❝ 𝑻𝑯𝑶𝑺𝑬 𝑻𝑯𝑨𝑻 𝑴𝑼𝑺𝑻 𝑭𝑨𝑳𝑳 ❞ ➤ ⦇ 𝑾𝑪 ⦈

[galaxy,]

𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐏𝐀𝐖
emberclan / the reckless / tags: kindlepaw [ment.], open...



Birchpaw feared nighttime and not because he was afraid of the dark. His dreams were plagued with flashes of terrors, nightmares that shook him from one scene to the other without even allowing the young cat to breathe. Sharpened claws. Destroyed dens. Bodies everywhere. His father's eyes, full of fear. The chaos in the centre of the battlefield. His father's eyes. The only constant. Blood. Birchpaw's own voice, howling. His father's eyes no longer on him.

After the first night Birchpaw had tried to resist his closing eyelids and heavy limbs. By the third day he realised with a start he could no longer remember the exact colour of his father's eyes, or the way they shined under the warm sunlight, or their light of annoyance whenever Birchpaw did something stupid.

Oh, how he wished he could see that reproachful look once again...

The young tom blinked the nightmares away. He wasn't surprised to note that the nest next to his was empty, although the strong lingering of Kindlepaw's scent told him she had just recently left. For a moment Birchpaw debated between staying at the stupid little nest these cats had built for them or go out and explore but it was an easy decision. Birchpaw was not meant for keeping still. With a sideways glance to the cats around him, who seemed to still rest, the apprentice padded through the brambles and kept to a side of the improvised den with watchful eyes. Strangers roamed the clearing— strangers he did not trust.

How hard would it be to slip away, unnoticed?


𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐌
moonlitclan / warrior / tags: owlstrike


Sandstorm stirred in her sleep, already half-awake as she felt the cats that surrounded her in the warrior's den start to move. She remembered the first night she had slept in the spot that had become hers after she received her warrior name, how important she had felt, the satisfaction she felt in the jealousy of her fellow apprentice's eyes. With the pass of time, that spot had become an essential part of her routine. Of course, that was where she slept; but there was something else. A sense of familiarity, of safety, of her Clan.

That was all gone now.

EmberClan's scent was a distinct one. Anything that would differ from what Sandstorm had known her entire life would bring attention, like the full moon in a night sky. While MoonlitClan carried a crisp aroma of mountains and shooting stars in their pelt, EmberClan... was simply different. It seeped through the brambles and between the rocks that composed the camp, leaving Sandstorm with an overwhelming feeling of uneasiness and mistrust.

Trust. Trust wasn't exactly the issue, at least not for Sandstorm. She knew some of her clanmates directly rejected Falconstar's decision to let the foreign cats stay because why would you voluntarily allow some strangers to be inside your camp? Her issue was slightly different. It was leaf-fall and while they had had a good few days, with plenty of fresh-kill in the pile and no dangers around the borders, that was bound to change. Leaf-bare was fast approaching and last time, food had been tight enough. It was simple, really. Would they be able to afford to feed an additional six mouths? Sandstorm doubted it. And then there was the matter of the 'rogue cats' that attacked EmberClan back at their territory, and (from what she had overheard) had chased them away. For the she-cat there was the very valid questioning of - how did they know whether these rogue attackers wouldn't come looking to finish a job half done?

Sandstorm slowly padded out of her den, her analytical eyes scanning the clearing. It seemed as if most of EmberClan was still asleep (did they not live their life in the darkness, under the comforting light of the moon?) although she noticed the small medicine cat (who still looked like an apprentice? maybe she was an apprentice?) in the medicine cat den, with Falconstar shortly disappearing inside as well. She wondered what that was about. Eyeing someone else, the she-cat got a squirrel from the fresh-kill pile to offer her previous mentor, Owlstrike.

'Hi Owlstrike.' Sandstorm sat next to him, her tail wrapped around her paws, as she eyed the makeshift den where the EmberClan cats rested. How long do you think this... will go on? She grumbled.

𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑
moonlitclan / leader / tags: kindlepaw, blazingpaw, fennelglow, sootstar [ment.]


Although he had been leader for many, many moons Falconstar failed to get used to cats reacting a certain way when he was around. In reality, many of the members of the Clan were somewhat younger than him— yet they had all known each other since they were kits, apprentices, warriors. It seemed as as soon the suffix 'star' had been added to his name, he was suddenly somebody else rather than that cat they had known their entire lives.

'Thank you, Blazingpaw.' He told the young tom who disappeared within the den. His gaze settled on Kindlepaw, EmberClan's medicine cat apprentice. It must be hard, he thought, to lose a mentor. Even though he didn't lose his mentor until recently, he could empathise with a sudden realisation of being in a position of responsibility to protect your Clan. He became deputy when he was twenty-six moons old (arguably, extremely young) and had to grapple with a range of responsibility he never even dreamed of. But he had Nightstar. Kindlepaw (and Sootstar, actually) had no one. 'No, Kindlepaw, you don't need to worry about me.' He tried to offer her a sympathetic smile. 'Did you manage to sleep alright?'

The instant the words came out of his muzzle he knew he had made a mistake. Of course Kindlepaw probably did not sleep alright, perhaps not at all. They had all recently survived a traumatic event and here he was making small talk like a normal evening.

A wave of relief washed over him when Fennelglow's voice echoed across the den. 'Hi, Fennelglow. Sorry to disturb you— I can see you were still asleep. I just wanted to discuss our current situation a bit more. It would be good to have a conversation with you, and Sootstar.' He said, eyeing Fennelglow and Kindlepaw.

[star star.]

-------------------------------
☆ ─── BIRDSONG.

i fell in love at the orange show speedway -
but i’ve never been here in my life
moonlitclan warrior ☆ she-cat
tags/mentions; oakpool, foxpaw [ment]
───────────────────────

During Oakpool's silence, Birdsong had bent her head down to take a bite of her prey. She chews it, quietly, and watches her friend carefully. Leafstorm would have something to say, more aware of Oakpool's emotions than Birdsong is, and they quietly curse themself for not being half as perceptive as their sister. But Birdsong knows Oakpool well enough to tell when something's bothering her. They wonder if they should ask - would that be appreciated? They don't know.

Oakpool meows an apology, and Birdsong's head snaps over, a near-instinctual you have nothing to apologize for nearly tumbling from their mouth, but they bite it back just in time for their friend to continue speaking - talking about joining one of the patrols today. Already, Birdsong wants to start brainstorming ideas to make her friend feel better, but she remembers that she'd promised Foxpaw that she'd teach him something new today. The words die in their throat, but they smile and find something new to say easily.

"You're okay," they say, sincerely meaning every word. "I know... this has been a lot for you and Falconstar." This being the EmberClan cats. "I'd offer to join you on one of those patrols, but I had promised Foxpaw I'd teach him something new today," Birdsong says, apologetic. "If I can help with anything, let me know."

-------------------------------
☆ ─── LEAFSTORM.

we're nothing less than a work
in progress; sacred text on post-it notes
moonlitclan warrior ☆ she-cat
tags/mentions; moonlitclan [ment], open
───────────────────────

Leafstorm slowly blinks open her eyes, finding that sleep is finally eluding her. She closes her eyes with a sigh, unwilling to move. This is so annoying. She feels like there's ants in her pelt - where she had been warm and comfortable just moments prior, she's now itchy and uncomfortable and too hot. Slowly, she admits that she can't rest any more. She stands to her feet, stretching and shaking out her fur on the off chance there actually are ants in her pelt.

She scratches behind her ear and licks her coat down into submission. There aren't ants in her pelt, obviously, so it'd seem she'd just overspent her welcome with sleep.

Leafstorm pads out of the den, casting her gaze around the camp in the soft, dappled light. She spots Oakpool and Birdsong off in a corner, and Leafstorm elects to leave her sister and best friend alone - she'll just bother them later. Quietly, Leafstorm pads over to the fresh-kill pile and picks up a mouse for herself. Mouse dangling from her jaw, she looks around the camp and then heads to her usual spot - relatively out of the way, but where she can still overhear some of the stuff going on while the camp wakes up.

-------------------------------
☆ ─── BLAZINGPAW.

all that's left of myself;
holes in my false confidence
moonlitclan med. apprentice ☆ tom
tags/mentions; fennelglow, kindlepaw,
falconstar
───────────────────────

Something in Blazingpaw loosens, just a bit, when he sees his mentor. She looks absolutely exhausted, which spikes a bit of concern in him, but he knows he has no room to talk, considering his own failing sleep schedule.

"You're okay," he says, instead of asking did you get any sleep at all? Fennelglow wouldn't appreciate it anyway, he doesn't think. (blazingpaw is sure she would never turn her ire onto him unless she was absolutely pushed to her limit, but he's seen how she acts around some of the warriors who don't want to cooperate with her. he'll keep his comments about his concern over her health to himself for now, until he absolutely can't anymore.)

He follows her, out of her den and into the light and the medicine cats' den proper. He stands next to Fennelglow, a few pawsteps behind her. Falconstar greets Fennelglow, and Blazingpaw listens intently, wondering what his mentor was needed for. Falconstar says something about needing to have a conversation with her, and Sootstar, and...

Oh.

He... wasn't mentioned.

Blazingpaw shifts on his paws, casting a quiet glance at his mentor, afraid to ask what he knows will turn into a denial. Can I stay? he wants to ask, biting back the words that feel like bees and ants in his stomach. Why can't you just tell me what's going on? Can't I help?

Can't I do anything?

He isn't stupid - Falconstar didn't mention him by name and he spoke directly to Fennelglow and Kindlepaw and not him. He tries his best to bite back on the hurt that tries to settle in his chest. Would there be a way for him to listen in without them knowing he was there? It feels like a twisted joke to say that he got lucky the first time - he had accidentally overheard the conversation about the prophecy, and sometimes he wishes he just didn't know at all. (but then he remembers he'd feel like this if fennelglow or kindlepaw or someone brought it up later, and he'd be back at square one, hurt and confused and wondering why not him.)

He bites his tongue - should he offer to get Sootstar then? To make himself even just the slightest bit useful in this situation? Would it make it easier for him to swing back around to listen in on their conversation? Or should he just risk having to ask Fennelglow afterwards what the meeting was about, and pray that she'd tell him?

(but he knows, deep down, that she probably wouldn't tell him anything, and he just can't understand why.)

-------------------------------
☆ ─── RAVENSIGHT.

left at the graveyard,
i'm driving past ghosts.
emberclan's lover ☆ tom
tags/mentions; emberclan
───────────────────────

Someone in the den shifts.

Ravensight, despite what he may have wished for in the moment, was not able to find rest again. It was a bit of an itchy feeling - nesting deep under his pelt and into his skin that he wanted off off off. It doesn't help that it's an unfamiliar place, and he and his clanmates are being stared down nearly every waking second.

Be safe, he hears someone say. He lifts his head, slowly registering that it was Sootstar who had said that. His gaze drifted over to the entrance of the den and spots Birchpaw standing near it. Silently, he echoes Sootstar's words. Be safe, he wants to say aloud, but he doesn't. Echoing his friend's words will get him nowhere, and it might just further aggravate Birchpaw.

Ravensight's mind finally catches up with him. He sweeps his gaze around the den again - Birchpaw standing at the entrance, half hidden by the shadows; Kindlepaw gone from her nest, likely with MoonlitClan's own medicine cats; Cinderpaw still in his nest, facing toward Ravensight.

Oh. Cinderpaw's...

Ravensight looks around the den, more to make sure this time that he won't be disturbing anyone. Slowly, he stands to his paws, arching his back in a stretch, loosening his stiffened muscles. He pads, quiet as he can, over to Cinderpaw and lies back down, paws tucked under his body. He looks at Cinderpaw, a silent, Are you alright? Do you need to talk? question. If not, he doesn't mind simply resting next to the apprentice.

[Strawberry.Wyne]

Cinderpaw
||Tom|16M|Emberclan - “The Angry”|Tags;; Ravensight||
A soft breath of quiet relief left Cinderpaw’s nose as Ravensight laid in the spot beside him. Something about the warrior’s present comforts him. Although he had lost his family, Ravensight made him feel like a piece of his family were still walking beside him. Who was he to push away the only comfort he has during these difficult days?

Cinderpaw could feel the tom’s eyes on him, an attempt to see if he needed to talk. For a moment, he thought he didn’t want to talk about it and only wanted to lay in silence. But then he thought of his mother and what she would have told him. Keeping your thoughts inside, will only cause an eruption. It wasn’t good for his temper to continue and try to battle the nightmares and his dark anger by himself. So dark. He was sure that Ravensight would be able to offer either advice, or some comforting words.

His green gaze lifted slowly from his paws to match with Ravensight’s gaze “How do you get the..” his voice trailed for a moment as he threw a hesitant glance around. “Nightmares to go away?” he whispered, his eyes locking back onto Ravensight’s. He didn’t want his fellow clanmates to hear him, to feel his weakness. That was another subject that made him angry. The nightmares scared him, and fear was weakness. The cats who attacked his clan and his family made him weak.

Oakpool
||Molly|28M|Moonlitclan - Deputy|Tags;; Birdsong, Falconstar [mentions]||
Oakpool had taken the moment that Birdsong was speaking to eat some of her food. Her stomach had started to grumble in protest at her lack of food. A small smile crept across her muzzle at her friend’s kind tone. “Thank you,” she meowed, grateful for Birdsong’s company. Being able to relax a little bit with her friends definitely helped to ease the doubt that rested inside her head. “Things will improve. Starclan will continue to watch over both clans and deliver us unharmed on the other side of this,” she replied, her tone hushed as she spoke, not wanting the Emberclan clan cats to hear her. She didn’t want them to feel like a burden, she could not imagine how heavy this all weighed on them. She was careful with the words that she chose, she didn’t want to sound as if she didn’t want the other cats there. The words seemed to be a reassurance to not only Birdsong, or the Emberclan cats that couldn’t hear her, but to herself as well. Starclan was watching them and guiding them.. right? Of course they were. There was a plan for all of this, there was always a reason.

Her gaze drifted over to Fennelglow’s den again, wondering if she would be able to catch a glimpse of Falconstar. She wanted to check in with him for the day, wondering what the next step was. Was she to send the Emberclan cats on the hunting patrols? Her gaze snapped back to Birdsong “How is Foxpaw doing?” she asked, quickly deciding to change the subject for her own thoughts. She wondered how Birdsong’s apprentice was coming along, some apprentices were quick to learn and the two of them seemed like such a good pairing.

Briarkit
||Molly|3M|Moonlitclan - Kit|Tags;; Swiftcreek||


The small kit slept soundly, tucked into her mothers pelt. There was not much that a kit needed to worry about, the young she-cat was completely separated from any drama or worry that surrounded the clan at the time. Was she aware of the strangers that were residing within their camp walls? No. Was she aware that there were suddenly cats that were stinky compared to the smells of her usual clanmates? Yes. But she would never voice that out loud, her mother would scold her for being rude.

Briarkit shifted slightly in her sleep before burying her face once more into her mother’s side. The warmth of Swiftcreek’s pelt blanketing her in comfort before sleep washed over her once more.

[Fawnie]

☾ Pearlwhisker
xxxxxxxx▶ age: 24 moons || gender: female || rank: warrior || location: camp || tags: leafstorm (mentions snowbriar, oakpool, birdsong, emberclan
════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Tightly coiled, Pearlwhisker focused on appearing asleep. Oakpool was up at this hour as usual, which meant that Birdsong would shortly follow. Pearlwhisker fluttered an eye open, catching Oakpool's fluffy white tail flicker into the twilight. Orange hues would greet her white pelt soon, and something sour burned Pearlwhisker's tongue. She had managed to become the clan's deputy, so beloved by everyone and unapologetically good at everything. She did not seem to be as aggrieved by her pelt as Pearlwhisker was by her own. Her personality and skills matched her striking appearance, she was crafted by Starclan with such care and purpose. Snowbriar shifted infront of her, disrupting her rumination while simultaneously fanning the flame. Snowbriar was one of, if not the best, hunter and tracker Moonlit clan had; and where did that leave Pearlwhisker? Starclan made some sort of mistake, Pearlwhisker felt that way for most of her life. Nothing about her was made for Moonlit clan.

Almost on cue, Birdsong was now leaving the warmth of the Warrior's den. Pearlwhisker mirrored Leafstorm as more cats were awakened by their Starclan-given sense of purpose, or their rumbling bellies, and left the Warrior's den. Unlike her littermate, Leafstorm tended to sleep-in. She had been that way since they were kits; Pearlwhisker always assumed that much tenacity needed that much more energy. Still, the tabby made an excellent model to the chronically sleepless such as herself.

As the aforementioned tabby also found her hungry belly, her calling, her,, whatever -- she too left the den. Fuzzy white hair blew back at Pearlwhisker's quick exhale. Today, some vague sense of rule-following would be her morning resolve. Pluuuss she did not want to be the last cat left in the den, too many eyes! too many looks! She rolled out her spine in a stretch. Despite the rest of her uneasy clanmates, Pearlwhisker was grateful for the arrival of the Emberclan cats. It was something, different... something almost inconceivable. Moonlit clan change? Not in a hundred million moons. As if to look previously planned, Pearlwhisker followed Leafstorm to the fresh-kill pile and plucked a small mouse just as Leafstorm had done. Perhaps a mockingbird would have been the better choice she thought with a twinge of embarrassment, and continued their follow-the-leader routine.

Settling out of the way from the heart of camp, Pearlwhisker knew she picked the right cat. "Mouse" she mused after swallowing a bite, "you've got good taste." stupid. dumb. pathetic. She turned her blue eyes away from Leafstorm and tried not to let them rest too long on the Emberclan cats as they began to shuffle around camp.

[V.Vulpes]

《✦》//𝑲𝑰𝑵𝑫𝑳𝑬𝑷𝑨𝑾 ！！
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
[Molly][15M][Emberclan Med Cat Apprentice][The Protector][Tagged: Fennelglow, Blazingpaw, Falconstar]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

XXXFalconstar's initial gaze felt hot on Kindlepaw's pelt; the fur on her neck pricked. Her nerves were on a claw's edge since they were given the prophecy, but she shouldn't feel so nervous in front of the leader! He'd been kind enough to let them stay and Kindlepaw didn't want to offend him. At his smile, she felt her fur settle back down but she did still shift her paws uncomfortably at his question. "Oh, um, yeah, I... I got some sleep," she stammered, her eyes briefly glancing away.
XXXIt was, at best, a half-truth. The nightmares that plagued her, twisting her dreams into torment, danced behind her eyes even now. Admitting that felt like exposing a vulnerability she wasn't ready to share. Not even to Birchpaw. Instead, she took a steady breath, and mustered a small smile again, trying to convince them both that she was stronger than she felt. "Just a bit restless, you know how it is."
XXXThe sound of pawsteps drew her attention to the back of the medicine den. Kindlepaw returned Fennelglow's nod. She hoped that the forced smile that she still wore didn't look as forced as she felt it was. She didn't want to worry any of these nice cats any more than they already were. However, at Falconstar's words, the smile faded. Of course, so that's why Falconstar had followed her to the medicine den. "Okay," Kindlepaw nodded, her voice soft. The prophecy had initially scared her until she had realized what it was. Starclan hadn't really spoken directly to her yet. There were the half-moon trips that she took with Willowshade but they really didn't compare to a whole prophecy.

《♞》//𝑶𝑾𝑳𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑰𝑲𝑬 ！！
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
[Tom][100M][Moonlitclan Warrior][Tagged: Sandstorm]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

XXXOwlstrike, who had been idly watching the camp with his usual grumpy expression after he left the warriors den, perked up as Sandstorm approached. His rough exterior softened just a bit at the sight of his former apprentice. He saw a lot of himself, well his younger self, in the orange tabby and always enjoyed her company. "Well, well, if it isn't little Sandpaw," his gruff mew mixed with a laugh, "bringin' me an offerin', are you?"
As Sandstorm voiced her concerns, Owlstrike's expression turned back to serious. "I dunno, but I don't like it one bit, Sandstorm. Not sure how long Falconstar plans to play host to these outsiders," he mewed, his ears flicked back, "I know how leaf-bare gets 'round our territory and, if my joins say anything right now, it's gonna be a cold one. We'll barely be able to feed ourselves let alone six strangers. They should've found somewhere else to skulk around." He paused, took a bite of the squirrel, nudged it towards Sandstorm, and then added quietly, "if we're lucky, they leave before the first snow."

《♡》//𝑺𝑾𝑰𝑭𝑻𝑪𝑹𝑬𝑬𝑲 ！！
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
[Molly][28M][Moonlitclan Queen][Tagged: Briarkit, Palekit]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

XXXSwiftcreek stirred from her sleep, her eyes fluttering open with a soft yawn. She kept her head down against her paws and let her eyes stay half-lidded for a moment longer. She wanted this moment to last forever, the familiar feeling of her little kits by her side and the smell of the oak that was the nursery, just felt like heaven.
XXXThe soft rustling of leaves and distant sounds of the waking camp reached the queen's ears, pulling her gently into full wakefulness. Reluctantly, she lifted her head, and gave another, bigger, yawn. The events of the past days didn't seem to bother Swiftcreek, though, she had yet to let her daughters meet these newcomers. Maybe soon, she thought, then bent her head to nuzzle Briarkit and then Palekit affectionately. "It's about time for breakfast, my little mossballs," she purred.

[baby blue]

─── [♢] ─── 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚢𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚗
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
♢ warrior ♢ twenty-two moons♢ heterosexual ♢ location: camp ♢ tags: adderfrost ♢

nestled in a corner of camp, honeyfern watched fellow warriors trudge out of the den, some with fur in disarray from sleep. her mouth twisted slightly in amusement before she twisted to look at her own pelt. she wouldn't be surprised if hers was the same way considering her nighttime adventure. noticing just one piece of fur sticking out on her left hind, she immediately began working at it. this particular piece was always a stubborn one and one she attacked no less than three times daily, however, it never seemed to want to conform with the rest of her fur. after a few minutes, she heaved a sigh. her tail flicked with annoyance, but she couldn't truly be frustrated. it was the same thing every day and it would continue to be that way.

movement from the den garnered her attention. she watched as adderfrost stalked from the den. the tom is not one she often found herself drifting towards with his blunt and, oftentimes, rude personality. it also didn't help that she often found herself alone, not one to push herself to interact with others. it's never because she dislikes these interactions, but often that she doesn't know where to begin. her tail twitched again at the thought. another grievance she has with herself. if there is one thing that gives away her thoughts, it's often her tail. the thing seems to have a mind of its own.

the silver tom passed the fresh-kill pile, situating himself on the opposite end of the camp that she was on. maybe he just wasn't hungry. she thought to herself. still, the nurturing side of her (especially towards the kits, meaning she should probably visit with swiftcreek and briarkit soon) was clawing at her insides to approach him. she could understand his distrust of the emberclan cats to an extent, but she felt that maybe some of his attitude was simply just his personality. after all, the tom never seemed to be very friendly with his own clanmates, much less stranger clan cats.

pushing herself to her paws, she rocked back and forth in indecision, claws flexing anxiously. after a short, but definitely felt long, pause, she approached the fresh-kill pile. appraising the older tom briefly and what was on the pile, she ultimately went for a mouse. she couldn't imagine him having much of a preference in food, but who knows, he might surprise her. nervously approaching him, she dropped the mouse at his feet. i figured you might be hungry so, uh, here... she trailed off awkwardly. her tail continued twitching as she stared at him, bracing herself for his response. if it ended up being that she needed to scurry off, she could always visit the nursery for some cheering up.

[star star.]

-------------------------------
☆ ─── BIRDSONG.

i fell in love at the orange show speedway -
but i’ve never been here in my life
moonlitclan warrior ☆ she-cat
tags/mentions; oakpool, foxpaw [ment],
falconstar [ment]
───────────────────────

Birdsong relaxes, just the slightest bit, when Oakpool responds. "Of course," she says, instinctively. They don't know how to verbalize it; how to explain to Oakpool that they care for her well-being more than their own and how she's one of their favorite cats. Until it would come between their sister and their apprentice, they would blindly follow Oakpool for the rest of their life.

They blink, a bit taken aback by their own thoughts, but they find themself relaxing anyway with Oakpool's followup, listening intently to her friend's hushed words. Birdsong nods her agreement, but can only silently send her own prayer to StarClan that she's right. It's not hard to tell that there's been a bit of discord in the clan since Falconstar had let Emberclan into their midst - and while Birdsong didn't hold a strong opinion one way or another, they knew others in the clan did. As long as no cat started anything, maybe they would just live in tense peace until the six were able to find their own way to their new home.

For Oakpool's sake, Birdsong hoped it was soon.

Birdsong had taken a bite of their prey and had been quietly chewing it, deep in thought, when Oakpool spoke once more. Blinking in surprise, Birdsong quickly swallowed the bite of their bird and turned to Oakpool. "What- Oh!" She had asked about Foxpaw! "He's doing good," Birdsong says, voice thick with pride. "I worry about him sometimes, what with his tendency to bite off more than he can chew, but he's shaping up to be a formidable warrior and hunter. I'm proud of him." Their eyes grow distant for a moment, lost in thought. When Birdsong had been assigned to Foxpaw as his mentor, she'd been worried. What if she did everything wrong? She hadn't been a warrior but for more than a few moons herself - what had Falconstar been thinking? The first few moons of their relationship had been rocky, and Birdsong will willingly take most of the blame for that. She should have pulled Foxpaw to the side sooner, sat him down in a secluded area and had a heart-to-heart with him earlier. They wonder how much grief that could have saved both of them - but especially Foxpaw.

"He's learning how to make things his own," Birdsong says slowly, smiling. "He's growing a lot, and I think I finally see why Falconstar chose me to be his mentor." Sure, they may have realized that many moons too late, but Birdsong has worked hard to make up for her shortcomings. She was ridiculously honored to be Foxpaw's mentor, and they briefly wonder if they've told their apprentice that. "Whenever you get done with your patrol - and if Foxpaw is up to it - you're welcome to join us for training."

-------------------------------
☆ ─── LEAFSTORM.

we're nothing less than a work
in progress; sacred text on post-it notes
moonlitclan warrior ☆ she-cat
tags/mentions; pearlwhisker
───────────────────────

It's a little embarrassing, but Leafstorm hadn't realized how hungry she was until she had settled down and taken a bite of her mouse. She quickly takes another bite, only to realize that someone had settled in next to her, and she forces herself to slow down. The cat next to her speaks, just as Leafstorm hurriedly swallows her a-bit-larger-than-normal bite, and she realizes just who it is.

Leafstorm glances over at Pearlwhisker, amusement twinkling in her eyes at the comment. "Yes," she meows, fighting to keep the smile out of her voice. "Mouse is my favorite." Well, usually at least - nine out of ten times. She doesn't mind a good squirrel every so often, but she's always preferred mouse. She glances down at the mouse in Pearlwhisker's paws and shifts her attention back up to the warrior, sounding genuine as she says, "You have good taste too."

Quietly, Leafstorm curses herself for not being the best conversationalist. Conversations with Birdsong, or Oakpool or Ivyclaw? Easy. She knew them. It was easy to talk to them - Birdsong was her littermate, Oakpool was basically her best friend, and she and Ivyclaw would hang out and swap stories and bother each other whenever they felt like it. But Pearlwhisker?

Leafstorm takes a bite from her mouse as she thinks, sitting in the awkward silence. She doesn't know Pearlwhisker that well. When they were apprentices, she remembers Pearlwhisker trying to dodge responsibilities and rarely ever being in camp, until one day that had just changed. She'd started talking more to the cats in camp - it'd been slow at first, if Leafstorm remembers correctly, but she definitely remembers there being a difference. Twelve moons ago, Pearlwhisker would have barely stopped to spare a conversation with Leafstorm. (of course, there were probably other reasons as well - leafstorm and birdsong were still majorly attached at the hip during that time, only separated during training or patrols, or ivyclaw was pestering leafstorm's mentor, or herself - an action she started to copy.)

She's about halfway finished with her mouse when she remembers that she's sitting in an awkward silence with Pearlwhisker. She glances at the white she-cat and hums, swallowing her bite. "Do you have any big plans for the day?" she tries, then immediately curses herself and wishes once more she had her sister's conversational skills.

-------------------------------
☆ ─── RAVENSIGHT.

left at the graveyard,
i'm driving past ghosts.
emberclan's lover ☆ tom
tags/mentions; cinderpaw, emberclan [ment]
───────────────────────

Ravensight watches in silence as Cinderpaw seems to fight an internal battle. He doesn't mind if the younger tom doesn't speak - Ravensight had found out early on in their relationship that sometimes just sitting near Cinderpaw would help him. And if simply existing near each other didn't, then Hollypaw, Ivypaw, or Ashpaw - just kits, back then - hanging off his tail or perched on his head would. And back then, Cinderpaw would have his mother to turn to for advice.

So, really, Ravensight was alright with sitting in silence - as long as Cinderpaw knew that he was there for him, that he could talk to him whenever he wanted, Ravensight was okay with it.

So when Cinderpaw speaks, something in Ravensight's heart shatters. How do I get the nightmares to go away? he'd asked. How does Ravensight tell him that he's still piecing it together himself? That he's still haunted by the night, just the same as him? Losing his three kits had been the worst thing he'd experienced, just above losing his mate. (that he's still haunted by willowheart's death, even though he knows willowshade had told him that there was nothing any cat could've done; she was just too weak.)

Ravensight's expression softens, something hopefully not clouded by grief, and he stares at the apprentice who is basically another son to him. But he knows, doesn't he? It's not concrete, but Ravensight has ideas. He has ways he's grappled with losing his family, grappled with the nightmares that plagued him, stuck forever in the corner of his mind. The urge to say I don't know, I wish I did, fades from his tongue, and he takes a deep breath to sort his thoughts.

Because he does. He does know - he's just... not the greatest at taking his own advice.

"You have to-" Ravensight's voice falters, just the slightest bit, and he forces himself to inhale again, ignoring how shaky he sounds this time. He shakes his head and blinks, trying to clear his mind, and locks gazes with Cinderpaw. "You have to learn to accept them," he says, keeping his voice low and soft, as to not disturb the other cats. "It's going to suck, for a long, long while," Ravensight adds, with a small, forced laugh at the second 'long.' "You won't like this bit," he says in a slight teasing tone, "but talking about them can help. It doesn't even have to be with me."

Ravensight's vision grows blurry, and he blinks a few times, ignoring how wet his eyes feel. "When I lost Willowheart," he starts slowly, gaze sliding away from Cinderpaw, "I couldn't sleep for days. I was lucky. I had my kin to fall back on. Swanstreak would watch the kits while Sunstrike and Fallingstep would drag me out of camp. Duskheart would listen to me, when I finally told him what I kept having nightmares about. He told me there was nothing I could've done - which is exactly what Willowshade had told me." He laughs, quiet and bitterly. "Swanstreak and I had each other, when Duskheart and Sunstrike died a moon afterward."

As if remembering who he was talking to, Ravensight blinks back the memories and clears his throat, finally meeting Cinderpaw's gaze. "But good things had happened, too. I remember this apprentice who my kits were obsessed with. Ashpaw and Hollypaw in particular." He wishes, almost, that Cinderpaw could have become Hollypaw's mentor. Maybe if the kits had been a bit younger, if EmberClan hadn't been run out of their home, if his kits hadn't been-

"Sorry," he apologizes, giving Cinderpaw a small smile. "The point of all that is that talking about it helps. Keeping it bottled up will only make it worse." He shifts over, then rests his tail on Cinderpaw's flank. "You... have to accept that what's happened happened. And I know it's hard," he adds, voice firm but quiet. He glances over, at Sootstar and Birchpaw, and turns back to Cinderpaw. "I know. I still can't accept it." Losing his home. His kits. Everything. "It will come in time. And if it doesn't, then you learn to live with it."

-------------------------------
☆ ─── BLAZINGPAW.

last post here.

[daifuku]

➤ ─── 𝐅𝐄𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐋𝐆𝐋𝐎𝐖 )
𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐍 𝐌𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐀𝐓. 𝐒𝐇𝐄/𝐇𝐄𝐑. 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐒𝐈𝐗 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍𝐒. 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐋𝐄𝐏𝐀𝐖, 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐙𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐏𝐀𝐖, 𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑. 𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐒𝐎𝐎𝐓𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑.

I wish I was still sleeping, Fennelglow thought dryly to herself. She shared a look with Blazingpaw, knowing that neither of them had gotten good rest for days now. Like mentor, like apprentice, she supposed. "Not a problem at all, it's about time I got up and about anyways," she replied with a light-hearted tone.

She studied the two apprentices on each side of her, starting with Kindlepaw. The Emberclan cat was astute enough; it was evident that she knew what the conversation was going to be about. Fennelglow's gaze lingered for a moment, wondering what exactly it was about the small she-cat that made Starclan want to burden her in such a way, especially given everything else she had only recently gone through. At the end of the day, Fennelglow trusted their ancestors, but she still had to question their methods every now and then. On her other side, Blazingpaw was shuffling about, causing her to return his glance with pity. After so many moons teaching the young apprentice, it took her only a few moments to pick up on his anxious behavior. She sighed. Knowing the tom, there were innumerable things that could be bothering him. She brushed his shoulder lightly with her tail in an attempt to soothe his nerves.

"Of course, Falconstar," Fennelglow finally replied. "Blazingpaw, Kindlepaw, why don't you two go check if we need any herbs?" She nodded to the entrance of the medicine cat den. "If there's anything low on stock, make sure you two don't go off alone. Take a warrior or two with you, please." Returning her attention back to her leader's current request, she scanned the clearing for Sootstar, but couldn't find the she-cat's grey-orange fur anywhere. "Seems like Sootstar might still be sleeping. Shall we go find her?"

➤ ─── 𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐀𝐍𝐆 )
𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐍 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐑. 𝐇𝐄/𝐇𝐈𝐌. 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍𝐒. 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒 𝐈𝐕𝐘𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐖.

As he drifted in and out of sleep, Spiderfang could barely tell reality from his dreams. Case in point ─ what was that low rumbling he heard? Surely, it wasn't the sound of pawsteps. What kind of cat in their right mind would walk so loudly? Could it be a storm? Worse, a rockslide? And worse than that, a Twoleg machine? No, that last one had to be a delusional thought for sure.

His eyes flickered open as drowsiness slipped from his mind. His vision quickly adjusted to the darkness, and his ears swiveled around. The sound was still there, albeit a little less loud than it had been in his slumber. His gaze settled on the source. Ivyclaw's chest rose and fell with his heavy breathing. Spiderfang rolled his eyes, dragging himself over to the bulky tom. Sitting down, he gently patted the other warrior's shoulder. It's like poking a bear, he thought to himself. An amused smile broke over his face at his own joke. "C'mon, Ivy, did you run laps around the forest yesterday? You're out like a light, you know?" he yapped away.

[Strawberry.Wyne]

Cinderpaw
||Tom|16M|Emberclan - “The Angry”|Tags;; Ravensight||
The mornings were the hardest, finding a reason to leave the nest was the hardest. His siblings weren’t there, no one to get into trouble with or confide with. His mother… his dear mother… wasn’t there to scold the group of apprentices to listen to their mentors and to stop being so loud. She had deserved far better than what she got. She was too pure for this world. Perhaps she’s safer and far happier in Starclan, perhaps she’ll be there to greet him someday. He just needed a reason. A reason to leave the nest, to socialize with anyone outside of Ravensight. Ravensight was his comfort, but he was sure the Tom already knew that.

The apprentice’s claws flexed in oncoming anger as his thoughts washed over him. Ravensight’s voice snapped him back to reality, his tail flicked slightly as the tension left his body. Cinderpaw searched the tom’s face, reading every emotion that even briefly ran across his eyes. It was clear that Ravensight was troubled by the question. He knew it wouldn’t be something that was easy to answer. The entire clan was plagued with trauma. The events of that day were so heavy.

For a moment, Cinderpaw’s nose wrinkled in reaction to the warrior’s words. Talk about it? Of course that was the appropriate thing to do, and he knew that. His mother would give him the same advice. Maybe that was why Cinderpaw leaned on Ravensight the most. Not that he himself reminded the apprentice of his mother, but his advice and his deliverance was rather the same. As he continued to listen to the advice in silence, his heart felt heavy as he watched the warrior’s reactions, his eyes. It was clear to him that Ravensight was upset by the subject. Who wouldn’t be? He felt sorry for bringing it up, he felt sorry that he had brought his mood down. So early in the morning. So early in the morning and the cats that had attacked them had already, once again, altered his mood and upset his friend.

“Talk about it,” he repeated quietly, one of his ears flicking to mirror his discomfort around that idea. His eyes trailed down to his paws again before he slightly leaned again Ravensight’s pelt, an attempt to comfort the tom. Especially since he had been the one to bring up the subject… again. “I’m sorry for making you think about it.” he whispered quietly, his words dripping with guilt. The event wasn’t his fault, he knew that. But if everyone wanted to move on and make peace with it, then bringing up the event wasn’t helping. Right? Why couldn’t he just move on. “I pray for the day that Starclan helps us all move past this,” he said definitively with a nod, throwing an upward glance at Ravensight.

“Thank you,” Cinderpaw began hesitantly “For listening to me, and giving me advice.” he continued, his voice a bit more sure. He was grateful for Ravensight’s presence, especially when the apprentice was not all that pleasant to be around. After a moment of silence was had, the young Tom rose to his paws and arched his back in a stretch. “Maybe a bit of fresh air will help clear my mind. I just have to try and push the anger down.” he whispered so that only Ravensight could hear. With a disdainful glance thrown at the cat would had joined them from their attackers, he trotted his way out of the dark den and hoped that Ravensight would follow.

Oakpool
||Molly|28M|Moonlitclan - Deputy|Tags;; Birdsong, Falconstar, Foxpaw [mentions]||
A wave of relief crashes over Oakpool as her friend responds, taking the moment to take a bite of her food and enjoying it as she listens to her. A small chuckle rumbles in her throat as she nods along with Birdsong’s comment about Foxpaw biting off more than he could chew “I do distinctly remember another certain apprentice that was more often than not biting off more than she could chew.” she said, nudging Birdsong’s paw as she spoke. Humor dripping from her words. Although Oakpool was older than Birdsong, it was only by about four moons. The pair had been in the nursery together for a brief time and had been training as apprentices together. She remembers their time together as apprentices quite well and quite fondly. The three of them; Birdsong, Leafstorm, and herself were often up to no good as young apprentices often were. But Birdsong had always had the tendency to be a bit loud or boisterous. It was something she adored and admired about her friend. She was so fun-loving. Perhaps it was even something that Oakpool sometimes wished she could be like.

For a moment, Oakpool’s smile faltered as she noticed that Birdsong had drifted off to thought. Her eyes distant as she was lost in her own mind. She was about to say something to make sure they were okay before they spoke again. Her soft smile returned as she listened to the she-cat’s words, a warmth of pride growing in her chest. That’s what that sensation was, right? Pride? Of course it was. She was proud at how much Birdsong had grown and improved with her apprentice, she was proud at how much Foxpaw was improving with his training. “It was a good choice. I never doubted you for a second.” she replied, her tone warm. She always knew that Birdsong would be an excellent mentor. She was fun and loud, of course. But that was no take away from their skills, although some cats might have thought it was, they were an excellent and devoted warrior, amazing at everything that they did.

Birdsong’s words draw Oakpool back from her own thoughts that she had drifted into. Why does that keep happening today? She straightens up in interest to her friend’s proposal. “I would love to!” she chirped with enthusiasm “If Foxpaw will have me, of course.” she finished, calming herself down again. She didn’t want to seem too eager. She just hadn’t had an apprentice of her own yet, a young cat to guide and teach. She loved the stage that apprentices were at. Young, determined to learn, but yet still filled with so much excitement for exploring the world. Oh, how she missed being in that stage. When there weren’t as many concerns or worries… Just who was going to do the best in training or who was going to catch the best prey that day.

She continued to eat her prey, throwing a glance once more at the brightening sky. It was nearly time for rounding up patrols for the morning, and she still needed to find and speak with Falconstar. She just needed to know if there was anything in particular he needed her to do with the Emberclan cats for the day in relation to the patrols. A feeling of brief anxiety nips at her pelt before she stands, stretching her legs as she does so. “I’m sorry to cut our conversation short, I have to find Falconstar.” She apologizes, hoping it doesn’t seem too rude. She could spend all day talking to Birdsong, truly. “I need to arrange patrols, but I wanted to lead one today so perhaps you and Foxpaw would like to come? I’m sure he would benefit from a border patrol.” she suggested, a little smile on her face.

Before her friend can get a full response out, she had trotted away to find Falconstar. Her pace being relatively quick as urgency nipped at her paws. She knew that the leader was probably so busy, and she hated interrupting him during this chaotic time. She couldn’t imagine the amount of stress he was under. She slowed to a walk as she approached the medicine cat den where she had seen the leader disappear to. “Excuse me, Falconstar.” she called after him, her tone respectful and quiet. She dipped her head in a respectful greeting. “I’m sorry for interrupting. But, I wanted to check in with you about the border patrols.” she informed him after glancing around at the cats in the den. Only medicine cats, perfect. No need to be terribly discreet with her question. She threw an apologetic glance at Fennelglow for interrupting them all, before returning her gaze back to Falconstar.

Briarkit
||Molly|3M|Moonlitclan - Kit|Tags;; Swiftcreek, Palekit||
As her mother’s soft tone filled her ears, Briarkit’s eyes popped open. Breakfast? that was basically her favorite time of the day. It was equally matched with lunch… and dinner, of course.

The small kit rose to her paws, giving a long and dramatic stretch before looking around to find her sister. It was important that if she was up, that Palekit was up as well. She couldn’t explain a specific reason behind that, it was just something her gut told her. She couldn’t have as much fun if her sister was still asleep. She swatted gently at her sister’s tail “Get up,” she called, the tone of her little voice almost equating to a whine. “Its time for breakfast, Palekit. If you don’t get up right now, you’ll miss it. And, you won’t get any!” she chirped, her words dripping with drama in an attempt to wake her sister.

[FNAF]

✦ ─ snowbriar. 30m . moonlitclan warrior . tags; none [open]

Another night's rest, and another dreamless sleep.

The quiet rustling in the warriors' den was the first sensation to wake Snowbriar, and the first indication that it was time to get up. The she-cat wasn't one for sleeping heavily, or sleeping very long at all; she yawned, stretched out her paws, opened her sightless eyes, and was already up on her paws. It was a sort of ritual, just like any other morning - something to give some rhythm and structure to her days. With a gentle dip of her head, the she-cat used her whiskers for guidance to maneuver her way out of the den, being careful not to step on or wake any of her peacefully sleeping clanmates.

As much as the feeling of her clanmates' warm bodies against her own was a comforting one, being outside of the den was much more freeing. No more of the stuffiness of the den, but a gentle breeze, and the scent of the crisp leaf-fall air around her. Snowbriar took a few steps away from the warriors' den and sat down, curling her tail around her white paws and pointing her nose up to the sky. It felt calm and peaceful; her mind was clear, and Snowbriar felt ready for another day ahead of her, hoping it would be more interesting than the last. After a moment, she closed her eyes, focusing on all of the tiniest sensations and scents around her; the gentle sounds of movement of her clanmates waking up, faint sounds of chatter within a den nearby, and of course… the new scent of EmberClan.
Snowbriar's fur bristled for a moment, but she kept still, breathing calmly to relax again. Of course, she knew of the EmberClan cats' presence within the camp - it was hard to have a conversation with a clanmate the past few days without that being the main topic at hand. Their presence was hard to ignore, even for a cat who couldn’t see them in front of her. While she extended her utmost sympathy towards the cats, Snowbriar knew she couldn’t get distracted once again by feeling the heartache of those around her. With a gentle sigh and shake of her head, Snowbriar uttered a gentle prayer to StarClan for the safety of both her own Clan and those around her, before settling down on her paws, still quietly attempting to acclimate herself to the new scents in the camp once again.

✦ ─ adderfrost . 30m . moonlitclan warrior . tags; honeyfern

Every time Adderfrost settled down for some alone time, it never seemed to last. Whether it was Oakpool telling him to get on patrol, Brackenpaw pestering him about training, or Sandstorm annoying him, the tom felt like he could never truly be alone. And this time, it was no different. With a frustrated flick of his tail, he glanced up at the sound of pawsteps moving towards him, momentarily distracting him from his EmberClan-watching activities. Already preparing to tell the oncoming cat to buzz off, his expression shifted when he noticed it was.. Honeyfern? Adderfrost's eyes narrowed slightly, grey tail twitching in suspicion. What could she possibly want?

This was likely the cat he would've least expected to approach him.With both of them usually keeping to themselves, the interactions between them were minimal to none, and so, Adderfrost had always assumed she was the same as most his other Clanmates - naive, sensitive, and weak. Unworthy of his time, to say the least.

When Honeyfern hesitantly dropped the mouse at his paws, Adderfrost paused and assessed her again with a faint sense of surprise. Knowing his cold nature, most cats went out of their way to avoid him, so a kind favour was rare. Rare, to the point where Adderfrost knew he couldn't trust it. His expression hardened again. Maybe Honeyfern was trying to use this as a way to get in his good books, or hoping it would incite him to feel like he'd owe her a favour later. Whatever his clanmate's intentions were, he wouldn't fall for it. With one gentle move, he nudged the mouse back towards Honeyfern, and gazed up at her with piercing green eyes. "I'm not hungry," he stated. Despite what was likely a lie, his voice was a mixture between calculating and calm. He was curious to see Honeyfern's reaction to his cool rejection.



✦ ─ sweetpaw. 7m . moonlitclan apprentice. tags; none [open] (mentions meadowhaze, blazingpaw)

Sweetpaw was always a light sleeper. Voices, shuffling outside the den, pawsteps - and the apprentice was already awake. She tried to curl up a little tighter, looking like a small ball of grey and ginger fur in the corner of the apprentice's den. However, with the continuous noise of the Clan rising to life, Sweetpaw knew she couldn't stay hidden for much longer. The noises began to make her pelt itch and the closeness of her denmates felt more suffocating than comfortable, and so she knew it was time to get up. With an air of hesitance, the young cat rose to her paws, her eyes adjusting to the dim light of the apprentice's den. Her fur prickled with nervousness, she slinked out of the den with gentle movements, breathing a sigh of relief once she was out. Though she wasn't in bad books with any of her denmates, she also wasn't exactly close to either of them - and she definitely wasn't looking to make her relationship with them even worse by awaking them when they were so peacefully asleep.

Once out of the den Sweetpaw's copper eyes wandered the camp, hoping to see Meadowhaze; but to her disappointment, she couldn't catch her mentor's distinct white and grey pelt anywhere. Though she had only been an apprentice for a moon, Sweetpaw had already become quite attached to her mentor, feeling lost without the familiar she-cat to guide her steps. She also couldn't see Blazingpaw - possibly the only other cat her age who's energy didn't overwhelm Sweetpaw. Without her mentor or her friend anywhere in the clearing, Sweetpaw decided to spend her free time in her usual spot: a quiet corner of MoonlitClan's camp, intentionally out of anyone's way. As an attempt at distraction until she'd get inevitably approached, she kept herself busy by grooming her dappled pelt - remembering how Meadowhaze always looked so sleek and presentable, Sweetpaw decided to try to reflect her mentor's tidy appearance in her own, hoping it would impress her mentor the next time she saw her.