
"You okay?" His voice cut through her thoughts, and she blinked her wide blue eyes at him. "Huh? Oh! Oh, yeah, no, I'm fine. I'm just thinking." He tilted his head a little, looking quizzical in an adorable way. "Oh, about what?" She scrambled for something to come up with. "About Novella, I guess. And Mousepaw, I mean it makes sense they would have been friends since they were so shy at the start but they're both so bold now. Novella was actually just joking around with Flowershine. She never would have done that when she came to the clan."
"I guess she trusts her," Halfpond said, "and it makes sense. You trust Shadowtail, right?" Dawnblossom nodded. "And I trust my father. I think mentors become kind of like... a parent by extension, for cats who don't have any. In my case it's my actual father, but you, Novella, Adderpaw- your mentors are really a pretty solid kind of parental figure, you know? Plus, you have an extra connection to Shadowtail because she's kind of a little bit maybe mentally your aunt?"
"That was a lot of wishy-washy words," she teased, and Halfpond rolled his eyes, before Dawnblossom nudged him. "If you move, we're going to scare away all the fish." Halfpond hesitated for a second, like he was thinking about something, before he dipped his paw into the water and splashed, roughly. "Oops," he said in a faux-innocent tone that Dawnblossom knew could only have been learned from her impish brother. It caused her to gasp, as if he'd done something truly salacious, the pair of them descending into giggles. "I guess you'll have to sit with me longer now." Halfpond said. Dawnblossom's clear blue eyes met Halfpond's calculating green, and the corners of her maw tugged into a smile.
"Yeah, I guess I will."

[ the clan consumes two birds and a vole
goldleaf and flintburr look for herbs
stonepatch teaches mousepaw some combat skills
squirrelpaw and woodpaw attempt their warrior assessments!
acornstream teaches adderpaw advanced battle
roseclaw teaches cormorantpaw tracking
acornstream and hawkthorn try for a second litter of kits
dustfang's border patrol: dusklight, grouseclaw
sootface's border patrol: wolverinejaw, boulderflame, sedgefire
hawkthorn's hunting patrol: flowershine, novella, dawnblossom, halfpond - lake
pinefeather's hunting patrol: longriver, harrierstreak, burrcall, willowthroat - forest ]

affiliate clans wrote:ally clans;
echoclan | Katrione
hopeclan | adiebaby11

enemy clans;
none yet!

borders;
north | echoclan | Katrione
east | kingdom of shattered bones | vivere!
south | open | dm me!
west | highgarden | eagle,

inventory wrote:medicine store;
catmint [4] | greencough
chervil [4] | wounds/aches
marigold [0] | wounds
tansy [2] | coughs
goldenrod [1] | wounds
catchweed [1] | poultices
poppy seeds [3] | pain
cobwebs [1] | bleeding
fennel [4] | pain
raspberry leaves [1] | kitting
ragwort leaves [2] | strength
alder bark [1] | toothache
beech leaves [1] | use ???
chickweed [4] | coughs
parsley [1] | bellyache
rosemary [1] | burial
willow bark [1] | pain
bindweed [1] | binds sticks
blackberry leaves [1] | bee stings
borage leaves [1] | milk
bright-eye [1] | cures coughs
burdock [1] | infections
broom [1] | breaks/wounds

fresh-kill pile;
mouse | x7| 1 servings [7]
vole | x4 | 1 servings [4]
rabbit | x5 | 2 servings [10]
bird | x3 | 3 servings [9]
fish | x7 | 2 servings [14]
squirrel | x7 | 2 servings [14]
capacity: 58 servings (8 posts)

relationships wrote:mentors;
dustfang | squirrelpaw [4]
↪ hunting, climbing, battle, stalking
badgerstar | woodpaw [4]
↪ hunting, climbing, battle, stalking
acornstream | adderpaw [4]
↪ stalking, hunting, battle, adv. battle
roseclaw | cormorantpaw [1]
↪ tracking, skill, skill, skill

deceased cats;
none yet!

family/mates;
flintburr ♡ bluestripe
↪ halfpond & sedgefire
tawnycloud ♡ shrikecry
↪ shadowtail & hawkthorn
dustfang ♡ tanglestep
↪ boulderflame & burrcall
hawkthorn ♥ acornstream
↪ squirrelwhisker & woodbloom
ripplebound ♡ junipernose
↪ dawnblossom & dusklight
eagleleap ♡ dewfeather
↪ harrierstreak & mousepaw
badgerstar ♥ maplefall
↪ juniperkit, midnightkit
& twilightkit
cherryflower ♡ frostjaw
↪ roseclaw, russetwing, lionheart,
gingerstrike & dawnleap
roseclaw ♥ pinefeather
stonepatch ♥ fawnrunner
↪ elkkit, thunderkit,
mistkit & deerkit
longriver ♥ harrierstreak
featherpelt ♡ seneca
↪ avocetkit & ternkit
pigeoncall ♡ reedwhisper
↪ grouseclaw & willowthroat
shadowtail ♥ dustfang
↪ due in two posts

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