________________paragraphsnow crunched under his paws and stuck into the crevices between his pads, but otterfur knew that he had to keep moving, had to put as much distance as possible between himself and what had happened. so he walked. he walked until his paws were numb from walking, numb from the freezing cold of the snow. he walked until it was all he knew how to do, and he kept his eyes forward. for looking back meant that he might lose his resolve and that he himself might crumble. leafbare was harsh, but he had no choice but to persevere. otterfur had no real sense of direction, moving only forward to the next spot, one foot in front of the other, stopping only when food and rest was absolutely necessary. when he'd lost everything else in his life that he cared about, moving forward was his only purpose for staying alive. if nothing else, his travel gave him a chance to see some of the world that he once might never have come across if not for putting the past behind him. an expansive and windy moor, crossed mountains, on and on through forest after forest. he crossed distinct borders that marked clan territory, but did his best to stay out of the way of passing patrols, and away from any areas where the scent of strange cats was particularly strong.
paragraphuntil, at last, he arrived at the lake. it was a lovely sight, glittering in the afternoon beams of cold light from the sun overhead. it would only be a matter of time until sunset, he supposed, and the ground was hardened from ice and the cold, but otterfur didn't mind it. in fact, he didn't find himself minding much of anything anymore. how could he, after he'd lost so much and done so many things that a decent cat couldn't be proud of? he'd lost his best friend to some sort of tyrannical madness that led him to nearly destroy bearclan, he lost the only mate he'd ever had, he'd killed his apprentice, and his sons... his regrets piled on, one on top of another, on top of another. with each step he took away from bearclan, another name passed through his head of those he'd let down, or those he had betrayed or violated.
paragraphthe edges of the lake were crusted with ice, and otterfur reached out to touch it. when he pressed down, a spiderweb of cracks began to form, radiating outward in a seemingly randomly pattern from the epicenter of contact. if he hadn't known better, he might have said that it was some sort of poetic irony, that it symbolized something extremely profound as if some greater reflection on his past. but it was just ice, and ice cracked when layered so thin over the dark lake water. it was only when a voice carried on the air, too close for comfort, that otterfur's gaze snapped up to attention, and he stared into pale green eyes. "i wouldn't do that, if i were you," the cat called out, and otterfur's eyes swiveled, seeking out any additional signs of other cats. "it's like i've been telling everyone, chills are more dangerous than anyone thinks that they are. it starts with a sniffle and shortness of breath, and then it gets worse." there was a sigh, and otterfur regarded the cat carefully, only to feel his eyes widen when the cat shook his head and swished his tail. "anyway, are you coming, or not?"
paragraphotterfur blinked, rose to his paws. "what are you saying? go where?" again, his gaze searched the surrounding area for other flashes of fur. "who are you?" he heard himself ask, only for the cat to let out a laugh, so carefree and uninhibited that it took the skinny brown tom aback.
paragraph"i'm merlinsong, highgarden's herbalist," the strange tom said, only to pad forward, closer to otterfur when the brown tom just blinked at him again. merlinsong's whiskers twitched with amusement. "no? doesn't ring any bells?" merlinsong asked, only to let out another sigh when otterfur shook his head. "no, i guess not. we don't tend to venture too far from the valley, you know," he said, though otterfur didn't know. when merlinsong gestured again off in the direction he had originally come from, and otterfur could only follow the stranger's lead, too travel-weary to try and argue. instead he was forced to listen as he rattled on. "it's like softglow's been trying to tell tawnyrose - oh, you'll meet them both soon enough, the king and queen of highgarden, of course - we need to work on how other clans see us. tawnyrose - oh, don't worry, she plays up a lot colder than she actually is, in my opinion, i'm sure she'll warm up to you in no time - anyway, like i was saying, tawnyrose likes to think that we're different than other clans, that we don't follow in the same pawsteps that they do. so we don't go to many gatherings and tend to contact only border clans," merlinsong continued with a nonchalant shrug. "so it's no surprise that you haven't heard of us before." together they walked, otterfur's long legs covering more ground that merlinsong, though he kept pace, following him through the snowbanks. "but you'll find out all about highgarden, when you stick around, and -"
paragraph"i never said that i would stay," otterfur said, suddenly halting altogether. "i don't know anything about your clan. and i'm perfectly fine on my own." his thoughts ran through the most recent scars from bearclan. the bear itself, viperstar and lionclaw, being driven out. "i think i'm better off on my own."
paragraphbut merlinsong's expression was incredulous when he faced otterfur properly. the dark tail swished against the snowy ground. "funny, i thought you looked a lot smarter than that. no one is better on their own. and anyone who thinks that way clearly hasn't been in the best of company lately." otterfur couldn't help the sharp, toneless laugh that he let out at the though, and merlinsong flashed a crooked smile. "i rest my case," merlinsong said, though otterfur merely flicked his ear. "i don't know what you've been through, but i can tell you that highgarden is different. take that however you want, but we've got cats who come from everywhere. and everyone has secrets. no one's perfect, but highgarden's a good place for a new start. if you meet us, you might just like us." then merlinsong flicked his tail. "though i can tell you that not everyone is anywhere near as entertaining as i am."
paragraphat that, otterfur couldn't help but crack a grin, eyeing merlinsong with a new light. he was strange, sure, and otterfur didn't know anything about him, but he'd left viperstar to get a chance for a new start. highgarden: he doubted there was such a thing as paradise, but he was tired of walking without a purpose, and here was a second chance tossed at his paws. "i think it'd be hard to find anyone quite like you," he said, and merlinsong's eyes glittered with amusement.
paragraph"oh, i knew you would catch on quickly, you've got that spark in you," merlinsong said, letting out a satisfied purr. "you can tell me more about you while we walk back, alright? i'd prefer to get home before my paws freeze," merlinsong said, and otterfur dipped his head. they began to walk again, and mountains rose into view in the middle of the territory, capped in snow, before otterfur's eyes.
paragraph"my name's otterfur," he started, well-aware that there would be many things he would keep to himself, some details that were worth omitting if he wanted a fresh start. some details would need to be omitted completely, but others he could keep. "i came this way from bearclan. i had to walk quite a way to get here, bearclan isn't anywhere near here."
paragraph"bearclan," merlinsong echoed, his eyes round. "why the name?"
paragraphotterfur let out a long exhale. "well, originally, slatestar said that it was because he wanted a strong clan. but, if you could believe it, there was actually a bear." merlinsong's surprised reply was carried on the wind in a cloud of fog when he huffed out a breath. and, like that, they exchanged stories while they walked through the snow, into the heart of highgarden territory.
paragraph"tawnyrose!" bluetcrest called from the middle of the camp as soon as the queen emerged from her den, and she could only sigh heavily and roll her eyes as her dearest friend dashed from the cluster of roses and knights to her side. "it's still cold in camp, you're better off being inside," bluetcrest was saying, and tawnyrose touched her nose to his cheek to try and quiet him. he pulled back and shot her a fierce glance. "i'm serious, tawnyrose. merlinsong will shred my ears if he finds out that you're at risk for a cold or worse," her attendant said.
paragraph"you need to relax," tawnyrose said, brushing past him, "i'm not leaving the camp. merlinsong said that it would be good for me to stretch my legs every now and then. these strolls around camp are herbalist-endorsed," she assured bluetcrest, who pressed close to her flank, as if to offer his own body heat to her. "i swear, you're more worried than i am," tawnyrose teased, and bluetcrest merely scoffed.
paragraph"well someone has to be worried. this is the future of highgarden, this is the future queen!" he said, and tawnyrose purred quietly, leaning her head against bluetcrest's for a long moment.
paragraph"you're right, but the next queen will have to wait a long while. i'm not done leading yet," tawnyrose said, and bluetcrest managed a laugh at that. together, they round back to where bluetcrest had left the roses and knights who still needed to be sent out on patrols for the day. tawnyrose exchanged a smile with tigergaze and smokemane, who were chatting between themselves, and she brushed her cheek affectionately against flickersky's. then she turned back to bluetcrest. "i'll be fine, handle this," she instructed him, already going to wave her tail to silence him when he opened his mouth to argue, but another voice came from behind tawnyrose.
paragraph"i'll walk with our queen for a little bit, since i just got back," birchflame said casually, and bluetcrest's sharp yellow gaze locked on tawnyrose's eyes before the attendant sighed and nodded once and turned back to mapleshadow. by the rigid line of her friend's spine, tawnyrose could tell that bluetcrest wasn't entirely pleased, but she turned her attention to birchflame instead, and the large knight studied her face when she padded to him.
paragraph"i will warn you that laps around camp can be quite boring," she said, and birchflame let out a warm laugh.
paragraph"we'll see about that. it's my honor to walk with the queen." and so they began, taking their time as they strolled. as winter was beginning to loosen its hold, the snow had begun to melt. softglow had organized cats to finish clearing the slush from the camp, and bassflow and otterfur, the new knight, had done a good job as volunteers for the tedious project. as they walked, birchflame made a point to steer tawnyrose away from any puddles or mud, and he smiled kindly at her. "how are you feeling, by the way?" he asked, and tawnyrose flicked him with her tail.
paragraph"oh no, you aren't allowed to start with me too," she said, and birchflame chuckled in kind. "i'm fine. cats have kits all of the time, and everyone here is acting as if this is so different." she'd already had to sit through lectures from merlinsong and bluetcrest, and she was not ready to have birchflame create an issue as well.
paragraphstill, the ginger tom hummed thoughtfully. "you're right, but this clan adores you, you're our queen," he commented after a beat. as if on cue following his statement, foxspark, racoonslip, and wolfhowl called out a greeting to the queen, who smiled warmly after them as they ran past to catch up to where mapleshadow was taking out a patrol. "and they'll love your kits," he added when the knights and rose were out of earshot. tawnyrose didn't miss the hint of bitterness hiding between his words. she set her jaw.
paragraphwhen she first when to birchflame to tell him that she was pregnant, she knew that he would understand everything that went with it. the kits were his, no doubt about it, but the odds that he would ever be able to claim them as his were slim. even if it was suspected, even if it was known that the kits weren't softglow's, claiming them as his kits would be detrimental to their claim as heirs, and to tawnyrose's status as queen. he understood this, though that didn't mean that he liked it by any means. "of course they'll love them. everyone loves kits," tawnyrose said, nodding politely to otterfur when he passed, managing a tight smile at the pair. "what do you think of him?" she asked, dropping her voice to a whisper.
paragraphbirchflame was silent for a moment, only to shoot a glance over his shoulder towards otterfur. "haven't spoken to him much. went hunting with him the other evening. a little quiet, a little jumpy," birchflame said, then shrugged. "he was talking to hurricanejaw, though, so that must be a good sign," he added, and tawnyrose bobbed her head, noncommittal. then he cleared his throat and spoke again, "whenever a new cat comes here, i can't help but think of when clovershine and i came here," he said, and tawnyrose sent his a sideways glance, though he tipped his head back to look at the clear blue sky. "it feels like so long ago, now. i wonder where i would be if we hadn't found highgarden."
paragraphtawnyrose expected him to say something further, though birchflame lapsed into silence. her whiskers twitched. "and?" she urged. "what do you come up with? is it better than here?"
paragraphbirchflame flicked his ear and blinked at the sky for a moment longer. then he met her gaze and smiled broadly. "that's the thing, i can't imagine anything better than here. even if i tried, highgarden is perfect. i have my best friend, the other knights and roses are great..." he trailed off, but his eyes remained fixed on tawnyrose, who shook her head, scoffing.
paragraph"you're obligated to say that, you know," she said. "it would've been insulting if you didn't."
paragraphbirchflame's fur brushed against hers when he maneuvered her carefully around a puddle of mud, though he lingered close for a moment longer than necessary, and tawnyrose's eyes drew back to his face. "but you know that i mean it," he said, and they both looked up when dippernose passed by, herding the thorns away from their den as he cleared away a branch that had fallen from a tree during one of the recent snowstorms. dippernose waved his tail at them, his mouth full of tree bark. tawnyrose and birchflame lingered long enough to greet him kindly in turn, before they padded away, and birchflame lowered his voice. "there's no place i'd rather be than by your side, you know that," he said, and tawnyrose glanced around the clearing, mindful of who might be listening in.
paragraph"you know what i said," she replied, forcing herself to keep her expression school and formal, as if she had been speaking with anyone else, if birchflame was smallheart, betonypetal, or hurricanejaw. "i'm glad that they're yours," she said, when birchflame's expression tightened. "but this isn't easy for anyone, this is just how it has to be. maybe, eventually, it can be different. but for now, right now, this is what is." she expected it when birchflame ducked his head for just a moment before he regained his facade and nodded.
paragraph"i know, i'm trying to understand," he said, and tawnyrose blinked sympathetically at him. "everyone is still going to know."
paragraph"and it'll be my word against theirs. if they love me as much as you say they do, then they'll learn to be blind to some things," she said, and birchflame let out a laugh at that at last, either from surprise or otherwise at such bold confidence, tawnyrose couldn't immediately tell.
paragraph"i'm just excited to see them," he said. "heir of highgarden. it has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" birchflame added, this time nodding to ferretwhisker as they paused at the nursery. ferretwhisker grinned broadly and wrapped her tail over her paws. before her, her kits were still taking in the vast sights of the highgarden camp, briarkit and daisykit speaking gently to them in low tones. since pythoneyes came the moon before, the sisters had opened up considerably, even giggling and smiling when tawnyrose's eyes passed over them.
paragraph"it certainly does. it'll be a cause for much celebration, i'm positive," ferretwhisker said. "and quillkit has already been asking when they can get new playmates since briarkit and daisykit are leaving the nursery soon."
paragraphtawnyrose purred, deciding to settle down beside ferretwhisker, and birchflame sat at her other shoulder. "oh, i'm sure we can figure out some special occasion to welcome them," she said, not missing birchflame's grin at the idea. ferretwhisker, however, let out a loud purr and touched her nose to tawnyrose's shoulder delicately, and tawnyrose listed to her ideas as the kits played and the clan moved about the camp, preparing for the coming close of winter and everything that would be coming next in due time.
paragraphthe sky was clear while hornetshade sat guard for the night, his tail curled neatly over his paws. the front tunnel had been quiet for most of the night since the moonhigh patrol left with newtmask leading, the patrol leaving just as hornetshade relieved sandstrike from duty, and the pale molly had all but stumbled back to the den, exhausted from a long day. hornetshade hadn't slept well in seasons, and he stared up at the moon, feeling wide awake. while many of the roses and knights dreaded the rotation of night guard duty, hornetshade was known for filling in when someone was needed to take a late patrol or would be scheduled for the dawn patrol. he liked the peace that came in the middle of the night, in the period of time after the dusk patrol had returned and most cats were in their dens, before the moonhigh patrol was due to arrive back and before the dawn patrol was coming together. it gave him the chance to either think deeply about his day, or to zone and trust his senses, to think of nothing at all. he found solace in the feeling that he was the only cat in the world wide awake, that there was only him and the night noises of distant birdsong and his clanmates' slumber. he watched over the clan, and the moon and stars watched over him.
paragraphhornetshade heard the pawsteps from across the camp, the gentle brush of fur against the cold ground, and instinct kicked in. before he had the chance to take in scent, he stood and whirled around. a beat passed, and he stared into ferretwhisker's clear blue eyes. if there was one thing he remembered of her from their shared past, it was that ferretwhisker's real smile was distinct and delicate, so slight and gentle, but made any cat feel noticed and adored when directed to them. as a kit, he had done much to get her attention, when she was just a young warrior. now, he flicked his ear and sat back down, face turned towards the camp entrance. "can't sleep?" he asked at last, and ferretwhisker settled a tail-length away from him. a calculated and careful distance.
paragraph"how could we, after everything?" ferretwhisker replied, and hornetshade flicked his ear again in answer. then: "hornetshade... how did you ever decide on that name? your mother would have been appalled -" she began, though hornetshade finally felt his patience crack completely and he hissed low in his throat, cutting her off.
paragraph"you don't get to say anything about her," he growled, though ferretwhisker didn't so much as twitch. their gazes locked and hornetshade spat indignantly. "besides, after what happened, i doubt her greatest concern would have been that i changed my name. it was for protection - you should know that. you should've changed your name too." he shuffled his forepaws then, scraped against the top layer of dirt and dead grass that hadn't survived through the winter moons. "i was never supposed to see anyone from then again, and now you show up again, just like you did that night, and you act like we're supposed to be friends," he said, trailing off with a shake of his head.
paragraphferretwhisker rolled her eyes, unsympathetic. "after everything i did, you'd think that you might've been a little more thankful," she shot back, and hornetshade forced his fur to remain flat against the back of his neck, deciding to let her finish speaking. "they were chasing you, you're lucky that i'm the one who found you. you were still a kit, they would've swallowed you whole if they'd gotten their chance to get you. you're lucky i let you go and led them away," ferretwhisker said, and her eyes burned hot when their gazes locked again. then, she dropped her head for a moment and let out a prolonged sigh, regaining her composure before she glanced at the young tom again. "when montgomery overthrew thrushstar, we didn't know that anyone was supposed to get hurt. we thought we were making the clan better -"
paragraph"by killing the half of the clan that didn't follow him?" hornetshade cut in, his voice cracking halfway through. "you tell me, ferretwhisker, how does that make any sense?" he felt his entire body tremble from the emotion that welled up, had been piling on for seasons. since he got to highgarden, the entire time before highgarden. "my mother did nothing, and she was killed. and you didn't do anything to try and stop it. you just let it happen, and that makes you just as horrible as montgomery, you must know that."
paragraph"i helped you," ferretwhisker whispered, and hornetshade turned his head away from her.
paragraph"after it was too late, after you already had all their blood on your paws. and you just told me to run, i didn't even know if you would kill me the moment i had my back turned. i still don't know that you aren't leading him here to do it again in highgarden," hornetshade said, and ferretwhisker appeared unable to meet his eyes this time. he let out a watery laugh. "right, that's what i mean." he stood then and shook out his fur, turned away from ferretwhisker. "i'm still on guard duty. i need to do rounds of the camp." he paused mid-step, however, when ferretwhisker spoke up again.
paragraph"why haven't you told anyone?" she asked, and hornetshade glanced back to her over his shoulder. he shrugged.
paragraph"you have small kits. they haven't done any wrong," he said, took another step, and paused again. "when they turn four moons, just remember that that's how old i was when you helped murder my mother and destroy our clan." with that, he padded away from ferretwhisker, leaving her to sit alone in front of the camp entrance with the moon shining brightly overhead.
paragraphin the time he'd been in highgarden, pythoneyes found that he was settling in nicely, was happy to have a home that seemed quite safe and secure, was happy that he managed to track down briarkit and daisykit. he was glad that the kits seemed to enjoy their new clan as well and had taken to the younger kits and the thorns that were only a few moons older than them. originally, when the highgarden cats found the sisters, they said that they'd been extremely quiet, acting more like two shadows than two young kits. thankfully, it seemed that they had managed to warm up more since they recognized pythoneyes from their past home. pythoneyes spent the majority of his days helping out on patrols, more than happy to volunteer his time to seek out hard to find prey and learn more about the highgarden borders, though his evenings and nights were spent in the nursery with his best friend's kits, making sure that they were happy.
paragraph"are you both excited to start your training soon?" pythoneyes asked them. across the nursery, ferretwhisker had managed to round up her kits and fit them in her nest. elkkit was complaining about going to bed so soon, saying that he wasn't even tired until his argument was broken off with a yawn, earning a laugh from the rest of his siblings. in turn, daisykit and briarkit agreed that they were excited, and listed off a few cats that they would want to be mentored by. and pythoneyes listened to them, happy to hear their voices and the excitement at the prospect of the vast future before them.
paragraphhe groomed between daisykit's ears gently, and briarkit leaned into his flank, already beginning to doze off, that is, until daisykit twisted to look up at pythoneyes. "can you tell us a story?" she asked, and pythoneyes blinked dumbly at her for a long moment before he licked his lips.
paragraph"i'm not - i'm not good at telling stories," he said, but swallowed thickly when daisykit fixed him with him with those wide eyes. "but i can try. i - uh - what do you want to hear a story about?"
paragraphbriarkit sat up at the prospect of entertainment. "can you tell us one about mama?" she asked. "what was she like at our age?" daisykit, meanwhile, twisted around in pythoneyes' grasp to look up at him properly, and pythoneyes let out a gentle laugh, bending his head to press down a tuft of fur that stuck out at the top of her head.
paragraph"your mother... you know, she was actually a bit of a troublemaker back in the day," pythoneyes began, letting the kits press close as they held on to his every word. "i remember a time before we were apprentices, and lotuspetal - your mother was only lotuskit at that time, of course - had the idea that we would go fox hunting. we overheard the warriors talking about how there were foxes on the territory, and she decided that we were the ones who should go hunt it down. you know, the usual idea that if we did something so great, that we would be made warriors immediately. we were so young then, so foolish, we thought it made sense. trust me, it's not worth this, don't actually try to do this or i'll have your ears," pythoneyes said, aware that ferretwhisker was still awake and listening to the story, and the molly let out a soft purr at the light teasing. "anyway, we were only kits at the time. we'd never been far out of the camp, we didn't even know what a fox looked like, not really, let alone how to track one or kill it. still, your mother managed to convince me and your father that it was a good idea and that we had to go with her. by that point, i think your father was already a little bit in love with your mother, and maybe she was already in love with him. i was just happy to have a best friend, i would've followed her anywhere if it meant being her friend. so, we managed sneak out when our mothers were sleeping, since there was a hole in the nursery after a storm hit the camp and ripped a hole in the wall, just small enough for us to squeeze through." at that, pythoneyes paused long enough to glance about the nursery, pleased that the walls were still sturdy and intact. daisykit and briarkit were warm against him, and quiet as they were lulled by his voice.
paragraph"so we managed to get out of camp without anyone noticing. again, we didn't know how to track foxes, so the three of us were wandering aimlessly, just waiting for this mystery fox to land in front of us, and then i guess we just assumed that it would run from us, or fall over dead. the fact that we got as far as we did was surprising, in hindsight. but then your mother saw it: a tail! dawn was breaking over the horizon, night was over, and we finally found it. it was red, just like we heard foxes were. together, the three of us attacked. your mother latched right onto that tail with her teeth and held on as tight as she could. the tail lashed, but your mother was a born fighter, and she wasn't so easily beaten," he continued. pythoneyes recognized that briarkit was already asleep, that daisykit was close behind. still, he spoke on. "finally, i got through the brushes that were blocked our sight of the full fox. there was snarling, a lot of spitting, and i just wanted to see what a fox really looked like. so imagine how surprised i was when it turned out that it wasn't a fox at all, but our clan's deputy, sunflash, who was not happy that we'd gotten out to go fox hunting, even less happy that your mother had taken a bite out of his tail. apparently our mothers woke up before dawn, and the search parties had been tracking us." he laughed then, carefree and easy. briarkit rolled over in her sleep and daisykit snuffled a snore. across the nursery, even ferretwhisker had dozed off, her breathing coming out evenly. but pythoneyes looked up to see bluetcrest sitting in the entrance, his ears pricked. "how much did you hear?" he asked the attendant, and bluetcrest flashed a smile.
paragraph"i think i missed the bit in the very beginning, but i got the gist," he said, and pythoneyes matched his grin when the other tom blinked and asked: "so, how much trouble did you three get in?"
paragraphfor a moment, pythoneyes hummed, smoothed down daisykit's fur with his tailtip. "had to wait an extra moon to start training. had to spend that time taking care of elders and helping out the medicine cat," he said, then shrugged. "could've been worse. we could've been eaten by a fox." at that, bluetcrest let out a quiet chuckle, and pythoneyes' smile broadened from amusement.
paragraphthe idea first came about after iguanaspots decided that she was tired of hearing warblercry go on and on about her massive crush on hornetshade, how she was tired of wolfhowl bemoan how cute privetears was, and how much she wished that privetears and sandstrike weren't already constantly attached at the hip. iguanaspots was, frankly, tired of all of the relationship talk, and was tired of being cramped inside the den most hours of the day to try and ward off the chills that merlinsong was so scared of. so, as soon as word passed through the highgarden cats that rose lake and the twin rivers had begun to thaw, signalling nicer weather just around the bend, iguanaspots hunted down her friends and gathered them up, along with the newest rose, lyrewhistle who had been found only several days earlier. the newest addition to their friend group looked on wide-eyed as iguanaspots paced up and down in front of her friends. "i'm tired of all of the talk about toms and mollies and crushes and how much you want to wallow in self-pity," iguanaspots said, then looking to lyrewhistle with a cheery grin. "you're the exception, of course, but i figured this would be a good chance for you to get to know us," iguanaspots said, and lyrewhistle nodded her head slowly, still looking uncertain but she managed a tight smile.
paragraphat the same time, warblercry and wolfhowl exchanged a glance. "what are we going to do, then?" wolfhowl asked, swishing her tail against the ground.
paragraph"i overheard hurricanejaw telling bluetcrest that rose lake has thawed, so i want to go to the old bridge. and it'll be a good chance to show lyrewhistle around the territory since she's new." again, iguanaspots' glance lingered on lyrewhistle, and warblercry shot wolfhowl a sideways glance, though the smaller rose merely flicked her ear in acknowledgement of warblercry's look.
paragraph"we still can't be out too long, and we'll have to be careful," warblercry commented, an iguanaspots finally looked back to her, nodding her agreement. "because tawnyrose always says that the floods come with the thaw." together, the small group got up and headed out of the camp entrance.
paragraph"floods?" that was lyrewhistle, who glanced between the mollies who had been there for many moons already, who knew so much more than she did. "is that something we should be worried about?"
paragraphwolfhowl bobbed her head at that. "you haven't heard?" she asked, humming when lyrewhistle shook her head. "yeah, the flooding is a bit of a problem here. last spring we had to leave camp for a little bit and live by the old tower until the flood waters went back. and then we had the spring tournament after that to thank the mother for her mercy," wolfhowl said, and warblercry purred her amusement in response. "right, well, the story goes that tawnyrose was only one of the former queen's daughters. just her daughter, not the next queen in line. but one year the thaw came early and no one was prepared, so the flood swept through the valley and swept all of the cats away, drowning pretty much everyone. except tawnyrose, of course." at that, lyrewhistle shuddered, and iguanaspots sent the new rose a gentle smile.
paragraph"not that it should be something you should worry about," iguanaspots cut in, shooting wolfhowl a pointed look, and the other rose flicked her short tail. "tawnyrose says that we're far more prepared now than highgarden used to be. once the thaw really sets in, i'm sure we'll be on the move to the old tower to wait it out, and everything will be fine then. besides, highgarden cats are good swimmers."
paragraph"what if i can't swim?" lyrewhistle asked, quietly, so quiet that iguanaspots thought she might have imagined that the other rose spoke at all, but there was a glimmer of fear in her eyes, and iguanaspots nudged her with her shoulder to try and soothe her.
paragraph"like i said, it won't be an issue. we'll be gone before anything's going to happen. and we could always teach you to swim just in case," iguanaspots assured, and lyrewhistle managed another tight smile, nodded once. "everything'll be fine," she assured gently, and lyrewhistle nodded again, as if to convince herself that she could listen to iguanaspots.
paragraphin the same moment, wolfhowl let out a shout and darted forward, warblercry on her heels. "you were right!" wolfhowl gushed when iguanaspots and lyrewhistle caught up. sure enough, the lake glimmered in the sunlight, not as light bouncing off of ice, but as light reflected off the water. wolfhowl dared to go up to the edge, then deftly struck out a paw to send water droplets cascading towards her friends in a wide arc, splattering them with freezing water.
paragraph"wolfhowl!" warblercry complained, indignant, when she shook out her fur. "you know what merlinsong said, i don't want to get a cold!" she said, though wolfhowl merely laughed. when wolfhowl went to aim her paw at the water again, warblercry tackled into her sideways, and the pair rolled away from the water's edge, tussling. under other circumstances, iguanaspots wouldn't have hesitated to join in their games, though this time she beckoned lyrewhistle towards the lake.
paragraph"anyway, this is rose lake, which i'm sure you could figure out. across the water is groveclan, and beyond groveclan is hazeclan, and then that way is -" and on and on iguanaspots began to explain, leaning close to lyrewhistle to better be able to point out the different notable landmarks and directions.
paragraphat the same time, warblercry and wolfhowl broke apart, laughing at themselves, breathless and carefree. then warblercry poked wolfhowl's side and nodded towards iguanaspots. "what was it that she was saying?" she asked. "no talk or toms or mollies."
paragraphwolfhowl let out a laugh at that, rolling onto her side and swiping at warblercry, who batted her away easily. "and definitely no talk of crushes!"
paragraphuntil, at last, he arrived at the lake. it was a lovely sight, glittering in the afternoon beams of cold light from the sun overhead. it would only be a matter of time until sunset, he supposed, and the ground was hardened from ice and the cold, but otterfur didn't mind it. in fact, he didn't find himself minding much of anything anymore. how could he, after he'd lost so much and done so many things that a decent cat couldn't be proud of? he'd lost his best friend to some sort of tyrannical madness that led him to nearly destroy bearclan, he lost the only mate he'd ever had, he'd killed his apprentice, and his sons... his regrets piled on, one on top of another, on top of another. with each step he took away from bearclan, another name passed through his head of those he'd let down, or those he had betrayed or violated.
paragraphthe edges of the lake were crusted with ice, and otterfur reached out to touch it. when he pressed down, a spiderweb of cracks began to form, radiating outward in a seemingly randomly pattern from the epicenter of contact. if he hadn't known better, he might have said that it was some sort of poetic irony, that it symbolized something extremely profound as if some greater reflection on his past. but it was just ice, and ice cracked when layered so thin over the dark lake water. it was only when a voice carried on the air, too close for comfort, that otterfur's gaze snapped up to attention, and he stared into pale green eyes. "i wouldn't do that, if i were you," the cat called out, and otterfur's eyes swiveled, seeking out any additional signs of other cats. "it's like i've been telling everyone, chills are more dangerous than anyone thinks that they are. it starts with a sniffle and shortness of breath, and then it gets worse." there was a sigh, and otterfur regarded the cat carefully, only to feel his eyes widen when the cat shook his head and swished his tail. "anyway, are you coming, or not?"
paragraphotterfur blinked, rose to his paws. "what are you saying? go where?" again, his gaze searched the surrounding area for other flashes of fur. "who are you?" he heard himself ask, only for the cat to let out a laugh, so carefree and uninhibited that it took the skinny brown tom aback.
paragraph"i'm merlinsong, highgarden's herbalist," the strange tom said, only to pad forward, closer to otterfur when the brown tom just blinked at him again. merlinsong's whiskers twitched with amusement. "no? doesn't ring any bells?" merlinsong asked, only to let out another sigh when otterfur shook his head. "no, i guess not. we don't tend to venture too far from the valley, you know," he said, though otterfur didn't know. when merlinsong gestured again off in the direction he had originally come from, and otterfur could only follow the stranger's lead, too travel-weary to try and argue. instead he was forced to listen as he rattled on. "it's like softglow's been trying to tell tawnyrose - oh, you'll meet them both soon enough, the king and queen of highgarden, of course - we need to work on how other clans see us. tawnyrose - oh, don't worry, she plays up a lot colder than she actually is, in my opinion, i'm sure she'll warm up to you in no time - anyway, like i was saying, tawnyrose likes to think that we're different than other clans, that we don't follow in the same pawsteps that they do. so we don't go to many gatherings and tend to contact only border clans," merlinsong continued with a nonchalant shrug. "so it's no surprise that you haven't heard of us before." together they walked, otterfur's long legs covering more ground that merlinsong, though he kept pace, following him through the snowbanks. "but you'll find out all about highgarden, when you stick around, and -"
paragraph"i never said that i would stay," otterfur said, suddenly halting altogether. "i don't know anything about your clan. and i'm perfectly fine on my own." his thoughts ran through the most recent scars from bearclan. the bear itself, viperstar and lionclaw, being driven out. "i think i'm better off on my own."
paragraphbut merlinsong's expression was incredulous when he faced otterfur properly. the dark tail swished against the snowy ground. "funny, i thought you looked a lot smarter than that. no one is better on their own. and anyone who thinks that way clearly hasn't been in the best of company lately." otterfur couldn't help the sharp, toneless laugh that he let out at the though, and merlinsong flashed a crooked smile. "i rest my case," merlinsong said, though otterfur merely flicked his ear. "i don't know what you've been through, but i can tell you that highgarden is different. take that however you want, but we've got cats who come from everywhere. and everyone has secrets. no one's perfect, but highgarden's a good place for a new start. if you meet us, you might just like us." then merlinsong flicked his tail. "though i can tell you that not everyone is anywhere near as entertaining as i am."
paragraphat that, otterfur couldn't help but crack a grin, eyeing merlinsong with a new light. he was strange, sure, and otterfur didn't know anything about him, but he'd left viperstar to get a chance for a new start. highgarden: he doubted there was such a thing as paradise, but he was tired of walking without a purpose, and here was a second chance tossed at his paws. "i think it'd be hard to find anyone quite like you," he said, and merlinsong's eyes glittered with amusement.
paragraph"oh, i knew you would catch on quickly, you've got that spark in you," merlinsong said, letting out a satisfied purr. "you can tell me more about you while we walk back, alright? i'd prefer to get home before my paws freeze," merlinsong said, and otterfur dipped his head. they began to walk again, and mountains rose into view in the middle of the territory, capped in snow, before otterfur's eyes.
paragraph"my name's otterfur," he started, well-aware that there would be many things he would keep to himself, some details that were worth omitting if he wanted a fresh start. some details would need to be omitted completely, but others he could keep. "i came this way from bearclan. i had to walk quite a way to get here, bearclan isn't anywhere near here."
paragraph"bearclan," merlinsong echoed, his eyes round. "why the name?"
paragraphotterfur let out a long exhale. "well, originally, slatestar said that it was because he wanted a strong clan. but, if you could believe it, there was actually a bear." merlinsong's surprised reply was carried on the wind in a cloud of fog when he huffed out a breath. and, like that, they exchanged stories while they walked through the snow, into the heart of highgarden territory.
paragraph"tawnyrose!" bluetcrest called from the middle of the camp as soon as the queen emerged from her den, and she could only sigh heavily and roll her eyes as her dearest friend dashed from the cluster of roses and knights to her side. "it's still cold in camp, you're better off being inside," bluetcrest was saying, and tawnyrose touched her nose to his cheek to try and quiet him. he pulled back and shot her a fierce glance. "i'm serious, tawnyrose. merlinsong will shred my ears if he finds out that you're at risk for a cold or worse," her attendant said.
paragraph"you need to relax," tawnyrose said, brushing past him, "i'm not leaving the camp. merlinsong said that it would be good for me to stretch my legs every now and then. these strolls around camp are herbalist-endorsed," she assured bluetcrest, who pressed close to her flank, as if to offer his own body heat to her. "i swear, you're more worried than i am," tawnyrose teased, and bluetcrest merely scoffed.
paragraph"well someone has to be worried. this is the future of highgarden, this is the future queen!" he said, and tawnyrose purred quietly, leaning her head against bluetcrest's for a long moment.
paragraph"you're right, but the next queen will have to wait a long while. i'm not done leading yet," tawnyrose said, and bluetcrest managed a laugh at that. together, they round back to where bluetcrest had left the roses and knights who still needed to be sent out on patrols for the day. tawnyrose exchanged a smile with tigergaze and smokemane, who were chatting between themselves, and she brushed her cheek affectionately against flickersky's. then she turned back to bluetcrest. "i'll be fine, handle this," she instructed him, already going to wave her tail to silence him when he opened his mouth to argue, but another voice came from behind tawnyrose.
paragraph"i'll walk with our queen for a little bit, since i just got back," birchflame said casually, and bluetcrest's sharp yellow gaze locked on tawnyrose's eyes before the attendant sighed and nodded once and turned back to mapleshadow. by the rigid line of her friend's spine, tawnyrose could tell that bluetcrest wasn't entirely pleased, but she turned her attention to birchflame instead, and the large knight studied her face when she padded to him.
paragraph"i will warn you that laps around camp can be quite boring," she said, and birchflame let out a warm laugh.
paragraph"we'll see about that. it's my honor to walk with the queen." and so they began, taking their time as they strolled. as winter was beginning to loosen its hold, the snow had begun to melt. softglow had organized cats to finish clearing the slush from the camp, and bassflow and otterfur, the new knight, had done a good job as volunteers for the tedious project. as they walked, birchflame made a point to steer tawnyrose away from any puddles or mud, and he smiled kindly at her. "how are you feeling, by the way?" he asked, and tawnyrose flicked him with her tail.
paragraph"oh no, you aren't allowed to start with me too," she said, and birchflame chuckled in kind. "i'm fine. cats have kits all of the time, and everyone here is acting as if this is so different." she'd already had to sit through lectures from merlinsong and bluetcrest, and she was not ready to have birchflame create an issue as well.
paragraphstill, the ginger tom hummed thoughtfully. "you're right, but this clan adores you, you're our queen," he commented after a beat. as if on cue following his statement, foxspark, racoonslip, and wolfhowl called out a greeting to the queen, who smiled warmly after them as they ran past to catch up to where mapleshadow was taking out a patrol. "and they'll love your kits," he added when the knights and rose were out of earshot. tawnyrose didn't miss the hint of bitterness hiding between his words. she set her jaw.
paragraphwhen she first when to birchflame to tell him that she was pregnant, she knew that he would understand everything that went with it. the kits were his, no doubt about it, but the odds that he would ever be able to claim them as his were slim. even if it was suspected, even if it was known that the kits weren't softglow's, claiming them as his kits would be detrimental to their claim as heirs, and to tawnyrose's status as queen. he understood this, though that didn't mean that he liked it by any means. "of course they'll love them. everyone loves kits," tawnyrose said, nodding politely to otterfur when he passed, managing a tight smile at the pair. "what do you think of him?" she asked, dropping her voice to a whisper.
paragraphbirchflame was silent for a moment, only to shoot a glance over his shoulder towards otterfur. "haven't spoken to him much. went hunting with him the other evening. a little quiet, a little jumpy," birchflame said, then shrugged. "he was talking to hurricanejaw, though, so that must be a good sign," he added, and tawnyrose bobbed her head, noncommittal. then he cleared his throat and spoke again, "whenever a new cat comes here, i can't help but think of when clovershine and i came here," he said, and tawnyrose sent his a sideways glance, though he tipped his head back to look at the clear blue sky. "it feels like so long ago, now. i wonder where i would be if we hadn't found highgarden."
paragraphtawnyrose expected him to say something further, though birchflame lapsed into silence. her whiskers twitched. "and?" she urged. "what do you come up with? is it better than here?"
paragraphbirchflame flicked his ear and blinked at the sky for a moment longer. then he met her gaze and smiled broadly. "that's the thing, i can't imagine anything better than here. even if i tried, highgarden is perfect. i have my best friend, the other knights and roses are great..." he trailed off, but his eyes remained fixed on tawnyrose, who shook her head, scoffing.
paragraph"you're obligated to say that, you know," she said. "it would've been insulting if you didn't."
paragraphbirchflame's fur brushed against hers when he maneuvered her carefully around a puddle of mud, though he lingered close for a moment longer than necessary, and tawnyrose's eyes drew back to his face. "but you know that i mean it," he said, and they both looked up when dippernose passed by, herding the thorns away from their den as he cleared away a branch that had fallen from a tree during one of the recent snowstorms. dippernose waved his tail at them, his mouth full of tree bark. tawnyrose and birchflame lingered long enough to greet him kindly in turn, before they padded away, and birchflame lowered his voice. "there's no place i'd rather be than by your side, you know that," he said, and tawnyrose glanced around the clearing, mindful of who might be listening in.
paragraph"you know what i said," she replied, forcing herself to keep her expression school and formal, as if she had been speaking with anyone else, if birchflame was smallheart, betonypetal, or hurricanejaw. "i'm glad that they're yours," she said, when birchflame's expression tightened. "but this isn't easy for anyone, this is just how it has to be. maybe, eventually, it can be different. but for now, right now, this is what is." she expected it when birchflame ducked his head for just a moment before he regained his facade and nodded.
paragraph"i know, i'm trying to understand," he said, and tawnyrose blinked sympathetically at him. "everyone is still going to know."
paragraph"and it'll be my word against theirs. if they love me as much as you say they do, then they'll learn to be blind to some things," she said, and birchflame let out a laugh at that at last, either from surprise or otherwise at such bold confidence, tawnyrose couldn't immediately tell.
paragraph"i'm just excited to see them," he said. "heir of highgarden. it has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" birchflame added, this time nodding to ferretwhisker as they paused at the nursery. ferretwhisker grinned broadly and wrapped her tail over her paws. before her, her kits were still taking in the vast sights of the highgarden camp, briarkit and daisykit speaking gently to them in low tones. since pythoneyes came the moon before, the sisters had opened up considerably, even giggling and smiling when tawnyrose's eyes passed over them.
paragraph"it certainly does. it'll be a cause for much celebration, i'm positive," ferretwhisker said. "and quillkit has already been asking when they can get new playmates since briarkit and daisykit are leaving the nursery soon."
paragraphtawnyrose purred, deciding to settle down beside ferretwhisker, and birchflame sat at her other shoulder. "oh, i'm sure we can figure out some special occasion to welcome them," she said, not missing birchflame's grin at the idea. ferretwhisker, however, let out a loud purr and touched her nose to tawnyrose's shoulder delicately, and tawnyrose listed to her ideas as the kits played and the clan moved about the camp, preparing for the coming close of winter and everything that would be coming next in due time.
paragraphthe sky was clear while hornetshade sat guard for the night, his tail curled neatly over his paws. the front tunnel had been quiet for most of the night since the moonhigh patrol left with newtmask leading, the patrol leaving just as hornetshade relieved sandstrike from duty, and the pale molly had all but stumbled back to the den, exhausted from a long day. hornetshade hadn't slept well in seasons, and he stared up at the moon, feeling wide awake. while many of the roses and knights dreaded the rotation of night guard duty, hornetshade was known for filling in when someone was needed to take a late patrol or would be scheduled for the dawn patrol. he liked the peace that came in the middle of the night, in the period of time after the dusk patrol had returned and most cats were in their dens, before the moonhigh patrol was due to arrive back and before the dawn patrol was coming together. it gave him the chance to either think deeply about his day, or to zone and trust his senses, to think of nothing at all. he found solace in the feeling that he was the only cat in the world wide awake, that there was only him and the night noises of distant birdsong and his clanmates' slumber. he watched over the clan, and the moon and stars watched over him.
paragraphhornetshade heard the pawsteps from across the camp, the gentle brush of fur against the cold ground, and instinct kicked in. before he had the chance to take in scent, he stood and whirled around. a beat passed, and he stared into ferretwhisker's clear blue eyes. if there was one thing he remembered of her from their shared past, it was that ferretwhisker's real smile was distinct and delicate, so slight and gentle, but made any cat feel noticed and adored when directed to them. as a kit, he had done much to get her attention, when she was just a young warrior. now, he flicked his ear and sat back down, face turned towards the camp entrance. "can't sleep?" he asked at last, and ferretwhisker settled a tail-length away from him. a calculated and careful distance.
paragraph"how could we, after everything?" ferretwhisker replied, and hornetshade flicked his ear again in answer. then: "hornetshade... how did you ever decide on that name? your mother would have been appalled -" she began, though hornetshade finally felt his patience crack completely and he hissed low in his throat, cutting her off.
paragraph"you don't get to say anything about her," he growled, though ferretwhisker didn't so much as twitch. their gazes locked and hornetshade spat indignantly. "besides, after what happened, i doubt her greatest concern would have been that i changed my name. it was for protection - you should know that. you should've changed your name too." he shuffled his forepaws then, scraped against the top layer of dirt and dead grass that hadn't survived through the winter moons. "i was never supposed to see anyone from then again, and now you show up again, just like you did that night, and you act like we're supposed to be friends," he said, trailing off with a shake of his head.
paragraphferretwhisker rolled her eyes, unsympathetic. "after everything i did, you'd think that you might've been a little more thankful," she shot back, and hornetshade forced his fur to remain flat against the back of his neck, deciding to let her finish speaking. "they were chasing you, you're lucky that i'm the one who found you. you were still a kit, they would've swallowed you whole if they'd gotten their chance to get you. you're lucky i let you go and led them away," ferretwhisker said, and her eyes burned hot when their gazes locked again. then, she dropped her head for a moment and let out a prolonged sigh, regaining her composure before she glanced at the young tom again. "when montgomery overthrew thrushstar, we didn't know that anyone was supposed to get hurt. we thought we were making the clan better -"
paragraph"by killing the half of the clan that didn't follow him?" hornetshade cut in, his voice cracking halfway through. "you tell me, ferretwhisker, how does that make any sense?" he felt his entire body tremble from the emotion that welled up, had been piling on for seasons. since he got to highgarden, the entire time before highgarden. "my mother did nothing, and she was killed. and you didn't do anything to try and stop it. you just let it happen, and that makes you just as horrible as montgomery, you must know that."
paragraph"i helped you," ferretwhisker whispered, and hornetshade turned his head away from her.
paragraph"after it was too late, after you already had all their blood on your paws. and you just told me to run, i didn't even know if you would kill me the moment i had my back turned. i still don't know that you aren't leading him here to do it again in highgarden," hornetshade said, and ferretwhisker appeared unable to meet his eyes this time. he let out a watery laugh. "right, that's what i mean." he stood then and shook out his fur, turned away from ferretwhisker. "i'm still on guard duty. i need to do rounds of the camp." he paused mid-step, however, when ferretwhisker spoke up again.
paragraph"why haven't you told anyone?" she asked, and hornetshade glanced back to her over his shoulder. he shrugged.
paragraph"you have small kits. they haven't done any wrong," he said, took another step, and paused again. "when they turn four moons, just remember that that's how old i was when you helped murder my mother and destroy our clan." with that, he padded away from ferretwhisker, leaving her to sit alone in front of the camp entrance with the moon shining brightly overhead.
paragraphin the time he'd been in highgarden, pythoneyes found that he was settling in nicely, was happy to have a home that seemed quite safe and secure, was happy that he managed to track down briarkit and daisykit. he was glad that the kits seemed to enjoy their new clan as well and had taken to the younger kits and the thorns that were only a few moons older than them. originally, when the highgarden cats found the sisters, they said that they'd been extremely quiet, acting more like two shadows than two young kits. thankfully, it seemed that they had managed to warm up more since they recognized pythoneyes from their past home. pythoneyes spent the majority of his days helping out on patrols, more than happy to volunteer his time to seek out hard to find prey and learn more about the highgarden borders, though his evenings and nights were spent in the nursery with his best friend's kits, making sure that they were happy.
paragraph"are you both excited to start your training soon?" pythoneyes asked them. across the nursery, ferretwhisker had managed to round up her kits and fit them in her nest. elkkit was complaining about going to bed so soon, saying that he wasn't even tired until his argument was broken off with a yawn, earning a laugh from the rest of his siblings. in turn, daisykit and briarkit agreed that they were excited, and listed off a few cats that they would want to be mentored by. and pythoneyes listened to them, happy to hear their voices and the excitement at the prospect of the vast future before them.
paragraphhe groomed between daisykit's ears gently, and briarkit leaned into his flank, already beginning to doze off, that is, until daisykit twisted to look up at pythoneyes. "can you tell us a story?" she asked, and pythoneyes blinked dumbly at her for a long moment before he licked his lips.
paragraph"i'm not - i'm not good at telling stories," he said, but swallowed thickly when daisykit fixed him with him with those wide eyes. "but i can try. i - uh - what do you want to hear a story about?"
paragraphbriarkit sat up at the prospect of entertainment. "can you tell us one about mama?" she asked. "what was she like at our age?" daisykit, meanwhile, twisted around in pythoneyes' grasp to look up at him properly, and pythoneyes let out a gentle laugh, bending his head to press down a tuft of fur that stuck out at the top of her head.
paragraph"your mother... you know, she was actually a bit of a troublemaker back in the day," pythoneyes began, letting the kits press close as they held on to his every word. "i remember a time before we were apprentices, and lotuspetal - your mother was only lotuskit at that time, of course - had the idea that we would go fox hunting. we overheard the warriors talking about how there were foxes on the territory, and she decided that we were the ones who should go hunt it down. you know, the usual idea that if we did something so great, that we would be made warriors immediately. we were so young then, so foolish, we thought it made sense. trust me, it's not worth this, don't actually try to do this or i'll have your ears," pythoneyes said, aware that ferretwhisker was still awake and listening to the story, and the molly let out a soft purr at the light teasing. "anyway, we were only kits at the time. we'd never been far out of the camp, we didn't even know what a fox looked like, not really, let alone how to track one or kill it. still, your mother managed to convince me and your father that it was a good idea and that we had to go with her. by that point, i think your father was already a little bit in love with your mother, and maybe she was already in love with him. i was just happy to have a best friend, i would've followed her anywhere if it meant being her friend. so, we managed sneak out when our mothers were sleeping, since there was a hole in the nursery after a storm hit the camp and ripped a hole in the wall, just small enough for us to squeeze through." at that, pythoneyes paused long enough to glance about the nursery, pleased that the walls were still sturdy and intact. daisykit and briarkit were warm against him, and quiet as they were lulled by his voice.
paragraph"so we managed to get out of camp without anyone noticing. again, we didn't know how to track foxes, so the three of us were wandering aimlessly, just waiting for this mystery fox to land in front of us, and then i guess we just assumed that it would run from us, or fall over dead. the fact that we got as far as we did was surprising, in hindsight. but then your mother saw it: a tail! dawn was breaking over the horizon, night was over, and we finally found it. it was red, just like we heard foxes were. together, the three of us attacked. your mother latched right onto that tail with her teeth and held on as tight as she could. the tail lashed, but your mother was a born fighter, and she wasn't so easily beaten," he continued. pythoneyes recognized that briarkit was already asleep, that daisykit was close behind. still, he spoke on. "finally, i got through the brushes that were blocked our sight of the full fox. there was snarling, a lot of spitting, and i just wanted to see what a fox really looked like. so imagine how surprised i was when it turned out that it wasn't a fox at all, but our clan's deputy, sunflash, who was not happy that we'd gotten out to go fox hunting, even less happy that your mother had taken a bite out of his tail. apparently our mothers woke up before dawn, and the search parties had been tracking us." he laughed then, carefree and easy. briarkit rolled over in her sleep and daisykit snuffled a snore. across the nursery, even ferretwhisker had dozed off, her breathing coming out evenly. but pythoneyes looked up to see bluetcrest sitting in the entrance, his ears pricked. "how much did you hear?" he asked the attendant, and bluetcrest flashed a smile.
paragraph"i think i missed the bit in the very beginning, but i got the gist," he said, and pythoneyes matched his grin when the other tom blinked and asked: "so, how much trouble did you three get in?"
paragraphfor a moment, pythoneyes hummed, smoothed down daisykit's fur with his tailtip. "had to wait an extra moon to start training. had to spend that time taking care of elders and helping out the medicine cat," he said, then shrugged. "could've been worse. we could've been eaten by a fox." at that, bluetcrest let out a quiet chuckle, and pythoneyes' smile broadened from amusement.
paragraphthe idea first came about after iguanaspots decided that she was tired of hearing warblercry go on and on about her massive crush on hornetshade, how she was tired of wolfhowl bemoan how cute privetears was, and how much she wished that privetears and sandstrike weren't already constantly attached at the hip. iguanaspots was, frankly, tired of all of the relationship talk, and was tired of being cramped inside the den most hours of the day to try and ward off the chills that merlinsong was so scared of. so, as soon as word passed through the highgarden cats that rose lake and the twin rivers had begun to thaw, signalling nicer weather just around the bend, iguanaspots hunted down her friends and gathered them up, along with the newest rose, lyrewhistle who had been found only several days earlier. the newest addition to their friend group looked on wide-eyed as iguanaspots paced up and down in front of her friends. "i'm tired of all of the talk about toms and mollies and crushes and how much you want to wallow in self-pity," iguanaspots said, then looking to lyrewhistle with a cheery grin. "you're the exception, of course, but i figured this would be a good chance for you to get to know us," iguanaspots said, and lyrewhistle nodded her head slowly, still looking uncertain but she managed a tight smile.
paragraphat the same time, warblercry and wolfhowl exchanged a glance. "what are we going to do, then?" wolfhowl asked, swishing her tail against the ground.
paragraph"i overheard hurricanejaw telling bluetcrest that rose lake has thawed, so i want to go to the old bridge. and it'll be a good chance to show lyrewhistle around the territory since she's new." again, iguanaspots' glance lingered on lyrewhistle, and warblercry shot wolfhowl a sideways glance, though the smaller rose merely flicked her ear in acknowledgement of warblercry's look.
paragraph"we still can't be out too long, and we'll have to be careful," warblercry commented, an iguanaspots finally looked back to her, nodding her agreement. "because tawnyrose always says that the floods come with the thaw." together, the small group got up and headed out of the camp entrance.
paragraph"floods?" that was lyrewhistle, who glanced between the mollies who had been there for many moons already, who knew so much more than she did. "is that something we should be worried about?"
paragraphwolfhowl bobbed her head at that. "you haven't heard?" she asked, humming when lyrewhistle shook her head. "yeah, the flooding is a bit of a problem here. last spring we had to leave camp for a little bit and live by the old tower until the flood waters went back. and then we had the spring tournament after that to thank the mother for her mercy," wolfhowl said, and warblercry purred her amusement in response. "right, well, the story goes that tawnyrose was only one of the former queen's daughters. just her daughter, not the next queen in line. but one year the thaw came early and no one was prepared, so the flood swept through the valley and swept all of the cats away, drowning pretty much everyone. except tawnyrose, of course." at that, lyrewhistle shuddered, and iguanaspots sent the new rose a gentle smile.
paragraph"not that it should be something you should worry about," iguanaspots cut in, shooting wolfhowl a pointed look, and the other rose flicked her short tail. "tawnyrose says that we're far more prepared now than highgarden used to be. once the thaw really sets in, i'm sure we'll be on the move to the old tower to wait it out, and everything will be fine then. besides, highgarden cats are good swimmers."
paragraph"what if i can't swim?" lyrewhistle asked, quietly, so quiet that iguanaspots thought she might have imagined that the other rose spoke at all, but there was a glimmer of fear in her eyes, and iguanaspots nudged her with her shoulder to try and soothe her.
paragraph"like i said, it won't be an issue. we'll be gone before anything's going to happen. and we could always teach you to swim just in case," iguanaspots assured, and lyrewhistle managed another tight smile, nodded once. "everything'll be fine," she assured gently, and lyrewhistle nodded again, as if to convince herself that she could listen to iguanaspots.
paragraphin the same moment, wolfhowl let out a shout and darted forward, warblercry on her heels. "you were right!" wolfhowl gushed when iguanaspots and lyrewhistle caught up. sure enough, the lake glimmered in the sunlight, not as light bouncing off of ice, but as light reflected off the water. wolfhowl dared to go up to the edge, then deftly struck out a paw to send water droplets cascading towards her friends in a wide arc, splattering them with freezing water.
paragraph"wolfhowl!" warblercry complained, indignant, when she shook out her fur. "you know what merlinsong said, i don't want to get a cold!" she said, though wolfhowl merely laughed. when wolfhowl went to aim her paw at the water again, warblercry tackled into her sideways, and the pair rolled away from the water's edge, tussling. under other circumstances, iguanaspots wouldn't have hesitated to join in their games, though this time she beckoned lyrewhistle towards the lake.
paragraph"anyway, this is rose lake, which i'm sure you could figure out. across the water is groveclan, and beyond groveclan is hazeclan, and then that way is -" and on and on iguanaspots began to explain, leaning close to lyrewhistle to better be able to point out the different notable landmarks and directions.
paragraphat the same time, warblercry and wolfhowl broke apart, laughing at themselves, breathless and carefree. then warblercry poked wolfhowl's side and nodded towards iguanaspots. "what was it that she was saying?" she asked. "no talk or toms or mollies."
paragraphwolfhowl let out a laugh at that, rolling onto her side and swiping at warblercry, who batted her away easily. "and definitely no talk of crushes!"
actions
[ added cats ] otterfur from bearclan via discord
[ consumption ] highgarden eats two rabbits and one squirrel
[ rank changes ] briarkit and daisykit are ready to become thorns
[ mates ] flickersky tries for kits with stormshroud of the shadowed kingdom
[ patrol 1 ] bluetcrest, betonypetal, maplelily, smokemane, iguanaspots, and warblercry
[ hunt 1 ] bassflow, erasmus, dippernose, sagecloud, hornetshade, and jaytalon
[ hunt 2 ] softglow, mapleshadow, swiftheart, sunglow, tigergaze, and foxspark
[ hunt 3 ] clovershine, obsidianwing, wolfhowl, pythoneyes, sandstrike, and flickersky
[ training ] stagpaw and rabbitpaw learn hunting
seedpaw tries to learn agility again
[ herb hunt ] merlinsong and spencer
[ notes to mod ] i ask that no one die on patrols though injuries are fine xx
[ added cats ] otterfur from bearclan via discord
[ consumption ] highgarden eats two rabbits and one squirrel
[ rank changes ] briarkit and daisykit are ready to become thorns
[ mates ] flickersky tries for kits with stormshroud of the shadowed kingdom
[ patrol 1 ] bluetcrest, betonypetal, maplelily, smokemane, iguanaspots, and warblercry
[ hunt 1 ] bassflow, erasmus, dippernose, sagecloud, hornetshade, and jaytalon
[ hunt 2 ] softglow, mapleshadow, swiftheart, sunglow, tigergaze, and foxspark
[ hunt 3 ] clovershine, obsidianwing, wolfhowl, pythoneyes, sandstrike, and flickersky
[ training ] stagpaw and rabbitpaw learn hunting
seedpaw tries to learn agility again
[ herb hunt ] merlinsong and spencer
[ notes to mod ] i ask that no one die on patrols though injuries are fine xx
queen
tawnyrose, 34m, ♀
the wayward queen
- mate: birchflame
- due: 1m
king
softglow, 36m, ♂
the lost king
heir
name, age, gender
attendant
bluetcrest, 38m, ♂
the wayward's attendant
herbalist
merlinsong, 41m, ♂ - 5sp
spencer, 36m, ♂ - 5sp
roses & knights
otterfur, 70m, ♂
sagecloud, 52m, ♀
mapleshadow, 50m, ♀
erasmus, 48m, ♂
hurricanejaw, 46m, ♂
maplelily, 44m, ♀
bassflow, 44m, ♂
newtmask, 43m, ♂
dippernose, 43m, ♂
pythoneyes, 39m, ♂
tulipstream, 35m, ♀
birchflame, 35m, ♂
betonypetal, 33m, ♀
flickersky, 32m, ♀
clovershine, 32m, ♂
smallheart, 32m, ♂
swiftheart, 28m, ♀
obsidianwing, 25m, ♂
jaytalon, 23m, ♂
smokemane, 22m, ♀
sunglow, 22m, ♂
tigergaze, 21m, ♂
sandstrike, 19m, ♀
hornetshade, 18m, ♂
privetears, 17m, ♀
cougarstrike, 15m, ♂
racoonslip, 15m, ♂
foxspark, 15m, ♂
wolfhowl, 15m, ♀
iguanaspots, 15m, ♀
warblercry, 15m, ♀
lyrewhistle, 14m, ♀
name, age, gender
tawnyrose, 34m, ♀
the wayward queen
- mate: birchflame
- due: 1m
king
softglow, 36m, ♂
the lost king
heir
name, age, gender
attendant
bluetcrest, 38m, ♂
the wayward's attendant
herbalist
merlinsong, 41m, ♂ - 5sp
spencer, 36m, ♂ - 5sp
roses & knights
otterfur, 70m, ♂
sagecloud, 52m, ♀
mapleshadow, 50m, ♀
erasmus, 48m, ♂
hurricanejaw, 46m, ♂
maplelily, 44m, ♀
bassflow, 44m, ♂
newtmask, 43m, ♂
dippernose, 43m, ♂
pythoneyes, 39m, ♂
tulipstream, 35m, ♀
birchflame, 35m, ♂
betonypetal, 33m, ♀
flickersky, 32m, ♀
clovershine, 32m, ♂
smallheart, 32m, ♂
swiftheart, 28m, ♀
obsidianwing, 25m, ♂
jaytalon, 23m, ♂
smokemane, 22m, ♀
sunglow, 22m, ♂
tigergaze, 21m, ♂
sandstrike, 19m, ♀
hornetshade, 18m, ♂
privetears, 17m, ♀
cougarstrike, 15m, ♂
racoonslip, 15m, ♂
foxspark, 15m, ♂
wolfhowl, 15m, ♀
iguanaspots, 15m, ♀
warblercry, 15m, ♀
lyrewhistle, 14m, ♀
name, age, gender
- thorns
stagpaw, 8m, ♂
seedpaw, 8m, ♀
rabbitpaw, 8m, ♀
name, age, gender
roots
ferretwhisker, 39m, ♀
- kits: elkkit, beechkit, harrierkit,
quillkit, dewkit
name, age, gender
seedlings
briarkit, 6m, ♀
daisykit, 6m, ♀
elkkit, 2m, ♂
beechkit, 2m, ♀
harrierkit, 2m, ♀
quillkit, 2m, ♂
dewkit, 2m, ♀
name, age, gender
wilted
name, age, gender
name, age, gender
allies & enemies & borders
here
medicine
here
prey
total x96
mouse | x2 | 1 servings
vole | x10 | 1 servings
squirrel | x9 | 2 servings
rabbit | x12 | 2 servings
big fish | x5 | 3 servings
finch | x9 | 3 servings
mentors
hurricanejaw, stagpaw, 1
smallheart, seedpaw, 0
birchflame, rabbitpaw, 1
mentor, thorn, 0
deceased
here
family trees
here
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
credit goes to the cac staff & artists for all color-ins and lineart xoxo
credit goes to the cac staff & artists for all color-ins and lineart xoxo
