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i▬( the king )
i▬wiltedstar, 31m, tom
i▬★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
i▬wiltedstar, 31m, tom
i▬★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
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i▬( the queen )
i▬geckosplash, 29m, molly
↪ due in one moon
i▬geckosplash, 29m, molly
↪ due in one moon
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i▬( the heir )
i▬alias, age, gender
i▬alias, age, gender
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i▬( the heir's mentor )
i▬alias, age, gender
i▬alias, age, gender
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i▬( the gypsy )
i▬spidernose, 29m, tom
↪ twisted hind leg
i▬spidernose, 29m, tom
↪ twisted hind leg
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i▬( warriors )
i▬flintmask, 26m, tom
heavypad, 23m, tom
fallowstep, 35m, tom
chamomilewhisker, 35m, tom
ivytongue, 35m tom
harriercloud, 37m, molly
pineflower, 20m, tom
littlefang, 20m, molly
hawkeyes, 40m, tom
cormorantface, 49m, tom
raptorgaze, 42, tom
blackthorn, 15m, tom
silversky, 34m, molly
dogbite, 32m, tom
sorrelcloud, 17m, tom
hickorypatch, 33m, molly
mirra, 21m, molly
↪ powers
toadsplash, 48m, tom
sugarfoot, 31m, molly
neritefang, 74m, molly
cicadacloud, 17m, molly
i▬flintmask, 26m, tom
heavypad, 23m, tom
fallowstep, 35m, tom
chamomilewhisker, 35m, tom
ivytongue, 35m tom
harriercloud, 37m, molly
pineflower, 20m, tom
littlefang, 20m, molly
hawkeyes, 40m, tom
cormorantface, 49m, tom
raptorgaze, 42, tom
blackthorn, 15m, tom
silversky, 34m, molly
dogbite, 32m, tom
sorrelcloud, 17m, tom
hickorypatch, 33m, molly
mirra, 21m, molly
↪ powers
toadsplash, 48m, tom
sugarfoot, 31m, molly
neritefang, 74m, molly
cicadacloud, 17m, molly
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i▬( apprentices )
i▬hornetpaw, 11m, tom
minkpaw, 9m, tom
hollypaw, 8m, molly
thymepaw, 8m, tom
sweetdrop, 8m, molly
↪ powers
owlpaw, 7m, molly
aloepaw, 7m, molly
gatorpaw, 7m, tom
chanterellepaw, 6m, tom
i▬hornetpaw, 11m, tom
minkpaw, 9m, tom
hollypaw, 8m, molly
thymepaw, 8m, tom
sweetdrop, 8m, molly
↪ powers
owlpaw, 7m, molly
aloepaw, 7m, molly
gatorpaw, 7m, tom
chanterellepaw, 6m, tom
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i▬( dames )
i▬barleystep, 38m, molly
leechriver, 46m, molly
arguspelt, 27m, molly
badgerbelly, 34m, molly
ibiswing, 35m, molly
claystream, 42m, molly
↪ due in one moon
i▬barleystep, 38m, molly
leechriver, 46m, molly
arguspelt, 27m, molly
badgerbelly, 34m, molly
ibiswing, 35m, molly
claystream, 42m, molly
↪ due in one moon
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i▬( kits )
i▬whinchatkit, 5m, molly
magpiekit, 5m, tom
pansykit, 5m, molly
perchkit, 5m, tom
otterkit, 4m, molly
hurricanekit, 2m, tom
coldkit, 2m, molly
cricketkit, 2m, molly
mothkit, 2m, tom
waxkit, 2m, tom
swiftkit, 2m, tom
twitekit, 2m, molly
grasskit, 4m, molly
hollowkit, 2m, tom
pigeonkit, 1m, tom
cedarkit, 1m, molly
adderkit, 1m, tom
i▬whinchatkit, 5m, molly
magpiekit, 5m, tom
pansykit, 5m, molly
perchkit, 5m, tom
otterkit, 4m, molly
hurricanekit, 2m, tom
coldkit, 2m, molly
cricketkit, 2m, molly
mothkit, 2m, tom
waxkit, 2m, tom
swiftkit, 2m, tom
twitekit, 2m, molly
grasskit, 4m, molly
hollowkit, 2m, tom
pigeonkit, 1m, tom
cedarkit, 1m, molly
adderkit, 1m, tom
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i▬( exiled & deceased )
i▬plumshade, 35m, molly, killed by ivytongue
vervainpaw, 8m, molly, killed by unknown
gorseclaw, 33m, tom, killed by unknown
i▬plumshade, 35m, molly, killed by ivytongue
vervainpaw, 8m, molly, killed by unknown
gorseclaw, 33m, tom, killed by unknown
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i▬( families )
i▬silversky & fallowstep // holly, thyme, & vervain
barleystep & chamomilewhisker // whinchat & ma-
gpie
gorseclaw & hickorypatch // owlpaw
plumshade & heavypad // otter
leechriver & unknown // pansy & perch
arguspelt, burntsight, & oakfang // pigeon, cedar, &
adder
badgerbelly & unknown // wax, swift, & twite
frostbite & flintmask // hurricane & cold
unknown & unknown // aloe & gator
ibiswing & unknown // cricket & moth
i▬silversky & fallowstep // holly, thyme, & vervain
barleystep & chamomilewhisker // whinchat & ma-
gpie
gorseclaw & hickorypatch // owlpaw
plumshade & heavypad // otter
leechriver & unknown // pansy & perch
arguspelt, burntsight, & oakfang // pigeon, cedar, &
adder
badgerbelly & unknown // wax, swift, & twite
frostbite & flintmask // hurricane & cold
unknown & unknown // aloe & gator
ibiswing & unknown // cricket & moth
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( borders )— - n/w = lagoonclan, n = hazelc-
lan, n/e = tundraclan, e = brambleclan, s/e
= floodclan, s = kwamiclan, s/w = mallowcl-
an, w = lambclani▬
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( borders )— - n/w = lagoonclan, n = hazelc-
lan, n/e = tundraclan, e = brambleclan, s/e
= floodclan, s = kwamiclan, s/w = mallowcl-
an, w = lambclani▬
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i▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
i▬( allies )— -
i▬
i▬
i▬
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i▬( allies )— -
i▬
i▬
i▬
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i▬( enemies )— - basinclan
i▬
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i▬( enemies )— - basinclan
i▬
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(statistics: 29 toms, 27 mollies, 56 total // 10 servings needed // next visit to angelstone is 08/07/18 // archive )— -
(fresh kill pile: 9 mice, 1 birds, 3 small fish, 5 snakes, 7 rabbits, 5 voles, 0 squirrels ;; 57 servings )— -
(medicine store: 2 chervil, 0 cobwebs, 1 honey, 0 poppy seeds, 1 juniper berries, 1 yarrow, 1 mallow leaves, 1 stinging nettle, 1 bright-eye, 1 thyme, 1 mint, 1 ivy leaf, 1 lovage )— -
(posts: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 )— -
(training: heavypad, hornetpaw: [ 5 ] battle, hunting, stealth, swimming, climbing // fallowstep, minkpaw: [ 3 ] battle, hunting, stealth // wiltedstar, hollypaw: [ 2 ] battle, hunting // ivytongue, thymepaw: [ 2 ] battle, hunting // mirra, sweetdrop: [ 2 ] battle, hunting // cormorantface, owlpaw: [ 1 ] battle // silversky, aloepaw: [ 1 ] battle // hawkeyes, gatorpaw: [ 1 ] battle // hickorypatch, chanterellepaw: [ 0 ] skill )— -
servings per piece of prey ;; mice = 1 // birds = 3 // small fish = 2 // snakes = 3 // rabbits = 2 // voles = 1 // squirrel = 2
ixxx▬it was only a mere week or so after geckosplash and wiltedstar had officially become mates, with geckosplash rising in status to become the queen. now, she padded across the warmed grass that provided a nest for many warriors of the clan, or rather those who chose not to sleep atop headstones.
ixxx▬the grey-and-white molly pressed her flank against a grave marker as she navigated her way through camp, eyes set upon the imposing statue that marked wiltedstar's (and now hers, too) den.
ixxx▬as she neared, the clan's king came into view, stretched out on his stomach near the forefront of his den, pelt warmed by the sunlight that pierced the perpetual chill of the cemetery. "wiltedstar," geckosplash released a purr, pressing her cheek against the toms as she, too, settled into a lying position.
ixxx▬"my love," he answered in response, resting his chin atop her shoulder, their long fur tangling and their tails intertwining. geckosplash breathed a sigh of contentment, silent for a long moment, and then ―
ixxx▬"i'm expecting your kits."
ixxx▬wiltedstar went rigid for a beat of surprise before a purr erupted from his chest, a deep, rumbling noise that was louder than the wind that tugged the leaves above. "that's wonderful!" he spoke with more joy than geckosplash had ever heard in his tone; he was normally stoic, indifferent towards kits and their mothers, but with geckosplash, it was different. he was going to have children, he was going to have a son, he was going to have an heir.
ixxx▬he considered all of this within a heartbeat, but as he snapped back to the present, he drew his tongue across geckosplash's forehead with his affection. they stayed like that for a long time, coiled within one another's limbs, tangled legs and mingling purrs and incessant grooming.
- — -
ixxx▬arguspelt was warmed by the body heat of the myriad of other cats within the crypt, though she had eyes only for those closest to her; her kits, precious, small children, only three remaining. less than an hour after she'd finished kitting, she'd begun to worry, for she was not producing an adequate amount of milk for all five of the small bundles of fur.
ixxx▬she had three left. she'd told spidernose that the other two had died, and even saying the lie aloud pierced her heart; but no, they were healthy, they were in floodclan with their fathers, and arguspelt could only hope that she would get a glimpse of them at a gathering in the future, or perhaps while she patrolled the borders.
ixxx▬the last three were smaller than their sisters, hence why arguspelt chose them to remain with her; they needed more supervision, more care, as they were weaker and nourishment was important at this stage in their lives.
ixxx▬pigeonkit was the first-born, the tiniest tomcat of arguspelt's litter; a beautiful silver-ticked feline with oakfang's stubby tail; then cedarkit, again with the short tail, and yet another kit who resembled oakfang with her brown tabby coat; and, lastly, of the graveclan kits, was adderkit, the one who looked most like arguspelt with his ticked brown pelt and dark-crested forehead. they were tiny, arguspelt was realizing; prior to having her own children, she'd always watched the other queens and their kits, but had never noticed exactly how small newborn kits were.
ixxx▬there would be more kits soon to join the nursery, for wiltedstar had announced geckosplash's pregnancy early this morning and spidernose had guided claystream into the crypt just after, with her large belly and purring mate. the other dames had stared distrustfully at toadsplash, as queens often did with tomcats, but they'd let him pass under the knowledge that he'd had a litter of kits before.
ixxx▬heavypad and ivytongue were, really, the only toms other than the dame's mates that they would allow into the nursery (excluding, of course, spidernose). the two toms in question were huddled in the corner, having learned swiftly to respect the space that a nursing dame would require, batting a mossball back and forth with otterkit, who grinned up at her pair of dads; she had no idea who her mother was, and she'd never wondered, either, for she had two loving parents who treated her as if she were the most amazing thing that they'd ever seen (and, in heavypad and ivytongue's case, she practically was).
ixxx▬she was nearly of age to become an apprentice, and heavypad had approached wiltedstar numerous times on the topic; he'd requested and, later, begged to be her mentor, for hornetpaw was to take his assessment soon, and there would be nearly an entire moon in between hornetpaw receiving his warrior name (hopefully) and otterkit becoming an apprentice. ivytongue would still be training thymepaw at the time, much to his chagrin (though he didn't dislike thymepaw, otterkit would be his preferred pupil).
ixxx▬there would be four more apprentices soon, though; whinchatkit and magpiekit, pansykit and perchkit, they would all be receiving their in-training names within the next moon. ivytongue was sure that chamomilewhisker and barleystep would rather have their own kits as apprentices, though, for a while, at least, chamomilewhisker would be training vervainpaw, unless starclan thought otherwise.
ixxx▬only time would tell, though, and ivytongue banished any worry from his thoughts as he returned his attention to batting the plaything around with the kit that he loved so wholeheartedly.
- — -
ixxx▬the dames of graveclan had, in the beginning, eyed grasskit and hollowkit with apprehension; where had they come from? why were they here? who were their mothers? they were both old enough, by the time they'd been brought to graveclan, to have been weaned, and this only confused the current mothers more. what kind of mother would give up her kits within days of them being weaned?
ixxx▬little did they know, cormorantface thought bitterly, their mothers had not, in fact, given them up.
ixxx▬he breathed a sigh as he looked down at the pair of maine coon mixes that peered up at him with wide eyes. they were cute, he would admit, but that did not give raptorgaze the right to steal them.
ixxx▬"hello," cormorantface began awkwardly, his gaze flicking away and back. "i'm cormorantface."
ixxx▬the elder of the two kits, the molly, grasskit, nodded rapidly; "raptorgaze told us," she chirped, beaming up at him. "he said that you didn't like him very much right now," she continued with a small frown. "is he in trouble?"
ixxx▬cormorantface eyed her with a newfound apprehension; she was rather clever, he was realizing, and he thought it best to tell her the truth. he crouched to be at a similar height as her, his ears edging forward; "i do like him," he admitted to the molly and the quiet tom who listened to all but spoke little. "i like him lots, and i don't think it's very nice that he brought you here. he should have left you with your mothers."
ixxx▬hollowkit blinked at the larger tomcat. he shrugged, as if to say i like it here. grasskit, unbeknownst to the skill of silent communication, erupted into words immediately. "it's nice here! there's lots of friends, an' nobody tries to boss us around, an' there's lots of other kits to play with." her syllables had run into one another to create one giant word, but cormorantface understood nonetheless.
ixxx▬"but still," he defended himself as another feline sauntered up behind him, pressing their flank to the ticked tabby tom's.
ixxx▬it was raptorgaze. "are you still upset?" his voice was low, rumbling, only loud enough for cormorantface to hear. cormorantface breathed out yet another sigh, casting his gaze upwards from where he was crouched towards the tortie javanese above. "i suppose not," he spoke rather begrudgingly. "they are rather nice; i feel bad for their mothers, though."
ixxx▬raptorgaze scoffed. "they had plenty of kits to go around, where they're from," he spoke flippantly, without care or concern for the feelings of the two kit's clanmates. there were probably search parties being sent out, frantic families that searched without rest, but raptorgaze's thoughts were only for cormorantface, and making him happy, giving him the kits that he deserved.
ixxx▬within time, there would be more.
- — -
ixxx▬across camp from the crypt that sheltered so many precious lives, a feline was standing up to wiltedstar, an occurrence that, to the clan's knowledge, had never happened before. the tortoiseshell molly had grizzled fur, matted in some places, but her eyes were as fiery as they had been when she was in her prime.
ixxx▬"i can do everything that you can do," she insisted, the fur along the ridge of her spine standing up with the amount of irritation that poured into her words; when the patrol, consisting of pineflower, littlefang, flintmask, fallowstep, dogbite, and blackthorn had brought her back to the graveclan camp, wiltedstar had immediately demanded that she be sent away.
ixxx▬she was not an elder, nor was she as young as many of the cats within the cemetery, but she was more than capable of defending herself, and she was a whizz at hunting if she did say so herself. her narrowed gaze was challenging, and she turned it from wiltedstar to any feline in the crowd who dared to correct her; apprentices looked away pointedly when they made eye contact with this wise, fierce molly, and feebler warriors cleared their throats and glanced to their bolder counterparts (i.e., pineflower and littlefang).
ixxx▬wiltedstar stared the tortie down for a long moment of silence before his mouth parted into words. "what is your name?" he demanded, his own fur standing on end.
ixxx▬the older feline sneered at him, her claws digging into the earth before she answered haughtily. "neritefang. i've been a warrior since before you were even a thought in your mother's mind, and i expect to be treated with the amount of respect that such a statement warrants."
ixxx▬it was a bold move; spidernose sucked in a breath, his eyes larger than the sun that cast light down from above, nervousness streaking through him. he knew, however faintly, that wiltedstar's mother was a touchy subject, but the king did not respond with anger, as he would have done with so many others.
ixxx▬was it possible that he respected this molly, as she'd demanded? that he even admired her bravery?
ixxx▬"very well, neritefang," he concluded after a long period of eye contact with the molly, their eyes flashing at one another. "i expect you to keep up with the other warriors; if you so much as fall behind on a patrol or fail to bring back prey when others provide for the clan — " wiltedstar's gaze flicked towards her wiry pelt. "then you will be exiled without question. i do hope that you understand."
ixxx▬and with that, he whirled around and padded off (wiltedstar had always been one for dramatic exits).
ixxx▬neritefang understood and would do everything in her power to prove this smug tom wrong; she would be twice as strong as any of his younger warriors.
- — -
ixxx▬graveclan was flourishing with new members; cicadacloud was one of them, the imposing molly with the perpetually irritated expression, though she was sweet enough once one got past the intimidation. many of the clan cats were perplexed by her choice in friends; since she'd come to live there, she and sugarfoot had been stuck by the hip.
ixxx▬it was odd, really; the black-and-white molly was nearly always happy, bubbly and cheerful even when circumstances such as hunting weren't going her way, as opposed to cicadacloud, who nearly constantly seemed as if she hated every feline around her. it was not romantic interest, at least not in the moment; cicadacloud simply enjoyed the company of her happy counterpart, one who made jokes about cicadacloud's complaints, who teased when cicadacloud grumbled her dissent.
ixxx▬among the new arrivals was an apprentice, a small orange-tabby tomcat with a tail as short as flintmask's (and coldkit's, too, for she had inherited the tom's signature bob). his name was chanterellepaw, and he reminded many former residents of brineclan (a short list, really; flintmask, heavypad, silversky, toadsplash, and claystream were the only ones in graveclan who remained of their old home) of cobramask, a sly and devious feline, though chanterellepaw's mischief was all performed with a good heart, unlike cobramask's, with fun as the ultimate goal.
ixxx▬he'd only been in graveclan for a moon or so, and so far he'd put ants in a rather surprised minkpaw's nest, scared spidernose no less than six times, and had even tripped wiltedstar on accident (his original target had been hornetpaw, who snickered later as chanterellepaw was chastised).
ixxx▬chanterellepaw was hardly larger than some of the older kits, but he had enough personality to fit a warrior the same size as, say, heavypad. those who would not put up with his tricks made their point on the matter very clear; anytime she passed by the manx tomcat, silversky would give him a suspicious glare; she was not to be messed with, he realized quickly.
- — -
ixxx▬it had been no one's fault, really.
ixxx▬the day had been warm, casting long slats of light across the forest path that the patrol had chosen to take, and no cat thought twice about splitting up, so as to cover more ground.
ixxx▬it had been no one's fault, and yet it was entirely one feline's fault.
ixxx▬the group had divided evenly; with harriercloud, gorseclaw, and vervainpaw headed in one direction, and silversky, minkpaw, and thymepaw in the other.
ixxx▬the forest had been peaceful, serene, the gentle melodic tones of birdsong mingling with the delicate breeze that lifted the leaves above in gentle shudders.
ixxx▬the serenity had been broken by a wail.
ixxx▬silversky's expression was horror-struck, her eyes wider than the sun that heated the ground below, her fur standing upwards in a solid line along her spinal column, her ears curled backwards to lay against the arch of her skull and another gasp of despair wrenching through her chest.
ixxx▬her baby, her precious daughter, her last-born child.
ixxx▬dead.
ixxx▬vervainpaw's body lay crumpled in a heap, crimson ink staining the delicate fur around the line of her throat, the sickly metallic stench of the apprentice's life having been snatched permeating the area.
ixxx▬"v ― " silversky's mouth parted in a word, and she lurched forward with a sob that was choked off by the word that seemed finally to wrench itself from her throat. "vervainpaw," the name was spoke with such anguish, such despair, that it seemed to yank thymepaw, who stood behind his mother, out of his immediate shock, and he stumbled closer to the remnants of his sister, his beloved younger sibling, who always stuck her nose where it didn't belong and who always teased and joked and always, always had a smile upon her face.
ixxx▬neither he nor his mother seemed to notice harriercloud, who crouched with her eyes downcast, rocking back and forth atop the grass and murmuring nonsense words under her breath. neither of them noticed yet another body, the grass stained with blood below the calico tom's thickly-furred pelt.
ixxx▬they only saw vervainpaw.
ixxx▬it was no one's fault, and yet ―
ixxx▬it was all their fault.
- — -
ixxx▬birds scattered from nearby trees as yet another screech broke through the otherwise calm tones of the graveclan camp.
ixxx▬a black-spotted shape walked as if underwater, her paws dragging and her eyes unwavering from the calico tom who'd just been dragged into camp by a silent minkpaw.
ixxx▬hickorypatch choked on a sob as she collapsed forwards onto what was once her beautiful mate, the dashingly handsome tomcat with the charming nature and the soft tones and the frequent gifts to his daughter.
ixxx▬hickorypatch buried her nose into the thick fur at the base of his shoulder, her fur darkening with the stain of his blood that transferred from his throat in what looked like a bite to her black pelt.
ixxx▬hot, wet tears leaked from her eyes, running down her muzzle, dampening gorseclaw's pelt.
ixxx▬and then owlpaw appeared like a ghost from where she'd been dozing peacefully in the apprentice den.
ixxx▬"papa?" she began, confusion lacing her tone, her brow furrowed in a question. "what's wrong, mama? what's wrong with papa?"
ixxx▬and then it hit her. the scent, the sight, the whimpering that emanated from both her mother and silversky and thymepaw, who curled around another limp silhouette.
ixxx▬"no," she breathed, her heart crashing, cold sweeping over her body, her entire form suddenly wracked with tremors, with shivers that laced their way along her spine, over her unsteady limbs, through her chest, her breath a rattle as she stepped forwards as if in a dream.
ixxx▬"no," she repeated, as she stared with icy blue eyes down at the prone figure of her dad, the tomcat who had brought her gifts since she was too young to speak, who had told her tales of his life as a warrior, who had taught her how to play so many games, had shaped her entire life.
ixxx▬how could one so influential over a life be gone in such an instant?
ixxx▬it seemed wrong, it seemed fake, it seemed like nothing would be right in the universe ever again, and it hit owlpaw in that instant that she would never see him smile again, never hear him laugh, never hear his voice as he whispered tales to her in the dark of night when she couldn't fall asleep, feel the gentle flick of a teasing tail as he joked with her, see him and hickorypatch intertwined sweetly beneath the boughs of a tree, hear them laugh, hear him say my darling as he so often had before.
ixxx▬he was dead.
- — -
ixxx▬there was yet another molly who still had not grieved; as hollypaw padded into camp, grinning, shooting a cheeky remark back at blackthorn, she took a long moment to realize that something was wrong, something was off.
ixxx▬a crowd of figures stood circling an unseen something, and in an almighty rush of nervousness, hollypaw was not sure if she wanted to pad closer, and yet her paws still carried her, still pushed her forward unrelentingly.
ixxx▬her hearing went fuzzy as the sight unfolded before her, as bodies shifted out of her way to allow her to pass, as the sound of sobbing reached her, the scent of metallic blood and salty tears and the unique smell of mom and brother and sister.
ixxx▬and yet sister, vervainpaw, did not stand to greet hollypaw.
ixxx▬"thymepaw?" the single word was laced with confusion, but underlying with grief, for she already, if not consciously then unconsciously, already knew what had occurred.
ixxx▬"i'm so sorry," he breathed, his own eyes wet and red with the force of his sadness, of his regret.
ixxx▬and hollypaw knew, and hollypaw, numb from her nose to her tail, stepped closer, unable to wrench her gaze from the silver-tabby molly that had once been full of fun and joy and life.
ixxx▬but now —
ixxx▬a voice.
ixxx▬"vervainpaw," the voice whispered, though it was still audible over the silence of the other cats. "what happened?" fallowstep was standing near the edge of the crowd, his blue eyes dark and stormy.
ixxx▬"she was murdered," a clan cat outside of the families spoke, his voice small with his hesitance. gatorpaw shifted his gaze away, making eye contact with his sister instead of the warrior tom to whom he was speaking, though all within earshot were listening, and those who weren't would soon know what he said, for word travelled fast. "someone killed them both."
ixxx▬fallowstep swallowed a hard lump in his throat, his feet carrying him without visible effort. "my daughter," he breathed, and many who collected behind him gave tiny gasps that were quickly silenced, for the clan had long since been unaware of who the father of the three kits were.
ixxx▬"no," a molly's voice snarled, and, to fallowstep's surprise, it was not silversky, whom he had expected to be hostile with his sudden admission aloud, but hollypaw, who rose to her unsteady paws and curled her lip towards fallowstep. "she isn't your anything, you never told her, you never loved her, she would have known you were our father if you'd really loved her, you said nothing, you let her live without a dad, let mom raise us alone and let us wonder for moons," her words were running together into a breathless gasp of a sob, but she was still entirely understable to all who listened. "you're a sorry excuse for a dad." the molly heaved breath into her cry-weary lungs, ears curled to press against her head.
ixxx▬fallowstep's ears drooped, but he still started forwards nonetheless. "hollypaw, i didn't — i don't — "
ixxx▬as he gained ever-nearer to vervainpaw's prone form, hollypaw lashed out, hissing, her claws dragging across the same scar that her mother had given the tom oh-so-many moons ago. "get away from her!" she snarled, fur rising to stand up in a violent ridge along her spine.
ixxx▬and fallowstep had no choice.
ixxx▬he turned, and padded away with his own grief tucked deep within his chest.
- — -
ixxx▬wiltedstar stepped forward, then.
ixxx▬"harriercloud," he addressed the quaking molly. "who did this?"
ixxx▬the silver-tabby molly with the folded ears lifted her eyes upwards, and every single cat heard what she had to say, and remembered it, and contemplated the meaning for many moons to come.
ixxx▬"you did," she seemed somewhat loopy, her voice shuddering and dipping in odd places. "you killed them!" a choked wheeze burbled from her throat, her shudders almost violent. "starclan has punished you for not believing," she continued, her shock making her unsteady, inconsolable, as she stared the king in the eye. "you are responsible."
ixxx▬and every eye in the clan turned to wiltedstar.
[ arguspelt, not producing enough milk to feed all five kits, gives her last two kits to floodclan. ]
[ heavypad and hornetpaw train for the tracking skill. ]
[ fallowstep and minkpaw train for the swimming skill. ]
[ wiltedstar and hollypaw train for the stealth skill. ]
[ ivytongue and thymepaw train for the stealth skill. ]
[ mirra and sweetdrop train for the stealth skill. ]
[ cormorantface, stepping in as mentor instead of geckosplash, and owlpaw train for the hunting skill. ]
[ silversky and aloepaw train for the hunting skill. ]
[ hawkeyes and gatorpaw train for the hunting skill. ]
[ hickorypatch and chanterellepaw train for the battle skill. ]
[ wiltedstar, flintmask, heavypad, fallowstep, chamomilewhisker, and ivytongue patrol the borders. ]
[ neritefang, pineflower, littlefang, hawkeyes, toadsplash, and sugarfoot go after badgerbelly's mate; they are wary of potential badgers, though they still search for the molly. ]
[ dogbite, sorrelcloud, hickorypatch, mirra, and sweetdrop patrol the borders. ]
↪ sweetdrop has applicable powers! she attracts at least one cat while patrolling the borders.
[ gorseclaw, harriercloud, vervainpaw, thymepaw, minkpaw, and silversky go hunting. ]
↪ the patrol chooses to spit up; when they return to meet with one another again, silversky, minkpaw, and thymepaw find harriercloud amongst the bodies of gorseclaw and vervainpaw. their throats have been torn, and harriercloud claims that the ancestors have sent her a message; she says that starclan blames wiltedstar's disbelief for their deaths. the clan is unsure as to how, exactly, they were killed, and harriercloud refuses to say anything other than the babble about starclan that she continues to repeat.
[ raptorgaze, blackthorn, hollypaw, barleystep, leechriver, and cicadacloud go hunting. ]
↪ hollypaw does not find out about her sister's death until after her patrol.
[ the other queens look after barleystep and leechriver's kits while they patrol to stretch their legs. ]
[ spidernose searches for herbs. ]
[ harriercloud tries for kits with onyx of azgeda. ]
[ spidernose requests a cat of any rank from the ancestors. ]
[ graveclan mourns the deaths of vervainpaw and gorseclaw. spidernose, along with their families, hopes that they have made the journey to starclan's ranks. ]
[ graveclan does not eat for a moon. ]