Minkcloud and the unnamed kit were resting on a moss nest inside the medicine cat's den, the brown molly didn't even dare to take her eyes off the tiny tortoiseshell for even a moment, almost as she was afraid that the kitten would be swept off by another current again. Her mate, Comfreyfang, laid beside her. The gray tabby gave Minkcloud a warm lick on the cheek before directing her steely blue eyes towards Weaselstorm - who was having a hard time examining the kit with these two protective mollies in the way. Shadepaw blinked owlishly at their patient, noting how awfully little she seemed compared to how the kits of PineClan were. She wondered what kind of upbringing she had before she was found and taken here. The apprentice's attention was now on Comfreyfang, who demanded an answer from her mentor regarding the kit's health.
"Well? How is she?" The warrior asked, her frown deepened as she noticed the small and exasperated huff that left Weaselstorm and the way he resisted to roll his eyes before answering. "I don't know, hard to tell what's wrong when she's swallowed up by brown fur." He answered sharply, not missing the way Comfreyfang let out a silent hiss while Minkcloud blinked apologetically before gently moving away from the kitten and towards the farthest corner of the den, beckoning for her mate to join her and smiling as she complied. Weaselstorm nodded in thanks before staring at the kit, now alone in the moss nest and laying on her side. He looked at Shadepaw in a way that she knew meant he wanted her to examine their patient by herself, as he believed the best way for her to learn was by doing things herself.
Shadepaw gulped before making her way to sit besides the brown-and-white tom, her eyes searching the tiny kit's sleeping body before nosing her chest, flinching back the moment she could feel her ribs so easily. There was no way this kitten was healthy, not when she was literally bone-thin. Shadepaw hesitated and stared up at her mentor with sad eyes to see if maybe he might be willing to continue. Weaselstorm blinked slowly in response, which slightly comforted the molly, and then he moved in to finish the job. He pried the kit's mouth open as gently as he could with his fore paw, trying to judge how old she was by looking at her teeth, which was a hard feat when it was so easy for her to wake up. Shadepaw stared at the scene intently, trying to commit this to memory in case she had to the same thing by herself one day.
The medicine cat pulled back with a grimace on his face, making a shiver go down Shadepaw's spine upon seeing her mentor wear such a heavy expression. Comfreyfang noticed this change too, jumping up to her paws while ignoring her mate's protest before padding up to Weaselstorm. Shadepaw almost questioned why she was so protective of the kit, but then she remembered hearing stories about how the stocky feline held a fondness for any kitten, a fondness that was first introduced when she found Fawnfur out in the forest when the queen was only two moons old. "I know that look on your face, something's wrong, isn't it?" She meowed to Weaselstorm, her mew was stern, but it also held some anxiety to it as well.
"She's a moon old. She's supposed to be a lot bigger then she is now." He replied, making all cats in the room freeze. They had seen kits younger then the one before them scamper around camp with overwhelming energy, their stomachs were plump and their coats were shining with health and clean as they'd ever be. This kitten looked like she was ready to greet StarClan. Comfreyfang blinked, her mouth agape as she struggled to find any words to say before sighing and moving to lay besides the kitten like Minkcloud had done earlier, her eyes brimming with sympathy. Minkcloud hesitated before speaking to the medicine cat, her yellow eyes staring at the floor. "Is... is there anything you can do for her?" She asked, the question catching her mate's attention as well as both mollies stared at the medicine cat expectantly.
Weaselstorm shook his head, "She's too small to eat any herbs without some major side effects, so that's a no." he stared at the kit before continuing, trying to jog memories of his kithood back when he lived on his lonesome. He too had been as thin as the tortoiseshell was now, and it was only thanks to a molly he thought of as his mother that he managed to survive. "Just feed her, but not too much, or she'll get sick." he replied, pleased that both mollies seemed to agree with his answer. "And take her to the nursery, she'll be safer there." He said, dismissing them with a wave of his tail. He watched silently as Comfreyfang gently took the kit by the scruff, pausing the moment she heard a squeak come from come from her.
The kitten blearily opened her eyes, which immediately snapped wide open as she was aware of her alien surroundings, she squirmed as hard as she could from her hold to the point where Comfryfang had to set her down again. The tortoiseshell fluffed out of her fur and her bright eyes were wide in fear as she stared at all the unfamiliar cats around her, Minkcloud was the first to react. "Calm down, little one. You're safe here, we helped you." The motherly cat mewed softly, her yellow eyes warm as they could be. Her nurturing effect easily made the kit taken to her, and a significant change could be seen as the fur along her back went down and she sat on the floor, shyly staring at her paws. "H-hi." She practically squeaked out, a chuckle leaving both Comfreyfang and Minkcloud. Weaselstorm gestured with a nod of his head for he and Shadepaw to leave while so the three mollies could be acquainted with each other comfortably.
Shadepaw followed him out of the den, gazing back curiously at the scene behind her, they seemed so relaxed already. It was almost like they were a family. "Will the kitten be okay?" She asked her mentor, sighing in relief as he nodded. "Yeah, she'll be fine." He calmly answered, staring at them out of the corner of his eye. "She's been given some pretty good mothers."
β¦β¦β¦
It was now evening when the storm had gotten worse, thunder was as loud as earthquakes and the rain pounded against one so hard it actually stung. Mintstar hissed curses under her breath, surely rain as hard as this had to be a bad omen of some kind. And it just had to fall this hard on her grandniece's apprentice ceremony today too. She could see Acornkit bickering with Juniperpaw now from inside the apprentice's den, and with a smile Mintstar was glad that at least those two remained the same despite the heavy weather, the young cats had remained as both friends and enemies over the moons they had been raised together, though their arguing and playfighting was never done with ill intent. Juniperpaw threw his head back in laughter while Acornpaw pouted and playfully swatted him against the ear.
'I forgot how juvenile apprentices can be.' The PineClan leader thought. They were still so young to enjoy their innocence for a few moons more and Mintstar almost envied them. For at least they weren't saddled with the task of having so many cats' well being and safety on their shoulders. Life seemed so much more difficult as she became leader, she began to slowly understand why Shadowstar's entire mindset had changed for the worse after spending so many moons in charge. And yet... Mintstar truly wouldn't change where her life ended up for the world. She was blessed with a loving mate, and her family was still growing with Acornkit becoming an apprentice and with Skunknose's second litter of kits on the way. Life had gotten hard, but she couldn't deny that she was happy despite how strenuous things could be at times.
What dragged her out of her thoughts were the worried mews of Laurelcloud and Magpiewhisker from outside her den, Mintstar rose to her paws and strode outside, squinting against the rain. Laurelcloud stared at Magpiewhisker to see if maybe he wanted to speak, but the black-and-white tom shook his head. The molly cleared her throat before speaking. "Mintstar, the water's getting real bad. I think we're gonna have to move." She mewed with such authority that it impressed Mintstar, she had quite the voice for being their youngest warrior. However, her idea was absolutely absurd. Surely the water would never reach PineClan! They were far enough for the largest stream and the land around them was flat enough, wasn't it?
"It's probably better that if we do, there's a lot of wells around here, and with enough water they could all overflow." Magpiewhisker added, which Mintstar admitted made enough sense. However, it wasn't like her Clan had anywhere safe to move, she imagined Shadowstar never stopped to think about the threat of flooding when she first found PineClan's camp to consider a safe zone somewhere. And it wasn't like she could send out a patrol to scout for one either, it was far too risky. A loud and obviously fake cough got her attention, frowning as she made out the sodden form of Larkclaw approaching. His dark brown pelt was drenched the point where it appeared black. "Couldn't help but eavesdrop on you guys, and I think I know where we can hide~" He mewed. "Before I joined your merry little band, I made my dwelling in a cave close by here. It's a wonder you guys haven't seen it, actually."
Mintstar wasn't so sure she could truly trust Larkclaw even though she was the one to convince Shadowstar to let the former rogue join. He was too sneaky for his own good and he played by his own rules, thinking mostly of himself rather then the Clan. The way he spoke could often be interpreted as subtle mockery towards his Clanmates, and judging by how Lizardstripe's hackles raised every time the pushy tom approached them. It was clear the two had known each other well before they joined the Clan, and it wasn't a very good meeting. However, this was her only lead at getting PineClan to safety. She would have to question him more about this. "Are you sure about that?" She asked coolly, making Larkclaw give out a mock gasp. "What? You don't trust me? One of your loyal warriors? I'm pretty sure that's a sin."
Larkclaw chuckled, the sound fading one he knew none of the other cats would join in. He smirked at Laurelcloud, who had been staring at him a little oddly, snorting when she rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I'm not lying. I'm a jerk, sure, I'll admit that. But at least I have the common decency to respect queens." He responded, making Mintstar perk her ears in what the queens had to do with this. "I'm pretty sure you're more satisfied with living queens more then dead ones." The leader winced, he had a point. If the flooding did reach camp, there was no hope that Wasptail and Skunknose could escape unscathed. She thought more on the matter for a while before deciding that was best for the two queens and the rest of her Clan to shelter where Larkclaw suggested. "You'll lead us there, won't you? I'll reward you with anything." She meowed, making the tom laugh again. "Allow me to sleep in for a whole moon and we're golden."
β¦β¦β¦
And so after Mintstar relayed her plan to all the Clan, she set off to the cave Larkclaw had talked about and walked by his side. Rowanpelt and Shrikeface were walking alongside their mates Wasptail and Skunknose, the queens looking a little tired given they weren't used to walking after resting in the nursery for so long. All the apprentices trailed on the sidelines besides their mentors, all cats holding prey in their jaws. And Acornpaw held a look of pride after receiving her apprentice name. Finding a mentor for her would be withheld under the threat of flooding had past, but it seemed like her grandniece didn't mind either way. She focused on every bit of sound around her, swiveling her eyes to hear what was going on from behind, catching a tiny bit of her nephews conversation with each other. "I really need to tell you something." She heard Aspenheart meow, making Mintstar surprised with how vulnerable and nervous he sounded. Aspenheart was a prideful warrior, she never imagined he'd ever show weakness. Not even to his own brother.
Perhaps she'd attempt to ask him what was wrong later, though she already knew he'd ignore her anyway. He never liked her, and given how she ignored him growing up she could see why. Lizardstripe and Laurelcloud were silent as they held the fattest mice they could salvage from the fresh-kill pile, while Comfreyfang and Minkcloud gently explained what was happening to their kitten - who was now known as Maplekit. She was thankful that everyone seemed calm, it was only Weaselstorm who disagreed with everything and Mintstar sensed he wanted to argue, but he wasn't able to given the leaf-wrapped bundle of herbs he currently carried in his jaws. Shadepaw held a bundle of her own, the medicine cat apprentice had been silent ever since they left, probably because she disagreed with leaving too.
Once Mintstar was done checking on everyone, she focused on Larkclaw, who had a tiny skip in his step as he lead everyone to his former hideout. The tom suddenly paused, throwing off Mintstar as she wondered what the holdup was. "There's someone out here." He whispered, at first she was ready to tell him it was probably a fleeing mouse until she too scented the whiff of another Clan, one she hadn't smelled in a long time: FlurryClan. She gasped as she saw her former apprentice, Lizardstripe, swiftly rush past her and towards the direction of the scent. The tom was beyond elated as he recognized who wore the achingly familiar scent. Knowing it could be the one and only molly who held his affections for many moons, they had agreed to stop visiting each other due to concerns of being caught by either of their Clans, but he was never able to forgot her. Rosemask was a cat he could never forget.
The gray-and-white cat laughed excitedly as she rushed towards the tom and nuzzled in his wet fur, a wide smile on her face as she relaxed against him, happy that she was able to be this close to him again. Lizardstripe purred loudly, his green eyes shining with love for the FlurryClan cat before his expression turned into confusion. "Don't get me wrong, it's amazing to see you again, really. My heart's beating faster then a rabbit hop but... I thought we weren't going to see each other again?" He meowed, ignoring the curious mews coming from his Clanmates. Rosemask purred briefly before letting out a sigh. "I really couldn't be away from you anymore, I had to do something about it. So I said my goodbyes, and my family told me to send you a message: take care of her, or else!" She replied, playfully imitating her father's voice before both lovers exchanged a laugh.
A loud meow from Mintstar made them stop, and the leader narrowed her eyes as she stared at Lizardstripe. "So this is who you sneaked off to see when you were an apprentice." She meowed pointedly, causing for the tabby tom to flatten his ears and stand protectively in front of Rosemask. "I know you're mad, Mintstar, but I love this cat with my life. If she can't join us, I'm leaving too." He meowed with a hiss, Rosemask gazed concerned at both Lizardstripe and Mintstar and stayed silent, praying to StarClan that the leader would be forgiving. After a while, Mintstar sighed, she needed warriors more then ever. And Lizardstripe was stubborn, there's no way he'd let her get away with rejecting Rosemask as one of their own. "Fine, she can stay. But your both going to have to prove your loyalty to me." She said, ignoring the urge to crack a smile as both cats exclaimed their thanks happily before frolicking like a pair of playing kits before joining the rest of the Clan.
"Mintstar! We're here!" Larkclaw exclaimed a little ways away from her, the cat immediately went to join him and her Clan, her eyes widening to see a gaping hole lodged in the center of a stone wall as she approached. It took a little climb for her cats to get inside, she watched as Rowanpelt assisted his mate Wasptail up and sighing in relief as Skunknose grabbed the ginger tabby's scruff to pull her the rest of the way. She thanked the gray queen before the two vanished deeper in the cave. Larkclaw beckoned her over with a wave of his tail, the tom smirking pridefully as he watched the rest of his Clan jump in. "How's this for shelter! We got a cave big enough for all us 'Clanners and the water can't touch us. No need to thank me~" He said, not giving Mintstar the time to respond before he jumped in with the rest of his Clanmates.
Mintstar shook her head as she watched him leave with an appreciative smile, perhaps he did earn a moon's worth of sleeping in late for showing her Clan a grand hideout like this. However... this could never match up with their actual camp, which she hoped was going to survive in the rain and possible flooding. She shut her eyes, silently praying for StarClan and Shadowstar to watch over their camp. She stared up the dark sky above, squinting to shield her eyes from the ever falling rain. The clouds were so thick it was impossible to see the sky, was StarClan able to watch over them at all? Mintstar shuddered, she hoped her warrior ancestors were able to protect them. She huffed, perhaps sending out a patrol to scout the surrounding area would take her mind off things.
> Apprentice Ceremony: Acornkit
> Border Patrol: Mintstar, Duckfoot, Fawnfur, Magpiewhisker
> Joining Clan: Rosemask of FlurryClan.
> Becoming Mates: Lizardstripe + Rosemask
"Well? How is she?" The warrior asked, her frown deepened as she noticed the small and exasperated huff that left Weaselstorm and the way he resisted to roll his eyes before answering. "I don't know, hard to tell what's wrong when she's swallowed up by brown fur." He answered sharply, not missing the way Comfreyfang let out a silent hiss while Minkcloud blinked apologetically before gently moving away from the kitten and towards the farthest corner of the den, beckoning for her mate to join her and smiling as she complied. Weaselstorm nodded in thanks before staring at the kit, now alone in the moss nest and laying on her side. He looked at Shadepaw in a way that she knew meant he wanted her to examine their patient by herself, as he believed the best way for her to learn was by doing things herself.
Shadepaw gulped before making her way to sit besides the brown-and-white tom, her eyes searching the tiny kit's sleeping body before nosing her chest, flinching back the moment she could feel her ribs so easily. There was no way this kitten was healthy, not when she was literally bone-thin. Shadepaw hesitated and stared up at her mentor with sad eyes to see if maybe he might be willing to continue. Weaselstorm blinked slowly in response, which slightly comforted the molly, and then he moved in to finish the job. He pried the kit's mouth open as gently as he could with his fore paw, trying to judge how old she was by looking at her teeth, which was a hard feat when it was so easy for her to wake up. Shadepaw stared at the scene intently, trying to commit this to memory in case she had to the same thing by herself one day.
The medicine cat pulled back with a grimace on his face, making a shiver go down Shadepaw's spine upon seeing her mentor wear such a heavy expression. Comfreyfang noticed this change too, jumping up to her paws while ignoring her mate's protest before padding up to Weaselstorm. Shadepaw almost questioned why she was so protective of the kit, but then she remembered hearing stories about how the stocky feline held a fondness for any kitten, a fondness that was first introduced when she found Fawnfur out in the forest when the queen was only two moons old. "I know that look on your face, something's wrong, isn't it?" She meowed to Weaselstorm, her mew was stern, but it also held some anxiety to it as well.
"She's a moon old. She's supposed to be a lot bigger then she is now." He replied, making all cats in the room freeze. They had seen kits younger then the one before them scamper around camp with overwhelming energy, their stomachs were plump and their coats were shining with health and clean as they'd ever be. This kitten looked like she was ready to greet StarClan. Comfreyfang blinked, her mouth agape as she struggled to find any words to say before sighing and moving to lay besides the kitten like Minkcloud had done earlier, her eyes brimming with sympathy. Minkcloud hesitated before speaking to the medicine cat, her yellow eyes staring at the floor. "Is... is there anything you can do for her?" She asked, the question catching her mate's attention as well as both mollies stared at the medicine cat expectantly.
Weaselstorm shook his head, "She's too small to eat any herbs without some major side effects, so that's a no." he stared at the kit before continuing, trying to jog memories of his kithood back when he lived on his lonesome. He too had been as thin as the tortoiseshell was now, and it was only thanks to a molly he thought of as his mother that he managed to survive. "Just feed her, but not too much, or she'll get sick." he replied, pleased that both mollies seemed to agree with his answer. "And take her to the nursery, she'll be safer there." He said, dismissing them with a wave of his tail. He watched silently as Comfreyfang gently took the kit by the scruff, pausing the moment she heard a squeak come from come from her.
The kitten blearily opened her eyes, which immediately snapped wide open as she was aware of her alien surroundings, she squirmed as hard as she could from her hold to the point where Comfryfang had to set her down again. The tortoiseshell fluffed out of her fur and her bright eyes were wide in fear as she stared at all the unfamiliar cats around her, Minkcloud was the first to react. "Calm down, little one. You're safe here, we helped you." The motherly cat mewed softly, her yellow eyes warm as they could be. Her nurturing effect easily made the kit taken to her, and a significant change could be seen as the fur along her back went down and she sat on the floor, shyly staring at her paws. "H-hi." She practically squeaked out, a chuckle leaving both Comfreyfang and Minkcloud. Weaselstorm gestured with a nod of his head for he and Shadepaw to leave while so the three mollies could be acquainted with each other comfortably.
Shadepaw followed him out of the den, gazing back curiously at the scene behind her, they seemed so relaxed already. It was almost like they were a family. "Will the kitten be okay?" She asked her mentor, sighing in relief as he nodded. "Yeah, she'll be fine." He calmly answered, staring at them out of the corner of his eye. "She's been given some pretty good mothers."
β¦β¦β¦
It was now evening when the storm had gotten worse, thunder was as loud as earthquakes and the rain pounded against one so hard it actually stung. Mintstar hissed curses under her breath, surely rain as hard as this had to be a bad omen of some kind. And it just had to fall this hard on her grandniece's apprentice ceremony today too. She could see Acornkit bickering with Juniperpaw now from inside the apprentice's den, and with a smile Mintstar was glad that at least those two remained the same despite the heavy weather, the young cats had remained as both friends and enemies over the moons they had been raised together, though their arguing and playfighting was never done with ill intent. Juniperpaw threw his head back in laughter while Acornpaw pouted and playfully swatted him against the ear.
'I forgot how juvenile apprentices can be.' The PineClan leader thought. They were still so young to enjoy their innocence for a few moons more and Mintstar almost envied them. For at least they weren't saddled with the task of having so many cats' well being and safety on their shoulders. Life seemed so much more difficult as she became leader, she began to slowly understand why Shadowstar's entire mindset had changed for the worse after spending so many moons in charge. And yet... Mintstar truly wouldn't change where her life ended up for the world. She was blessed with a loving mate, and her family was still growing with Acornkit becoming an apprentice and with Skunknose's second litter of kits on the way. Life had gotten hard, but she couldn't deny that she was happy despite how strenuous things could be at times.
What dragged her out of her thoughts were the worried mews of Laurelcloud and Magpiewhisker from outside her den, Mintstar rose to her paws and strode outside, squinting against the rain. Laurelcloud stared at Magpiewhisker to see if maybe he wanted to speak, but the black-and-white tom shook his head. The molly cleared her throat before speaking. "Mintstar, the water's getting real bad. I think we're gonna have to move." She mewed with such authority that it impressed Mintstar, she had quite the voice for being their youngest warrior. However, her idea was absolutely absurd. Surely the water would never reach PineClan! They were far enough for the largest stream and the land around them was flat enough, wasn't it?
"It's probably better that if we do, there's a lot of wells around here, and with enough water they could all overflow." Magpiewhisker added, which Mintstar admitted made enough sense. However, it wasn't like her Clan had anywhere safe to move, she imagined Shadowstar never stopped to think about the threat of flooding when she first found PineClan's camp to consider a safe zone somewhere. And it wasn't like she could send out a patrol to scout for one either, it was far too risky. A loud and obviously fake cough got her attention, frowning as she made out the sodden form of Larkclaw approaching. His dark brown pelt was drenched the point where it appeared black. "Couldn't help but eavesdrop on you guys, and I think I know where we can hide~" He mewed. "Before I joined your merry little band, I made my dwelling in a cave close by here. It's a wonder you guys haven't seen it, actually."
Mintstar wasn't so sure she could truly trust Larkclaw even though she was the one to convince Shadowstar to let the former rogue join. He was too sneaky for his own good and he played by his own rules, thinking mostly of himself rather then the Clan. The way he spoke could often be interpreted as subtle mockery towards his Clanmates, and judging by how Lizardstripe's hackles raised every time the pushy tom approached them. It was clear the two had known each other well before they joined the Clan, and it wasn't a very good meeting. However, this was her only lead at getting PineClan to safety. She would have to question him more about this. "Are you sure about that?" She asked coolly, making Larkclaw give out a mock gasp. "What? You don't trust me? One of your loyal warriors? I'm pretty sure that's a sin."
Larkclaw chuckled, the sound fading one he knew none of the other cats would join in. He smirked at Laurelcloud, who had been staring at him a little oddly, snorting when she rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I'm not lying. I'm a jerk, sure, I'll admit that. But at least I have the common decency to respect queens." He responded, making Mintstar perk her ears in what the queens had to do with this. "I'm pretty sure you're more satisfied with living queens more then dead ones." The leader winced, he had a point. If the flooding did reach camp, there was no hope that Wasptail and Skunknose could escape unscathed. She thought more on the matter for a while before deciding that was best for the two queens and the rest of her Clan to shelter where Larkclaw suggested. "You'll lead us there, won't you? I'll reward you with anything." She meowed, making the tom laugh again. "Allow me to sleep in for a whole moon and we're golden."
β¦β¦β¦
And so after Mintstar relayed her plan to all the Clan, she set off to the cave Larkclaw had talked about and walked by his side. Rowanpelt and Shrikeface were walking alongside their mates Wasptail and Skunknose, the queens looking a little tired given they weren't used to walking after resting in the nursery for so long. All the apprentices trailed on the sidelines besides their mentors, all cats holding prey in their jaws. And Acornpaw held a look of pride after receiving her apprentice name. Finding a mentor for her would be withheld under the threat of flooding had past, but it seemed like her grandniece didn't mind either way. She focused on every bit of sound around her, swiveling her eyes to hear what was going on from behind, catching a tiny bit of her nephews conversation with each other. "I really need to tell you something." She heard Aspenheart meow, making Mintstar surprised with how vulnerable and nervous he sounded. Aspenheart was a prideful warrior, she never imagined he'd ever show weakness. Not even to his own brother.
Perhaps she'd attempt to ask him what was wrong later, though she already knew he'd ignore her anyway. He never liked her, and given how she ignored him growing up she could see why. Lizardstripe and Laurelcloud were silent as they held the fattest mice they could salvage from the fresh-kill pile, while Comfreyfang and Minkcloud gently explained what was happening to their kitten - who was now known as Maplekit. She was thankful that everyone seemed calm, it was only Weaselstorm who disagreed with everything and Mintstar sensed he wanted to argue, but he wasn't able to given the leaf-wrapped bundle of herbs he currently carried in his jaws. Shadepaw held a bundle of her own, the medicine cat apprentice had been silent ever since they left, probably because she disagreed with leaving too.
Once Mintstar was done checking on everyone, she focused on Larkclaw, who had a tiny skip in his step as he lead everyone to his former hideout. The tom suddenly paused, throwing off Mintstar as she wondered what the holdup was. "There's someone out here." He whispered, at first she was ready to tell him it was probably a fleeing mouse until she too scented the whiff of another Clan, one she hadn't smelled in a long time: FlurryClan. She gasped as she saw her former apprentice, Lizardstripe, swiftly rush past her and towards the direction of the scent. The tom was beyond elated as he recognized who wore the achingly familiar scent. Knowing it could be the one and only molly who held his affections for many moons, they had agreed to stop visiting each other due to concerns of being caught by either of their Clans, but he was never able to forgot her. Rosemask was a cat he could never forget.
The gray-and-white cat laughed excitedly as she rushed towards the tom and nuzzled in his wet fur, a wide smile on her face as she relaxed against him, happy that she was able to be this close to him again. Lizardstripe purred loudly, his green eyes shining with love for the FlurryClan cat before his expression turned into confusion. "Don't get me wrong, it's amazing to see you again, really. My heart's beating faster then a rabbit hop but... I thought we weren't going to see each other again?" He meowed, ignoring the curious mews coming from his Clanmates. Rosemask purred briefly before letting out a sigh. "I really couldn't be away from you anymore, I had to do something about it. So I said my goodbyes, and my family told me to send you a message: take care of her, or else!" She replied, playfully imitating her father's voice before both lovers exchanged a laugh.
A loud meow from Mintstar made them stop, and the leader narrowed her eyes as she stared at Lizardstripe. "So this is who you sneaked off to see when you were an apprentice." She meowed pointedly, causing for the tabby tom to flatten his ears and stand protectively in front of Rosemask. "I know you're mad, Mintstar, but I love this cat with my life. If she can't join us, I'm leaving too." He meowed with a hiss, Rosemask gazed concerned at both Lizardstripe and Mintstar and stayed silent, praying to StarClan that the leader would be forgiving. After a while, Mintstar sighed, she needed warriors more then ever. And Lizardstripe was stubborn, there's no way he'd let her get away with rejecting Rosemask as one of their own. "Fine, she can stay. But your both going to have to prove your loyalty to me." She said, ignoring the urge to crack a smile as both cats exclaimed their thanks happily before frolicking like a pair of playing kits before joining the rest of the Clan.
"Mintstar! We're here!" Larkclaw exclaimed a little ways away from her, the cat immediately went to join him and her Clan, her eyes widening to see a gaping hole lodged in the center of a stone wall as she approached. It took a little climb for her cats to get inside, she watched as Rowanpelt assisted his mate Wasptail up and sighing in relief as Skunknose grabbed the ginger tabby's scruff to pull her the rest of the way. She thanked the gray queen before the two vanished deeper in the cave. Larkclaw beckoned her over with a wave of his tail, the tom smirking pridefully as he watched the rest of his Clan jump in. "How's this for shelter! We got a cave big enough for all us 'Clanners and the water can't touch us. No need to thank me~" He said, not giving Mintstar the time to respond before he jumped in with the rest of his Clanmates.
Mintstar shook her head as she watched him leave with an appreciative smile, perhaps he did earn a moon's worth of sleeping in late for showing her Clan a grand hideout like this. However... this could never match up with their actual camp, which she hoped was going to survive in the rain and possible flooding. She shut her eyes, silently praying for StarClan and Shadowstar to watch over their camp. She stared up the dark sky above, squinting to shield her eyes from the ever falling rain. The clouds were so thick it was impossible to see the sky, was StarClan able to watch over them at all? Mintstar shuddered, she hoped her warrior ancestors were able to protect them. She huffed, perhaps sending out a patrol to scout the surrounding area would take her mind off things.
> Apprentice Ceremony: Acornkit
> Border Patrol: Mintstar, Duckfoot, Fawnfur, Magpiewhisker
> Joining Clan: Rosemask of FlurryClan.
> Becoming Mates: Lizardstripe + Rosemask
krazykitty00 wrote:"No one travels through the water. Stay clear of it." Mintstar announced to her patrol group as she led the around the border. Although the water had clearly dropped in level over the night and the rain was nearly nonexistent, the PineClan leader refused to take any chances. And when she looked back, she was glad to see her worries reflected in the faces of her warriors, Magpiewhisker especially, seeing as he was among the first to know about and witness how viciously the water devoured their forest. They walked clear of the water's large puddles, taking detours here and there to avoid having to trudge through them when their path was blocked. It was a long process, but they were all grateful for the extra precautions.
The sound of splashing suddenly hit the groups ears, causing them to look up and around defensively for its source. "Look, over there!" Fawnfur called out, her tail gesturing to a kitten laughing about in the water. The group all exchanged looks of both worry and curiosity at the small cat who seemed to be swimming without a care in the flooded waters. What were they doing out here alone anyway? "Hey!" Duckfoot called out. "It's not safe out there! Get out of the water." The small cat looked up alone the group, tilting their head as if unsure who the tom was talking to. They even gazed around just in case there may have been someone else being them. "Who me?" They finally asked, placing a paw on their chest as if pointing to themself. "Yes you! Get over here and out of the water." Duckfoot hissed slightly, a little irked by the kitten's obliviousness. Mintstar suppressed an amused grin as she placed her tail over her mate's shoulder as if to calm him. The other two though didn't try to hide their soft chuckles at how easily the tom had grown in irritation.
The little kit bounded their way over, splashing wildly in the water with every step and laughing before they sat down right in front of the patrol, giggling just a little before smiling at them. "Yes?" They asked respectfully to the elder cats, tail lightly swaying in the water they chose to sit in, making soft swishing sounds. "What were you doing out in the water? Don't you know it's dangerous?" Duckfoot spoke before his mate got a chance, looking down at the small kitten who seemed to have just hit apprentice age. "What aren't you doing in the water? Don't you know it's fun?" They asked back, splashing their paws as if showing the group what they meant. Duckfoot rose a brow at the cat who simply smiled back. "Why are you alone? Are you lost?" Mintstar decided to ask. "Well the water was all like whoosh! And mommy was like oh no! and I was all like whee! And now I'm here. Mommy's out there too, just gotta find her now. But the water is a lot of fun. Though I don't think Mr. Sour-Paws would like it." The cat mewed with a look towards Duckfoot. Magpiewhisker and Fawnfur laughed and Duckfoot looked pleasantly annoyed. "I've never met a cat who loved water so much. What are you a fish?" The warrior asked the small cat. "Nope. I'm a cat. But maybe you should interact with more fish. They may teach a cat a thing or two about being cool and fun." The kitten giggled again, splashing the warrior with a cat bit of water. Mintstar let slip a laugh as well and though Duckfoot looked more angry, she could see that her mate was just as amused by this kitten as they were. "You're going to be a nuisance aren't you?" He asked the cat. "Does it bother you?" "Just a little." "Then yes." The little kitten had a small smug look on their face as they walked out of the water fully, stepping past Duckfoot before rubbing against his leg. "Oops. I got you wet." They laughed before ducking behind Mintstar with a smile. This kitten was surly a ray of sunshine after such a dark moon.
While on patrol your cat's found an apprentice. (They were looking for their mom. But after such a flood, is she still around?) (Firepaw)
Rosemask is expecting! She will be due in two moons.
Acornkit is now an apprentice: Acornpaw
