vampiress_fox wrote:All returned to camp late that night and decided that pleasantries should be set aside for sleep.
~THE NEXT DAY~
Jinxstar woke up early, excited to be going back to the Moonpool. He felt that he needed more warriors, to take care fo the influx in kits. He also knew that Tanagerpelt was impatient to have kits of her own, so he wanted to show her that the clan was strong enough to support the addition of her family. Jinxstar jumped down from his perch and walked into the clearing. Brindlethorn had just gotten up and was walking out of the warrior's den.
"Brindlethorn, I want to go to the Moonpool as soon as I can, so I would like for you to organize patrols." Jinxstar stated as he turned from his deputy and exited camp.
Brindlethorn was not able to respond before his dark leader bounded away, so he just sighed and waited for the rest of the clan to wake up. He could hear Stormpaw talking so some cat, and looked around to see where he was.
Just visible in the heavy morning shadows was the figures of Flintshade, Hollowkit, Blackmouth, and Stormpaw. They were talking with their heads close and in soft voices.
"But, I can't do that, it is against everything I stand for in the clan." Flintshade hissed quietly as he looked at Blackmouth with wide eyes.
"So? What is more important to you, family or this ragtag group of cats? If it comes down to it, you will defend your family!" Blackmouth snarled at him, her claws tearing into the ground in front of her.
"Yeah, you should feel lucky that you were not stuck with the crowfood I have to call siblings! Family is more important then anything else, and I will do anything to be rid of mine. It makes me wish that I was truly your son, Blackmouth, I would kill for a mother like you." Stormpaw said with stars in his eyes as he looked at the older she-cat.
"Perhaps when I am older, you can become a part of this family somehow." Hollowkit said with a gleam in her eyes as she looked at Stormpaw.
Stormpaw just blushed, not sure how to take the words of the young kit. Just as he was about to respond, though, Brindlethorn's voice broke through the morning silence.
"What is so important over here?" Brindlethorn asked as he trotted over to the group suspiciously.
Flintshade and Hollowkit clamped their mouths shut so tight that their teeth clicked together. Flintshade looked very guilty and Hollowkit gave Brindlethorn the same glare that her mother was.
"We were just talking about how happy Mom is to find Flintshade again." Hollowkit responded politely.
"Yes, I was explaining to Stormpaw here that it does not matter what kind of family you have, family is the most important thing in the world to a cat. You should always cherish your family, you never know when they might be taken from you." Blackmouth explained.
Brindlethorn looked to his son, but Stormpaw was not looking up into his eyes. Brindlethorn grunted as his son continued to stare at his paws, with the same uncomfortable look that Flintshade had.
"Get out of the shadows next time." Brindlethorn said suspiciously as he turned away and went to sit under the perch to wait for the rest of the clan to wake up.
The rest of the clan started to wake up slowly. Tanagerpelt and Barkclaw were the first to walk up to Brindlethorn.
"Is Jinxstar around to talk to?" Barkclaw asked him.
"Jinxstar has left for the Moonpool." Brindlethorn said as he watched the two young cats.
"Oh, ok, I guess we will talk to him when he gets back." Tanagerpelt said with a sigh.
Brindlethorn smiled at the two and chuckled. Soon enough, the entire clan was up and moving about.
"Attention! Jinxstar has made his trip to the Moonpool today, so I have everyone's assignments." Brindlethorn said as the cats gathered around him, "Skydapple, Velvetrabbit, Birchfeather, and Blackmouth, I want you to go out hunting. It is about time you start getting out of camp and learning the area, Blackmouth, because in a couple moons you will need to follow in Leopardclaw's pawprints and go on your own Collar Quest."
Blkacmouth glared at him heavily as he ordered her to go out on a hunting patrol, she hated that it was not even one with Flintshade, so she was not able to continue talking to him.
"Flintshade, you will go with me on a boarder patrol." Brindlethorn said, wanting to keep the two cats as far from each other as possible today.
He dismissed the cats and turned to lead Flintshade out of camp. Blackmouth slunk after the other cats, planning on catching as much prey as she can. Hollowkit watched as her mother left camp, wondering what she was going to do today. Willowbolt walked out of the nurery at this time, with her two kits bundling after her.
"Hollowkit, play with us!" Blossomkit said as she ran over to the older she-kit.
"Yes, please please!" Bluekit squeaked as he bundled into her and knocked her over.
Hollowkit smiled and laughed as her previous tension with her mother was forgotten in the presence of the energetic little kits. she was not sure what she would end up doing, but right now her playing with Willowbolt's kits was all that mattered to her.
Tanagerpelt and Barkclaw led their apprentices out of camp. Barkclaw noticed how she watched Willowbolt with her kits, and how she watched them play with Hollowkit. He knew that she wanted kits more then anything, but his reservations about them were more then just the number of members of their clan. He was truly afraid that they would end up dwarf like him. He did not know how to talk to her about it, but he did know that he would need to soon. Tonight, he decided that he would talk to her about it.
Skydapple led the hunting patrol, finding a good spot in the pine trees for them all to hunt. Velvetrabbit was the first to break off, seeking the bushes nearest the Pineclan boarder in hopes of finding Rowanpelt so that she could ask him to meet her tonight.
Blackmouth, on the other hand, decided that she would find a nest in the tree roots and take a nap, it would be nice to sleep outside he nursery where she did not have to listen to Willowbolt's bundles of stupid fluff squallering all night.
Brindlethorn led Flintshade towards the northern boarder, he wanted to talk to him more about Blackmouth's claiming to be his sister.
"Flintshade, how much do you know about Blackmouth?" Brindlethorn asked as he led the way to the northern boarder.
"Well, I do not know much about her other then what she had told me, to be honest." Flintshade said, his entire body quivering with worry.
"But, she is your sister, is she not?" Brindlethorn asked as he looked back at Flintshade with worry.
Flintshade would not meet his eyes as he thought about a proper response. Blackmouth had not grown up with him and she knew nothing of her before she turned up in camp.
"She said that she was my half sister. I never knew my father, all my mother would tell us was that he did not have housefolk. At least, as far as I can remember. I was torn from my family at a very young age, I did not know anyone." Flintshade stopped as his voice started to crack.
"And she claims that you share a father?" Brindlethorn asked, wanting to stay on topic and away from the harsh memories Flintshade had.
"She had told me details that only a sister could know about my family. There is not chance that she could not be." Flintshade said with all the conviction of somecat who had grown up with them.
"I am sorry to have pryed." Brindlethorn said quietly as they continued on their way.
Jinxstar trotted quickly through the forest, the now worn and familiar path giving him a certain amount of comfort. He almost seemed to glide through the rocky pass and slid into a place by the Moonpool. He touched his nose to the water and dreamt deeply.
"Starclan, I thank you for all that you have given us. I thank you for all that you have let us take for our own. I have but a simply wish of a new warrior for my clan. We have many kits that need mentors, and we will soon have many more on the way. I need strong and loyal warriors to help turn them into something that You can be proud of." Jinxstar said as he bowed and left.
He trotted back to camp with a hopeful smile.
[Jinxstar - Moonpool asking for a warrior]
[Leopardclaw - Collar Quest]
[Blackberry and Ashpaw - herb hunting]
[Tanagerpelt/Stormpaw and Barkclaw/Frecklepaw - training]
[Brindlethorn and Flintshade - boarder patrol]
[Skydapple, Velvetrabbit, Blackmouth, Birchfeather - hunting patrol near Pineclan boarder (Velvetrabbit hoping to meet Rowanpelt)]
[Willowbolt - watching Hollowkit, Bluekit, and Blossomkit play]
~~~~~
Leopardclaw emerged from the tunnel after what seemed like a moon, blinking as the bright light hit his eyes. He sneezed and coughed at the sudden salty smell that slapped him across the face. He looked around with interest as he tried to spot where Tori and Anna would be hiding. He figured that the best place to start was the forest. He trotted over to it, and just as he entered he heard a raspy voice from the shadows.
"You, Jinxclan?" the voice said to him.
"Yes?" Leopardclaw said warily.
"You're here for a collar, ain't ya?" a shrill voice asked from above his head.
"Who wants to know?" Leopardclaw challenged.
"Yep, want collar." the raspy voice said as a large raccoon slunk from the shadows of the trees.
"Well, we can help with that, right, Tori?" a magpie asked as it on the root of a large oak tree.
"yes, Anna." Tori the raccoon said as she settled in in front of Leopardclaw.
As Tori prompted him with questions, Anna was picking things out from the hollow beneath the tree and hiding them from his sight. As hard as he tried to peak, he saw nothing. The three talked the whole day away.
"You, sleep. Collar in morning." Tori said as she turned away from him and startled to mumble to Anna.
Leopardclaw slunk away, hunting then heading to sleep.
Birchfeather sighed and flicked his cream colored tail. He was starting to get bored, and was about to ask if they could just hurry up and go home already, when a weird smell drifted through his scent glands "Hey, you guys smell that?" he asked, lifting his head and trying to trace where it was coming from. Velvetrabbit lifted her head, and opened her mouth for a moment, before closing it, and shaking her head "No, what is it?" Skydapple looked curious, and Blackmouth looked like she just didn't care what it was, so Birchfeather took another wiff "Smells like cat" he said. A sarcastic voice called up from the brambles "Well gee, I wonder why that is" Birchfeather turned to see the most beautiful tortoiseshell she-cat ever emerge from the bushes. "I mean, you're all cats, so duh, there's going to be cat scent around" the she-cat rolled her eyes "Clan cats, why my sister decided to join you guys, I'll never know." Birchfeather seemed to be unable to speak, so Skydapple stepped up "You have a sister in the clans?" the stranger nodded "Calls herself Blackberry, you heard of her?" Velvetrabbit purred "Have we? She's our medicine cat!" the new cat purred "'berr always did love her herbs" "Come on!" Velvetrabbit turned, and waved her tail "We'll take you to her!" the cat nodded, and walked past Birchfeather, flicking her tail under his jaw to close it "Scratch a image into bark" the she-cat purred "It'll last longer"
[Starclan has sent you a warrior! She's Blackberry's sister]
[On the way home with the warrior^ your hunting patrol caught x1 Vole, x1 Squirrel, and x1Blackbird]
[Blackberry and Ashpaw found Mint, Lavender, and Thyme]
[Stormpaw and Frecklepaw learned the Fighting Skill]
[The Border patrol passed uneventfully]
[Hollowkit got a thorn in her paw, x1 Dock was used to heal it]
[Starclan has sent you a warrior! She's Blackberry's sister]
[On the way home with the warrior^ your hunting patrol caught x1 Vole, x1 Squirrel, and x1Blackbird]
[Blackberry and Ashpaw found Mint, Lavender, and Thyme]
[Stormpaw and Frecklepaw learned the Fighting Skill]
[The Border patrol passed uneventfully]
[Hollowkit got a thorn in her paw, x1 Dock was used to heal it]