"So, here's what I wanted to discuss. As you likely know, Boulderstar is getting older. It might be a matter of time before he is forced to step down. As much as I do not wish for my friend to leave us all, it is inevitable. As such, I have begun planning my future leadership." Bearface spoke, the cats addressed staying silent. The brown tom paused, spraying his scent onto the ground by the border before continuing on. "Crowclaw, you'll be relaying this to Adderstrike so listen carefully, got it?"
"Got it." The molly pushed her excitement aside, looking bored as if she couldn't care less. What, did he think she wasn't already listening?
"So, first order of business, MoleClan will NOT be the peacekeeping pushovers that we are now. On the contrary, the other Clans will fear us." He raised his tail, puffing out his chest as he saw Crowclaw let out a confident cheer, showing her excitement. Bearface knew that she and Adderstrike were some of the far more war-hungry cats that SwampClan had once had to offer. On the other paw, he had chosen to trust Chanterellepelt to be similar by meer impressions. And he seemed to have been right, the ginger tom's eyes sparking with interest despite the everpresent coldness that still hid behind it. He was odd, but Bearface liked that.
"Second order of business, we will rid the Clan of weaklings and softies who stand in our way. We will steal the young of other Clans and raise them to be proper MoleClan warriors rather than pansies." He paused again, marking another border with help from Chanterellepelt.
"But keep in mind, you two, Boulderstar is not to be harmed. We mustn't reveal anything to him or anyone else before it is time. Act. Normal. Or I'll be forced to kick you out instead."
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"You know you were thrown out of your Clan for a reason, Asterpelt. And then you, like the crybaby that you are decided to come back with some friends and attack everyone saying you made your own Clan. Hah. You even changed your name, you pathetic waste of an otherwise passable warrior." Adderstrike mocked, laying in the nest next to the leader while Honeyseed and Barkpaw worked on their own business.
"And yet you're out of a home, lacking a Clan while MoleClan still stands strong and has to take you in and provide you with a home." The leader remarked, seeming happy with himself all the same.
"Hah. You know as well as anyone that it wasn't my idea to come here and if it wasn't for my brother, I would have clawed your eyes out and left already."
"Never seen you as having that much heart. All you seem to ever want to do is fight. I get the feeling you're simply jealous of your brother's authority and cool head."
"Think before you speak, clawhead. All you've ever done was betray everyone that loved you. It's why you got kicked out. And had your mother not died, I get the feeling you wouldn't have hesitated to kill her while you were attacking those poor defenceless saps at your home. By your own claws probably."
Boulderstar bristled, tail flicking and claws out, eyes narrow and back arching.
Barkpaw was staring, watching with his own pelt starting to bristle with fear. As oversized for a former FeatherClan-er and even with the extra lives, when it came to it, Boulderstar may very well be outmatched by the large SwampClan tom.
"Honeyseed?" He asked, concerned.
"Oh for StarClan's sake." She sighed, getting in between the two and pushing Adderstrike away, into a nest in the opposite side of the den.
"Now stop bickering and rest. You'll get to leave quicker."
The two toms glared at each other before settling down, looking away from one another.
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The little pile of fur shifted as the kittens making it up crawled around, yawning, whining and trying to wake themselves up, just barely awake. Frogkit at the bottom, fast asleep in the warm, soft nest. Softstone was curled halfway around them, sleepily licking at their soft young coats as she herself struggled in her battle with sleep. She yawned, fighting to keep her eyes open as she leaned back down to rasp her tongue over the small white head of Valeriankit who was trying to rouse his brother awake, sleepily nipping at his ears.
Toadstep came inside, just barely getting the queen's attention as he climbed into the nest and curled up opposite he mate. He purred gently, giving her a soft headbutt as a greeting before licking her head and ears. "You should rest." He noted, blinking lovingly at the tired molly.
"I guess I should." She conceded, yawning and giving the tabby tom a lick back.
"Goodnight, Toadstep."
"Goodnight, Softstone."
The tom rested his head over her neck as she laid hers down, quickly falling asleep. The kits soon stopped squirming, sleeping in a pile, pressed together for the warmth and softness of one another.
Toadstep smiled, a sense of calm and love warming him to the very core, peace seeming to relax every muscle in his body as he rested, not even realizing it as his eyes closed and he disappeared into dreamland.
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"So, where do we hunt?" Asked Toadstep, standing next to Lizardpelt with his chest puffed ever so slightly. The younger warrior seemed amused, flicking him with his tail.
"You don't have to act mighty and impress me, Toad*star*." He spoke matter-of-fact-ly, though the way the old suffix was said made it sound like a joke. Clearly, the other two cats took it like that too, Wolftail barking out a laugh and running off, sniffing along. It seemed he caught a scent. Crickethop stayed near them, laughing as well, seeming quite cheerful this morning. She watched Wolftail absentmindedly, her tail held up and swaying with the breeze.
Toadstep growled quietly before sighing, dropping the matter. "Well, we can hunt near the border. You two would be more used to other types of territory anyway." Crickethop looked back over to him, Lizardpelt seeming indifferent.
"That sounds fine to me. Lead the way, MoleClanner." She bumped him with her forehead playfully, Toadstep smiling before heading for a more forested border, making sure Lizardpelt was following. Before he even knew what was happening, though, he saw Crickethop race past him like a bolt of lightning cutting through the air. A flutter of wings came as a sparrow lifted off the ground quickly to avoid the cat, only to be plucked out of the air as the small cat sprang unbelievably high, seeming like she might fly off herself, only to gracefully land and finish the bird off. Toadstep hadn't even noticed he was staring at her wide-eyed, holding in his breath. He had heard of FeatherClan cats being that way, but he had never seen something like it before. Breaking out of his trance, the tabby tom glanced around, seeing his former SwampClan clanmate sneaking over grass and catching a lizard sunning itself on a stone. Feeling embarrassed to have just been staring rather than hunting himself, he hastily moved away, tasting the air for signs of prey.
He ended up catching a mouse fairly soon before the air began to stink of...wolves. It was coming from upwind, a musky scent of the large canines, though they didn't seem too close yet. He bolted off back to his other Clanmates.
"We should probably move to another border."
"Why?" Lizardpelt didn't even look at him, flicking his tail dismissively. Crickethop was still nearby, coming to drop a dove next to the sparrow and cocking her head to the side.
"Well, I smelled some wolves and they might be coming near here. It would be best to stear away for now." The warrior noted, glaring at Lizardpelt.
"Well, that does make sense." Crickethop tasted the air real quick before just taking her two birds, carrying them as she moved along, away from the border. Lizardpelt looked at Toadstep, seeming amused by the lone mouse as he carried a lizard and two squirrels now. While the younger warrior was trying to show his definition of a friendly side and lighten Toadstep's mood, it wasn't really working as the latter only growled at him, trotting along forward. Lizardpelt let out a little sigh through his prey, dragging along behind.
In the end, the trio returned home with plenty of prey and as the other warriors returned or popped out of their dens, the prey was quickly divided up, cats quietly and calmly eating already as Wolftail returned, carrying a rabbit and covered in mud, tail happily wagging.~~~~~~~
A pair of kits tumbled around the main section, a blur of cream, white, brown and ginger. The underground camp echoed with their happy cries. Boulderstar poked his head out to watch, his fur still messy as he had only just woken up. Crowclaw hissed as they barreled into his leg, kicking them away with his claws unsheated. Oaksplash laughed at him as he left the warriors' den, Toadstep leaping out after him and herding his stumbling kits closer to their mother. Softstone carried Valeriankit back, setting him down.
"Our brave little boy decided he wants to explore outside."
Frogkit stumbled out of the nursery, clumsily pouncing on her mother's soft, fluffy tail, wiggling her own stubby tail as she viciously attacked the fluff by nipping and licking at the hairs, her tiny claws out.
Adderstrike pushed his way out from behind Boulderstar. "Move it. You're blocking the exit, boulder-head." They growled at each other as Boulderstar moved to the side, grooming his fur as the tabby went over to Bearstep, sitting by Chanterellepelt. "So, what might the patrols for today be?" He asked, eager to get back out of the tunnels after being cooped up by Honeyseed. Bearface looked at him then to the ginger tom beside him. "I was about to get to that." He went and sat by Boulderstar. "You'll want to go out too, huh?"
"Hmm? Yeah, I'll join the hunting patrol if you don't mind." He raised his head, his ears flicking dismissively. The deputy nodded, considering how to put together the patrols as he watched Oaksplash lead Leechpaw out of the tunnels, the two quietly speaking to each other. Hailstorm came out of the warriors' den, stretching and Wolftail bounced out after her.
"Hailstorm, take Toadstep, Wolftail, Adderstrike and Crowclaw on a border patrol. Boulderstar will be leading the hunting patrol." He flicked his tail towards the exit, glaring at the molly. Hailstorm gave him a questioning look, stepping towards the entrance as Wolftail went and dragged a young tortoiseshell out of her nest, spitting. Adderstrike grumbled as he went ahead and climbed out of the tunnels without waiting for the rest. Toadstep reluctantly got up from where he was laying, his kits climbing on top of him with various levels of success before getting knocked off. Snailkit had been balancing on top of his head, nipping at his ears, Dunlinkit pawing at the base of his tail which was weighed down by Frogkit trying to climb it, unsuccessfully. Valeriankit was happy enough perched on his father's front legs, stretching to rest a paw on his nose for balance as he pawed at the bigger tom's eyes.
On cue, the leader sat up, his tail held high.
"Chanterellepelt, could you fetch Lizardpelt, Crickethop and Sulphurwing, please." He asked, the ginger and white tom dipping into the warriors' den to wake the still-sleeping warriors up.
"Lizardpelt's outside." Came Barkpaw's voice as he made his way inside a bit shakily, not used to the underground camp. "I could fetch him for you." The apprentice had been speaking over a mouthful of herbs, dropping them and happily racing back out at Boulderstar's nod. The leader sighed, gathering the herbs up and taking them to Honeyseed's den where the medicine cat was buzzing and counting the supplies in wait of her apprentice.
"Barkpaw, what t-" She began to scold, cutting off as she saw it was a gray tom that entered. "Ah, thank you. Did you see Barkpaw?"
"He went to find Lizardpelt. He'll be back shortly."
He backed out of the medicine den. Honeyseed let out a soft sigh, putting the herbs away with a purr. Boulderstar dipped his head to the medicine cat apprentice as he moved past him, his ear flicking as he heard Honeyseed for taking so long when she had even explained to him where to find the herbs needed.
Lizardpelt approached the grey leader, watching Sulphurwing stretch and holding back a small laugh at the types of poses he was making.
"Did you need something?" Lizardpelt asked, making sure to sound respectful and not let his amusement seep into his tone. His brother and Crowclaw were already causing enough trouble here, he didn't want the former SwampClan cats to be seen as too much of a hinderence.
"Hunting patrol. I figured we could move along the borders to see if anything's straying onto MoleClan territory. Not many cats like to get their paws wet after all."
"I lived in the swamp, mud and water were quite regular there and I believe your territory used to flood somewhat often before you decided to start MoleClan. Is it really that much of an issue?"
"No, but...I don't think Crickethop would really be capable of catching a fish and the two loners aren't likely to be quite so used to it." He spoke quieter, his gaze trained on the calico, making sure she didn't hear. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable. Thankfully, she seemed too drowsy to really notice anyway. Lizardpelt simply nodded, looking around.
"Well, we may as well get moving." Boulderstar called, catching everyone's attention and gesturing with his tail for the rest of the patrol to follow. Despite his limp, he darted right back up to the surface out the exit tunnel, followed by Lizardpelt then Chanterellepelt and the rest.
Bearface yawned, stretching as things went quiet, laying down to snooze. As he felt a tiny paw touch his tail, he twisted like a gator and blindly slashed at the white kitten, nicking an ear as he let out a pitiful squeak, stumbling in an attempt to bounce away. Softstone rushed right out to aid her son, hissing as she slashed Bearface across the face.
"What is the matter with you?!" She yelled, nudging her kitten up and up to her side with her thick, fluffy tail. The two cats glared, bristling at each other for a couple seconds before the brown tom roared in the queen's face, pouncing at her and barreling her over. Valeriankit squeaked, rushing back to his littermates as the warriors fought ruthlessly, Honeyseed rushing right out of her den and forcing herself between them.
"What are you two killing each other for here?!" She raised her voice, smacking Bearface then Softstone on their heads with sheathed claws, as if disciplining two particularly misbehaved kits.
Softstone sat back, forcing her fur to lie flat as her tail lashed back and forth across the ground and she glared at the deputy.
Bearface wasn't backing down, though, attempting to push past the medicine cat, though was simply pulled to the medicine den by the scruff, spitting and hissing, struggling.
"If you're gonna act like kit, I'll treat you like one!" The ginger molly growled through the fur in her mouth.
Softstone wasted no time returning to her spooked kits, curling up in her around them, licking her own scratches clean for now.
"Softstone?" Called Honeyseed, voice soft as she looked inside, entering the nursery when she saw the queen's ears perk, showing she was not asleep.
"Mind if I check those scratches?" Softstone nodded, staying still as Softstone worked with the herbs she had brought to make sure nothing would get infected or be left bleeding. She kept apologizing for being so late, all thanks to how stubborn and troublesome Bearface was being.
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A nervous little black apprentice followed his mentor, watching the thick black and brown tail swinging in the air before looking around. The surrounding just all seemed the same...it felt kind of boring...and strange being out in the open like this. He heard the sound of rushing water and swerved to look at what it was. He tilted his head as they approached a river.
"Have you ever tried swimming before?" He asked, Leechpaw looking at him, dumbfounded.
"What do you mean?" He prayed it wasn't what it looked like, his fur bristling. Yet Oakplash didn't seem to notice the reaction, nudging the apprentice forward a bit and jumping into the water himself, leaping right into the middle of the river and paddling against it to maintain his position against the slow, weak current.
"Come on, the river's lazy here." Leechpaw's eyes stayed fixed on him for what felt like hours to him before he looked down at the water, snuck very slowly closer, as if trying not to wake a sleeping beast that could devour him in seconds, and tapped the surface of the moving water with his paw. There was hardly even a tiny splash, but the apprentice jolted back, raising his paw as if it had been bit.
Oaksplash unwillingly let out a guffaw, amused by the sight. He swam a circle, virtually unchallenged by the current before stepping out, his thick, long fur dripping with water.
"Come on. It won't hurt you. Try putting just your paws in. After me, okay?" He flicked the slightly smaller tom on the back with his tail, waiting for him to nod before he put one paw then the other into the water, letting his pads sink into the soft mud if the shallows. Leechpaw reluctantly submerged one paw, lifting the other and panicking as the weight on the first seemed to cause it to sink down. Oaksplash purred, leaning over to give him a gentle nudge with his head. "Try again."
"B-but. The mud will...I'll get stuck."
"I'm not stuck. Look." He pulled one paw out, some mud still sticking to his fur. He let it fall back into the river with a plop from the water.
Leechpaw stared at him then the water for a few seconds, trying again and letting both paws land and sink a bit this time, fur bristling before he realized they weren't going further. He perked up, looking to Oaksplash who looked as happy as he himself was releaved.
"Okay. Now try putting all four paws in the water. Slowly. Follow me." He put his tail on Leechpaw's back, urging him to follow as he drew his back legs in one by one, resting them in the water. The apprentice followed along carefully, pleased with himself as he was praised.
"Good good. Now this is going to be a bit trickier, okay? Just a bit. On the count of four, we're going to try swimming across. When your paws can't touch the bottom, try to keep walking, but more like you're in a hurry. Got it?"
"Got it." He gulped, looking off to the other side. It didn't look that far, really. A couple leaps wide, maybe?
He hardly noticed as the tabby got to one until he leapt forward, peddling forward with ease. Leechpaw walked forward after him, resisting the urge to panic as the bottom slipped out from under his paws. He let instinct take over, paddling himself forward until he was on the other side. Now that he had tried it, it definitely felt more like three or four leaps. But he made it. He climbed out of the river, shaking a good portion of the water off his pelt and glowing with pride as Oaksplash bumped his shoulder, bright as the sun himself.
"Way to go, buddy. You wanna try getting back across or do you want to rest a bit? When you're ready, we'll try fighting the current or swimming more upstream, but that'll be later."
"I think I'm ready to give it another shot." Leechpaw felt confident and it helped that his mentor seemed happy about it too, urging the small tom to leap right into the water, kicking and panicking a bit as his head dipped under at first, but with the weak current, he fought his was back up, swimming right back across, then quickly followed by the blotched tabby. "Okay, now you really need a rest, okay? We'll try another few trips across after a snack. You with me on that?"
"Yeah!" Leechpaw bounced, looking around and tasting the air for any sign of prey.
"Watch, and learn." Oaksplash purred, leading him away, upstream to where the current was stronger and the river was wider. He ushered him away from the water a bit, the black tom sitting by his side, just behind him as he watched him concentrate and lash his paw into the water to snag a fish. He presented it to the the apprentice and they happily shared it.
Leechpaw and Oaksplash later went back to practicing, Leechpaw getting progressively faster and faster in getting across until the pair went back to camp a good chunk after Sunhigh.
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The hunting patrol had split up for the most part. Chanterellepelt had wandered off without saying a word to the others before, Sulphurwing went his own ways quite soon after. Boulderstar and Crickethop went off to hunt for birds or something...Lizardpelt was left alone, lurking around the territory briefly before following the most friendly cats of the bunch, joining the two FeatherClanners in hunting. Or rather, he stuck close by, catching rodents and lizards mostly, leaving the bird hunting to the experts. As he snuck towards a mouse, a crunch from a leaf somewhere nearby spooked it and it ran. Lizardpelt stood up straighter, cursing under his breath before seeking out the noise, seeing a pair of kits or apprentices playing on the other side of a bush. Not knowing what do quite do, not being yet familiar with the Clan's workings, not to mention that these cats didn't seem to pose much threat. And yet the tabby still growled, leaping through the bush, facing the two kittens who squeaked at first. The black one, smaller than what seemed to be her brother, gathered herself quicker, hissing at him and unsheathing her claws, soon followed by her brother. Lizardpelt was hardly larger than the two, but he felt he could easily win if it came to a fight. After all, the overall features of the cats showed they were yet to reach adulthood and he was a trained warrior and, well, an adult. The kits were spooked yet again as the larger tom instead opted to yowl out.
"Boulderstar! You might want to see this!"
They looked at each other strangely after the leader was called, trying to run off, only to run right into the grey tom who came from right nearby, soon followed by the calico.
A glare from the grey leader made the kits freeze up again, the tom choking on his voice as he tried to speak.
"What are you two doing here? Where is your mother? Your family?" Boulderstar asked after a few moment, sitting down and dropping the glare. Crickethop sat to the side, purring soothingly.
"It's okay. No one will hurt you."
"We...we lost out mom. And we can't find our Clan. By name is Thistlekit. This is my sister, Tinykit." The tom, apparently named Thistlekit, spoke up, staring up at the blue tom hopefully.
"Right...Well. How about you join us in our camp while we figure out what to do?" He offered, getting quick nods from the kits. With a smile, Boulderstar herded the pair of kits along, Lizardpelt sticking around as Crickethop went to fetch the prey instead.
The group, about half of the hunting patrol, came back to the underground camp with the kits, Crickethop the only one carrying prey which immediately caught the attention of the queen, patched up a bit by Honeyseed and keeping a close eye on her kits. Valeriankit still seemed a bit spooked, staying camouflaged in his mother's fur while the others played, only swatting and nipping at them playfully if they tumbled closer. Now, all four stared at the returning patrol with their mother, eyes wide. Frogkit was the one to waddle over to the strangers first, closely followed by her sister, swatting at the smaller one's muzzle and nearly losing her own balance. Tinykit laughed, giving the kit a gentle bat back, moving her paw from where Dunlinkit tried to nip it. The tabby warrior beside them nudged the MoleClan kittens away, sending the two scurrying back to their mother, who was still waiting for an explanation. Crickethop dropped the prey in a dip in the corner, sitting beside the queen as Boulderstar faced the two loner kits.
"So, how long have you been alone? When was the last time you saw your mother or Clan?"
"A while ago." Responded Tinykit, sitting with her tail over her paws.
"Roughly?"
"About a moon."
"I'm not sure we can find your Clan after that long...we could try to, but you could also stay here. You seem old enough to be apprentices anyway."
Lizardpelt paid little attention, padding off and sitting by the entrance, washing himself.
"Well...what do you think, Thistlekit?"
"They seem nice enough..." The tabby tom didn't seem to be sure what to do either.
"Excuse us, please." Tinykit spoke loudly before marching off to the corner with her brother. The others could hear mumbling and figure the general direction the talk was going in from various gestures.
"So what you're saying is that we could let them stay and apprentice them, right? If you plan to let them stay kits when they're the size of Softstone, we may as well just toss them out to spend some more time alone." Everyone knew SwampClan had never been one for freeloaders. They had a history of putting queens back on patrols and warrior duties sooner and pushing themselves for as long as they could before they were dead or forced to retire once they could no longer keep up with the younger cats or started getting too sickly to be wearing themselves any longer. Sure, they still respected them for their contributions to the Clan, current or former, yet they definitely would not show such respect to outsiders wishing to join and not pull their weight around when they definitely could. While Lizardpelt was of a calmer, more understanding sort, at least compared to cats such as his brother or his SwampClan clanmate Crowclaw, no doubt he was still SwampClan through and through.
"Of course they'd be made apprentices, Lizardpelt. And keep in mind that this isn't SwampClan, this is MoleClan. We're the accepting, welcoming Clan that lets any cat in." Boulderstar said coldly, turning his gaze to the kits.
"Even psychopaths, apparently." The tabby muttered, looking down at the paws that landed on his chest as well as the clumsy creature they belonged to, how it had an awkward smile on its creamy face. He smiled back softly at Snailkit, pulling away a bit so that the kit fell, falling on his little chest with front paws still stretched out. He hopped right back up onto all fours, letting out a little squeak as Lizardpelt gave him a small whack with the tip of his tail. The kit grabbed at it, bitting at the thick fur.
The tom was going to flip onto his side to keep playing with the kit on more even grounds when the older pair came back and stood in front of Boulderstar. The smaller of the pair confidently declared their decision.
"We'll stay in your Clan, but if there's any sign of out Clan or mother searching for us, we demand that we are allowed to freely leave." The tabby kit simply nodded along, smiling.
"That sounds about right. We lack the right to keep cats from their Clan." Boulderstar nodded, giving his promise to the kits. "And Lizardpelt is right, you two seem old enough to become apprentices already. We'll give you a ceremony in the evening, when the patrols return and all the Clan is gathered together."
The kits smiled at each other. It wasn't their Clan, but everyone knew that a kit is most often quite eager to get training. In this case, even in a different Clan.
"You may make yourselves nests in the apprentice den already if you wish, or you could wait a while longer in the nursery." He added, gesturing with his tail to the corresponding tunnels.
The pair nodded and chose to wait for now, playing gently with Softstone's kits. Even Valeriankit came to join, though Snailkit had fun going back to playing with Lizardpelt until he gently nudged him towards the rest. He scampered off, jumping on Thistlekit and making him flinch slightly as a new challenger appeared.
The two soon-to-be-apprentices later made themselves big, comfy nests in a corner of the apprentice den, soon off to join the other kits for a nap in the nursery. Softstone didn't mind at first, but the nest quickly started to feel cramped with two near full-grown cats joining in and they ended up napping just outside the nest.
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Leechpaw followed after Oaksplash with a yawn, tired out after training, but happy. Oaksplash went to have a snack, but the apprentice marched right off to his nest, something tugging at a string in his chest, a strange feeling of loneliness filling him. The others didn't sleep alone, right? But he had the den all to himself. All only to himself. He curled up in his nest, laying his black tail over his nose and purring to lull himself to sleep. His eyes closing, he noticed the noise of a patrol returning, opening his eyes again as he heard someone slipping into his den soon after. The white molly plopped down next to him, giving his head a few quick licks like a mother to her kit. "How was training? Besides tiring?" She asked, smiling at him. He let out a quiet purr. "It was a lot of fun. Honestly never thought I could say that about getting wet." Leechpaw closed his eyes again with a huge yawn.
"That sounds good. I figured that could be Oaksplash's first lesson. I was worried it might have been a bit too much for you." He could feel her beside him until he fell asleep, purring calmly. Hailstorm rested her chin on his back, dozing for a short while herself before leaving, trying to avoid falling asleep.
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After the border patrol had set off, it was soon clear that Hailstorm was trying to push way in front of the others. Even Adderstrike and Crowclaw soon decided to just let her go ahead. But only after receiving a few scratches for pushing forward even more or laughing at how desperate she seemed to lead. As they got to one of the borders, however, Hailstorm suddenly stopped, sitting and staring over the border. They had to be here. They'd come, right? Boulderstar had told her last night they'd be here in the morning so where are they. Even as the rest started to move along and at their questioning, she didn't respond, she didn't move and merely bristled as Adderstrike cracked a joke. This time it was Toadstep who silenced him. The rest of the patrol soon left her behind, silently moving on.
Hailstorm waited for what felt like ages after before she saw two shapes, one ginger and the other tabby and white. She stood up, tail up high and a purr escaping her from excitement, seeing her two former clanmates once more. She waited for the shapes to come closer, seeing one leaning on the other and panting. She noticed the round, stretched belly of Thrushtail, racing to her side, helping to support her. The others didn't seem to have noticed her before, the queen and her mate flinching and staring at her, Hazelstripe sheathing his claws upon recognition.
"Hailstorm? Thank StarClan we found you. We saw Volebelly a while ago. In our dreams. He said-he said you found LeafClan and we'd be safe at home now!" He was nearly bursting with excitement and relief now, looking around for any sign of the others. He even tasted the air, catching Clan scent off the breeze.
"Well, not LeafClan, but there's definitely a Clan..." She explained, feeling somewhat sorry that the other LeafClanners had their hopes so high. Had the elder really told them that so they'd come?
"No kidding. Stinks of SwampClan and MoleClan." Hazelstripe noted, his tail drooping with disappointment. Thrushtail licked his cheek to cheer him up, though she was clearly disappointed too.
"Well, it doesn't matter now. If they accept us, our kits will be safe among them, I'm sure." She reassured him, the tom smiling gently at her.
"Then I guess we should keep going." He nodded, waiting for her to start moving along, sticking by her side with Hailstorm ny her other.
"Oh, I'm sure they'll accept. I doubt they've rejected anyone. Or at least I haven't seen it." She said, leading them the rest of the way back to camp. When she got there, she was met with curious looks from the SwampClan brothers, Adderstrike and Lizardpelt along with Wolftail and Crowclaw. The patrol clearly had only just come back as she had returned, followed by her two clanmates to interrupt their greetings. Boulderstar looked over at the LeafClan trio with a neutral gaze before smiling, coming closer and dipping his head in greeting.
"Welcome, Hazelstripe, Thrushtail. I was wondering what took you so long."
"He warned me you were coming." She said to the, clearly surprised, cats, sneaking away to go check what Leechpaw was doing, having noticed Oaksplash's presence as well.
Boulderstar explained that it was at his request that they were found and led their and apologized for them feeling tricked. After explaining what dens were where, let Hazelstripe and Thrushtail help the queen set up in the nursery.
The pair made sure to be quiet, trying not to wake up the sleeping queen or her kits. They had to step over Tinykit and Thistlekit, wondering what a pair of roughly SwampClan apprentice or warrior sized cats were doing there, but decided to leave it be. Hazelstripe made sure Thrushtail was as comfortable as possible, helping her settle in and pressing his nose to hers. Unfortunately he had to leave, returning over to Boulderstar as requested. The leader nodded at him, smiling.
"I figured it would help you settle down if you at least knew everyone's names already. You can get to know them better later, but for now." He gestured to the cats in the lobby area first. "You probably already know those two tabbies. Adderstrike and Lizardpelt from SwampClan. The calico there is Crickethop from FeatherClan speaking to Oaksplash. The ginger tabby there is Chanterellepelt, probably new to you and the gray tom next to him is Wolftail."
Hazelstripe just nodded along, silently wishing he had come home, come to see his own Clan gathered together again. But he had to settle for this. At least for the time being. He snapped out of it and stood up to follow when Boulderstar started to move towards what he had mentioned before was the warriors' den. The gray tom walked inside, followed close by the ginger tom. The den was empty, save for a tortoiseshell. She raised her head as the pair walked in, confused as to who this was and why they were there. She glared at the LeafClan cat.
"This is Crowclaw. You may have known her as Crowpaw before."
Hazelstripe just gave her a confused look, following Boulderstar out. He was led to the apprentice den, Hailstorm and a tabby he recognized as the former SwampClan deputy Toadstep looking up at them.
"Toadstep, this is Hazelstripe, Hailstorm's Clanmate who'll be staying with us." He explained, leading the ginger tom into the den after the tabbies exchanged greetings. "That's our single apprentice - Leechpaw." He spoke in a hushed voice, Hazelstripe having a bit of trouble making out the black cat in the dark corner of the den, hardly finding the outline by the time he was being led out into the lobby again.
"You've already been in the nursery so you probably already saw our queen - Softstone. And her four kits. I trust Thistlekit and Tinykit were there as well. We found them just today, they said they were from some unknown Clan and those were their names. We'll be making them apprentices after sunset." He noted, leading Hazelstripe into a tunnel, turning left at a small area with two more leading to either side. The tunnel here was particularly wide, the pair possibly being able to walk side-by-side if they wanted to. The smell of herbs hit him before they came out into a large area with three cats.
"Ah, Bearface, I wondered where you disappeared to." Boulderstar sounded a bit confused, a ginger molly pulling him aside and talking quietly. Hazelstripe let them be, approaching the brown tabby who looked honestly quite uncomfortable.
"So..."
"Barkpaw." He simply stated, staring down at his paws.
"Ah...I'm Hazelstripe."
"LeafClan...I'm from SwampClan."
"Oh, um, so that's Yellowleaf, ri-."
"Honeyseed. I don't know where Yellowleaf is."
"Oh...what about Littlepool?"
"Haven't seen her."
"Oh...I haven't seen Owlfeather either."
"Shame. Great guy. Young..."
Hazelstripe was starting to feel uncomfortable too, waiting for Boulderstar to finish. The grey tom soon awkwardly mewed a "well, in any case, this is Honeyseed. Our current lead medicine cat. Honeyseed, this is Hazelstripe."
The pair of gingers dipped their heads to one another, an awkward silence overtaking again. Boulderstar left the den, Hazelstripe following again as the two moved back to the lobby.
"I guess that's everyone for n-"
The leader was interrupted when a tom, who had just dropped a couple mice on the fresh-kill pile approached them.
"Ah, yes, this is Sulphurwing."
"And who might you be~?" The mentioned tom purred, tilting his head at the newcomer.
"Hazelstripe..." He leaned back, giving an awkward stare back until Sulphurwing chuckled and left.
"How come there's so many toms here anyway?" He quietly asked Boulderstar who shrugged. "Most of Bear's gang are dead and gone already so I really couldn't tell ya. Bad luck?"
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"You're WHAT?!" Roared Bearface, snarling in the calico's face with his teeth bared. Boulderstar promptly shoved him away, putting himself between the two cats.
"Now then. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for this. It seems like she may have gotten pregnant before coming here. Chances are, it was before she returned to clanlife and we both know what the life of a rogue is like. Give her a break." He calmly spoke to his deputy before smiling to the bristling molly. "Isn't that right, Crickethop?" He prodded gently, receiving a nod in response as the longhair calmed down a bit, sitting back.
"Then it's settled. You should go and get yourself comfortable in the nursery for now, Softstone should help you. And, Bearface, no more patrols for now, please."
The chocolate tom simply glared with silent anger before the calico slipped away, down into the cramped space below the earth.
She tried not to look the others in the eye as she passed Wolftail and Sulphurwing, not returning their greeting. She simply went into the tunnel and into the spacious cavern, smiling at the sleeping queen and the quietly playing kits. She took some nesting material from a pile placed in the corner, making herself a fresh nest and curling up. She didn't even feel cheerier as a little tabby pounced on her fluffy back, laughing and trying to urge her into playing with her. The molly gently shook the little kit off, Frogkit giggling and bouncing off to pounce on her white brother instead. The kits wrestled quietly, just outside the nest, wanting to avoid disturbing their mother with their games so she wouldn't make them go back to sleep too.
Crickethop sighed, curling into a ball, snuggling into her own fluffy fur and soon letting the calm atmosphere take her away.
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As the rest of the evening patrols came home, the moon was already dancing with the shining stars in the sky. Some of the cats were starting to get sleepy, but waited for the rest of their clanmates to return as a special even would be happening that evening. The the bigger and smaller kits were all playing in a pile, Tinykit and Thistlekit careful not to harm the clumsy little ones.
As the hunting patrol filtered in, one by one, they dropped their prey in the corner, gathering in the lobby among everyone else. Hazelstripe went and laid down beside his mate, the two pressing their noses together briefly and licking at one another's fur. Hailstorm sat nearby, rigid, ears up and alert as she tried to fight the drowsiness that clouded her mind. Leechpaw hastily moved by her side, sitting with her. His mentor, Oaksplash was chatting with Softstone, who's mate had taken up the job of watching the kits. Bearface joined near the cluster of SwampClan cats as Chanterellepelt went to sit alone instead. Wolftail was calm for once, leaning a bit on Crickethop sleepily... The camp was completely calm for a time, yet soon Boulderstar jumped up on a rock jutting out from a wall. Only dim light hit him, making him look much larger than he was, looking around at the Clan before calling.
"Cats of MoleClan! Tonight, with great honour, we welcome two new apprentices!"
Only as he spoke did the mentioned cats break away from the pile and dart to in front of the stone, into the beam of moonlight shining through the hole in the roof. It shone off their fur, making them clear, unlike the rest of the cats in the dark cave. The pair had messy, spiky fur after their games, but seemed pretty happy, even without a mother to fuss over them before the ceremony.
"Despite having just joined the Clan, two of our newest members, Thistlekit and Tinykit, are ready to take the next step towards becoming a warrior and serve the Clan as apprentices with new names - Thistlepaw and Tinypaw. As every apprentice, they will need mentors." He paused, yellow eyes scanning the clearing, shining as he leaned forward a little once they caught a weak beam of the moon's glow.
"Step forward, Lizardpelt. You shall be the mentor of Thistlepaw." He said, holding back a smile as he saw the shape of a cat among the SwampClanners flinch.
Lizardpelt had indeed flinched, surprised and confused about the choice for a second. He quickly regained his composure, padding towards the tabby apprentice with tail held high. As any SwampClan cat would, he made himself look proud and confident. The tom came to stand in front of Thistlepaw, the two bowing their heads and touching their foreheads together as a sign of respect and the forming of a new teacher-pupil bond before pulling away. The newly made mentor sat down next to his apprentice, sitting tall with his tail curled over his paws. Boulderstar had waited before announcing again.
"Step forward, Hailstorm. You shall be the mentor of Tinypaw."
Hailstorm heard her name being called from her half-asleep state, jolting awake and looking around with confusion as to what was going on. She heard her LeafClan clanmates chuckle, feeling Leechpaw nudging her with a paw before she caught up, standing and, with pelt prickling from the stares from all sides, approached the black molly with a fast trot. She copied the same motions, embarrassed, but proud and happy, really. It did not help that her apprentice was taller than her and had giggled as she lowered her head for Hailstorm to reach properly. Boulderstar bowed his head to the four and began the chant that quickly started to echo around the lobby, the energy of each shout varying greatly, but cheerful all the same. "Thistlepaw! Tinypaw! Thistlepaw! Tinypaw!"
Thistlepaw looked bashful, lowering his head slightly, ears down, but his sister was quite the opposite, shining with pride.
With that done and things calming back down, the queens returned to the nursery, Crickethop bringing a robin with her to munch on. Most of the cats were grabbing a bite to eat too, really, but Hazelstripe picked a sparrow and a squirrel for him and his mate to eat together, Toadstep bringing Softstone a rabbit that Wolftail had caught that morning after Tinypaw snatched the fresher one from under his nose, running off to eat with her brother. Leechpaw ended up getting food last after trying to keep out of everyone else's way, snagging one of the fish he and Oaksplash had caught and brought back after their snack by the river. He approached the other apprentices, smiling shyly. "Could I join?" He asked, the pair quickly, cheerfully answering. "Sure!" As they tore at their furry meal. Leechpaw settled down near them, digging into his fish, purring. Finally he wasn't gonna be alone!
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The kits had, one by one, moved in to suckle at Softstone's belly when Toadstep came in. She purred, pressing her nose to his after he dropped the rabbit. Farther away, Hazelstripe and Thrushtail were sharing the two pieces of prey with one another too, Hazelstripe trying to make sure his mate ate plenty to make sure the kittens in her huge belly were getting enough too, the pair playfully bickering every now and then.
Toadstep and Softstone bit into the rabbit, enjoying it and getting the four at their mother's belly curious about it. Valeriankit was first, soon followed by Dunlinkit, coming closer and trying to nibbled at the fur and then the meat near where Softstone was eating, trying it. This got the other pair curious too, causing Frogkit and Snailkit to huddle over too. Softstone let out a small huff of laughter as she pulled away, letting them all get a little taste in before nudging them back to her belly. It was good that they were curious at trying some, it was about time, but for now they'd need her milk too of course.
With means finished, Hazelstripe and Toadstep had snuggled up with their mates, but Crickethop was left alone where she had made her nest shamefully in the corner. She sneakily eyed the others with sadness and jealousy. Miraculously, some of the little ones managed to pick up on it, Frogkit and Valeriankit getting up and sneaking away from their parents. They bounced over to Crickethop, climbing her and nipping at her ears, paws and tail to get her to play, to cheer her up. She giggled, happily playing with the little balls of fluffy, soft fur, forgetting her troubles for just a bit as she had some childish fun. By the time Softstone called over her kittens, she'd gotten kinda tired and sleepy anyway, saying goodbye to the pair and curling up to sleep as they returned it, stumbling back to their mother, their siblings and father. She licked them both, praising them quietly for what they'd done.
Toadstep yawned, purring and pressing his nose to Softstone's as she looked up. "I'm gonna head back to my nest. Call me if you need anything." He said.
"Alright. Sweet dreams." He returned, curling around her kittens once he left.
Thrushtail gave the ginger tom next to her a nudge. "Wouldn't you like to sleep in your nest today?" She asked as he awoke, smiling and purring at him.
"Maybe I should. I'll see you tomorrow then, alright?"
"Alright."
Hazelstripe slowly followed after Toadstep to the Warriors' den, the lobby already clear as most cats were in their nests, asleep or trying to get to it...
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A tabby tom crept through the empty lobby slowly, careful not to wake anyone as he slipped through the tunnel outside, walking a ways away just in case. He sat down in a patch of grass, looking up at the dark night sky, at the glittering, bright stars and moon overlooking it all. He sighed, slipping down to lye on his belly, paws tucked under him, staring up at it calmly, admiring it all silently. He looked around too, at the moths and fireflies flying around. He watched a brown bird in the distance swipe up something from the ground, flying away. Most likely an owl. He heard the distant cries of wolves. Saw a fox quickly trotting through the forest. A bat flying around, searching for a meal for itself, the chirping of bugs in the night scaring away any silence possible...
He spent a few hours out here like this, happy, serene, calm. But he had to return to his den and his nest soon. Honeyseed wouldn't be very happy with him if he woke up late into the day or was left drowsy and tired all day. So he got up, trotting back towards camp and slipping inside, quietly moving trough the dark, quiet tunnels and to his nest in the medicine den, curling up and falling asleep quickly...
[The Clan consumes a bird and a fish]
[Hunting patrol: Boulderstar, Chanterellepelt, Sulphurwing, Crickethop, Lizardpelt]
[Border patrol: Hailstorm, Toadstep, Wolftail, Adderstrike, Crowclaw]
[Oaksplash takes Leechpaw out training and teaches him him to swim]
[Thistlekit and Tinykit of LilyClan join the Clan just in time to become apprentices; Thistlepaw will be mentored by Lizardpelt, Tinypaw will be mentored by Hailstorm]
[Thrushtail is going into labour]
