SycamoreClan - Rise - Extra Writing

[hawkfire102]

Meadowflower dashed through the meadow back towards camp, catmint clutched in her mouth. Despite the air growing cold, her long fur made her feel like she was on fire. She had to slow herself to get through the bramble barrier without injuring herself. She sped back up to get back to the medicine den. She shoved her way in to see the 3 cats laying nearly lifeless in her den. The smell of green cough filling her nose. She quickly looked between them trying to figure out which of them to help first. All of them were equally important to their small Clan. She honed in on the smaller tom. She presented him with some of the catmint and pushed it towards his mouth.

"Here, this will help." She said softly. The two-colored eyes opened and looked down at the herbs, he weakly reached his paw up and pushed them away.

"Get one of my dad's first...the Clan needs them more than they need me.." Owlpaw croaked out. Meadowflower was concerned at how weak he sounded. She pushed it back to him.

"That's not true Owlpaw. Should anything happen to them, we can figure out how to go on. But Mallowkit will need you if your fathers die. You wouldn't want to leave her alone, would you?" She pressed. His gaze locked with hers, a fire lighting behind them. That's what she wanted to see. The tom pushed himself up to get the catmint before laying back down.

She looked at the other two toms. Their leader and deputy. She made her way over to Birchheart. He was able to greet him with a flick of his tail. She gave him a dose of catmint and he ate it without complaint. Finally, she made it over to Sycamorestar. The older cat wasn't doing very well combating his aliment. Her ears pressed back knowing even with the treatment, it was only a matter of time before he lost his first life. She nudged the catmint to him and he could barely get it down.

She stowed her leftover catmint before grabbing as much moss as she could. She bounded back out of her den and the camp, heading towards the stream. She made sure the moss was sufficiently soaked before picking them up again. As she was turning to head back to camp, a faint scent caught her nose. She perked her ears and scanned the meadow. She saw nothing and couldn't smell anything more over the lingering scent of green cough in her nose. Noting she should tell Brackentail, she quickly made her way back to camp.

She got all of the toms to drink some of the water, even if Sycamorestar could only get down a little. She breathed a sigh of relief. There was nothing more she could do right now. A grumbling from the apprentice stood to be corrected. Even in his sick state, he looked embarrassed at the protests of his stomach. She only smiled as she left to get him some fresh kill, she wasn't mad but happy that he was getting strong enough to eat.

She barely noticed any other cat in the camp as she made her way to the fresh-kill pile. Getting a good-sized mouse she went back to the medicine den. As she was entering her den, she heard a squeal from behind her. Knowing that sound to be from Mallowkit, she turned. Her heart nearly stopped.

Standing in the camp was a fox. Solarsoul stood over Mallowkit, fur bristled as tall as it could. Brackentail and Cypressfang were out hunting. It was only them. The mollies could only watch as it sniffed the air and surveyed the camp. It took its attention from Solarsoul and Mallowkit to Meadowflower. She felt cold with the realization that it smelt her weakened clanmates in her den from her scent trail. She tossed the mouse to the side and stood her ground.

She glanced behind her to check on the toms in her den, unable to fight. Sycamorestar and Birchheart seemed clueless to what was going on outside the den but Owlpaw wasn't. His eyes were wide as they stayed locked on the looming creature outside of the den entrance. Over all of the scent of green cough, she could smell his fear.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you." She said to him, momentary comfort filling his eyes.

The fox approaching snapped her attention back to it. She snarled at it as it approached. It didn't seem too concerned with her. As it got closer she unsheathed her claws. She lashed out, striking its nose. It howled in pain and jumped back, baring its fangs. She let out a hiss and mock charged it, pushing it only a little ways from the den but enough to give her some fighting room if it came to that. And it seemed to be how this encounter was going to end.

The fox lunged and snapped at her. She dodged out of the way, feeling the hot breath of the fox on her fur. She tackled the fox, kicking at its flank with her hind paws. The fox yowled in pain and bit down on her hind leg, yanking her away to get her to release her hold on it. She hissed in pain as she landed from being tossed. Her leg ached as she pushed herself up. The fox was heading into the den. She growled and charged again. With the speed she tackled the fox, knocking it over and she sunk her claws in, kicking fur into the air. The fox howled and tried to scramble away. She sunk her teeth into its hind leg.

An eye for an eye.

It turned and snapped at her face. She yanked away but felt hot pain on her ear tip. She hissed and bristled her fur. The fox was still determined to get into the den after her clanmates. They circled each other, neither willing to give up. She would not let this creature harm her clanmates. She charged and lunged at the fox, it doing the same in return. It was a flash of teeth and claws. Fur flew everywhere as Meadowflower tried to find off the fox. It kicked her back towards the medicine den.

She staggered to her paws, her body aching from the exertion of the fight. The fox stalked forward again. She was back to where she started. Across the clearing, she could see Solarsoul watching wide-eyed. No doubt behind her Owlpaw was doing the same. She was prepared to meet her fate as the fox charged her. She stood her ground.

The fox went flying to the side as a flash of brown barreling into it. A sharp yowl filled the clearing as a flash of blue joined him. Amongst the orange, she was Brackentail and Cypressfang driving the fox towards the entrance. It was already tired and finally decided this wasn't worth it. It booked it out of camp with Brackentail on its paws. Meadowflower finally felt like she could relax and collapsed to the ground in fatigue. Cypressfang bounded over to her.

"Meadowflower! Are you alright?" He started frantically checking her over.

"Nothing my herbs and some rest can't fix." She said, she watched as Brackentail came back into camp and quickly padded over to her, assessing her wounds. She gave him a weak purr before she staggered back to her paws. "Can you make sure it never comes back here and that any scent trails leading back to camp are gone?" Brackentail nodded and set off to do his job with Cypressfang at his paws.

Meadowflower picked up the forgotten mouse and went back into her den. Owlpaw looked like an owlet all puffed up and wide-eyed. She purred weakly and sat the mouse in front of him. She went to her herb stash, her tail dragging on the ground out of exhaustion. She slowly started to mend her wounds. Despite the action, she could hear Owlpaw munching away on his mouse. Once she was finished she went to check on her patients.

"How were you able to do that?" Owlpaw asked her as she checked him over.

"Do what?" She asked back.

"Fight off that fox. You're a medicine cat, you don't do warrior things." He stated. She batted his ear.

"Just because I'm a medicine cat now doesn't mean I always was. Now eat your mouse and get some rest. After I check on Mallowkit I'm going to do the same." True to her words, once she got back to her den, she collapsed into her nest. She looked at Owlpaw as he slept. He had moved closer to his fathers. She smiled, happy to have been able to help them. She could only pray that Owlpaw wouldn't try to do something as dangerous as she just did. Mallowkit would be heartbroken if anything happened to him. As would his fathers. She glanced at them.

Only Starclan can help any of us now.

She closed her eyes and let sleep quickly take her.

[1516]

[hawkfire102]

It was a rough week for Meadowflower and everyone else in the Clan. Owlpaw and Birchheart were cleared to leave the medicine den after their green cough had lifted but Sycamorestar still remained. Birchheart was agitated because he could not be near his mate without the risk of spreading the disease to the rest of the Clan. He took over Sycamorestar's duties but everyone could see it was affecting him greatly.

It was affecting everyone greatly. No one knew how to really react to not having their ever-present leader there to guide them. Moreover, Mallowkit didn't why she wasn't able to see her father. It hurt Meadowflower's soul every time she had to turn the molly away. Which was every day.

"Meadowflower! Meadowflower!" The cream kit called as she drug some flowers over.

"Hello Mallowkit."

"Can I give these to Sycamore?" She asked, her eyes pleading. Meadowflower's ears went back sadly and she crouched to her level.

"I can't allow you to go in there Mallowkit. As I've told you before, Sycamorestar is sick and I know as much as he would love to see you, he wouldn't want you to get sick too." She answered. Her heart ached as the kit deflated. "But, I can give them to him for you. I'm sure he would love the gift and will keep his spirits high to get better quicker." The kit seemed to come alive again as she pushed the flowers into Meadowflower's direction.

"There you are, Mallowkit." Owlpaw trotted over and gave the kit a lick on the forehead.

"Meadowflower is gonna give Sycamore the flower I got him." She beamed.

"That's wonderful." Owlpaw looked at Meadowflower, his eyes pleading for information about his father. She could only give him a curt shake of her head and she could see the momentary sadness in his eyes before he pulled Mallowkit away from the medicine den.

Meadowflower carefully picked up the flowers and brought them into the den, placing them in front of Sycamorestar. His eyes opened slightly when he smelt them.

"Mallowkit.." He weakly reached out to grab them. Meadowflower pushed them closer to him and he buried his nose into them. "Meadowflower.."

"Yes, Sycamorestar?"

"Is she okay?.."

"She is, she's out playing."

"Owlpaw?.."

"He's playing with Mallowkit."

"Birchheart?.."

"He's out on patrol." Sycamorestar nodded. He laid his head down and stared at the wall.

"It's almost time, isn't it?.." Meadowflower's body felt cold.

"Time for what, Sycamorestar?" She questioned. She didn't get an answer. Sycamorestar closed his eyes and went still. There was a heavy silence in the medicine den. She watched him, waiting. Each passing second filled her with panic. She had to believe in her faith but what if-

She panicking was cut short as Sycamorestar's eyes shot open and he took a loud breath. His body seemed to relax and his breathing sounded a lot better. She quickly bounded over to her herb stash and retrieved the catmint. She brought it over and made him eat some. There was more silence as he ate it.

"Birchheart isn't going to be happy about this, is he?" Sycamorestar said once he was finished.

"No, he's not. But now you're on the road to recovery and that's all that matters now." She watched as he laid back down, silently vowing to make sure the next life wasn't any time soon.

[562]

[hawkfire102]

Brackentail watched from high in the steel beams as the crowd started to grow at the base of the forgotten twoleg construction. The Trials were starting tonight. The cold wind blew harshly at this height but he was unfazed. He knew what was to come. Newcomers would come to try to join the Faults. Some would live and join, some would be rejected, others would die trying to join. His eyes narrowed at the thought.

Such a waste.

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a warm presence next to him. He looked to see Brambleberry, the setting sun catching on the white spots on his muzzle.

"You ready for tonight?" Brambleberry asked, tucking his tail around himself. He shivered as the cold wind got to him. Brackentail shook his head and closed the gap in between them, letting Brambleberry nestle close into his fur.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Brackentail responded.

"You'll do great. You always do." Brambleberry licked behind his ears. "You're always Father's favorite to win." Brackentail let out a dry chuckle.

"That's not without all the training and scars from it. We all know because he doesn't want the Faults to go to someone outside the family." Brambleberry only shrugged.

"Whether it does or not, you'll still do great tonight." Brambleberry got to his paws and started to head down the structure. "I'll be waiting." He disappeared down into the crowd. Brackentail waited until he saw the familiar coat of his father making his way to the crowd. He quickly bounded down to join him.

"I hope you're ready, Brackentail. Tonight will not be easy. There are a lot more than usual tonight." Ashenfault said calmly, his eyes scanning the crowd. "We wouldn't want our champion to get beaten, would we?"

"Of course not," Brackentail replied, sitting next to him and wrapping his tail around his paws.

"Clear your mind." With that, Ashenfault jumped to his perch.

"Welcome all! We thank you for your interest in joining but there is no room for weakness in the Faults! Only the strongest of tonight's challengers may join our ranks! With that being said, let theTrials begin!" Ashenfault announced over the crowd, which responded with a cacophony of battle cries.

The first round started just narrowing the new recruits amongst themselves. Like usual, not many seemed to have the potential to join. It was pretty easy for them to sort themselves out. Younger cats that had no experience fighting were the first to get knocked out of the ranking. The older cats had a bit of potential.

'All of their fighting skills are mediocre at best.' Brackentail thought to himself. Regardless if he liked it or not, someone was joining their ranks tonight.

"See anyone of interest?" Brambleberry said as he took a spot next to him.

"Not yet." He replied.

"Hopefully you find someone soon because we're going into the second round." As if on cue, Ashenfault stood from his perch.

"Wonderful fighting all of you. Now it is time to see if you can stand against the warriors of the Faults. Challenger Cypressfang, you shall go against Defender Darksun."

Brackentail watched Darksun come into the ring before turning his attention to the challenger. He was a slender blue tom with a noticeable fire in his eyes. He shivered as he felt his fur get warm for a second. He turned his focus back on the fight. The two cats circled each other. Brackentail doubted this would last long. This Cypressfang was small, much smaller than Darksun. He was surprised that he made it this far.

It happened in a flash. Cypressfang lunged at Darksun, closing the distance between them quickly before getting a good hit to his face. He leaped away quickly before Darksun could regain his composure. The blue tom's tail lashed violently as they both attacked each other. Cypressfang darting from either side of Darksun, landing some pretty heavy blows.

Darksun hissed in anger before bowling over Cypressfang, his claws digging into his sides. Cypressfang snarled before kicking Darksun in his belly, sending him flying off of him. Darksun landed with a thud and Cypressfang used this moment to pin him down.

"The winner of this round is Challenger Cypressfang! Congratulations. You've made it to the next round. Darksun, go nurse your wounds with Torrentsong." Darksun sulked off while Cypressfang confidently sat back in the crowd.

"I like him." Brambleberry chimed in.

"He's...interesting," Brackentail admitted. For a small cat, he did really well handling himself with a larger opponent. "We'll see how far he gets."

And far he got. Brackentail watched as he slowly moved up the ranks. Winning fight after fight. Brackentail come tell he was getting tired but that didn't concern him.

"Finally, the moment all of you have been waiting for!" Ashenfault announced. "Challenger Cypressfang, your new opponent is High Defender Brackentail. May the odds be in your favor tonight." He said with a smug smirk on his face.

Cypressfang stood tall as Brackentail stalked into the arena, the crowd cheering loudly. He figured how this cat would try to attack him by watching his past fights. He was quick, very quick and he had decent strength but not enough compared to Brackentail. They circled each other, sizing up the other. Cypressfang was walking tenderly on his hind leg after getting a good bite to it. That would be where Brackentail would win.

Brackentail moved first. He charged across the arena, claws digging into the earth. He pounced for the smaller tom only to just miss him. His hastiness was not without punishment since Cypressfang used his attack to land a hit on his shoulder. Brackentail hissed and turned to face him again. He quickly lashed out a strike. Cypressfang tried to leap back but Brackentail felt his claws connect with his muzzle.

Cypressfang hissed in pain and shook his face while backing away. He pinned his ears back as he locked eyes with Brackentail.

'Such anger behind them.'

Brackentail's thought lingered too long as Cypressfang returned the favor, landing a clawed hit on his muzzle and ear. Brackentail growled at the sudden pain. Cypressfang continued his flurry of strikes, driving Brackentail backward. This fighting style different from what he witnessed before. Cypressfang leaped onto his shoulder, biting into his back.

With a yowl, Brackentail mustered all of his strength as he reached back, hooking his claws into his hind legs and tossing him across the arena. Cpyressfang skidded across the gravel and slowly got to his paws.

"Tired? You should give up before you get yourself killed." Brackentail said as he slowly approached. Cypressfang only sneered.

"It's going to take a lot more than a brick wall with fur to end my life." He replied. Brackentail tensed his shoulders to lunge at him again with Ashenfault's voice rang over the crowd.

"That is enough." Brackentail stopped in his tracks to look up at his father. He watched as he came down from his perch to come face to face with Cypressfang. "You have fought well. I see potential in you, Cypressfang. You do not back down and with good reason. Despite your previous wounds and energy, you managed to last longer than most in this round. If they did at all. I would like to offer you a spot in the Faults."

Brackentail listened in shock but otherwise did not react. He looked to Cypressfang to see his response.

"I'd be honored to join," Cypressfang replied.

"Then it is settled." Ashenfault jumped back to his perch. "Tonight, the Faults have chosen Cypressfang to join its ranks. I hope to see you all at the next full moon. Nurse your wounds well challengers and defenders, for the Trials will return."

Brackentail watched as the crowd started to disperse. Brambleberry came up to him.

"Let's get you to Torrentsong." He said, guiding him away from the arena with his tail tip. Brackentail followed him, noting the sound of paw steps behind him. When they got to Torrentsong's den, she greeted them with a purr.

"Welcome my sons. I see you've gotten a few good hits this time. Come and rest." She said, gesturing him to a moss nest. Brackentail happily laid down in one before closing his eyes. He faintly heard his mother talking to someone else before feeling someone lay in the nest next to him. He opened an eye to see Cypressfang.

"You fought well, you certainly lived up to your name, Bricktail." He teased.

"Don't get too comfy. I can still beat you down even if you're a part of the Faults now." Brackentail reminded him. Cypressfang only rolled his eyes and stood up. Brackentail watched as he approached him.

"I'm aware, but I'm sure we can get along just fine." Cypressfang licked his ear before returning to his nest. "If you know how to take a joke that is."

Brackentail rolled over to face away from him. He felt his whole body go hot. He didn't know what this feeling was or why this cat caused it but he was certain that this cat was going to shake up his entire life.

[1524]

[hawkfire102]

The weather was wonderful for an evening patrol. The leaves rustled in the wind. The scent of prey was in the air. Sycamorestar leisurely strolled along the border between SycamoreClan and Catlantis. He glanced between the trees hoping to spot Stormrunner.

"Looking for your boyfriend." Owlpaw chirped, bounding up beside him. Sycamorestar shot him a look before lightly shouldering into him.

"No, Owlpaw. Just watching out for other cats." Sycamorestar replied, a faint smile on his face.

"Like Stormrunner." Owlpaw edged on. "I know you three haven't seen each other in a while."

"We haven't but we all have duties we have to attend to," Sycamorestar stated. He did admit to himself, he did miss their outings.

Both of them stopped when they heard a twig snap. It didn't sound like it was coming from the direction of Catlantis territory, it was coming from inside SycamoreClan territory. Sycamorestar's ears went back. No one was supposed to be in this section of territory but them. Sycamorestar took a few steps forward, putting himself in between the sound and Owlpaw.

"Who's there." He demanded. He watched as two cats came out of the undergrowth. A small blue tabby and a massive black tabby. Owlpaw brushed up against Sycamorestar as the duos stared each other down.

Starclan let us get out of this without a fight.

[hawkfire102]

Meadowflower was slightly worried as she and Sycamorestar made their way to the Moon Cavern. It was time for Sycamorestar to get his nine lives. He didn't want to voice it but she could tell by his posture that he was worried about getting them as well. Him being a kitty pet concerned him that they would turn their backs on him.

He stopped outside of the cavern entrance and started up at the sky. The moon wasn't high in the sky yet.

"Are you ready?" Meadowflower asked, breaking the silence.

"As ready as I'll ever be." He said, not breaking eye contact with the moon. She saw his eyes searching amongst the stars.

"Everything will be fine." She reassured. "If they didn't want you to be leader, they would not have set you on this path." Sycamorestar nodded.

"I hope so." He replied. He rose to his paws as the moon was in the right position.

They headed into the cavern, the Moon Shard glowing brightly. Slowly they both pressed their noses against it and quickly fell asleep.

When Meadowflower opened her eyes, she saw Sycamorestar surrounded by cats she didn't know. One by one they gave Sycamorestar his lives. She waited idly by as it continued, fidgeting at his pain while receiving them. Soon it was over. The last one whispering in his ear. The world around them faded as they woke up, the sun starting to creep into the sky. They both exchanged glances before getting to their paws.

"Congratulations, Sycamorestar." Meadowflower purred. Sycamorestar smiled sleepily.

"Thank you, now let's go home."

[hawkfire102]

Solarsoul could feel the tension before anyone entered the camp. It even drew out Birchheart, Meadowflower, and Sagepaw. First, it was Owlpaw looking scared, then it was Sycamorestar with an uncharacteristically stern look on his face. Then, two cats. Solarsoul felt her fur stand on end. The blue-tabby was small. He looked fiesty but that didn't worry her.

It was the other one. The black tabby loomed over all of the others. His eyes were narrowed as he gazed around the camp. Solarsoul narrowed her eyes in return and circled back around them as they made their way to the High branch. Sycamorestar leaped onto it but he had no need to call everyone out.

"SycamoreClan, we have two new additions to our family. This is Cypressfang and Brackentail. I ask you to welcome them with kindness."

There was silence amongst everyone. Birchheart gave Sycamorestar a questioning glance. Everyone else looked in between each other. The cat called Cypressfang's fur was starting to rise. The tension skyrocketed as Mallowkit came skittering out of the Leader's Den and came to a stop in front of them.

"Hi! I'm Mallowkit." She beamed up at them. Cypressfang looked shocked at the outcome but Brackentail lowered himself down to her level.

"Hello Mallowkit, I'm Brackentail and this is my mate Cypressfang."

"So you're like my papas?" Birchheart quickly scooped her up.

"Hush." He looked at the newcomers. "Welcome to SycamoreClan you two."

[hawkfire102]

Prompt one: Describe your cat's recurring dream. What are they seeing in their waking hours, whether it's real or not? You may accompany your writing with one drawn scene.

Sagepaw tossed and turned in his sleep, the dream gracing his subconscious once more. Sagepaw would be tending to his medicine cat duties and everything would be fine. He'd check on everyone just to give them check-ups as they came back from hunting or patrols. Then someone would get sick. It was a different cat each time but the same symptoms. They would have a fever and start throwing up. It was no problem for him. He'd get them some feverfew to bring their fever down and from juniper berries for the nausea. Everything would be fine until they started vomiting more. He would check what herbs he had and instead of the blue juniper berries it would be the bright red death berries. He'd slowly back away from his clanmate until he felt a presence behind him and a whisper in his ear:

'You're forgetting your promise.'

He would jolt awake and shaking. He felt drained at this constant nightmare but he knew it was his own fault.

[hawkfire102]

Prompt two: Describe how your cat is responding and what they are doing about it. You may accompany your writing with one drawn scene.

Sagepaw was feeling sick from the lack of sleep. He tried his best to ignore the dreams and avoid the questioning of Meadowflower. For his dreams, he had small successes with making an herb combination in order to suppress his dreams. It worked maybe once or twice a week but he slept in on those nights to try to regain some energy.

As for herbs mix-ups like in his dreams. He purposely would sit next to Meadowflower and talk out his herb combinations and what they were used for. He knew if he made a mistake, Meadowflower would correct him and he was grateful for that.

[hawkfire102]

Prompt three: Explain what the dream is signifying/what it means for your cat/the clan. No drawn extra.

Sagepaw knows the dreams mean. He made a deal and that deal must be fulfilled. In exchange for knowledge, someone in the clan has to die. It makes him feel sick thinking about it. He looked out for the medicine cat den at all of the clan, his family. He couldn't bear the thought of killing any of them. He had to do something.

[hawkfire102]

Prompt four: Who is the villain? What do they want? What do they look like? What's important to know about them? You may draw a reference for your villain or use free lineart.

Mistwalker was a medium-haired blue ticked tabby molly with a white muzzle and paws and striking yellow eyes. She was a kind soul. As a kit, she only dreamed of being a medicine cat. Every night she talked to her sister about the things she would do to help the clan. By Starclan she was going to cure greencough! But the closer she got to being an apprentice, the more her sister started having visions from Starclan. She felt crushed at their apprentice ceremony when Dewdroppaw got chosen to be the medicine cat apprentice. Moons afterward, she took to studying herbs to try to outdo her sister. Once they got their warrior names, she started plotting.

It was a sad time when the old medicine cat passed, leaving her sister Dewdropshine, to be the medicine cat. After the grieving period, Mistwalker took her sister out on a midnight hunt. Her poor naiive sister. Starclan rest her soul. She never smelt the badger coming.

Mistwalker became the new medicine cat since she had the knowledge to fill the position. What she didn't know is that Starclan had another path for her. A bad storm swept through the area and the tree behind the medicine cat den collapsed.

Now Mistwalker happily will help any cat striving to be a medicine cat but like herself, they have to kill someone before they can ever get their rank.