Garbageclan writing

[Swimmerpug]

please dont post, this is just a writing storage place

[Swimmerpug]

First post:
Cheeto strutted inside the living room and sat on the white fuzzy rug with his first catch, a fat pigeon. While he was prodding the creature around, getting some blood on the carpet in the process, he got an idea of what to do with it. Moments later, his owner Jacob walked in and Cheeto nudged the prey towards him. Something was wrong, however; Jacob was glaring at him as if he'd done something horrendous like tear all the toilet paper in the house or chew his action figures.
''Out'' said Jacob, pointing to the door.
Cheeto stormed out, offended; he had worked so hard to catch a bird for his owner and now he was getting punished for it!? What on earth was wrong with that pigeon? Jacob ate housefolk food of course but couldn't he at least appreciate his hard work? Then an idea came to him: What if I run away to make him worry? That'll show him! He walked and walked and walked until he arrived at a gas station. This was where Jacob stopped the car for ''fuel and snacks'', exactly what he needed. The orange cat curled up on the cement floor, his body shivering from the cold and his stomach roaring for canned wet food or perhaps even dry pellets. Despite all this discomfort, he managed to go to sleep.
There was a lush green forest with lots of prey running around but when Cheeto tried to walk to it a powerful voice stopped him:
''Beyond the thunderpath, along the river, this is where your journey begins'' it said.
Then he woke up, startled by the voice and he considered following it's instructions. No wait, that's crazy. I can't just follow what I hear in dreams! he thought to himself though he couldn't stop his heart beating excitedly. This could be his taste of freedom, his chance to see what living without his owner would be like. Cheeto loved him, of course but he'd always fantasize about being in the wild and not have to deal with Jacob's silly rules. With that in his mind, he took on the challenge. The road rumbled with cars and motorbikes zooming off before Cheeto could even blink. He got into a pouncing pose but his body wouldn't move when he told himself it was time. ''Good boy'' ''You're my special guy'' ''I love you, baby'' ''You deserve a treat''; Jacob's kind words reverberated through his mind and he could finally start running. Everything was going well until a red car was thundering through so fast that he wouldn't be able to dodge it in time. Cheeto ducked under it instead and escaped through the other side, finally reaching the end of the road. His journey became much easier from there, all he had to do was follow the riverside. Some time later, he came across a forest, it reminded him of the one in his dream. The only difference was the garbage strewn on the floor. He was about to walk away when he saw a brown mollie. She walked towards him and gave him a friendly headbutt though he couldn't feel it.

''Hi! My name is Twigbounce. Nice to meet you, Cheeto''

''How did you know my-

''You're special, that's why. There's a prophecy about you''

''I think you've got the wrong Cheeto, I'm just a housecat''

''It's definitely you, you had that weird dream right?''

''Uh huh...'' he flicked his tail with apprehension.

''I know, it's a lot to handle right now, that's why they chose me to tell you''

''Listen, I don't have time for this..'' he said slowly backing away from the lunatic.

Cheeto attempted to scamper away but he saw Twigbounce float.

''Y-you're a ghost!''

''Oh my! I never would have noticed'' she came back down, playfully slapping Cheeto with her tail.

''Listen, here's the deal: you want to run away from your twoleg until he becomes worried about you, yeah?''

He nodded.

''Well here's a good place, you can stay for a moon or so and decide if you even want to go back to him''

''I was going to do that anyway so maybe I can follow this weird prophecy stuff too''

A quarter-moon later, he was living the life of a warrior cat, hunting his prey and patrolling the borders thanks to Twigbounce's mentoring.

''How are you liking being a warrior'' she asked one night as he was eating dinner.

''I love fresh kill, it's like having Fancy Feast everyday. You wouldn't believe what Jacob usually feeds me; dry tasteless pellets''

''They sound like rabbit droppings! But is there anything else you like? You can't be a warrior just for the food''

''I like having this whole area to be in and you said clans have lots of cats in them, that too''

''I need to tell you something important now, Cheeto'' her smile was replaced with a serious face

''You don't just need to live in a clan, you have to be leader too'' she continued

''Why haven't you told me before?''

''I didn't want to scare you off even more''

''So I really do have to stay here forever...''

''No you don't , you can still go if you want. It's a prophecy but we can't force cats to do anything'' she said, licking his cheek.

''I'll decide in a moon like you said, maybe I'll get used to it''

A half-moon passed since then and he couldn't sleep because he couldn't stop thinking about what life he wanted. Then he opened his eyes and he was in his soft house bed again. Jacob was kneeling beside him and hugged him.

''You hate hugs, I know, I just couldn't help myself. I was so worried that you ran away''

''I'm here to give you some advice though, you really need it right now'' said Jacob

Cheeto nodded profusely.

''There are so many animals that leave their parent when they're old enough.

He paused.

''And I need to give you that option too'' the guy had the weird eye twinkles

The orange cat sat next to him and purred.

''I'll miss you but don't let that stop you, I think you'll be the best leader ever'' said Jacob, petting him. The feeling of a hand on his fur faded away and he woke up. Twigbounce was waiting for him in camp, doing somersaults in the air.

''Finally! You must've had a crazy dream if you were out that long''

''Well actually...Maybe it was, from Starclan?''

''Oh really? Who was in it?''

''Jacob''

''What?! Nah, that twoleg can't barge into your dreams even if he tried. I thought you'd know that by now''

''Well I just hoped, I guess... he told me that I'm allowed to leave him and lead this clan. If it wasn't starclan then...

''It sounds like a normal dream but you can still hold on to it as a reason to stay''

[Swimmerpug]

Second post:
Cheetostar leapt off the tree he used to contact Starclan and went to his den. Despite all his racing thoughts, he managed to go to sleep. In the morning he smelled something strange, as he got closer he realized it was a tom. It came out from some bushes and looked at the piles of garbage, then at Cheetostar:

''Is this a clan?''

''Yeah, welcome to Garbageclan''

''Something must be wrong...but my dream told me to come here so...''

''You're in the right place, I had a dream about it too. It looks greener in the dream, right?''

''But...This place is a dump and the weird voices said I'd help many cats'' The tom looked around some more

''It's just me for now but I'm sure Garbageclan will grow very soon''

''I've never been part of a clan before'' he shifted his paws

''Me neither actually, until a moon ago''

There was awkard silence for a few moments.

''Hey, I'll show you around'' said Cheetostar


''...and this is the Tree where we talk to Starclan''

''So the voices in the dream were...'' he paused

''What's wrong?'' inquired the orange cat

The tabby tom walked two tail-lengths away from the tree and started digging.

''There they are!'' he exclaimed triumphantly as he pulled out some green stuff, probably a plant or something

''How did you find this?!''

''With my nose of course. Anyway, I think these herbs are helpful, help me carry them to camp''

Helpful?! Those things I used to play with in my kithood?

''We need a safe place to put them'' commented the tom

They found a rock formation with a tarp over it.

''Aha! Perfect'' the tom said, putting them in

Cheetostar suddenly realized why the cat was acting so strange.

''I know who you are, you're the medicine cat''

''Medicine...cat..?''

''Yeah, your job must be to heal everyone with you're...herbs or whatever you call them''

The tom's expression changed, he finally understood his purpose

''Would you like to join Garbageclan officially?''

The tabby nodded.

Cheetostar climbed on the hill above his den and named him Fernpelt.

One day while he was struggling to catch a fish in the river, he scented something he couldn't identify as the scent of the recent rain masked it. Suddenly, a white paw came out of seemingly nowhere and snatched the fish. Cheetostar growled, startled at the sudden appearance and new tom was welcomed into Garbageclan as Snowgust.

[Swimmerpug]

Third post:
Snowgust and Cheetostar found a molly wandering around their border.
Snowgust growled menacingly and unsheathed his claws so Cheetostar leaped in front of him, sensing his aggression.
''What in Starclan are you doing?!''

Snowgust stopped himself, his ears prickling with embarrassment, why did he do that? He ran over to a trashpile, his favourite place to think as no other cats ever went there. He was used to defending himself a lot, back in the city. If cats ever appeared, it was always bad news, If cats ever appeared, be prepared to lose your meal, or your eye or... He shuddered as he remembered what happened to Hortensia, how she cried for help but he couldn't do a thing, how they kept on hurting her even after her soul left her body. He looked down at his paws, his claws were still out. Snowgust vowed to never be like those monsters. He came up to the black and white molly who was enjoying a vole with Cheetostar.
''Hello..'' he said, getting her attention
''I'd like to apologize to you for what I did''
''Oh, ok! Wanna share a vole with us?''
Just like that, he ended up sharing a meal with a cat he almost attacked moments before.

[Swimmerpug]

Cheetostar found yet another cat traipsing along the border, it seemed like new recruits came once a moon. He quickly thanked Starclan for helping his clan grow so fast and came up to her.

"Know where I'm from?" he asked

"Oh, are you lost, do you need-

"Garbageclan baby! The best clan in a 6 paw radious"

He was trying something new instead of the generic "Wanna join?". It was inspired from something that used to appear on Jacob's watching square.

"A clan..?"

"We're like a family, we hunt together and eat together and stuff. And if you get hurt, Fernpelt can cure you with his herbs"

She thought for a moment

"I'd love to join!"

As he was showing her around camp, the she-cat spoke;

''There's garbage everywhere, what if someone gets hurt?'' she pointed out

''We'll get round to cleaning it up eventually''

''But what if one day someone gets crushed to death by one of the piles of garbage?''

''Ok, I'll organize something''

At sunhigh, Cheetostar and the she-cat leapt on to the Great Rock. He was about to do her naming ceremony when he remembered something;

''Before I name this new warrior, I have an announcement to make;at sundown, we will all pick up trash''

A flurry of complaints came in;

''There's so much of it'' ''Is it even necessary?'' ''Where will we put it?'' along with more things the orange cat couldn't make out.

''I haven't planned anything out yet but-'' Cheetostar began to say before realizing his voice was drowned out by everyone else's
He was completely lost, what do leaders do when their clanmates don't listen? He looked to his right at the white she-cat who was still on the Great rock, wondering if she could help him. She noticed and moved towards the center. She cleared her throat and looked at Cheetostar. He nodded reassuringly.

''Hey everyone!I have a plan''

Everyone stopped talking and looked at the white tabby she-cat.

''We will dig one hole where we'll put the most dangerous items and we can separate the piles of garbage into smaller piles. It'll take more than sunrise but it's worth it; we must protect our kits''

Everyone's expressions changed, they looked eager to help now. Cheetostar beamed at the she-cat.

''And now, we will welcome this cat as a warrior''

He turned towards her.

''From this day forward, you shall be know as...Frostflame''

The name was strange but it fit her, Cheetostar saw a fiery passion in her he wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't taken initiative; if it weren't for her speech, she'd have been Frostpelt instead.

That very night, the orange cat was in a grassy field. He ran around in it but it was getting more and more difficult, he could hear his bones crunching, they ached with pain. He stopped running but even that wouldn't stop the pain. His body contorted uncomfortably as everything around him became blurry and there was a ringing in his ears that wouldn't stop. He saw Jacob, his arms outstretched in a hug and Twigbounce too. He felt as if he was being separated from his body and he fought desperately to remain inside it.

''Put me back!! I'm not ready yet!I have a clan to lead!'' he screamed

Suddenly, he was in a white void and Twigbounce appeared before him.

''What will you do when you die and there's no-one to replace you?''

Cheetostar didn't answer, his mind was still spinning from his experience.

''This wasn't real by the way, in case you were wondering'' she chuckled

''Why did you do that to me?!'' he growled indignantly

''Sometimes us Starclan cats send messages''

''Well what kind of message is this supposed to mean?!''

''Well, I noticed that you don't have a deputy yet, that's all, a clan with no deputy can be incredibly vulnerable''

''I suppose I was caught up in other things..Ok Twigbounce, I'll start thinking about it. But never put me through that again!''

''Oh Cheetostar...You might have to do that nine more times...'' she said, her usual upbeat self evaporated for a moment

''Yeah...But at the very end I'll be with you and Jacob'' he said reassuringly

The orange and white cat woke up with a plan.

[Swimmerpug]

Magpieslash spotted a squirrel during hunting patrol and immediately pounced. However, before she could deliver a killing bite it squirmed out of her paws. Snowgust, being at the front of the patrol, noticed the grey creature and gave chase. He just about caught it, just inches away from crashing into a tree too. That Snowgust, he never let prey escape from him and was always at the front, watching out for dangers. Does tenacity make a good deputy? Frostflame padded over to Snowgust:

''Are you ok? You could have split your head open! ''

Snowgust rolled his eyes

''No, this is serious, a squirrel isn't worth dying over!''

Does being protective of clanmates make a good deputy? Cheetostar pondered once again.

Later on, the group came across a brown tabby tom.

''Hiya! I'd like to join this here community of yours! I came from over there'' he said, pointing his tail at a red building in the distance.

Cheetostar couldn't help but stare at a brown spot on his muzzle, as if he'd drank mud.

''Y'all noticed my beauty mark, huh? My ma says its a blessin'' he said earnestly

The great leader burst into a mrrow of laughter.

''Sorry, I'm so sorry'' he said when he finally finished

''Welcome to the team, pal'' Cheetostar added

He made a mental note of what name to give him.


At sundown, trash pickup time, the garbage pile Magpieslash was working on began to rumble and bits and pieces begun to fall on her. Before she could even think, Frostflame pushed her out of the way.

''Thank goodness I got here in time! Try to be more careful, ok?''

There was now a pitifully small pile where Magpieslash was before. A six week old kitten could crawl out of that/ Who does she think she is!?

''Thank you, I appreciate that you're looking out for me'' said the black and white cat, trying her best to smile

Something inside of Magpieslash exploded, she had to gossip and she had to do it now! Everyone else is a loser except maybe...

''Excuse us! Me and Mudcloud need to make dirt, we will be back soon'' she announced, nudging the brown tom.
Mudcloud seemed confused but went along with it all the same and followed her behind two rather large rocks.

''This don't look like a dirtplace to-

'Shhh. I know, I want to...help you out since you're new''

''With what?''

''I just wanna tell you about a few cats so you know what to expect''

''Why that's mighty kind of you, explain away''

She cleared her throat, she guessed this could take a while

''First of all Snowgust, have you noticed that he's a bloodthirsty killer?''

He stared at her blankly.

''Trust me, he is. He almost killed me the first time we met. He lunged at me, claws out, baring his teeth, inches away from my flesh and...''

She could feel Mudcloud's heavy breathing on her fur. He seemed very entertained by her slightly altered recollection of meeting Snowgust. She resumed her tale:

''That chubby lump that calls himself a leader got between us just in time. He had to hold him down and Snowgust wouldn't stop growling, I swear he acted like a dog with rabies!''

''He gave me a sad excuse of an apology right after! Probably just to get on my good side but since I'm very nice ,I forgave him'' she added

''Wow, I'll stay far from that one, are there any more nutty cats?''

''Absolutely! You know, Frostflame, right? That stuck-up mousebrain who wants to be a hero all the time?''

''She sure ''saved'' you from that pile o'junk''

The two friends laughed together and gossiped about every clanmate under the sun.


Frostflame awoke, a strange noise was bothering her. She found the source of the noise in Snowgust's nest, he wouldn't stop yowling in his sleep. She hated hearing cats in distress, she patted his head in an attempt to make the noises stop. Suddenly, Snowgust screeched and an unsheathed paw came flying into the she-cat's face. Being half-asleep, he missed. His eyes opened and he shot up, fleeing from the warrior's den. Frostflame caught up to him in the main camp.

''Sorry, I guess I shouldn't have-

''Let's just forget this ever happened, OK? I wasn't dreaming of anything and I didn't almost claw your face off!'' Snowgust interjected

She nodded and left. What was he so worked up about? When she was steps way from entering the den, she heard a thud. She padded over to a nearby rock and sat behind it. Snowgust was...on a trashpile? How did he get up there?! He leapt into the air and landed on another trashpile for seemingly no reason at all. Focusing on his face, she saw a glint in his eyes and a mischievous grin. She couldn't believe her eyes, maybe she was too far away? Maybe in her sleep deprived stupor she'd imagined it? She noticed the rock he was heading towards next and fled to the warrior's den.


A few sunrises after ''the incident'', Snowgust couldn't sleep, not because of his nightmares but because of a constant rustling and occasional hissing and caterwhauling, it came from Frostflame's nest. It was as if she was battling something in her sleep. Suddenly, she awoke and sprinted outside. Something in him wanted to find out what was going on so he also left. He put his stealthy hunting paws to good use and Frostflame hadn't noticed a thing. He concealed himself behind a boulder and watched her. She clawed at the ground in distress and whispered something that got louder and louder each time. He could make out ''I failed you, Daisy, I failed you all!'' He left soon after, feeling like he was being intrusive.


Who is the best? Frostflame seems good at public speaking but Snowgust can keep everyone safe and-

''Can I help you, Cheetostar?'' said Fernpelt

The orange cat realized that he was in the medicine den

''Oh, sorry! I was thinking really hard about something, I didn't watch where I was going''

''So, what's on your mind?''

''It's leader stuff, it's not something a medicine cat would be into''

''It's kind of my job to be your advisor, remember? We haven't talked at all...''

''My bad! Guess I forgot that part. I was thinking about the new deputy, who should it be; Frostflame or Snowgust?''

''That reminds me, I need a successor too! I hope Garbageclan's first apprentice is medicine cat material''

''Aren't you middle-aged?''

''I need extra time to pass on all my teachings. Oh, It'll take a miracle for my apprentice to appear soon...''

Upon hearing the word ''miracle'', the two of them were reminded of cats more wise and powerful than them. They knew what to do next.

At nightfall they sat on their sacred tree and prayed as much as they could about their respective needs.

At sunrise, Cheetostar was finally ready, he leapt out of his nest, climbed atop the rock that rested on his den and called a clan meeting.

''I called you here today because someone here will ascend to a higher rank''

He waited for the excited chatter to die down and he continued.

''I say these words before StarClan, so that the spirits of the clan that came before may hear and approve of my choice. The new deputy of Garbageclan will be...''

Now the crowd was so silent, he could've heard a squirrel drop an acorn.

''Frostflame, please come up here''

She did so, he continued.

''This cat has shown initiative since day one; she took over for me and convinced you all to pick up trash. May she lead alongside me for many seasons to come!''

[Swimmerpug]

“Princess, where are youuu....?”

The white cat scampered off. Stella seemed like a nice owner but she was annoying, always shoving the kitty in a dress and an itchy tiara, she’s the one who gave the kitten that name she hated. She practically flew into the living room, dropping Rassle in the process. Princess had no time to retrieve her friend, however; Stella’s footsteps were a meter away. She scrabbled at the loose floorboard and went in. It was more of a squeeze this time. She dreaded the day she’d become too big for her favourite spot and decided to make the most of it this time.

‘’PRINCESS, ARE YOU IN HERE!!!??’’

The kitten was thankful that the floorboards muffled her shouting, just one of the many reasons why this spot was so great. Minutes later, Henry walked through the door as he did most days and Sheila came out of her room with Toby. The room filled with sounds as they all came together, good sounds like the plap-plap-plap of Stella and Toby’s bare feet and the clack-clack-clack of Sheila’s shoes and the soft murmur of voices. She let the sounds lull her to sleep.

Suddenly, a vibrant green forest appeared before her, like the ones on the watching square but better. Should I go? No, I can't hunt like those lions in the Savannah! If nature shows had taught her anything, the outside world was a mess of savannah,rainforests and human houses. A tiny cat like me wouldn't stand a chance against the indigenous creatures of The Outside!

''Yeah you would'' said a voice

''You can hear my thoughts?''

''In this dream I can. But that's besides the point- you must go to this place, Starclan will make sure you arrive safely, I promise''

Princess opened her eyes, came out of the floorboard and retrieved Rassle.

''Looks like you and I are going on an adventure''


The patrol was walking smoothly when Snowgust stopped and sniffed.

“What’s up?” asked Cheetostar

“There’s something out there , we should make sure it’s not dangerous” he said

Cheetostar joined him at the front of the patrol to help locate whatever was out there. It was very minty, like Jacob’s breath after brushing his teeth.

“It’s here- oh...” said Cheetostar

The scent was in a bush but then it...left? Herbs don’t have legs!

‘’Boo!’’

He turned around and saw another cat, its minty scent so strong, he couldn’t tell if it was a mollie or a tom.

“Wow, you guys really live here, in this dump? Do you eat plastic for breakfast?” the cat said, laughing

She must be a mollie because of her voice.

“We’re Garbageclan, though we do have a cleanup program”

“Oh...A clan. Do you worship any gods?”

''We don't praise gods, just the cats that left us and went to Starclan''

She turned her back and started to leave.

''Wait! I know it's a dump and everything but we really need more members. We're a loving community where you can meet friends and-

''Friends? Huh, I could do with more those. Do I have to become a Starclanite or whatever you call 'em?''

''No, you're welcome here Starclan-worshipper or not''

Suddenly, everyone heard rustling in the grass. A small white mollie with a stuffed toy popped out.

“Is she your sister or something? You look so alike!” commented Cheetostar as they were both white.

“She’s not my sister, she must’ve followed me here”


The white kitty cringed at “sister” and “she”, as if they’d called a mouse a bird. I am a “she‘’, like Stella and Sheila! -Princess reminded herself. Even so, Princess found herself hating the scent that would never leave her no matter how much she tongue-bathed. As she followed the orange cat into their camp, she noticed the piles upon piles upon piles of trash. Did I get lost? Is this really the right place?!

“It’s kind of messy around here but that’s ok, we sort through the trash every sunrise and one day, it’ll be restored to it’s former glory” commented the tom.

They arrived to the den in the middle of camp.

“This is the leader’s, a.k.a my den. We climb on top of it to do ceremonies, we”ll do yours quite soon”

“A ceremony?” asked the older cat

“I’ll give you new names and officially welcome you as members”

New name?! Finally, I can get rid of “Princess”!

“Can I keep mine, I wouldn’t like to be “Smellypelt” or “Trashbreath”, thank you very much”

Cheetostar rolled his eyes.

“I’d have to be out of my mind to name someone that, I'm pretty sure I choose the best names for my warriors”

The older mollie pawed at the ground.

“Actually, I chose my own name, Icecream, I really wouldn’t like a new one”

“Very well, then. Do you want to keep yours too?”

Princess shook her head.

When they finished the tour, a brown tabby tom approached them.

“My apprentice!”

“Oh yeah, she is!” said the orange cat

“I have something to discuss with you, Cheetostar” said the brown tabby

They went to a nearby rock, seemingly whispering to each other. Now the white cat could focus on the birds, and the wind, and the creatures scuttling about! She never dreamed that the sounds of The Outside would be this enchanting.

When they came back, the brown cat beckoned Princess. She followed him to a small den with a tarp for an entrance.

“Do you know what this is?”

She nodded. Cheetostar told them it was a place to heal sick cats.

“Well you’ll be working here with me, it’s your destiny”

Destiny?!

“I asked for an apprentice, someone to be my successor. That’s why Starclan gave you the dream’’

She gulped. The kitten really couldn’t imagine herself doing…whatever this is. How did they cure cats with no weird tubes and machines? This looked nothing like the vet’s or even the hospitals on the watching square.

‘’It’s ok, young one, I’ll teach you everything you need to know’’


“Olivepaw! Olivepaw!” everyone shouted

Olivepaw wished she could squeeze Rassle at that very moment but he was hidden away in her nest in the medicine den. She fidgeted with her paws instead until the noise died down. Finally, she climbed down with Cheetostar, Icecream and Fernpelt, her new mentor.

-and this one is called marigold, we use it for infections, bleeding and inflammation''

''Did you get all that, Olivepaw?'' asked Fernpelt

Olivepaw shrugged. How on earth does he remember all this boring stuff?!

''Well I'm going to look for catmint, it's very important at this time of year''

''Can I come?''

''I think you should get to know these herbs instead , you're new to this after all''

Olivepaw sighed once he left. The white cat was supposed to be out there, eavesdropping on bird songs and hearing small furry things rustle in their burrows. And looking for herbs too, I guess Olivepaw thought, pawing at the pile of herbs. It made a cool noise. She slapped the wall of the den with her tail and swiped the herbs again. It gave her an idea. Combined with tapping her foot and the chirping of birds outside, Olivepaw was able to make a wonderful tune. Then she heard footsteps.

''You have a noisy way of sorting through herbs!'' Fernpelt said between the catmint in his jaws.

The white kitten's ears burned with embarrassment.

''It's fine, we all have our methods. Now help me store these away''


''Snowgust, Magpieslash, Cheetostar, Mudcloud and Icecream report for hunting patrol!'' announced Frostflame

''Finally! I get to learn how to catch trash; must be hard when it's windy'' said Icecream

Cheetostar came up to her:

''Icecream, for the last time, we don't eat trash, we eat-

''Well how do you explain all the garbage piles everywhere? Do you go to the fresh kill pile and then the fresh garbage pile for an extra snack?''

Why won’t she shut up?! Magpieslash thought

They kept on arguing about that ridiculous topic, though it was almost like they were enjoying it.

‘’Her..’’ she scowled under her breath, staring at Icecream

‘’Who does she think she is?’’ she continued

‘’I don’t see anythin’ wrong with her, she seems nice’’ said Mudcloud

‘’Nice? Or just prete-

‘’Hey Magpieslash, that mouse is way too zoomy for me, can you help me catch it?’’ interrupted Icecream

‘’Sure, just give me a minute, kay?’’ she said sweetly

‘’We need to expose her deep dark secret to everyone’’ she said when Icecream left

‘’What deep dark secret?’’

‘’Oh you’ll see, Mudcloud, you’ll see….''


Frostflame snuffled along the ground...nothing...The prey was very shy today. She looked in every crevice, between every blade of grass, under every tree…her line of sight eventually led her to Snowgust. There was a sparrow in front of him. He leapt to it but it flew away. She saw something in his eyes change. He just stood there motionless and ran away. Everyone paused and looked at eachother, hoping someone knew what was up with Snowgust.

‘’I’ll look for him, I might know where he is’’ she announced before dashing away

Just as she thought, he was by the trashpiles but without using them as a climbing platform this time. He was just sitting there…wolfing down a mouse? Even though he had already eaten an hour ago?

She walked up to him, wondering if he’d get mad for spying on her again.

‘’Hey, we’re supposed to be hunting right now, why’d you go?’’

‘’I got the stomach hurties real bad like those times I- wait, only Snowgust remembers that stuff-

The tone, cadence, even the pitch of his voice were all different as if Snowgust wasn’t speaking at all.

‘’Well you finished your mouse, so we can come back now..uh..Snowgust’’

‘’It’s Snowy! Plus, I wanna climb on stuff instead like I always used to do with- someone, I think…’’

His scent was like Snowgust’s, his eyes were green like Snowgust’s but he was acting like he wasn’t Snowgust!?
Snowgust of all cats wouldn’t play such an elaborate prank! So why is he ‘’Snowy’’ now?
Suddenly, she saw that Snowy was about to fall off the top of a trashpile. She raced to him just in time but forgot he was fully grown and not a kitten.

‘’Sorry, miss…’’

‘’That’s ok’’ she said still clutching her head in pain, he’d somehow ended up there instead of her forelegs

‘’Well, that’s enough climbing for one d-’’ he fell asleep right there
Frostflame instinctively layed down, tucking in all her legs and purred next to him, like she did for her kits. A few minutes later, someone woke up.

‘’Frostflame, what you doing here and why is-

Snowgust closed his eyes briefly.

‘’Oh, you must’ve met Snowy…Sorry about that, he comes out sometimes’’

‘’It was fine, I have experience with kits’’

''Hey, could you...'' he hesitated

''Could you keep an eye on Snowy? I don't want him to mess up anything'' he said, glancing at the lopsided trashpile''

''I'd be happy to!''

[Swimmerpug]

Seventh moon

Olivepaw opened her eyes, the scent of pungent herbs and the sun streaming through the den’s entrance woke her up. She grabbed a rabbit and dragged it into her and Fernpelt's den. She tore off a tiny bit of rabbit ear and gave it to Rassle.

''A growing lion such as yourself needs cartilage to grow big and strong'' she whispered to him

''I see you remembered some of yesterday's lesson'' commented Fernpeltl

''Oh, good morning!'' she said, startled

''Do you want to share this with me?'' Olivepaw added

''Sure! I don't think you and Rassle can finish it on your own''

‘’So, did you know I saw a human medicine den once?’’ he asked before taking a bite of his meal

‘’A hospital’’

‘’Exactly. I saw all sorts of humans walk in and out and I have to say, some of them looked miserable’’

Olivepaw nodded, she’d seen medical dramas before.

‘’Starclan told me there was a way for me to help and that’s why I came here to be a medicine cat’’

‘’The point of that story is, I’d like you to figure out what makes you passionate about being a medicine cat. It’ll help you more than memorizing herbs’’

As they ate, the white cat came to the horrible realization that there was nothing about looking for herbs and curing cats that excited her. She considered telling him something she'd been ruminating on for a while. Olivepaw inhaled deeply and opened her mouth.

''Let's go herb hunting, we need to gather some strong herbs to prepare for leaf-bare'' said Fernpelt

Maybe I'll tell him later..


''Can you fetch some alder-bark?'' asked her mentor

The white kitten went to the appropriate tree. Or is it? Let's see, alder trees are supposed to be like..
A chirp interrupted her thoughts. She looked up and saw a bird that appeared on the watching square one time, she watched it and listened to it's tunes, forgetting about the bark.

''There you are! That's an oak tree, by the way'' commented Fernpelt

Some anxious chirping came from the tree and the bird flew away.

''What kind of bird was that?'' he asked

''European Greenfinch'' she said immediately

''What kind of stuff do they eat?''

''All kinds of seeds, they steal them from fruits and bushes and stuff''

This was a game they played often when she got distracted by birds.

''You're such a bird expert but let's see if you're a herb expert! Where does catmint usually grow?''

It was hopeless, she almost never answered these questions well. The words she'd been meaning to say came bubbling to the surface:

''I'm not a herb expert and I'll never be one because I wasn't meant to be a medicine cat!''

He smiled.

''Let's go to the medicine den, I have to talk to you about something''

They walked back and sat the rocky cave floor. Olivepaw grabbed Rassle to try to calm down, she just knew he was hiding his disappointment in her.

‘’Don’t be so stricken, young one, you made the right call’’

‘’Really?’’

‘’Well you see, I did ask for an apprentice but my Starclan mentor Rosebush said I relied on them too much’’ he paused to draw in a breath

‘’Starclan gave me an apprentice but it was either a warrior or a medicine cat’s. I was supposed to identify which one they’d given to me, you beat me to it, kid’’ he chuckled

‘’Which is also a good thing because it means you know what you want in life’’ he added

Fernpelt patted her head.

‘’You know, you weren’t the best at being a medicine cat but I’m still going to miss you’’

And I’ll miss you too, Fernpelt… She really would; the way he humored her by offering Rassle a tiny nest (it was sweet but Rassle prefers sleeping with her), the way he’d beam at her when she got even one thing correct, even his snoring at night.

"I hope you find a new apprentice, also Rassle says "goodbye" " said Olivepaw before grabbing him and heading out.

Olivepaw poked her head into the leader's den before realizing he wasn't there.

They must be on patrol


Early into the patrol, Mudcloud came up to Icecream.

''Howdy, Icecream! Can I patrol next to you and talk?''

''Sure! You usually patrol with Magpieslash but she isn't here today, is she sick or something?''

''Yeah, something like that''

She wasn't sick but he knew something was up with her, she wouldn't tell him no matter how much he pried.

''Hey! That's my old place right there!'' said Mudcloud, pointing his tail at a red building in the distance

''What was it like, living in a barn?''

As Mudcloud explained, she didn't tease about his old home one bit, she just listened and asked questions.

''Your family sounds really cool and nice!'' said Icecream

Mudcloud beamed. He'd already considered taking Magpieslash to meet them but maybe he could take Icecream too.

No, no, no! She ain't a friend, she's hidin' something. Gather intel for your real friend! said a voice in his head.

''What's your family like?'' asked Mudcloud

Icecream paused before replying:

''I used to live in a town with this a she-cat named Hazel, we were like sisters''

He sighed. How's this supposed to help Magpieslash reveal her deep dark secret? Oh who am I kiddin', she has no deep dark secrets! He hoped to get through to his friend on the matter.


The patrol stopped when the stench of a new cat hit everyone's nostrils. Eventually, a scruffy white cat appeared. It looked at everyone and then focused on Icecream.

''I'd like to join your commune- I mean, clan'' he said

''That sounds great, Garbageclan is always open for new members'' said Cheetostar

As they headed back to camp, the white tom kept glancing at Icecream.

Maybe he's shy and he wants to make friends with me!

''Hello there! I'm Icecream''

''Hi...Icecream, I'm Blizzard'' he looked disappointed for some reason

''Do you know any other white cats?'' he asked

''There's Snowgust and Frostflame, though she has black stripes as well, and also Olivepaw, the medicine cat apprentice. There's so many of us, I swear we should be called ''Winterclan'' instead''

''By the way, I can teach you hunting tricks if you like, I know it was hard for-

Oh, he left... He was trying to get into the front of the patrol.

Familiar faces stared at Icecream. Being back here in the commune, she felt like she was suffocating. Her mother approached her, looking ten times bigger than her. Mother didn't even have to say anything, Icecream could already see spite, hatred and disappointment in her eyes. The enviroment changed into a dark tunnel that was gradually shrinking. Then They, Ealahorth, invaded the last of her breathing space.

She woke up, her chest falling and rising rapidly. The white molly went outside to get some air and paced around, not noticing where she was going.

''Are you ok?''

Icecream turned around and saw Frostflame leaning on a trashpile. She didn't know what to say, she just plopped down next to her.

''Just breathe, like this'' said Frostflame

The older molly soon got her breathing at a normal pace.

Icecream plucked up the courage to say something:

''Do you believe in anyone or anything in a religious kind of way?’’ she finally asked

''No, Starclan’ll have to show me signs that they exist first''

''And if you saw them in your dreams, would that mean that they definitely exist?''

'’Maybe but sometimes dreams are just a combination of memories and nonsense. I wouldn’t know how to separate a Starclan dream from a real dream’’

They sat together in silence, just enjoying the night time ambiance.


''Snowgust, Olivepaw doesn't fit into the role of a medicine cat. Will you oversee her warrior training from now on?'' said Cheetostar

''Of course'' replied Snowgust

''Come on, we have training to do''

The white kitten's tail curled with dread. Snowgust always seemed so serious and stoic. I hope to Starclan he's as patient as Fernpelt...

Once they went deeper into the forest, Snowgust looked at Olivepaw for a few seconds before speaking.

''Today you'll learn how to hunt. First you...uhhh..listen to everything. Then you'll pick a target''

Olivepaw nodded and let the forest sounds come to her

''Which one?'' her mentor hissed

Olivepaw pointed her tail at a patch of grass a rodent was scuttling in.

Snowgust got into a stalking position and lunged at it, swiftly delivering a killing bite to the mouse.

''Nice tracking. Now try to catch something, copy what I did''


Magpieslash went to ''make dirt'' a few minutes after Mudcloud to look inconspicuous. She walked behind the rock her friend was waiting at.

''It's been a dog's age since we've done this!'' said the brown tom

''I know! But now, back to business, I've devised a plan to reveal Icecream's secret''

''But I actually talked to her- to gather intel!- and why, she's as sweet as a cherry pie''

''You saw what she wanted you to see but if we peel back the sweetness, there's nothing but a sad, strange little cat''

Mudcloud sighed.

''Actually, can we stop talking about her and start talking about you? You looked like a run-over possum this morning''

Magpieslash didn't want to think about, let alone talk about Melissa.

''You're gonna talk about me when Icecream is out there doing-

''Shhhhh...A little paint, a little plaster, it'll be alright. You don't have to tell me everything but what you do say, ill listen'' he shuffled closer to her with an understanding look on his face

The knot in her stomach just about burst. Her friend wrapped his forelegs around her as she cried.

''I'm ready to talk abut myself...'' she said

''I had a dream about someone I loved...We were talking together in her room like we always used to do. Anything from ''Trisha's skanky earrings'' to that ''weird-ass chick'' that looked at her funny'' she chuckled

''But then I woke up and I realized that she isn't here anymore...'' her voice trembled

''It's alright if you want t-

''Last time I saw her, she was in a white room, she was breathing ok but then- she broke into a fresh set of tears

Mudcloud hugged her tight once again.


Olivepaw opened her eyes and saw a ceiling much larger than the one in the medicine den. Oh yeah, I'm a warrior... The white cat felt conflicted, on one hand, she loved the new sounds that greeted her everyday. On the other, she was concerned about her abilities. What if I'm just as bad as a warrior apprentice? Olivepaw couldn't catch a thing yesterday, was it a bad omen for her warrior training? She heard a crinkle and saw that her friend had fallen out of her nest.

''Morning Rass-

Oh...One of those days... Some days, the kitten felt like there was a stranger living in her vocal chords that did the talking for her. Well, she felt that way everyday, actually, but some days it felt very noticeable, like when someone forgets how to breathe because they remember that they're breathing. She walked just outside of camp, where the the huge tree with the human symbols was; Snowgust had told her to wait there for training. She stood there for a few minutes, enjoying the musty leaf-fall morning air and the pretty colour of the still dark sky.

''Come on, we're going on patrol today'' said Snowgust when he arrived

She felt as if bees were swarming in her belly. Olivepaw prayed that she wouldn't mess anything up in front of the warriors. When they got closer to the other cats, she could recognize some by their scent;
Cheetostar, Mudcloud and especially Icecream, it was hard to ignore such a powerful minty smell.

Why does she smell like mint anyway?

She chalked it up to Icecream being quirky.


Icecream was surprised but happy to see Olivepaw paroling with them, she was considering getting to know the young apprentice; it was weird that they haven't talked at all despite coming into the clan at the same time.

''So, how's patrolling?'' she asked the molly

She didn't reply, just kept walking.

She wasn't talking to her mentor either, just nodding and shaking her head at the right times. Even when he asked how her pounce was coming along, she demonstrated instead of saying words.

A memory unlocked in Icecream's brain of a time when she didn't want to speak because her voice wouldn't come out right. Teacher Strehoam ''appreciated'' my ''insubordination'' very much...She shuddered at the memories of his hateful words.

I'm glad she has a good mentor. Wait, ''she?'' or is Olivepaw actually...

''How's the fresh kill pile? It was quite low last time I checked'' Cheetostar asked Snowgust

''There's only one or two mice left''

''We have to bring food back to camp then, everyone start hunting'' Cheetostar announced

He had everyone split up into groups since prey was beginning to run scarce. Icecream was with Snowgust, Frostflame and Olivepaw. Everything was going fine until the apprentice failed to catch a rabbit. Snowgust chased after it, because of course he did, but it was no use. The issue came when the white tom ran away for seemingly no reason, like last time.

''Can you watch Olivepaw? I have to do something'' said Frostflame

''Of course'' said Icecream

Olivepaw was pawing at the ground, almost like the cat was digging a hole.

''You know, every cat makes mistakes at some point, once I fell into a puddle while chasing a rat’’

The young cat looked at her with no changes in facial expression.

She considered mentioning her suspicion to Olivepaw. But what if ''he'' or ''they'' aren't? That would be awkward... Another voice piped up: But If I don't tell Olivepaw, who will?

Icecream certainly wished someone had told her why she felt out of place and weird, especially at Olivepaw's age.

'’Hey Olivepaw, I think you’re an egg’’ said Icecream

Olivepaw nodded and kept sulking. It must be one of her silly jokes!

‘’No, I’m serious, I used to be an egg too’’

‘’What’s that?’’

‘’When you don’t feel like the gender you were born with and discover your real gender’’

‘’Everyone feels that way though, we just have to deal with it. You and I will just never be toms’’

She laughed.

‘’How about I tell you a story?’’

‘’Uh…Sure’’

‘’Once upon a time , there was a cat that was confused because everyone kept mistaking her for a tom. They told her she was the one who was confused. When she ran away, she met someone who said she was a molly. Everything made sense and she changed a few things to feel more like a she-cat’’

‘'That was you? Wait! Does that mean I can be a tom?!’’

‘’You already were a tom the whole time’’

Olivepaw’s heart almost exploded with happiness at the prospect of being called a tom.

‘’Can you teach me how to change stuff so I feel more…like myself?’’

‘’Sure! First of all, do you know why I smell like mint all the time?’’

[Swimmerpug]

Eighth moon


So that’s my son, huh? He seems to have grown up well, despite everything… Blizzard thought as he stared at Snowgust during dawn patrol. He wasn’t one to join groups of cats that believed in specific things, not after his past experience; Blizzard just had to stay long enough to deprogram his poor brainwashed son…Then they’d be reunited and they’d travel together. It was long overdue but perhaps he’d finally get to be a dad. When do I tell him? It was a question weighing on his mind ever since arriving in Trashyclan. He told himself he had to find the perfect time and the perfect words but perhaps now was the time to confess. Blizzard approached his son and breathed in before opening his mouth.

‘’Unknown scent ahead, it seems to be a cat’’ suddenly announced Snowgust

‘’Everyone keep your eyes and ears peeled for a possible new clanmate’’ said the leader

All the cats around him set off in different directions to find the source of the scent. Blizzard did so as well to not look suspicious. He hated doing such menial tasks but knew he and his son would be free quite soon. Maybe even today, if I play my pebbles right…

‘’Woah! I almost didn’t see ya there!’’ said Muddysomething

‘’And I can’t see any of you at all, it’s funny how that works!’’ said a tortoiseshell molly, her markings looking like dead leaves

‘’So, how would you like to join our clan? It must be hard finding food as a loner’’ commented Cheetahstar, referring to her skinny frame.

‘’Oh, not really. I usually stick around nice house-folk, they feed me splendidly. Where might I find the nearest neighbourhood?’’ asked the molly

‘’The next one is a whole three sunrises away. Does anyone know a closer twoleg dwelling space?’’

While everyone was busy suggesting things, Blizzard took the opportunity to possibly finally tell his son the truth.

‘’Hey, Snowgust. Could you meet me at moonhigh in camp?’’ he asked

Snowgust looked surprised, then again, this was a very unusual request.

‘’Ok, I’ll be there’’ Snowgust finally said after a few moments of contemplation.


Snowgust and Olivepaw walked back to camp after yet another unsuccessful morning of training. Sure, he was pretty good at copying Snowgust’s battle moves but he still wasn’t able to contribute anything to the fresh-kill pile, not even a fat, elderly mouse.

‘’Snowgust, I’d like a status report on Olivepaw’’ said Cheetostar

The apprentice swiftly walked to the fresh kill pile and picked out a fish. When Olivepaw sat down and took a bite of his trout, he noticed that he could still hear the murmurs of his leader and mentor. The apprentice couldn’t make out specific words but he just knew that they were complaining about his terrible hunting ability and lackluster moves. Suddenly, the mush in his mouth didn’t taste so good anymore… He relocated to the apprentice’s den even though the sun outside was hitting his pelt just right and the wind and the chirps from birds made such a beautiful song. His den was just too perfect at sheltering him…

‘’What do you think I should do, buddy?’’ he asked Rassle before breaking off a piece of the tail and passing it to him.

Rassle sagged; gravity never allowed him to sit for very long.

The crinkle that emitted from the lion gave the young cat an idea.

‘’Oh yeah, we can just make our own song. Mind if I use you as an instrument?’’

With the help of Rassle, he was able to combine a sound akin to dead leaves with well-timed stomps. He got lost in the moment for Starclan knows how long, eventually incorporating the rustling of moss into his symphony.

‘’Olivepaw!’’ a cheerful voice said

‘’Icecream? Oh I was just…’’

‘’Whatever you were doing, I thought it sounded really cool! I almost considered joining in but I didn’t wanna ruin your flow’’

‘’Oh, no. This is just a silly thing I do when I’m bored’’

Or sad or angry or happy…

‘’No it's not. I mean it when I say it was awesome! Anyways, Cheetostar has been calling for a clan meeting for like a whole foxes-worth of time, I’m surprised you haven’t heard him already’’

‘’Then let’s go!’’ he said, rushing off to the meeting

Icecream stopped him mid-sprint.

''Your pelt looks like a mice nest! As if a family of mice decided to live in your fur for leaf-bare''

''Hah-hah, very funny; let's keep moving''

''No, really..It looks..really bad. I let my fur get frazzled up sometimes but never to this extent. You might look like you're disrespecting Cheetostar and the new warrior''

Olivepaw didn't understand why it would be disrespectful but his friend seemed way more knowledgeable when it came to social things. He swiftly swiped a paw over his head but his claws got stuck in the fur. Luckily, the white tom managed to release his paw from its prison.

''I'll deal with this later. Now let's keep moving! I'm pretty sure being late would be way more disrespectful''



"Today we will welcome another warrior cat into Garbageclan. She..

Snowgust couldn't focus on the welcoming ceremony of the tortoiseshell cat, he'd been too busy thinking about Cheetostar's recommendation:

‘’Don't ask yourself what she's doing wrong, ask yourself what you're not teaching her"

But I’m great at hunting, I showed her all my best skills. Olivepaw’s trying her best but she’s just not a good hunter. So how do I teach her how to-

‘’Leafpounce! Leafpounce!’’ many voices shouted

Everyone’s chanting interrupted his thoughts.

Once the crowd dispersed, he came to Cheetostar’s den.

‘’What brings you here, Snowgust?’’

‘’I’ve been thinking about what you said and the only issue I see is that Olivepaw’s not good at hunting. How am I supposed to fix that?’’

‘’Tell me about how she usually hunts’’

‘’Well, she scents out the prey, pounces on it but it always escapes from her so I end up catching it instead’’

Cheetostar raised his eyebrow at his last statement.

‘’What do you do when Olivepaw hunts?’’

‘’I watch her and I catch the prey if she doesn’t catch it. We wouldn’t want it going to waste, right?’’

‘'Snowgust, how about I tell you a story of when I was a kitten''

That doesn't have anything to do with apprentice training...And isn't Cheetostar way too young to be musing about his past?

Nontheless, he stayed and listened out of respect.

''Now, when Jacob first brought me home, I was a very curious kitten, too curious in fact. I'd climb on top of tables; very tall structures, like mountains except there's a flat surface on top'' his leader explained

''I'd knock over anything placed on said tables; I liked seeing what would happen. Some twoleg objects didn't change at all when they hit the ground; Jacob would always put them back. Others shattered into a million pieces, never re-appearing on any table ever again'' he continued

Snowgust tried to suppress a yawn.

''Jacob didn't like that, so he always watched me closely whenever I went into the kitchen, the place where all the tables were. I'd knock something over and he'd pick it up again, and again, and again...He tried leaving me alone in there for a while, I knocked over everything I could but I realized that Jacob wasn't there to pick up the stuff. I stopped knocking things off of tables that day...and started doing it again the very next day but that's besides the point...The point is...'' paused Cheetostar, as if prompting the white tom to tell him the answer

Unfortunately for him, Snowgust didn't know what the point of that story was. There was an awkward silence for a few moments before Snowgust finally broke it:

''Sorry, I still don't know how this is connected to my apprentice's issue''

''Huh, I guess I didn't make it clear enough...The way my owner acted affected how I acted. Do you see any similarites?''

The realization of his mistake hit him like a bunch of boulders.

‘’Thank you, I can clearly see where I went wrong’’ he said, dipping his head and turning towards the exit. As he walked out he saw Blizzard and Leafpounce waiting near the entrance.


The white tom and the new recruit entered Cheepstar’s den.

‘’You wanted to see me?’’ said Blizzard

‘’Yeah, Leafpounce has told me that she’ll stay here until she’s able to hunt for herself and then she’ll find a place with two-legs’’

‘’..Ok?’’

What does this have to do with me?

‘’I’ve been thinking about who should teach her such skills and I decided it should be you; you seem quite competent at what you do. Also, remember that she’s blind so she might learn differently from a sighted cat‘’

What’s that orange pansy thinking?! I barely did anything for this clan and he thinks I’m fit to mentor?!

‘’Of course, I’ll do my best to teach her’’ Blizzard said calmly


He was watching Snowgust train his apprentice when someone brushed past his back.

‘’Aren’t you forgetting something? Also why do you keep spying on that guy?’’ said Leafpounce

‘’I’m not spying on anyone…I’m just observing his training technique’’

‘’Well you’re supposed to be training me, it’s been a while since Cheetostar appointed you’’

‘’Fine…Come on, Leaf…bounce?’’

‘’Oh, really? I received my name this morning and you already forgot it?’’ she said, lightly teasing

‘’I’m bad at names, so what? At least i’m not a soft kittypet like some cats’’

She smirked.

‘’I wouldn’t call myself a soft kittypet, I’ve clawed quite a few faces to be first in line for feeding time’’

Blizzard cleared his throat awkwardly.

‘’Anyway…Let’s start training’’


‘’Now we’ll do some more hunting practice’’ Snowgust said during their next training session at sunhigh

As expected, the young apprentice had a downcast expression that was impossible to hide.

Don’t be like that, I’m sure you’ll catch your first prey today!- he thought to himself, confident of his new strategy. He led his apprentice to a space bustling with prey and made sure to step back further than usual.

‘’Pretend I’m not here’’ he advised, slinking into the bushes

From this position, he couldn’t catch the escaped prey even if he wanted to; it was the perfect spot. Olivepaw padded silently towards a tree and a mouse scuttled out of its hiding place at the base of it. She pounced and actually landed on the mouse. Snowgust’s heart skipped. Unfortunately, it didn’t end there…The mouse wriggled out of her paws and while chasing after it, she tripped on a tree root and the mouse was gone forever.

He felt his breathing quicken.

It’s just one piece of prey, we have so much in the fresh kill pile, no-one’s starving… Snowgust kept repeating those logical phrases in his head but it was no use, his vision went blurry and upon blinking, everything changed. He was noticeably smaller than before, in the middle of a forest. Upon taking a step, a sharp pain hit his stomach and he fell to the ground.

I couldn’t kill anything at all, maybe something will kill me?

The white tom layed there a few moments when he saw a white blur approaching, a predator perhaps? He didn’t bother getting up, if he couldn’t grab a good meal, maybe this creature could.

‘’Get up, silly! This isn’t real life’’

Snowgust looked up and saw a cat identical to him except with blue eyes instead of green.

Is that the cat who takes over my life sometimes?

‘’Ohh, you need a break, I understand. This place is waaay too gloomy though, lemme take you somewhere else!’’ the young cat said

In a flash, he was in a place he'd never seen before. He was standing on a floating piece of stony floor and surrounded by similar platforms; some were bigger and some were smaller, some higher up than him and some lower, some were stone-coloured and some were red or green. There were twoleg dens too; some were quite short and others dared to touch the clouds.

‘’Well, you go take a nap or something, imma be out there for a while’’ said Snowy, swiftly hopping from platform to platform

‘’No! Don’t you dare go out there!’’ shouted Snowgust

Being marooned on his stony island , he couldn’t reach that insolent kit. Snowgust watched as he seemingly vanished away.

Great, now everyone else will find out thanks to him…


‘’Snowgust? Hey, Snowgust, I’m sorry I couldn’t catch it, please don’t be mad at me…’’

Olivepaw couldn’t even tell if he was mad because of his blank expression.

He didn’t react at all, what if he was mad, so mad he couldn’t even speak? Or worse, what if my hunting was so bad that I broke him?!

‘’Hello there! Race you to the trashpiles!’’ said Snowgust

Olivepaw obeyed, feeling like something wasn’t quite right.

‘’Now let’s see who can get to the top first!’’

‘’But…You haven’t taught me climbing yet’’

Snowgust just ignored him and started scrabbling up the trashpile.

‘’Hey, Olivepaw! It’s weird seeing you here, aren’t you training with Snowgust right now?’’ said Icecream

‘’Yeah but I missed my prey again and I made him go..weird. It’s all my fault!’

‘’Nah ,I bet a thousand rats it’s not your fault. Now you watch him while I get Frostflame, I think she knows what to do’’

So for a while, Olivepaw stared at..Snowgust? Or at least the cat that was supposed to be Snowgust.

‘’Snowy, I’m here!’’ shouted Frostflame

‘’Don’t you want to come down and…do something more fun?’’ she suggested

‘’No thanks, Frosty. I’m gonna touch the sky! That’s the funnest thing ever!’’

‘’But you’ll fall and then you’ll have to stay in the medicine den instead of having more fun’’

‘’I’m the best climber ever, actually!’’ he said as he almost tripped on a metal housefolk object.

‘’I’m a pretty good climber, I can get him down’’

‘’Wait, are you sure..?’’

‘’Just trust me’’

Icecream leapt up, managing to get halfway up the trashpile. Olivepaw held his breath when some small objects dropped from the pile. She just dug her claws in deeper and reached the top.

‘’Hey, buddy. I know a good game we can play’’ Icecream said, finally reaching him

‘’What is it?’’

‘’There's..umm..a big scary fox at the very top of the mountain. It's sleeping right now so we gotta be very sneaky getting down''

''I can be sneaky!'' he shouted

''Shhhh...Oh good, he's still assleep.''

They scaled the ‘’mountain’’ carefully and were able to get down with minimal trouble. Snowy yawned a little yawn.

‘’He gets tired easily when he’s like this, I’ll take him to the warrior’s den. Come here, Snowy!’’ said Frotflame

The white cat shook his head sleepily.

‘’I wanna stay with her!’’ he said, hugging Icecream’s leg

‘’Alright, sleepyhead. How about I come with you’’ offered Icecream

Snowy seemingly accepted so Icecream and Frostflame padded to the warrior’s den. Olivepaw came as well, he didn’t have anything better to do anyway.

‘’Well, here’s your nest..You can go to sleep now’’ said Icecream, probably hoping he’d finally unclasp his paws from her leg.

‘’Fine…Goodnight. I love you, Tessie’’ said Snowy before getting into his nest and dozing off.

‘’Why did he call me that?’’

‘’I’m not sure...But now that you know this, you can’t tell anyone. It’ll be a secret between all of us. Now please return to your duties’’

Right before leaving, Olivepaw remembered something.

‘’Frostflame, I was in the middle of training with Snowgust before he…uh..changed’’

‘’Then you can train with-

The black striped cat gasped.

‘’Were you just walking around camp like that?!’’ she said, staring at his head

‘’Like what?’’

Oh no! I must’ve done something else wrong...

‘’It’s nothing..It’s just..Your fur is so unkempt and you even have knots in some places. Who taught you how to groom?’’

Olivepaw thought all the way back to his kithood but no-one came to mind.

‘’I don’t think anyone has ever taught me, actually’’

Frostflame sighed.

‘’Alright, come here. I guess you have to learn somehow’’

Olivepaw obliged and Frostflame begun smoothing his head fur with her paw.


‘’Can’t catch me!’’ said a kitten’s voice.

Olivepaw sprinted after her but tripped, the glossy newspaper making him slide right into her.

‘’Mum! He hurt me!’’ she cried

‘’Now, now, you didn’t mean it, did you, honey? But please be more careful next time’’

‘’Sorry, mum…’’ Olivepaw found himself saying

‘’It’s alright, you’re probably all just tired. Come here, everyone!’’ she announced

Then he slept peacefully, surrounded by his siblings and mother, his family; his real family.


‘’I’m finished! I got rid of all the knots in your fur, you should be able to do the rest. Now please resume your training session with Icecream’’ said Frostflame

The white tom walked towards Gargageclan camp, still dazed by his dream. Or was it a real memory? It was silly and illogical but Olivepaw had always assumed he just…came into existence one day inside the home of his housefolks, he’d never once considered that he came from a cat family.


‘’This must be another Snowy thing, huh?’’ said Snowgust, waking up in his nest

‘’I’m really sorry about this but..Icecream and Olivepaw found out about Snowy…’’

‘’Of course they did..’’ he said

‘’Hey! It was completely out of my control I-

‘’Oh, sorry..I’m not angry at you, it’s about something else…I’m sure you tried your best to keep it a secret until now.’’ he said, softening his tone


Snowgust tossed and turned frustratedly that night, too mad at him to allow his brain to rest.
Suddenly, he was in that strange place again on a platform more spacious than the ones he’d seen before. He saw a pair of bright blue eyes looking at him.

‘’You…You ruined everything today!’’

‘’B-but I was trying to help…’’

‘’Help me?! How? By interrupting my life and embarrassing me in front of everyone!?’’

The white tom usually wouldn’t be so quick to berate a kit but this one was…special; it wasn’t real, it’s feelings didn’t matter.

Then the annoyance in his mind fled from him.

Snowgust sat down, contentedly..

He definitely deserved that, he should be ashamed of himse- he caught himself mid-thought, remembering a certain cat who used to say the same kinds of things.

Snowgust’s memories of her and the exact words were fuzzy but he could remember the way she’d make him feel. Whether Snowy was real or not, it didn’t feel so good to hurt someone in the same way his mother hurt him. He sighed and leapt off the platform in search of Snowy. The next two jumps, he hesitated; it had been seasons since he’d done such a careless activity, would he make it to another platform or fall to his doom? Soon though, he found himself moving around almost as quickly as the rambunctious kit he was looking for. He even managed to scale a few twoleg dens. As he leapt onto yet another floating piece of stony path, he tripped over a small tinfoil ball. He’d seen many more balls just floating around like tiny clouds. Warmth spread across his heart as he remembered Hortensia scrabbling through garbage or stealing them from twoleg kittens and giving them to him. He’d always end up losing them or kicking them too far but she’d never hesitate to find him a new one.

Eventually, he found a sobbing mess curled up into a ball.

‘’Hey..it’s ok. I’m sorry for being mad at you before’’

The kit just sobbed harder. Snowgust caught glimpses of Snowy’s innocent blue eyes; his innocent blue eyes, the ones he sported as a kit.

All of a sudden, a series of images came to his mind: a young Snowgust crying in the wilderness on his first night without…her, a young Snowgust so delirious with hunger, he strongly considered eating fox dung, a young Snowgust whose spirit shattered when they…

I refuse to let him turn out like me!

‘’Beep, beep! Guess who’s going to reparation station, huh? It’s you because…you're sad and it needs repairing…?’’

‘’Wat...?’’

‘’Oh, I guess I don’t remember how she used to say it…’’ he mumbled

‘’What was that?’’

‘’Nothing!’’ he said quickly

‘’The point is, I realised what I did wrong. You’re just a little kit so I shouldn’t treat you like that. You deserve a happy life with no…interruptions’’

‘’So..Do you forgive me?’’ Snowgust added

‘’Yeah!’’ said Snowy, enveloping him in a bear hug

They sat together for a few moments, just staring at the strange amalgamation of twoleg-made structures and the sky which was a ridiculously bright blue, almost turquoise.

‘’Hey Gusty?’’

The white tom rolled his eyes at the new nickname but remembered that Snowy called Frostflame ‘’Frosty’’.

‘’Yeah?’’

‘’The white girl cat reminded me of someone called Tessie but I don’t remember who Tessie is, do you?’’

He winced at the mention of ‘’Tessie’’.

‘’I don’t know what you’re talking about, you must be confused’’ said Snowgust

He vowed to protect Snowy’s innocence, even if it meant lying.

‘’Oh ok..But I think the white cat is really nice! Can she be our sister?’’

‘’I don’t think it works like that, maybe you two can be friends though’’


Snowgust suddenly opened his eyes but when he stepped outside, he saw that the moon was still up. It reminded him of a strange meeting he was about to have with a cat he barely knew. The white tom saw that the shaggy-haired warrior was in camp and walked up to him.

‘’So, what did you want to talk to me about?’’

‘’I just wanted to say…’’


For some reason, it felt as if Blizzard was about to make a huge mistake; he couldn’t identify why, the process of elimination and basic logic dictated that Snowgust was his son. Noticing Snowgust’s impatient face snapped him out of his pondering.

‘’Well you see, I think you’re….’’

He stopped himself yet again. Wasn’t he meant to trust his gut? Wasn’t it that same uneasy feeling that stopped him from almost joining a commune?

‘’...Um, I just think you’re really good at hunting and I admire your technique’’

‘’Oh, is that everything?’’

‘’Yeah, that’s all, Snowgust’’


Later that morning, when the sky stopped looking so dark, he went over to the carved tree to begin Olivepaw’s daily training. She practically jumped when she saw him and there was something about her eyes that Snowgust read as ‘’anxious’’

If he could understand Cheetostar’s advice before, now it was practically etched into his mind.

I caused this and I’ll fix it! - he resolved

Snowgust cleared his throat and spoke:

‘’What happened yesterday wasn’t your fault in the slightest; accidents happen to all of us’’

No, there’s more…

‘’And I realised that my hovering over you was bad for your training, it must be so distracting to have me over your shoulder’’

There’s still more…

‘’And I always get really anxious whenever prey escapes, I don’t breathe like that because I’m mad at you, it’s an issue I have to work on. You’ve been trying your best under all these conditions and I commend you for that’’

I forgot one last thing…

‘’I apologise for being a bad mentor’’


Blizzard tossed and turned in his nest that night, his mind had been spinning ever since his encounter with who he thought was his son. He’d been debating whether it was time to leave, empty-pawed, no kin by his side... Even so, he couldn’t help but feel like the kit he left behind was still out there, but what if that was just false hope?

‘’What would you do, father?’’ he whispered into the darkness

A thousand memories came to him; whenever he didn’t know what to do, his father offered one simple answer;

‘’When your mind is in doubt, always follow what you feel is right’’

The white tom nodded as if agreeing with an invisible figure.

Going by that logic, it means…What?! That doesn’t make any sense…