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indenta long day of traveling and training pulled at cardinalheart's muscles, so much so that he found that he could concentrate only on the sound of the patrol's pawsteps crunching in the snow and the quiet chatter exchanged between gorseberry and autumnpaw from where they walked at the front of the patrol. the red warrior was so tired, in fact, that it took him a long moment to notice when flintspark fell into step at his side, until the uneven ground veered the other warrior to brush against cardinalheart's flank. flintspark redirected his paws, taking in the new ground, and he sniffed the air. "sorry 'bout that, cardinalheart," he said, and cardinalheart managed a tight smile, though he knew that flintspark couldn't see it. "guess i'm still getting used to the moor. doesn't help that i'm falling asleep on my paws," he added.
indent"i can only imagine," cardinalheart commented back, allowing their fur to brush again so he could direct flintspark through the snow. "i'm exhausted, and i barely did anything. i can't imagine how tired you must be."
indent"wish i knew how those groveclan cats have so much energy," flintspark said, earning a laugh from cardinalheart. on the dark warrior's other side, peckernose was talking to nightfall, keeping up with the senior warrior well despite his heavy limp. "though they would be the clan to have a full snow fight."
indent"they're fun," cardinalheart said, feeling a flash of need to defend their ally clan. a need to defend the cats he'd come to know from groveclan over the moons, a need to defend his friend and the clan his father respected. however, flintspark merely flicked his ear dismissively.
indent"i didn't say they weren't fun. and they're good company, too, to help us with the barn and to help me and autumnpaw now when they didn't have to. they're just energetic, that's all i meant by it." there was a beat of silence then, and cardinalheart allowed his shoulders to relax, not missing how even and calm flintspark's tone was, and how he knew that flintspark was being genuine, if not blunt. then flintspark cleared his throat. "i overheard fleetingmoon the other night talking about how you went to groveclan recently to watch the sunset or something. you must be really close with that tom - his name's falcongaze, right?" if flintspark felt cardinalheart's pelt flush, he didn't mention it, though he did duck his head. "i wasn't eavesdropping on fleetingmoon, he's just so loud and -"
indent"yeah, his name's falcongaze," cardinalheart said, cutting flintspark off. he tipped his head back for a moment, to look up towards the horizon, where the sun was descending down the sky. already, pink and purple streaks began to stain the sky. "i don't know what he thinks about me but... he's like my best friend. i feel like i could talk to him about anything, and i want to talk to him about everything. even more than fleetingmoon... which is weird," he said, his laugh coming out strained and nervous until flintspark bumped their shoulders together.
indent"don't be dumb. he was one of the ones who came to fight, right? of course he did that for you, and if that doesn't mean that he thinks of you the same way, then i don't know anything." flintspark had always been blunt and to the point, cardinalheart recalled from their moons in the nursery and apprentice den. he was glad that it hadn't changed, even if it only made his fur burn even more.
indentso he changed the subject quickly. "you met his brother, you know," cardinalheart said, and flintspark's whiskers twitched. "sleetbreeze is falcongaze's brother."
indentimmediately, flintspark let out a groan. "they're brothers?" flintspark's groan must've caught peckernose's attention, for the other tom chimed in, craning his neck to wink at cardinalheart.
indent"you're just mad because he got you good with the snow," peckernose said, and flintspark swiped halfheartedly at his younger brother. from peckernose's opposite shoulder, nightfall let out a hearty chuckle. "plus he did get a few good pins on you, looks like you've got some work to do," peckernose added, and flintspark turned his face away from peckernose as if to block his brother and mentor out.
indent"you got him a few times, too," cardinalheart added, and flintspark's mouth twitched.
indent"this is why i like cardinalheart more than you," flintspark said to peckernose, who laughed in turn. then flintspark flicked his tail absently. "i'll get him next time. you should tell falcongaze to pass on the message to sleetbreeze that i won't go so easy on him next time," flintspark said, and cardinalheart laughed again.
indent"i'm sure sleetbreeze'll be looking forward to it," cardinalheart commented, and then flintspark smiled, broad and happy.
indent"they're so little," accentorkit gushed from where she and the rest of her littermates were peering down into willowfrost's nest. it hadn't been the first time the kits had seen their new denmates, though it was the first time that willowfrost had been willing to get any of the other cats close enough to her kits to really see what her kits looked like. naturally, waspkit, chaserkit, copperkit, and accentorkit had been the first to jump at the chance, with sedgekit not far behind. on the other side of the nursery, dahliadrop was grooming valeriankit and amarylliskit, who were speaking to vermilionkit and honeyflower. starlingkit and smokekit began to bunch up behind hawkrise's litter, and houndkit and verglaskit peeked over from where sagetuft had bundled them up against her flank.
indentwillowfrost ducked her head, still not a fan of attention, and licked between ibiskit's ears. it was clear to all of the other queens that willowfrost would always be protective over ibiskit, ever since alpinemask said that the little tom had a twisted leg. meanwhile, the twin mollies curled around one another. lilacshadow watched the proceedings through half-lidded eyes, only to bend her neck to groom her swollen stomach.
indent"were we always so small, mama?" sedgekit asked, tipping her head all the way back to look up at hawkrise when the tabby queen padded over from where duneserpent had been helping her fix a draft in the nursery. hawkrise purred affectionately, and swiped a paw to draw chaserkit from where he was inching even closer to willowfrost and the younger kits.
indent"you all used to be even smaller, my loves," hawkrise said, though waspkit puffed out his chest.
indent"not me!" he arguing, standing up on his toes as if to make himself appear even taller. "i'm bigger than valeriankit, and i'm just as strong as lagoonpaw." from the other side of the nursery, amarylliskit snorted a laugh and valeriankit cuffed his ear in turn. dahliadrop blew out a long sigh, but let her niece and nephew tussle playfully.
indentmeanwhile, duneserpent joined hawkrise, resting his chin atop her head. "i wouldn't let lagoonpaw hear you say that," the wiry tom commented. at the same moment, copperkit crept up behind waspkit, only to push him over with his forepaws. waspkit sputtered indignantly when he regained his balance. with a hiss, he rounded on his brother. hawkrise leaned against duneserpent with a gentle sigh, and her friend chuckled soothingly.
indent"can we go out to play?" chaserkit asked. his eyes were so bright, his ears pricked so hopefully, that hawkrise couldn't even pretend to hesitate. she nodded once, slowly, and chaserkit brightened even further. "i want to see if frogpaw'll teach me a new move."
indent"take starlingkit and smokekit with you," hawkrise said, nodding to the twin black kits, who grinned in turn. to them, hawkrise winked. "keep an eye on them, won't you?" she asked, and smokekit's mile only widened.
indentduneserpent nodded to the kits when dahliadrop and honeyflower nodded vermilionkit, valeriankit, and amarylliskit to join the others. "come back if the apprentices are too busy. a few of them have assessments coming up and might not be able to play," he warned, but the kits were already bounding out of the den, too excited to pay much attention.
indentout in the camp, most of the snow had been cleared away from the latest storm. cyanstar and tallpeak were speaking in a group of senior warriors, ringed by sparrowcall, brackenrose, sweetecho, and falconflight. minnowjump and mulestomp were grooming their fur and sharing a meal in a sunny patch of camp, darkflower from hazeclan helped alpinemask carry herbs up the path to the upper level of camp, and ravengaze was helping flintspark train while marshstripe looked on with rainypath, the pair calling out encouragements and tips. with vermilionkit in the lead, the large group of kits crossed to where most of the apprentices were lying in the sun, seemingly having just returned from training.
indentcrakepaw was shaking dust from his fur, and valleypaw reclined against rootpaw's sturdy shoulder while her breathing slowed. even heronpaw and scorpionpaw looked tired, with heronpaw resting with his chin on his paws and scorpionpaw sitting, his face tipped towards the sun, eyes shut. in fact, when the kits came to the apprentices, it seemed that only ploverpaw, frogpaw, and kestrelpaw appeared to still have any energy left in them. frogpaw and ploverpaw were off to the side, facing one another. kestrelpaw was sitting nearby with oleanderpaw, and they waved the kits to they side when they saw them. "come here, but stay back and watch for a minute," kestrelpaw said, and the kits bunched together as a group, excited.
indentas if by a silent cue, the apprentices lowered into crouches. frogpaw's tail swept against the ground, but ploverpaw merely watched him, her eyes darting back and forth. frogpaw easily stood a head taller than ploverpaw, taking after his father, and he had the clear reach advantage when he lashed out a paw. but ploverpaw was quick, ducking low to to the ground so that frogpaw missed his mark. she sprang forward, aiming for frogpaw's chest, but he swerved aside, batting at his friend's side when she launched past him. chaserkit and starlingkit called out cheers, and valeriankit inched closer. even sedgekit appeared enthralled by it, pressing close to kestrelpaw's side to see better. at the same time, ploverpaw spun on her paws, just in time for frogpaw to advance towards her again. she kicked out with her hind leg, catching him off-guard in a glancing blow that unbalanced him. he steadied quickly, but not quickly enough to stop ploverpaw from careening into him. still, frogpaw hooked his leg around her, so that ploverpaw was pulled down with him, and they rolled onto the ground in a heap, until he finally managed to pin her. there was the sound of heavy breathing, then cheering from the kits. the pair of apprentices laughed, and frogpaw helped ploverpaw to her feet.
indent"you weren't half-bad," ploverpaw said to frogpaw, who narrowed his eyes at her and let out a playful growl. but he let out a chuckle, and ploverpaw rolled her eyes, only to pad to oleanderpaw's side, leaning against her brother. oleanderpaw seemed to hesitate for a long moment, uncertain, only to relax. he wrapped his tail around his sister, and ploverpaw winked at the kits. at the same time, frogpaw circled kestrelpaw. "i tried that move you showed me the other day!" he gushed, and kestrelpaw grinned up at him.
indent"and what'd i tell you? it worked like a charm," she said, and frogpaw touched his nose to her shoulder.
indent"can you show me how to do all of that?" chaserkit asked, breaking away from the group to bound over to frogpaw. waspkit, copperkit, and valeriankit bunched with him as well. "please, frogpaw? please?" frogpaw shot his sister and friends a glance, and oleanderpaw detached himself from ploverpaw, who muttered a complaint but smiled all the same. the lithe red apprentice joined to help frogpaw manage the kits.
indent"we'll split up into two groups," oleanderpaw was saying, and the kits hung on his words. "one group for anyone who wants to work on this move, and i'll teach another group a different move. and then we can see which is better, and -" he was saying.
indentkestrelpaw nudged ploverpaw when the kits had joined the others, already beginning to kick and slash at the air. "our brothers aren't so bad, are they?" kestrelpaw asked. ploverpaw hesitated, looking from oleanderpaw, to where starlingkit was listening intently to frogpaw. behind her, she could hear crakepaw, rampaw, and cariboupaw talking. she thought of all of her brothers, and her sisters, too. to kestrelpaw, she nodded once. "they're alright," she said with an easy laugh.
indentwebtail tossed and turned in his nest for most of the night. he hadn't slept well in nearly a moon, not since he was on patrol with cyanstar, and they brought back larchbriar and her kits. larchbriar, rampaw, and cariboupaw had seemingly settled well into the clan, with the two apprentices getting their mentor, and larchbriar taking on any patrols that tallpeak decided to put her onto. though webtail hadn't been around the trio much, he couldn't stop thinking about them. more specifically, he couldn't stop thinking about what larchbriar said, and it was eating him from the inside out.
indentaround him, he heard the soft breathing of the other warriors. there were a few empty nests for the moonhigh patrol and guards, but most of the clan's warriors were asleep, and webtail could have sworn that, in that moment, he was the only cat in the world awake. behind his eyelids, larchbiar's proud posture, cariboupaw's scared expression, rampaw's nervous smile... it made his stomach turn. and webtail couldn't take it anymore. he rolled over onto his stomach and reached out a paw in fleetingmoon's direction, where his brother was sound asleep.
indent"fleetingmoon -" he whispered, only to sigh to himself. webtail huffed, then prodded his paw into fleetingmoon's side. his brother spluttered when he woke, but webtail hushed him quickly, and fleetingmoon must have recognized how stressed webtail was in that moment, for he blinked rapidly to wake himself up. then when webtail got up and nodded towards the entrance of the den, fleetingmoon wasn't far behind. outside, the chilled air soothed webtail slightly. when they were out of earshot of the warrior's den, webtail nodded up the path towards the moor. "can we go for a walk?" he could tell that fleetingmoon was still half-asleep on his paws, that his brother was exhausted from the full day, but his mind wouldn't stop running. and fleetingmoon merely nodded, following webtail's lead.
indentwebtail set a quick pace, relishing the feeling of stretching out his muscles in a brief run. fleetingmoon's paws thudded on the ground behind him until, at last, they neared the hazeclan border and webtail slowed to a walk. fleetingmoon matched him. then: "what's on your mind?" fleetingmoon asked, and it was like the rush of a river, webtail couldn't hold it within himself any more. he turned, and fleetingmoon met his eyes. then it all spilled forth.
indent"larchbriar, and flowerskip, and honeyflower... i tried to ignore it for so long, fleetingmoon, but everyone knows that redstar had so many mates. and now we have more siblings that we never knew about. and pinepaw and crakepaw, and ploverpaw and oleanderpaw, and who knows who else. why did he do it?" webtail asked, though he knew that fleetingmoon didn't have an answer. "were we not enough? he loved so many cats... hazestar, sweetecho. vermilionkit's so young, how could he understand? how am i supposed to understand? it's like once i think i know everyone i'm related to, another molly comes with her kits and says that they're redstar's." his chest heaved for breath, but fleetingmoon didn't interrupt. webtail sat down and lowered his head to stare down at his paws. "why weren't we enough?"
indent"it wasn't us," fleetingmoon said when he was sure that webtail had finished, and he leaned forward. webtail was taller and broader than fleetingmoon, but he managed to rest his muzzle on top of webtail's head. "it had nothing to do with us. he... he loved a lot of cats, and that's how he was. he didn't do it to hurt us, he didn't do it to hurt anyone. he did it because he loved them all. flowerskip, larchbriar, honeyflower, and mother. he loved them all, and he loved everyone else too. and he loved us." webtail sniffed, and fleetingmoon hummed thoughtfully. "you remember how he was, he had reasons for everything, and he only wanted the best for us. but it has nothing to do with us, or with his mates. he loved us all." overhead, the stars shone brightly, blazing against the night sky.
indentwebtail buried his nose in fleetingmoon's shoulder. "i miss him," he whispered. "i miss him, and i miss heatpaw." fleetingmoon had to shut his eyes tightly at that, a silent sob of his own crashing over him.
indent"so do i," he whispered into webtail's fur.
indent"- alpinemask." darkflower's voice sounded in the quickclan medicine cat's ears, catching his attention at the sound of his name. he turned his head, blinking rapidly when he looked to his mate, and she let out a lovely laugh, a sound that alpinemask fell in love with from nearly the first moment they met all those moons ago. looking back, it was no surprise that he had fallen head over heels for the hazeclan molly, and he felt so blessed to have the time with her that he did, even if darkflower was only staying in quickclan for a short time for training, even if the circumstances surrounding her stay were terrible. still, in moments like these, it was easy to forget for a little while and simply enjoy their time together. "you haven't heard a thing i said, huh?" darkflower asked, and alpinemask ducked his head.
indent"sorry," he said. "guess i'm a little distracted."
indentdarkflower snorted a laugh and nudged his shoulder. "i was asking if you felt okay, because you looked so distracted," she said, and alpinemask let out a sigh when she fit against his side, solid and comforting in her presence. "what's going on? you've been thinking really hard about something, clearly," darkflower said, and alpinemask hummed.
indent"you could say that," he drawled, taking his time to think of how he could possibly put his thoughts into words. "it's just... seeing all of the queens showing their kits around camp, and growing up. and all of them being together as a family. it makes me think about -" he paused, cutting himself off long enough to look around the den, but it was empty. gorseberry and autumnpaw had gone off to gather herbs, and he was alone with darkflower. "it makes me think about my daughters."
indent"valleypaw," darkflower supplied, and alpinemask nodded, dejected. darkflower blew out a sigh. "you need to tell her the truth, you know that," she said, and alpinemask nodded again. "isn't she one of the apprentices taking their assessments over the next few days?" she asked.
indent"yes," alpinemask supplied. "so i can't tell her now. she has too much going on."
indent"if you go with that logic, you'll never tell her, because you'll always find some excuse of why you can't. you've been doing it for seasons now," darkflower pointed out, and alpinemask deflated.
indent"i know," alpinemask said. he scuffed his forepaw against the floor. "but i feel like now it's too late. what'll she think? she'll hate me," he said, unable to hide his self-pitying tone. he sighed heavily. "it's been so long, but she also makes me think of gullfeather, and how gullfeather should still be here. that if i hadn't let her go off alone, especially since i knew everything that she was going through... maybe if i had helped gullfeather more, then she'd still be here, and -"
indentdarkflower cut him off, flicking him affectionately with her tail. "you can't think like that. what happened gullfeather - it was horrible, but none of it was your fault," darkflower reasoned, and alpinemask rested his head on her shoulder. "you can't change the past, but you can change the present and the future. you have a chance right in front of you. you can tell her the truth, and you can know her. it'll be good for you," she said, and alpinemask huffed.
indent"you always know what to say, don't you?" he mused, and darkflower licked his forehead.
indent"one of us has to. and clearly you don't," darkflower teased, and alpinemask straightened up to scoff. the nudged one another, playful. then:
indent"i love you," alpinemask said, and darkflower beamed.
indent"i love you too," she said. "now, let's figure out how to get you the nerve to tell valleypaw."
indenttallpeak paced up and down the line of apprentices and their mentors, her fur fluffed out against the cold wind that whipped across the moorland, not yet willing to give in to the close of leafbare. the quickclan's deputy waited up twiteflight and kestrelpaw ran up to join the group, and kestrelpaw skidded into place beside frogpaw, while twiteflight took the space next to falconflight, who shot his eldest daughter a glance, though she grinned broadly at him. from before them all, tallpeak nodded to twiteflight, a smile twitching on her maw, though she addressed the group instead. "your mentors have all come to me over the past moon with the news that you're ready to take your assessments. we've monitored many of your skills, and you're ready for the final assessment," tallpeak began, and frogpaw flashed kestrelpaw a smile when his sister bumped his shoulder. "in order to be considered, you must go out onto the moor and bring back a rabbit or a hare. this is a test of your agility, endurance, speed, and your hunting ability. your mentors and i will be keeping a close eye out on how you perform," tallpeak said, then smiled at the apprentices. "i do ask that you keep in mind that this is not the end of the world. if you don't complete this task, then you can retake it later. you're all very talented, so let's see what you're made of," she finished. with that, she waved her tail, and the apprentices got up to charge out onto the wide stretch of moorland.
indentthere was the rush of adrenaline as frogpaw ran alongside his friends and denmates, the cats he'd grown up with. his long legs carried him well, and it was no real surprise when frogpaw and kestrelpaw ran ahead of valleypaw, branchpaw, rootpaw, and hootpaw, who had shorter legs, and stockier builds when compared to the brown tabbies. "i'm going to try to flush one out by the barn," kestrelpaw managed to pant out between breaths, and frogpaw nodded once.
indent"i want to try by the stream, see if one might've gone for water," he said. with that, their paths began to diverge. there was a flash of white fur where valleypaw was going off on her own, though more movement showed where brightcreek was following her apprentice from a distance. "good luck," he called to kestrelpaw, and caught only the sound of her voice carried on the wind when he veered off.
indenthe knew that falconflight couldn't be too far off, and frogpaw thought of the chance to impress his mentor, to impress tallpeak, and cyanstar, and the chance to show snakespots that he'd come a long way in his training. already, he thought of what cyanstar might name him, and his excitement bubbled in his chest. it was almost too good to be true, and yet the sound of running water from the creek caught his ears soon enough, breaking up the pounding of his paws against the ground. frogpaw slowed his pace and pricked his ears. he tasted the air, looking for any sign of an unsuspecting rabbit.
indentthen: a flash of fur in her peripherals. frogpaw whipped around in time to watch the hare begin to race off. it was fast, but he knew that he was faster. tallpeak said that it was a test of his hunting abilities, of his endurance, and his speed among other traits. he was ready to prove himself. his claws dug into the ground when he propelled himself forward. he ran harder and faster than he could remember, like he was flying, as if his paws weren't even touching the ground.
indentuntil his muscles pinched, his paws skidded against the ground, and then there wasn't any ground under him. he fell sideways, his body twisted at an awkward angle when he slipped down the sleep slope that he hadn't seen, too caught up in the chase. frogpaw swore under his breath, and his blood pounded in his ears. he felt the spike of anger mix with his adrenaline, ready to get up and give chase again, but when he twisted to get up, his back protested and gave out. for a long moment, frogpaw was frozen with the simple realization that he couldn't get up then. when he tried to shift his weight to get up, a spike of pain radiated outwards from his back, making him wince and groan from the pain.
indentthen came the sound of pawsteps rushing towards him, and frogpaw barely managed to turn his head to look up at falconflight when his mentor called to him. "frogpaw!" falconflight called, sounding breathless and nervous. "are you alright? can you get up?" he asked, and frogpaw tried to shake his head, but it was too painful.
indent"no," he said honestly. then the realization hit that frogpaw couldn't get up: the hare was lost, and he failed his assessment. he couldn't get up. "falconflight," he choked out, "i need help."
indentit had been a long night, and several of the queens had ushered the older kits from the nursery to give the medicine cats the space they needed. by the time dawn broke, however, lilacshadow was only half-listening when alpinemask spoke to her, as she was too focused on the kits at her belly. they were all beautiful, lilacshadow knew, but she couldn't draw her eyes away from one of the toms, and she finally regarded alpinemask and gorseberry through half-lidded eyes. "they're all healthy?" her voice sounded rough to her own ears, and she felt exhaustion pulling at her peripherals, but she needed to know, she needed to be certain.
indent"they're all healthy as can be," alpinemask said, and it was gorseberry who shot lilacshadow a warm smile, so bright and cheerful.
indent"congratulations, lilacshadow, they're all wonderful," he said, happy despite the exhaustion from the long night that dulled his blue eyes and made his shoulders droop. she knew how he felt. there were a few more words said, a few more congratulations from the medicine cats, but lilacshadow merely nodded along to the sounds of their voices. she was so tired, so sad, and she needed to rest. but first she needed them to be gone, so that she could look at her kits even better. and then, they were gone, her wish came true. and then there was a short eternity of silence.
indentthen there was the sound of shuffling from one of the other nests, and lilacshadow looked up at where sagetuft was curled around her kits. sagetuft looked up to meet lilacshadow's glance. "sorry, hope i didn't disturb you," she said, and lilacshadow shrugged, silently. she expected that to be the end of it, but then sagetuft spoke again. "they're all so cute, they're all going to be great, i'm sure of it," she added, and this time lilacshadow couldn't help but smile, tight and small, but a smile all the same. yes, her kits were perfect. and they would grow to be strong, and this entire clan would tremble at their paws, lilacshadow was sure of it. "have you thought of any names yet?" sagetuft asked, and this time lilacshadow nodded and cleared her throat.
indent"this one's lambkit," lilacshadow said, gently touching her nose to the black tom, then tipped her nose to the twin mollies already bundled together. she had a feeling they were going to be inseparable. "eveningkit and beetlekit," she said, and saw the way sagetuft craned her neck to get a better look at the small kits. "this is dragonflykit," she said, and sagetuft grinned.
indent"she's lovely, with a beautiful name to match," the younger queen said, and lilacshadow hummed thoughtfully. "what about your other son? any ideas?" sagetuft asked, and lilacshadow turned back to the ginger tom. he was so small, nestled into her belly with his littermates. his fur was so soft, his paws so small. but there was a strength to him already, a strength that lilacshadow saw in only one other cat, and she knew from the moment he was born what he would be called.
indent"knollkit," lilacshadow said, and sagetuft nodded, but she wouldn't understand. of course she wouldn't.
indent"those are all wonderful names," sagetuft said. "i know your mate would have loved to be here to see them, but you're going to be a great mother."
indentfinally, lilacshadow smiled at sagetuft, and the queen returned it in kind, as the gesture of friendship. "you're right," lilacshadow said. "he would've loved to be here. but he's with them in spirit, i know he is."
indentshe looked down at her kits and thought about all that had been taken from her, everything that quickclan stole from her. her friends, her home, her mate... her kits would never know nolan, would never know graham. but she would make sure that quickclan would never forget what they had done, and it began with her kits. because they deserved justice, one step at a time.
indentkestrelpaw knew that it had been days since her father left the medicine cats' den; she knew that snakespots hadn't left since frogpaw's accident, and likely wouldn't leave until the medicine cats cleared frogpaw to leave the den. from the outset, it had appeared grim. alpinemask and gorseberry had worked hard, no doubt about it, with some help from darkflower and autumnpaw throughout the afternoon and into the night. they sent kestrelpaw to get water for frogpaw, to help autumnpaw chew up bitter leaves, to do anything to keep her occupied. snakespots hadn't been so easily distracted. even after the medicine cats had finally concluded that frogpaw would survive, snakespots only ate, drank, and slept when kestrelpaw pushed him, telling her father that she would stay awake with frogpaw and that she would wake him.
indentshe knew her brother well, and she knew that frogpaw was in pain the entire time. he hadn't been able to sleep, and his eyes glazed over many times when the pain hit him. days passed, and the other apprentices and warriors came to visit him when he was well enough. falconflight spent time with his apprentice, and kestrelpaw didn't miss the guilt etched onto his face; falconflight was a father, he was a mentor. he blamed himself for letting frogpaw get hurt, and he felt snakespots' pain as a father, kestrelpaw knew. but, in the quiet of the night, frogpaw said that he didn't blame falconflight, that it had nothing to do with falconflight at all. that he should've been paying more attention. it was known that apprentices got hurt during assessments in the past, he said, and kestrelpaw knew that he was thinking of peckernose, or even flintspark, and how they were still made capable warriors in their own time. still, she knew that it hurt when word spread of the upcoming ceremonies, of which he wouldn't even be able to attend to watch kestrelpaw and his other denmates be given their full names.
indentstill, snakespots sat with kestrelpaw and twiteflight when cyanstar called the clan together, though kestrelpaw knew that his mind was wandering back to frogpaw. she couldn't blame him, her mind was drifting as well, her concentration moving in and out of focus. until a voice sounded at her side: "how's frogpaw doing?" kestrelpaw turned her head quickly, and then managed a tight smile when her eyes locked with thunderstomp.
indent"today was a good day, i think," kestrelpaw said honestly, unable to lie when she looked at her friend. not when thunderstomp had been a close friend for as long as they knew one another, not when his expression was so open and genuine. "they're still treating him, though, and they need to wait and see if he still has full use of his legs but..." kestrelpaw paused and felt her expression tighten. thunderstomp touched a paw to hers, and she nodded once, breathing in deeply. "they need to test and see that he didn't break anything worse than they think... you know, to see if he can still be a warrior. but he's doing better than yesterday and the day before. his mood is good, so that helps."
indent"after this, you'll have to visit him," thunderstomp said, and kestrelpaw nodded quickly. "i'm sure he'll be waiting to know what your new name is going to be." at that, kestrelpaw couldn't help but smile. the thought of getting her new name, of becoming a full quickclan warrior, excited her. as much as she wished that her brother was at her side and not injured, kestrelpaw felt her breath catch in her throat when cyanstar climbed the wind rock and looked down into the clan.
indent"a bit of a windy evening, isn't it?" cyanstar said when he reached the height of the perch. as if in answer, a renewed gust of wind swept through camp from the moor, buffeting the crowd of cats. cyanstar remained firm in his stance, though kestrelpaw huddled closer to thunderstomp, who let out an amused chuckle, but shifted to block the wind a bit better. when the clan settled again, cyanstarlet out a laugh. "let's get started before i'm blown off of here," he said, and this time the clan joined in with laughing. "today we honor apprentices who have completed their training and are ready to receive their full names. i call upon quickclan of past and present to look down upon these apprentices, and to accept them, now, as full warriors of our clan." there was a moment of silence before cyanstar nodded into the crowd. "valleypaw, do you swear to uphold the principals we hold most sacred, to protect the clan with all of your body and mind?" he asked, and the pretty white molly didn't flinch under the attention. instead, she flicked her ears and met cyanstar's gaze boldly.
indent"i do," she said.
indent"then from this moment forward, you are to be known as valleymist, for your ability to keep a level head while under pressure. starclan honors your wit and compassion," cyanstar announced. he leaped elegantly down from the wind rock to meet valleymist, and the clan roared with cheers when they touched noses. then cyanstar turned to kestrelpaw, who moved forward to meet him. "kestrelpaw, do you swear to uphold the principles we hold most sacred, to protect the clan with all of your body and mind?" he asked, and kestrelpaw could feel her whiskers quiver with excitement.
indent"i do," she answered cyanstar, who offered her an encouraging smile.
indent"then from this moment forward, you shall be known as kestrelblaze, for your fierce loyalty. starclan honors your spirit and boldness." cyanstar leaned forward, and kestrelblaze met him halfway, then turned back to where snakespots was sitting. her father immediately licked her affectionately between the ears and whispered praise, just as rootpaw passed them when cyanstar called out to him. after swearing to the vow, cyanstar regarded the young tom. "you will be known as rootwhisker, for your impressive hunting abilities. starclan honors your keen senses and intuition." then, to hootpaw, cyanstar spoke, "do you swear to uphold the principles we hold most sacred, and to protect the clan with all of your body and mind?"
indent"i do!" hootpaw promised.
indent"then you will now be known as hootfeather, for your grace. starclan honors your intellect and thoughtfulness, as we welcome you as a full warrior of quickclan." then, finally, cyanstar directed his attention to branchpaw. "do you swear to uphold the principles we hold most sacred, and to protect the clan with all of your mind and body?" cyanstar asked her.
indentbranchpaw glanced over her shoulder to where her siblings had gone to sit with oakseed. "i do," she said to cyanstar.
indent"then from this moment on, you are to be known as branchbite, as flamestrike tells me that you have become a strong fighter. starclan honors your strength and even temperament to know how to use your teeth and claws." with a sweep of his tail, cyanstar gestured to the new warriors at the front of the crowd, granting permission for the rest of quickclan to raise their voices in celebration. for a long moment, kestrelblaze allowed herself to get caught up in the moment, with the clan pressed close, the sound of her new name in her ears. but when she found thunderstomp's eyes, he grinned at her and nodded towards the medicine cats' den.
indent"go tell him," thunderstomp encouraged, and kestrelblaze matched his smile. without another word, she turned and bounded up the path. there, frogpaw was waiting for her, stretched out in his nest. autumnpaw was sitting with him, but she backed away after offering kestrelblaze a word of congratulations.
indentfrogpaw's gaze was expectant. "well, kestrelblaze, how're you feeling?" he asked, no trace of sadness in his eyes, the pain from his injury momentarily gone. "how's it feel to be a hotshot warrior now?"
indentkestrelblaze padded to her side and touched her nose to her brother's ear. "good, but i'll feel even better when you're with me, and you can get your name too. so you'd better be behaving and healing." for the first time in several days, kestrelblaze heard frogpaw laugh, so genuine and real that it brought a full smile to her face as well.
→ actions
consumption quickclan eats six birds and a vole
rank changes vermilionkit, valeriankit, and amarylliskit are ready to become apprentices
ploverpaw takes her assessment. if she passes, she will be renamed ploverflame
hunting tallpeak, flurrywind, marshstripe, dartersplash, bouldertooth, and canaryleap
eagleheart, thistlestrike, kindleflare, cardinalheart, fleetingmoon, and flamestrike
cyanstar, falconflight, brightcreek, canaryleap, plumblossom, and birchface
nightfall, swiftscreech, ravengaze, owletcry, webtail, and grassthorn
brackenrose, oriolefeather, peckernose, rowanfoot, roselight, and hollowfang
border patrols sparrowcall, duneserpent, marshstripe, hollyfur, rainypath, and patchwing
oakseed, loonlight, acorntail, minnowjump, mulestomp, and sunnyheart
training pinepaw, crakepaw, charredpaw and lagoonpaw learn swimming
oleanderpaw, fallowpaw, rampaw, and cariboupaw learn fighting
heronpaw and scorpionpaw learn stalking
herb hunting gorseberry and autumnpaw look for herbs (priority for kitting herbs)
medicine cats alpinemask treats frogpaw with x1 thyme, x1 poppy seeds, x1 sting nettles, and x1 comfrey. junipersky is given x1 feverfew. she needs x1 borage
notes in the case of death rolls, please only target those underlined. thank you! xx
consumption quickclan eats six birds and a vole
rank changes vermilionkit, valeriankit, and amarylliskit are ready to become apprentices
ploverpaw takes her assessment. if she passes, she will be renamed ploverflame
hunting tallpeak, flurrywind, marshstripe, dartersplash, bouldertooth, and canaryleap
eagleheart, thistlestrike, kindleflare, cardinalheart, fleetingmoon, and flamestrike
cyanstar, falconflight, brightcreek, canaryleap, plumblossom, and birchface
nightfall, swiftscreech, ravengaze, owletcry, webtail, and grassthorn
brackenrose, oriolefeather, peckernose, rowanfoot, roselight, and hollowfang
border patrols sparrowcall, duneserpent, marshstripe, hollyfur, rainypath, and patchwing
oakseed, loonlight, acorntail, minnowjump, mulestomp, and sunnyheart
training pinepaw, crakepaw, charredpaw and lagoonpaw learn swimming
oleanderpaw, fallowpaw, rampaw, and cariboupaw learn fighting
heronpaw and scorpionpaw learn stalking
herb hunting gorseberry and autumnpaw look for herbs (priority for kitting herbs)
medicine cats alpinemask treats frogpaw with x1 thyme, x1 poppy seeds, x1 sting nettles, and x1 comfrey. junipersky is given x1 feverfew. she needs x1 borage
notes in the case of death rolls, please only target those underlined. thank you! xx
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LEADER ⎯⎯
cyanstar, 48m, ♂
↳ 8 lives remaining
DEPUTY ⎯⎯
tallpeak, 60m, ♀
MEDICINE CATS ⎯⎯
alpinemask, 53m, ♂ - 6sp
gorseberry, 34m, ♂ - 6sp
MEDICINE APP. ⎯⎯
autumnpaw, 16m, ♀
↳ blind
WARRIORS ⎯⎯
sparrowcall, 83m, ♂
larchbriar, 70m, ♀
snakespots, 65m, ♂
coyotesnarl, 62m, ♂
sweetecho, 57m, ♀
blizzardrush, 55m, ♀
brackenrose, 53m, ♀
falconflight, 53m, ♂
flurrywind, 53m, ♂
flowerskip, 53m, ♀
splashfall, 52m, ♂
hickorypatch, 52m, ♀
aspenwish, 51m, ♀
nightfall, 50m, ♂
hollyfur, 46m, ♀
eagleheart, 46m, ♂
thistlestrike, 46m, ♀
kindleflare, 45m, ♀
fluffytuft, 43m, ♂
cyanstar, 48m, ♂
↳ 8 lives remaining
DEPUTY ⎯⎯
tallpeak, 60m, ♀
MEDICINE CATS ⎯⎯
alpinemask, 53m, ♂ - 6sp
gorseberry, 34m, ♂ - 6sp
MEDICINE APP. ⎯⎯
autumnpaw, 16m, ♀
↳ blind
WARRIORS ⎯⎯
sparrowcall, 83m, ♂
larchbriar, 70m, ♀
snakespots, 65m, ♂
coyotesnarl, 62m, ♂
sweetecho, 57m, ♀
blizzardrush, 55m, ♀
brackenrose, 53m, ♀
falconflight, 53m, ♂
flurrywind, 53m, ♂
flowerskip, 53m, ♀
splashfall, 52m, ♂
hickorypatch, 52m, ♀
aspenwish, 51m, ♀
nightfall, 50m, ♂
hollyfur, 46m, ♀
eagleheart, 46m, ♂
thistlestrike, 46m, ♀
kindleflare, 45m, ♀
fluffytuft, 43m, ♂
xx
WARRIORS CONT. ⎯⎯
oakseed, 41m, ♂
duneserpent, 40m, ♂
loonlight, 39m, ♀
bluesky, 39m, ♂
patchwing, 36m, ♀
treespirit, 35m, ♂
berrypad, 34m, ♀
whitesnow, 34m, ♀
flamestrike, 34m, ♂
alderpatch, 34m, nb
brightcreek, 33m, ♀
acorntail, 31m, ♀
minnowjump, 30m, ♂
mulestomp, 30m, ♂
canaryleap, 30m, ♂
chanterellestep, 29m, ♂
swiftscreech, 28m, ♀
dahliadrop, 27m, ♀
twiteflight, 26m, ♀
birchface, 25m, ♂
sproutclaw, 25m, ♂
mintstem, 25m, ♀
cherrydawn, 25m, ♀
ravengaze, 24m, ♂
grassthorn, 23m, ♀
oriolefeather, 23m, ♂
peckernose, 23m, ♂
↳ limp
flintspark, 23m, ♂
↳ blind
rowanfoot, 21m, ♂
roselight, 21m, ♂
sunnyheart, 21m, ♂
hollowfang, 20m, ♂
oakseed, 41m, ♂
duneserpent, 40m, ♂
loonlight, 39m, ♀
bluesky, 39m, ♂
patchwing, 36m, ♀
treespirit, 35m, ♂
berrypad, 34m, ♀
whitesnow, 34m, ♀
flamestrike, 34m, ♂
alderpatch, 34m, nb
brightcreek, 33m, ♀
acorntail, 31m, ♀
minnowjump, 30m, ♂
mulestomp, 30m, ♂
canaryleap, 30m, ♂
chanterellestep, 29m, ♂
swiftscreech, 28m, ♀
dahliadrop, 27m, ♀
twiteflight, 26m, ♀
birchface, 25m, ♂
sproutclaw, 25m, ♂
mintstem, 25m, ♀
cherrydawn, 25m, ♀
ravengaze, 24m, ♂
grassthorn, 23m, ♀
oriolefeather, 23m, ♂
peckernose, 23m, ♂
↳ limp
flintspark, 23m, ♂
↳ blind
rowanfoot, 21m, ♂
roselight, 21m, ♂
sunnyheart, 21m, ♂
hollowfang, 20m, ♂
xx
WARRIORS CONT. ⎯⎯
marshstripe, 20m, ♀
dartersplash, 20m, ♂
cardinalheart, 19m, ♂
fleetingmoon, 19m, ♂
owletcry, 19m, ♀
webtail, 19m, ♂
rainypath, 19m, ♀
bouldertooth, 18m, ♂
daffodilstem, 17m, ♀
finchthroat, 17m, ♀
cricketchirp, 17m, ♂
dandelionspring, 17m, ♀
dovewish, 17m, ♀
plumblossom, 16m, ♂
tinselstorm, 15m, ♀
magpiesong, 15m, ♂
thunderstomp, 14m, ♂
valleymist, 13m, ♀
kestrelblaze, 13m, ♀
rootwhisker, 13m, ♂
hootfeather, 13m, ♀
branchbite, 13m, ♀
marshstripe, 20m, ♀
dartersplash, 20m, ♂
cardinalheart, 19m, ♂
fleetingmoon, 19m, ♂
owletcry, 19m, ♀
webtail, 19m, ♂
rainypath, 19m, ♀
bouldertooth, 18m, ♂
daffodilstem, 17m, ♀
finchthroat, 17m, ♀
cricketchirp, 17m, ♂
dandelionspring, 17m, ♀
dovewish, 17m, ♀
plumblossom, 16m, ♂
tinselstorm, 15m, ♀
magpiesong, 15m, ♂
thunderstomp, 14m, ♂
valleymist, 13m, ♀
kestrelblaze, 13m, ♀
rootwhisker, 13m, ♂
hootfeather, 13m, ♀
branchbite, 13m, ♀
xx
xx
QUEENS & KITS ⎯⎯
willowfrost, 67m, ♀
→ wrenkit, 1m, ♂
→ ibiskit, 1m, ♂
↳ twisted leg
→ pigeonkit, 1m, ♀
→ phoebekit, 1m, ♀
honeyflower, 58m, ♀
→ vermilionkit, 6m, ♂
junipersky, 50m, ♀
↳ due in 2m
lilacshadow, 49m, ♀
→ lambkit, 0m, ♂
→ knollkit, 0m, ♂
→ dragonflykit, 0m, ♀
→ eveningkit, 0m, ♀
→ beetlekit, 0m, ♀
pearsblossom, 36m, ♀
↳ due in 2m
hawkrise, 36m, ♀
→ waspkit, 4m, ♂
→ copperkit, 4m, ♂
→ chaserkit, 4m, ♂
→ accentorkit, 4m, ♀
→ sedgekit, 4m, ♀
sagetuft, 27m, ♀
→ houndkit, 2m, ♀
→ verglaskit, 2m, ♀
valeriankit, 6m, ♀
amarylliskit, 6m, ♂
starlingkit, 5m, ♂
smokekit, 5m, ♀
ELDERS ⎯⎯
miranda, 116m, ♀
willowfrost, 67m, ♀
→ wrenkit, 1m, ♂
→ ibiskit, 1m, ♂
↳ twisted leg
→ pigeonkit, 1m, ♀
→ phoebekit, 1m, ♀
honeyflower, 58m, ♀
→ vermilionkit, 6m, ♂
junipersky, 50m, ♀
↳ due in 2m
lilacshadow, 49m, ♀
→ lambkit, 0m, ♂
→ knollkit, 0m, ♂
→ dragonflykit, 0m, ♀
→ eveningkit, 0m, ♀
→ beetlekit, 0m, ♀
pearsblossom, 36m, ♀
↳ due in 2m
hawkrise, 36m, ♀
→ waspkit, 4m, ♂
→ copperkit, 4m, ♂
→ chaserkit, 4m, ♂
→ accentorkit, 4m, ♀
→ sedgekit, 4m, ♀
sagetuft, 27m, ♀
→ houndkit, 2m, ♀
→ verglaskit, 2m, ♀
valeriankit, 6m, ♀
amarylliskit, 6m, ♂
starlingkit, 5m, ♂
smokekit, 5m, ♀
ELDERS ⎯⎯
miranda, 116m, ♀
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MENTORS ⎯⎯
gorseberry, autumnpaw, 4
falconflight, frogpaw, 4
duneserpent, ploverpaw, 4
snakespots, oleanderpaw, 2
sproutclaw, pinepaw, 3
cherrydawn, crakepaw, 3
sweetecho, rampaw, 1
blizzardrush, cariboupaw, 1
splashfall, charredpaw, 4
mintstem, lagoonpaw, 3
fluffytuft, fallowpaw, 2
chanterellestep, heronpaw, 1
hickorypatch, scorpionpaw, 1
gorseberry, autumnpaw, 4
falconflight, frogpaw, 4
duneserpent, ploverpaw, 4
snakespots, oleanderpaw, 2
sproutclaw, pinepaw, 3
cherrydawn, crakepaw, 3
sweetecho, rampaw, 1
blizzardrush, cariboupaw, 1
splashfall, charredpaw, 4
mintstem, lagoonpaw, 3
fluffytuft, fallowpaw, 2
chanterellestep, heronpaw, 1
hickorypatch, scorpionpaw, 1
xx
MENTORS CONT. ⎯⎯
xx
xx
PREY PILE ⎯⎯
minnow, x22, 1 serving
mouse, x22, 1 serving
vole, x3, 1 serving
rabbit, x14, 2 servings
small fish, x16, 2 servings
squirrel, x13, 2 servings
hare, x0, 3 servings
big fish, x12, 3 servings
bird, x18, 3 servings
total: 223 servings
minnow, x22, 1 serving
mouse, x22, 1 serving
vole, x3, 1 serving
rabbit, x14, 2 servings
small fish, x16, 2 servings
squirrel, x13, 2 servings
hare, x0, 3 servings
big fish, x12, 3 servings
bird, x18, 3 servings
total: 223 servings
xx
ALLIES ⎯⎯
hazeclan, nightwolf950
groveclan, solyn
ENEMIES ⎯⎯
n/a
BORDERS ⎯⎯
north, hazeclan, nightwolf950
north-east, n/a, n/a
north-west, n/a, n/a
east, n/a, n/a
west, quartzclan, miles morales
south, n/a, n/a
south-east, n/a, n/a
south-west, swiftclan, phina d wolf
hazeclan, nightwolf950
groveclan, solyn
ENEMIES ⎯⎯
n/a
BORDERS ⎯⎯
north, hazeclan, nightwolf950
north-east, n/a, n/a
north-west, n/a, n/a
east, n/a, n/a
west, quartzclan, miles morales
south, n/a, n/a
south-east, n/a, n/a
south-west, swiftclan, phina d wolf
