[ki-neko animura]

Username:
Cat Name:
Gender:
Age:
Clan:
Rank:

Prompt:
Mark

[muttgirl310]

Username: muttgirl310
Cat Name: Silvermist
Gender: Female
Age: 40 moons
Clan: Pikaclan
Rank: Warrior

Prompt:

Mark

[este11e]

Username: 1 1 : 1 1
Cat Name: bellflower
Gender: shecat
Age: forty moons
Clan: twilightclan
Rank: warrior (helps in the nursery)

Prompt: bellflower is a former kittypet who came to twilightclan after her twolegs moved away and abandoned her. it strained her, a lot, but not nearly as much as losing her kits. she had a litter of three beautiful kittens who she loved with all of her heart. her mate wasn't around, so it was just her and the kits. one of them passed away after three moons from a genetic illness, common in kittypets, which broke bellflower's heart. she mourned for days before her twolegs came and took her other two kits away. she never saw them again, and she has no idea what happened to them.

her kittens were sold, but she didn't know that. she was stuck worrying about them forever, not knowing if they were okay or even alive. she cried herself to sleep for nights, praying that somehow she'd see her precious babies again and hoping her prayers wouldn't be in vain. she wanted nothing more than to see them once more.

the cherry on top of this tragedy was her twolegs moving away. for a few days she didn't know what was happening until she realized there was no food set out for her. she couldn't stay there and starve, so she left, hunting on her own and walking with no sense of time or direction for what felt like weeks, but was only a matter of days. she reached twilightclan and they took her in with open arms.

although she's a warrior, she spends most of her time in the nursery, helping the other queens and watching over their kits whenever they need to go outside or take a break. she takes care of other shecats' kits because she couldn't take care of her own, and she does it in their memory.

[PrincessAlexis]

Username: PrincessAlexis
Cat Name: Stormwhisker
Gender: Male
Age: 17 Moons
Clan: Cloudclan
Rank: Warrior

Prompt:
Stormwhisker lost his kits in one of the worst ways imaginable. To this day his fur stands on end if he even thinks of the events of that fateful night.

He had barely been a warrior and had the good fortune, shortly after his naming ceremony, of beginning a relationship with the cat he had been in love with since he was just a little kit: Dahliabud.

She was a bit older than him but the two had gotten along swimmingly and he looked up to her as the queen of his dreams - brave and unafraid of anything, yet also somewhat delicate as her voluptuous frame was mostly just long fur.

They were delighted to take one another as mates in the ceremony of union, a clan tradition. When he saw her wearing a garland of real dahlia flowers wrapped from neck to tail, his heart nearly burst from his chest, he had simply never expected to see such a glorious sight, nor to feel such a wonderful feeling.

Not long after they found out she was with kits, and her pregnancy continued along uneventfully for the most part. Sure, she was a bit tired, but nothing too unusual.

When she was heavily pregnant, there were sightings of dogs in the territory. They were just small ones and it was believed cats would be able to defend themselves. No worries, Dahliabud was the strongest female in the clan and ought to have no trouble holding her own, should there be any need for a scuffle.

The days came and went, with Dahlia getting progressively closer to birthing. Finally one night, amidst a light rainfall, she began to kit...

...The whole process took just a few hours and then she was laying down, little ones lined up beside her and feeding. Stormwhisker was proud of his family - every last one of them - and he touched each kit with his nose and gently groomed them.

Suddenly he heard a strange sound and turned just in time to see the dogs come in. They were so small, just little terriers, but that had enabled them to enter the den with a minimal amount of digging and suddenly they were upon him. He fought bravely and Dahliabud even attempted to help, but she was so tired...

...The events of that night have haunted him ever since. He still has dreams where he is fighting the dogs and wakes up with clumps of moss in his jaws from tearing apart his bedding.

Immediately after the event he had withdrawn completely. He had no words for the tragedy that had ripped all of his loved ones from him at once and he had little patience for others. The events of their lives just felt so trivial to him, juxtaposed against his own loss and suffering.

For a time he even thought of leaving the clan, but before this could happen he had a dream. In it all he saw was Dahliabud's smiling face, but he could see that she was indeed calm and happy. Their kits were with her, and all of them stood against a backdrop of stars. He understood now, not just with his mind but also with his heart, that they had gone to Starclan and were waiting for him.

He awoke from the dream but still recalled the littlest detail and it was this that motivated him to make something of himself - to show them that he was still the same cat he had been- the same cat that they loved.

From that day on he always sought to help others with any task, no matter how trivial, and he was always the first to volunteer as a mentor for new apprentices.

When others think of Stormwhisker, he doesn't want them to think of the horrible tragedy that occurred. What he wanted them to focus on was the good he was doing here, now, while he waited to be reunited with his loved ones on the other side.

[Ataraxia.]

Username: XkariosX
Cat Name: Insouciant (Meaning in French: uncaring; unconcerned; emotionally uninvested)
Gender: Feminine
Age: 19 Moons
Clan: The Felines of Porosha
Rank: Mercenary

Prompt: wip!

[Meoauniaea]

Username: Toomin
Cat Name: Nrr-tatep (translates roughly as "Lost Glow", though "tatep" means lost.) (Glowkit, Glowpaw, formerly Glowheart)
Gender: Male
Age: 46 moons
Clan: ElmClan
Rank: Warrior

Prompt:
Nrr-tatep's name's origin comes from his sad past, and was given to him when he joined ElmClan. He was called Glowkit in his past clan; older cats who knew him as a kit claimed it was because when he was born he had an air of excitement about him. He became Glowpaw, and later Glowheart, because his happiness was something that he always felt compelled to share with others. He kept that happiness about him up until the day before his kits were born.

His mate was a female, Lownose. The winter that year was cold and bitter, the snows the highest any cat on record had ever seen in this area. More than six inches, even in the salt-marshes. Ten inches or more in the true forest, where the salt didn't melt the snows into a few inches of slush before the snow actually stuck.

It had not been a hard pregnancy at all, and everything had been fine. However, the night before the kits were due to come, it snowed yet again. The nursery roof collapsed under the weight of over a foot of snow, silent yet deadly. No one heard it happen.

Lownose was found the morning after, frozen solid. Attempts to warm up and save her and the unborn kits were futile; there was nothing that anyone, even the skilled medicine cats Wildtuft and Quickthistle, could do. Glowheart couldn't stand the loss, and insisted on burying his mate alone. After she was gone, and his vigil was sat, he took off south down the coast, without alerting anyone, his leader included.

Glowheart dropped his name entirely. He spent over a year wandering alone, his heart shattered beyond measure. When out on patrol one day, a shocked Sedgestar came across the sad tom, and invited him into camp for a meal, a rest, and some company. He tried to refuse, but the leader did not give him that option. She drug him into her clan's camp to show him around.

Almost immediately, two young kits, barely able to leave the nursery supervised, tumbled over to him. Their mother hurried after them, calling them away from the strange tom, but neither listened. He looked down at them, remembering what might have been, and something must have shown on his face, as the mother of the two kits immediately guided him away. They spoke for what might have been hours, tears streaking the tom's face. Understanding what must be going on, Sedgestar herself took charge of watching the two kits.

The tom never left. He proved himself loyal to Elmclan, and two months later became a full warrior of the clan, trusted and liked by almost everyone from the start. He was given his original name back, translated to Nrr as is ElmClan's tradition, but rather than Glowheart, Sedgestar opted to name him Nrr-tatep. Tatep came from the word "to lose awareness of something"... in Nrr-tatep's case, it was because he'd lost awareness of how valuable other lives were, and how much his influence could change them.

Nrr-tatep spends his spare moments running errands for the queens, playing with or watching the kits, and assisting others. If he sees even one twig or leaf out of place within the nursery structure, he spends hours of his free time meticulously making sure the structure is still safe. Safe enough for a full grown tom to bounce on top of without so much as a shudder. He has no interest in the she-cats, nor does he spend much time with most of them, but he will do everything in his power to prevent what happened to Lownose from ever happening again.

His name still holds true; Nrr's interest in she-cats isn't there, as his interest in having a mate has long since been lost. His glow, however... that came back.

[Edited to fix a contradictory statement.]

[swiftblossom]

Username: bork.
Cat Name: silentwish
Gender: tom
Age: fourty four m.
Clan: orchidclan
Rank: lionheart.

Prompt:
silentwish came to orchidclan as 'flicker'. he was originally a loner who fell in love with a kittypet, angel. the two were usually always seen together, to the point where angel's twolegs would leave out extra food for silentwish as well. the tom had gotten used to the twolegs soon enough, and was more like their outdoor cat than a stray at this point. soon angel would give birth to two healthy young kits. the twolegs called them 'bella' and 'jade' but silentwish and angel had other names for them. 'echo' and 'snow'. silentwish was unable to visit his kits inside the twoleg house for some time, only being able to watch them play from outside the window. that was, until they were old enough to go outside. angel quickly introduced her kits to their father, though silentwish felt detached, as the kits didn't want to play with him. they didn't follow him or ask him questions. they seemed too occupied with angel, their mother. so, silentwish would only come to visit a few times a week. he'd play with his kits only when angel was absent-- they didn't want to play with him otherwise. and this made him sad. but he was proud of the fine young mollies they were growing up to be, and never hesitated to tell them that he was proud of them.

then the day came where echo was gone. angel had seemed very distraught that day, but happy at the same time. but silentwish demanded answers. where was his kit, where had she gone? was she okay? was she safe? angel reassured him that she had just found a home with new owners, and would be perfectly fine. but silentwish was furious that this had happened without him being notified. he demanded to know why echo was taken away but not snow, why wasn't it a package deal? of course, angel had answers. excuses. said that snow was wanted by her twolegs, and that her twolegs would keep snow. and this made silentwish even more furious, to the point where he left. he said his good-byes to his kit, and left.

silentwish found orchidclan by chance, having been moping around before being found and taken in by a patrol. he grieves the fact that he left his remaining kit, snow. he just wants to be reunited with them, but he cares too deeply for the clan, and has become much too invested to give up this new life. he does often dreams of his family, and what it would be like had he stayed. but he always ended back up in orchidclan, no matter what happened. so, he stays. he was given the name 'silentwish' to symbolize the silence he had when he first arrived, how quiet and how distraught he was. he couldn't fathom that he had left. and wish for the longing to be reunited with his former family, though it may never happen.

[BlueEyedKite]

Username: BlueEyedKite
Cat Name: Wildlight
Gender: Tom
Age: 40 moons
Clan: Meadowclan
Rank: Warrior

Prompt: WIP c:

[Namida_☾]

Username: Namida_☾
Cat Name: Her mother used to call her »Mockingjay« but her new clanname is »Jadewing«
Age: 34 moons
Clan: Lotusclan
Rank: Queen

Prompt: »Whitepaw«, Jadewing whispered in her dream. She laid on her nest and rolled around. »Smokepaw«, her shivering voice was getting louder. She wimmered in her dream. »My babies!«, she cried. »Where are you? Sweeties, please answer me.« In her dream she was running through the forest. Then she heard a scream from the river. »Whitepaw! Smokepaw!« She ran to the river. When she arrived at the river she saw her two babies drowning in the water. »No!«, she wanted to scream but her voice broke and she woke up from the dream. She laid trembling and panting on her nest. Then she looked through the Queen's den. »It was just a dream«, she whispered to herself. »Just a dream...« And with that she fell into a dreamless and restless sleep.
Early on the next morning, the sun hadn't completely risen yet, she was already awake, so she decided to go hunting. Actually, she wanted to hunt in the west of the camp, but something drove her subconsciously to go to the south. She first realized how far south she was when she chased a rabbit down to the river. She stopped abruptly when she recognized the river. It was the spot where Whitepaw and Smokepaw drowned. Carefully, she headed to the bank of the river. When she looked into the water she thought to hear her two kits. Immediately she raised her head and looked around for them. As she realized that it was just imagination her eyes were filling with tears. For over half an hour she sat there and stared into the water. »I should build something to remember them«, she thought. »Something like a memorial...« So she stood up and searched for something. She didn’t knew what she searched for but she knew that when she sees it she will know that it’s the right thing. So she searched for a while until she found two stones in the water. One of them was shimmering in a bright white and the other one in a smoky grey. »Perfect«, she thought. She took the two stones out of the water and placed them on a big stone near the river bank. Then she took some grass and built a nest around the stones.
(375 words)

[liightning]

Username: liightning
Cat Name: Jay (Jaybird)
Gender: male
Age: 24 moons
Clan: DeltaClan
Rank: warrior

Prompt: If you'd like a version with larger text that's easier to read, here it is copied into a Google Docs.

"Good morning, Jay!"
Jay blinked awake, taking a moment to let his eyes adjust to the bright sunlight. A round figure stood before him, golden rays slanting down onto her dappled fur and illuminating her outline in a fuzzy halo.
"Good morning, Bird," he purred, rising to his paws and giving her an affectionate lick on the cheek. He was clumsy when he'd just gotten up and the sun seemed to be blinding him; he misjudged the distance and accidentally stumbled into his mate, his gentle lick becoming a rough nudge with the muzzle. Bird yelped and fell, failing to regain her balance, and Jay's heart skipped a beat. Quicker than a striking snake, he shouldered her other side, supporting her weight until she'd gotten back on her paws. She rolled back onto four feet, and Jay straightened, noticing that his left side was a bit sore. She was now a bit heavier than he was used to - which, of course, was normal.
"Sorry," he blurted, shifting his paws guiltily.
"No, no, it's alright." The mottled brown-and-white she-cat smiled. What a beautiful smile, beautiful face, beautiful everything. "I'm just a bit off balance, that's all." Her eyes widened. "It takes a lot of work getting used to this kit thing!"
"You're managing well?" Jay murmured, frowning with concern. Her lean, graceful frame didn't look strong enough to carry such a weight. Of course, she was strong on the inside, and that's all that mattered. Not to mention she was an excellent hunter as well.
"Yes, I'm fine," Bird responded airily, although her voice sounded a bit strained. Her breathing pattern was irregular and heavy as if she couldn't get enough air.
"Are you sure?" Jay's ears pricked.
She nodded, still breathing heavily, chest heaving slightly. "I finished the mouse from yesterday-" she began with an apologetic expression.
"I'll go hunt!" Jay declared immediately, before ducking his head in embarrassment again for interrupting his mate.
"Look at you, tripping over your own paws to feed me," she teased with a playful flick of her paw that brushed his muzzle. Her leaf-green eyes sparkled with amusement.
"You need food," Jay continued. He gave her a meaningful look. "The kits need food."
Bird gave her slightly rounded belly a glance before meeting his gaze again. "You're not thinking of leaving me behind, right?"
"You should stay here and rest," he protested, nudging her back into the den, but she slipped past him.
"I can still hunt, mouse-brain!" she exclaimed, whiskers twitching in amusement.
Jay couldn't stop a purr of amusement. "Alright, if you insist."

-----

Leaf-fall was quickly upon them, and leaf-bare followed with bitter wind and snow. Prey was scarce, although with just two mouths to feed, not much prey was needed. What wasn't easy was bringing back enough prey to feed the both of them.

Jay dragged his paws back into the warm den, heavy snow clinging to his fur and whiskers. He was chilled to the bone, exhausted, and yet not a single piece of prey had been found.
"Jay?" Bird called from the back, her voice small and frail. "Any luck?"
Jay shook his head, shoulders still heaving from the effort. He sank to the ground beside his mate, resting his chin on her shoulder. They had both been starved to the point that it seemed like they were no more than ragged pelts on an empty bone frame. There was one difference - Bird had a gently rounded belly. The kits were growing each day, and they were likely to be due the next moon.
"I'm so sorry," he choked out with a sigh, bones sharp against his white-and-silver pelt.
"It's fine-" she began, before coughing racked her body.
Jay sprung to his paws, fur bristling in alarm. "You're sick!"
"I'm fine," she sputtered, chest heaving. Jay realized in horror that she seemed more thin that he was, despite him giving the majority of the prey to her.
Her voice was raspy as she called, "Where are you going?"
Jay stood in the den entrance, feeling the cold from outside sting his face. "To hunt." He swallowed, cringing at the thought of more wet, freezing snow, and the bite of hunger in his belly as he came up empty-pawed.
"Not in this snow!" she protested, rising to her paws before collapsing. "Y-you've already tried. There's no prey out in this snow." Her voice was edged with desperation. "I- I want you to stay with me. Please."
"You have to eat!" Jay insisted, pushing out into the blizzard before she could protest. I'll keep trying until I find some prey. His determination didn't last long; the snow seemed determined to swallow him up.
Cold seemed to be taking over his body, shutting off his movement and functions. He sank into a snowdrift, the world growing dark around him as he struggled with exhaustion. "Must... bring prey... for Bird," he mumbled sleepily, before his eyes closed and sleep dragged him deeper into the abyss.
He finally awoke from a restless sleep, startled to find snow filling his vision. He dug himself out of the heap of snow that had grown while he'd slept. At least the snow had slowed to a light flurry now. Shivering violently, paws numb except for sharp jolts of pain, he managed to catch a scrawny blackbird in a half-asleep daze. How, he had no idea, for his paws were heavier than the stones by the river, but at least he had something to bring to Bird.
Bird! The thought of his poor mate, starved as he was, claimed by some terrible illness, sent energy through his frozen limbs and he stumbled through the forest, barely noticing when frozen branches lashed his muzzle or clumps of snow fell onto his back.
"Bird!" His cry went unanswered, and he noticed in panic that the shape in the back of the den was unmoving. "Bird!" In his haste to reach his mate, he tripped over his paws and skidded forward, muzzle painfully scraping the ground before bumping into Bird's hind leg. The small movement seemed to rouse her, and she coughed before fixing a tired gaze on him.
"I thought you'd frozen into the lake," she murmured, voice weak and raspy.
He dropped the blackbird before her, curling his cold body around hers in hopes to warm her. Feeling her pelt against his seemed to calm his shivering. "This was all I could get." His voice was thick with guilt. He'd dozed off without meaning to. How long had she waited?
"You eat it." She sounded exhausted as she pushed the bird over to him. "Don't waste it on me." As he opened his jaws to protest, she cut him off with a stern glance. "Listen. You have to listen, please." Her voice was now full of urgency.
"Bird?"
"I-I'm too weak to go on," she whispered. "I'm so sorry I could never be the mother I should've been... and I'm sorry you can never be the father you would have been."
"B-bird? What do you mean?" Shock pulsed through him as Bird slumped forward, limp as a doll. "Bird!"
"I love you," she barely breathed, before letting out a final sigh that was almost one of relief.
"Bird! Bird!" His voice rose into desperate howls, and he lifted his muzzle to the den roof in anguish. "Bird!" No amount of prodding or shaking seemed to be able to wake his mate. She was gone, truly gone. The sickness had claimed her once and for all.
With a pang Jay recalled how desperately she'd wanted him to stay with her. Instead he'd barged outside, leaving her alone to suffer.
"It's not your fault," a voice whispered - but perhaps it was just the wind from the snow outside, echoing against the stone walls.
Either way, it was his fault, and he'd never forgive himself.

-----

Once the snow had melted, Jay finally decided it was time to put his life to use.
Miraculously, he hadn't caught any trace of the mysterious illness Bird had. Thankfully. If he were sick now, who would be left to grieve her and to bury her?
He'd stayed by her side day and night, only giving in to eat the blackbird once he couldn't take the hunger anymore. The thawing snow outside offered an easy source of clean water, so there was no need to leave the den. He'd cried his throat raw, and when he couldn't yowl anymore, he simply sat vigil by his mate's body.
With the snow thawed and spring quickly approaching, the ground was soft enough to dig in. He'd spent the morning searching for a suitable place to bury Bird - somewhere she loved. He finally settled on the bank of a river she loved to play in. Memories of when they were younger, spending their days diving in the river for fish, flashed in Jay's head, and he closed his eyes with a wince. Everything was so painful, now that the love of his live was gone.
And not only Bird, he realized with another painful tug of his heart. All this time, he'd not only mourned his mate, but the unborn kits inside her, who'd never gotten the chance to see sunlight or swim in the river.
He half-pushed, half-dragged Bird's body over to the riverbank, and then dug in the dirt until his paws were raw and sore. He didn't care - none of the pain could compare to the pain from losing Bird and his kits. He gently rolled her limp body into the newly dug hole. He spent a while staring longingly at that beautiful tabby pelt that he loved so much, until he could no longer bear it. He made sure the dirt was smoothed out and carefully packed back where it was, so no foxes or badgers could find the body buried underneath.
He sat beside the grave and the river for the rest of the day and night, hoping he'd found a rightful resting place for Bird. Although there is no right place... she should be alive right now. Why did he get to live while Bird didn't? If anything, it should be Bird who deserved to live. She had kits to bring into the world! It's not like he was important.
The next morning, he set off, away from the forest he'd lived all his life. It was too painful to still make his way around when memories of being there with Bird kept flashing in his head. He emerged into the marshy area to the southwest of the forest. Perhaps he'd find a new life here.

-----

"Today we welcome a newcomer into the Clan. He has suffered and endured through more than most will ever, and yet emerged stronger than ever."
Wrenstar's voice rang around the camp. Cats around Jay, his new Clanmates, all nodded in approval.
The tortoiseshell leader fixed him with a clear copper gaze. "Jay, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
Jay lifted his chin, heart threatening to burst out of his chest. His voice was clear and sure as he replied, "I do."
"By the powers of StarClan, you will be named..." she trailed off, blinking at him.
She wants me to choose a name, Jay realized. Jaypelt? Jayclaw? Jaystorm? No, none of those sounded right.
"Jaybird," the new warrior answered.
"Jaybird," Wrenstar echoed with a smile, and the Clan raised their voices in a jubilant cheer.
"Jaybird! Jaybird!"
Jaybird felt a purr rising in his throat. Jaybird, after his mate.
"The name - it suits you," a voice murmured in his ear, and he turned to see a starry shape beaming at him.
"I love you, Bird," he whispered, emotion bubbling inside him. "T-thank you."
She merely smiled again and faded away, three simple yet powerful words drifting on the breeze.

"I love you."

-----

author's note: woo, 1996 words! Super fun to write. Thank you for this amazing prompt!
Bird is an NPC - but if any ancestor events come around again, I'll definitely order her as a custom! Aww, the two lovebirds... haha ;>