Softstone was exhausted, gasping for air for a few seconds after the 4th kit. She sat up even still, licking the tiny bundles that were mewling in tiny voices, crawling blindly toward her belly. Three of four of the kits seemed fine, making their way quick, exgaging in a small fight over who gets the best spots to suckle. She purred. But she was worried about a smaller, white looking tom that could hardly push himself forward. Honeyseed put him closer to her belly so he could join his siblings.
"Is he going to be okay?" Softstone whispered to the medicine cat with worry, ears flat against her head.
"I'm sure he'll be fine. I'll bring you some borage. You can fetch me if you think something's wrong later, okay?" He flicked Softstone's shoulder with her tail, hurrying along to fetch the small amount of borage she had in her den, paying an angry looking Bearface no mind as she stepped around him.
"Thinking of any names yet?" She asked as she returned to the nursery, tilting her head slightly upon seeing the queen watching the tiny kits very closely.
"I'll wait for Toadstep to come back. I just hope the little one will be okay." Honeyseed nodded, turning and leaving her be for now.
...
A pair of brown tabbies slipped in through the tunnel, dropping their catches on the fresh-kill pile. Toadstep hardly managed to do more than that as Honeyseed appeared from inside the nursery, the tip of her tail slightly twitching. She had been darting in and out in and out over the slightest thing so far, really. The father was unceremoniously shoved towards the entrance with a purr from the medicine cat she then scampered off towards the exit. "Bearface mentioned you had some knowledge in medicine, can you stay with Softstone for me, please?" She hadn't waited for an answer before disappearing.
The tabby tom blinked, remaining frozen for a moment longer before hurrying to his mate's side, rubbing his cheek against hers. They purred, trading licks until Toadstep settled on the ground next to her nest, their attention shifting to the tiny kits. "What do you think we should name them?" Softstone asked her mate quietly, purring softly. "i thought maybe we could name this one Frogkit. After her father." She smiled as her mate looked away shyly, not sure what to say. "I guess that's a yes." The queen licked his ear. Toadstep purred, looking at the remaining three nameless kits, pointing to the small, weak, white-looking tom. "Maybe this one could be Valeriankit?" He proposed, getting a nod from Softstone. He purred, happy to have come up with a good name. "And the other brown molly could be Dunlinkit." He offered, though the queen didn't seem to be quite as happy with this one. "Hm. It sounds a bit strange, but it could fit, thank you." She purred. "And the last one could be Snailkit because he looks like a snail shell, what do you think?"
"It sounds nice. Frogkit, Valeriankit, Dunlinkit and Snailkit. Welcome to the Clan." Toadstep proclaimed, nuzzling and licking each of the kits, making Softstone giggle. "I am worried about Valeriankit, though."
"Oh. Honeyseed told me to help keep watch over the kits. I know what I'm doing. If anything goes wrong, you can count on me." The tom squirmed his way into the nest, trying not to bother the kits or mother, resting his head on Softstone's flank and watching them, grooming Softstone and himself in the meantime.
---
Boulderstar and Hailstorm padded on through the territory mostly in silence. The leader had tried to speak to her, yet she mostly kept silent. She didn't seem hostile, though. None of the MoleClan cats quite knew what she was like back in LeafClan (not the one on here), but the gray tom could only assume she was she did not act the same. Reasonable. He assumed the suffix was there for a reason and a mellow-ish cat like how she seemed on the patrol didn't quite fit it. Looking back at all th arguing and noise, he guessed it was more like her. Boulderstar sighed, pacing beside the white molly. "What happened to LeafClan?" He asked, catching her as she froze up and nearly fell over, tripping over her own paws.
"Why do you want to know?" She hissed, glaring at him. "It's none of your business, let's keep it at that." She swiped at his ears, Boulderstar pulling back from the attack, tilting his head as she padded onwards, tail twitching.
"Are any of the others still alive?" He asked, regaining his place next to her. "Any of them? Should I ask StarClan to help us find them?"
Hailstorm glared, but her gaze quickly softened. "I don't know if anyone is still out there. But if you could find them, that would be wonderful. Please."
He smiled, nodding.
...
While silence still ruled between them, Hailstorm kept a soft smile as they continued on the patrol. Boulderstar suggested that they should head back towards camp, but Hailstorm froze, listening. She thought she had heard a yowl farther away. "Trouble." The fur on her shoulders bristled before she ran off, leaving the leader behind. After weering around a tree, she tackled a ginger tom, growling at him as she looked down at a black cat, injured, bruised and bleeding. Nothing too serious from. The looks of it.
"What are you doing this close to Lea-ugh- MoleClan territory? And why are you in wolf territory even?" She asked the tom who eyed her coldly, flicking his gaze into the distance, no doubt having noticed the lightly limping leader dashing towards them. Silence ruled as the gray tom caught up, yet before Boulderstar could say anything or even assess the situation, the tom finally spoke.
"I have received word from StarClan that your Clan, MoleClan, needed some extra members. The name's Chanterellepelt. See, I found this rogue out here and figured you might want him gone." Hailstorm narrowed her eyes with distrust, her pelt prickling with distrust for this newcomer. Too bad Boulderstar didn't share her caution.
"Ah. You are welcome to join us. But we can handle rogue problems ourselves, thank you." The leader dipped his head. "Hailstorm, could you bring the apprentice, please." The tom asked her, giving her an sympathetic look and leaving with a smirking Chanterellepelt. She could have sworn she saw him glare back at her before leaving, a flash of his claws as he padded along. The white molly hissed, focusing her attention on the smaller black tom that propped himself up slowly, hissing with pain, limping forward a few paces. He stared fearfully at her, yet she sighed, pressing up against him and taking his weight. "Let's go. You can get treated back at camp." She helped the apprentice along, trying to calm him down on the way. They got there soon enough, bumping into Honeyseed who was just popping out of the tunnel.
"What happened?" The ginger molly asked, swiftly looking him over. "He'll be fine for now. Find him a nest and let him rest for a bit. I'll be back soon."
Hailstorm could only nod before the medicine cat was gone once more. She carefully lead the apprentice down the tunnel, hiding the spark of amusement she felt as he slipped and almost fell over thanks to some loose earth.
"You'll get used to it." She heard talking and loud purring from the nursery. She could hear talking in the warriors' den, getting a glimpse of Bearface's tail as he must have went to talk to the new tom.
"Miss? That tom won't hurt me again, right? Could...could you stay here for a bit?" The apprentice spoke shyly as she prepared a nice soft nest for him to curl up in.
"Of course he won't. We're not rogues. And if he does, I expect Boulderstar to not be quite so stupid next time. Laying him down, the molly sat close, intending to groom herself. As she twisted to lick at her back, Oaksplash came in, likely bored of the newcomer warrior.
"Hello there!" He greeted the black apprentice and the former LeafClan warrior cheerfully, drawing closer until he saw the injured apprentice flinch. "My apologies. My name is Oaksplash, the best fisher in MoleClan. I know it likely seems scary at first, but don't worry, I doubt anyone here would hurt you. Welcome to the Clan, uh-whatever your name is."
"It's Lucas..." The apprentice mewed quietly, though Oaksplash had still heard.
"Ah, so-" The tabby tom seemed confused as he attempted to ask a question.
"No, Chanterellepelt and he are not related. Now please leave him be, Honeyseed said he needs rest." Hailstorm cut him off, sounding somewhat cold. It worked as Oaksplash, while seemingly upset, did leave them for now. "Does it hurt? I could go see if Toadstep could tend to you now."
"I'll be okay...I can wait until, uh, Honeyseed comes back."
Hailstorm nodded, grooming herself in silence.~~~~
Lucas had recovered quite a bit over time, still not entirely fine. Not fine enough for Honeyseed to trust him to go out juuuust yet anyway. Yet everyone felt that it was about time he received a proper name and a mentor to take up his training. Boulderstar called everyone together to the underground tunnels, purring with satisfaction as he watched the Clan gather around him, curious as to what was going on. He quietly asked Hailstorm to fetch Lucas who soon waddled out, hurrying over and sitting in the back of the crowd with the molly.
"No doubt you are all confused as to what I have called a meeting for. Well, it is a special time today. Time to name the first apprentice the Clan will have after its reestablishment. Lucas, I ask you to give up your old rogue name and accept a name fitting of a warrior. Please, step forward." He waited as the small black tom made his was to the front, sitting in front of him. "Lucas, from this day on, until you earn a true warrior's name, you shall be known as Leechpaw." He dipped his head to the apprentice, beckoning a buzzing Oaksplash forward from the front of the crowd. "Oaksplash, you are a cherished member of the Clan, a brave warrior and a skilled hunter. I trust you will teach this apprentice well." The warrior and leader both dipped their heads to eachother before the tabby faced Leechpaw, whispering to him quickly before they touched noses. Chanterellepelt and Bearface sat in silence as the others cheered, sharing a look of disgust at such a small rogue being welcomed so. Softstone quickly disappeared into the nursery to tend to her steadily growing kits, everyone else scattering a bit more slowly.
"I'm sure you'll do perfect, bud." Oaksplash purred, smiling to his new apprentice.
---
The last few days had been odd to say the least. Prey would just appear at random in the territory, yet there didn't seem to be any unfamilisr rogue scent. In fact, the scent seemed like one the cats had known well before, particularly the 'true' MoleClan cats. One night, Boulderstar ventured out to the Moonpool to fulfill his promise. He took a small lap of the water before laying on his belly, resting his chin on the ground and falling into a deep sleep. He nodded a greeting to his old friend - Rattail as usual, saying his greetings. "Old friend, I have an important and particular favour to ask you. Please. I beg that you and StarClan try their hardest. You see, Hailstorm - of LeafClan - is in our residence, yet she no doubt feels lonely and bothered by the mystery of her Clanmate's whereabouts and fate. I ask of you to find any of the old LeafClan cats that wander out there somewhere. I offer them a home to live under the warrior code, safely and peacefully. Thank you." Rattail seemed troubled by this request, nodding. "I'll see what I can do. But I sense you must go soon. For there is a different old friend you may not want to miss." Boulderstar tilted his head, but everything snapped away and he was back at the edge of the pool. Sitting up, he shook out his scarred leg a bit before dashing towards his Clan's territory. On the way there, he didn't even notice a gray pelt moving towards the entrance until he was a vole dangling from the jaws of a cat. He snarled and was about to pounce on the intruder, only to realize that the now lashing tail was wagging with happiness. The tom dropped the prey and began to pant, spreading his front legs apart and dipping forward like a dog inviting another to play. Boulderstar laughed as Wolftail jumped around him. "Wolftail! Where have you been?! What were you doing here? Were you the one leaving prey here? You could have just joined us again!"
"Yeah! I brought you prey because I thought maybe you'd want some extra. And and. I didn't know it was you guys! I saw cats I didn't recognize too so I figured this wasn't MoleClan anymore. Are you still leader?! Huh, huh?"
"Of course I'm still leader. Come on. Calm down. Cats are sleeping. And you should too. Busy day tomorrow." Boulderstar purred, leading the gray tom down into the tunnel, passing the quiet guard of Hailstorm and splitting off to each go to their own proper dens.
The morning was definitely chaotic as Wolftail awoke early and pounced on those the recognized just as they woke. The first of them was Bearface who sat up to stretch and groom himself, only to be bowled over by an excited gray tom. "Get off, you stupid furball!" He growled at Wolftail, trying to shake him off as he sloppily licked his fur in all directions, annoying the chocolate tom quickly and leaving him no choice but to scratch the young tom. Wolftail yowled quietly, moving away and waiting for someone else. He was more careful now, greeting Oaksplash with a playful swat of a paw and a wagging tail. The brown tabby chuckled, keeping Wolftail occupied for a while, quietly wrestling with him in the main cavern. Leechpaw emerged from the apprentice den, squeaking and diving back inside as he saw the fighting going on. Sadly for him, Wolftail had noticed and left Oaksplash, chasing the poor black tom.
"Wolftail, wait!" The warrior hurried after, trying to cut Wolftail off, yet the younger tom was faster and quickly had the apprentice cornered, his tail wagging restlessly as Leechpaw cowered.
"Oaksplash, help!" He pleaded, shaking with fear, every hair on his body standing on edge as the gray tom tried to comfort him in his own way.
"Don't worry, Leechpaw. This is Wolftail - StarClan, please get away from him - he's harmless." Oaksplash shoved the longhair away, smiling to the apprentice. "He's just really excitable."
"Sorry." The catdog apologized, his ears pulled back as he sat down.
"I-it's okay...startled me...that's all. I can play if you want!" Leechpaw offered, seemingly calm now. "Just be gentle." He added, scared the larger tom may hurt him even still.
Oaksplash backed off, leaving the two to their own business, watching from farther away.
"Oaksplash! Don't you remember you're on the dawn patrol?!" He heard Bearface's annoyed voice calling him, sighing and leaving for now.
----
Imagine the surprise on Toadstep and Hailstorm's faces when their border patrol lead them across a group of rogue...Clan cats. Their jaws dropped for sure as Crowclaw, Adderstrike, Crickethop, Lizardpelt and Barkpaw appeared by the border. Lizardpelt stepped forward, speaking for the group. "What are you doing here? Are any of the others here too?" He asked, Crowclaw and Adderstrike muttering to each other.
"As much as I hate to say it, we're both part of MoleClan now. Doesn't seem like even MoleClan's whole really and I'm the only one from LeafClan." Hailstorm responded, giving Toadstep a good blow to the head with sheathed claws to snap him out of whatever trance he was in, staring at former clanmates, particularly the muttering two warriors.
"I see. Is Boulderstar still leader? May we speak with him?" Lizardpelt asked, looking hopefully at the two and drawing Barkpaw ever so slightly closer.
Toadstep hissed with rage. "As long as you leave Adderstrike and Crowpaw, sure. I don't want those mud-pelts stinking up the place." He glared at Adderstrike and Crowclaw, who glared and hissed right back, getting out their claws.
"For the record, it's Crowclaw now!"
"And who are you to boss us around, huh? You're no Toadstar, mouse-heart!"
Toadstep's fur bristled and he unsheathed his claws as well, stepping forward, his tail lashing.
Hailstorm watched with amusement, surprise and disbelief, as did Lizardpelt, while Barkpaw and Crickethop merely seemed scared.
"Oh, dear StarClan. Quit it! We don't need any more fighting in this d*mn Clan as is. Drop it, Toadstep. Lizardpelt, you and the rest may come. Just try keep those two in line." Toadstep backed up, hissing as he turned and paced back toward camp alone, with quick steps.
"Sorry. He's definitely usually not like this. Come along." She sighed, leading the group of five cats back towards camp. Wolftail rushed over as they drew closer, growling and launching himself on the opponent he deemed himself most capable of taking on, yet also threatening - Crowclaw. They battled in a mass of caterwauling and a mix of black and gray fur, until Adderstrike plucked the attacker off, Hailstorm herding him away. "Not a threat." She muttered to him, causing him to settle down, growling lowly, but sitting still. Boulderstar appeared out of the tunnel to see what was going on, followed closely by Chanterellepelt.
"What's going on here?" Both asked, though Boulderstar seemed more confused compared to Chanterellepelt who merely seemed curious and very interested. Lizardpelt stepped forward to speak for the small group again, only to be pushed aside by his brother. "We have a problem. The Clan's been wiped out, we need a new home and if it takes killing you, so be it." He declared, looking Boulderstar right in the eyes. Chanterellepelt stayed silent, yet his eyes were clearly glowing with interest as he watched the newbie.
"That will not be necessary. We welcome any cat that wishes to join, but I would ask that you do not threaten me. I am not a pushover." Boulderstar unsheathed his claws, speaking calmly and staring Adderstrike in the eye. Wolftail was growling, held back from attacking by Hailstorm.
"Whatever." The tabby tom rolled his eyes, trying to push past Boulderstar. Chanterellepelt moved, but the leader stood in his way instead.
"Try to watch your attitude. You
are asking for shelter in my Clan and I have every right to deny it."
Lizardpelt sighed, pulling his brother back, telling him off for his behavior and quickly apologizing to the leader. The solid gray tom huffed. "Barkpaw, Crickethop, Crowclaw, Lizardpelt. You may go get settled in. I must have a small chat with Adderstrike."
Barkpaw nodded, disappearing down the tunnel as the leader moved away, curious, yet scared what it was like. Crickethop followed closely. Lizardpelt paused to give Adderstrike a warning look before practically dragging Crowclaw down underground to check the place out.
"Chanterellepelt, please go help them, I will not need your assistance. You too Wolftail." The ginger tom dipped his head respectfully, smirking at the other tabby. As soon as the catdog was gone, he was quick to retreat as well.
---
Toadstep hissed as he shot up to his paws, having heard someone come in. Crickethop flinched, mumbling a quiet greeting. "Sorry. Are you mad at me? I just...I was just having a look around." The calico stood frozen at the entrance for a few awkward seconds. A yowl was heard, causing Toadstep and Crickethop to both rush to look, seeing Crowclaw and Wolftail fighting, a scared Leechpaw fleeing towards the medicine cat den and both Lizardpelt and Chanterellepelt working to try to split them up and defuse the situation. Toadstep snarled and rushed forward, snagging Crowclaw and dragging her backwards, letting Lizardpelt block Wolftail's path. The gray tom snarled at the ginger tabby that stepped on his tail on purpose, Lizardpelt grabbing him by the scruff. "For StarClan's sake! Quit it already!" Honeyseed was upon them all, whacking each cat on the muzzle as Leechpaw trailed close behind her, Barkpaw emerging from his hiding place in the nursery, followed by Softstone. Honeyseed growled, hearding Leechpaw to his den, shoving the warriors into the warriors den and marching back to her own, Barkpaw rushing after her now. She snapped her head back with a stern mother-like look, causing the brown tabby to flinch momentarily. "What do you want?"
"I...I was the medicine cat apprentice in SwampClan...I...I have some herbs and...and I wanted to ask if I could...could be your apprentice." Barkpaw's ears laid flat as he made his request. And yet the ginger molly smiled at him, gesturing for him to come.
"Of course you may. Come on. How much do you know? I don't have many herbs at the moment, sorry about that. We could go search for more together, okay?"
"A-actually, I have some stored up. I could bring it. I hid it outside the territory, but it should be safe."
Honeyseed perked up, purring. "Well, let's go get them then." They both hurried out, stopping, frozen as they saw Adderstrike and Boulderstar fighting viciously, hissing and screeching at each other. Honeyseed nudged for Barkpaw to go as she herself rushed to separate the cats. With a lot more effort than it was worth, she managed, both toms glaring at one another, trying to catch their breath. "Medicine den. Both of you. I'll be with you in a moment." She ushered the warriors along like kits, getting them to quickly comply. Great. Now she would be wasting herbs on these mousebrained toms.
---
The warriors' den was far more crowded now, but at least no one was currently fighting. Oaksplash and Bearface had just come back from hunting, confused about what was going on, with the hefty dose of newcomers and the reek of blood, the anger and tension present in the cave. Hailstorm and Lizardpelt helped calmly explain what had happened, Oaksplash merely sighing while Bearface seemed annoyed that he may as well just be leading a Clan of kits. Would probably be doing better than this. "Okay, okay. Well, the last thing we need is more fighting down here, so... I'll tell you when to head out, but Wolftail, Lizardpelt, Crickethop. You guys can hunt. And bring Toadstep." The tom had went to the nursery to have some peace time with his mate and kits, apparently. "Me, Crowclaw and Chanterellepelt will handle the borders. Sound okay? Good." The question was rhetorical as right after asking it, he merely plopped down in his nest and curled up, grooming himself without a care for what anyone thought.
...
The hunting patrol cats chatted as they prepared to head out, discussing the best area to hunt before they could split up. They padded along the bare-ish ground, getting their paws wet with melting snow and ice here and there. They tasted the air and sniffed along the ground, sticking together for a bit. In that time they ended up coming across a stranger. All three rushed over, startling a tom that was wandering along the border. He looked at them, purring quietly as he eyed Crickethop. "Hello, my friends. And gorgeous." He smiled, sounding calm and pleasant. "I believe you are in a group called a Clan. Well. You see. I would like to join. Be part of a group. Does that make sense?" He paced back and forth, his movements smooth and liquid. The toms sat and stared, Crickethop's eyes sparkling as she watched him.
"Well?" He pressed.
"I'll take you to Boulderstar." Sighed Lizardpelt. "You two go hunt without me. I'll be back shortly." The warrior told the rest of the small patrol, gesturing for the stranger to come and leading him through the territory, keeping a close eye on him while taking him to camp. The strange tom moved like a ghost through the air, looking around curiously. Lizardpelt left him with Oaksplash, as the tom was guarding the entrance from outside. He herded the newbie into the tunnel, staring as he ran his tail under Hailstorm's chin, looking at her seductively. Clearly this wasn't working on her as he merely was bitten, pulling his tail away and stalking after Oaksplash in the medicine den...
[The Clan consumes 1 duck and 1 mouse]
[Readopted cats Crickethop, Crowclaw, Lizardpelt, Adderstrike and Barkpaw join the Clan]
[Boulderstar asks StarClan to find any wandering LeafClan (different) cat]
[Honeyseed gives Softstone some borage]
[Honeyseed uses x1 Marigold, x1 Cobweb and x1 Oak leaves]
[Honeyseed searches for herbs]
[Hailstorm and Oaksplash guard the camp]
[Boulderstar, Leechpaw and Adderstrike stay in camp]
[Softstone cares for her kits]
[Bearface, Crowclaw and Chanterellepelt go on a border patrol]
[Lizardpelt, Crickethop, Wolftail and Toadstep hunt]
[Honeyseed teaches Barkpaw about herbs]
[Crickethop mated with Alpinenose (AdderClan)]
[Advent calendar herbs: x1 Marigold, x1 Horsetail, x1 Willow leaves, x1 Nettle, x1 Dandelion, x1 Bindweed, x2 Oak leaves, x1 Chervil, x1 Goldenrod, x1 borage, x1 dock]
[Advent calendar prey: x4 shrew, x2 mouse, x2 water vole, x1 vole, x1 snake, x1 frog, x1 mole]
[Advent calendar cats: Wolftail Sulphurwing] 
