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[swampclanclangen]

Month 4 - Greenleaf

Paletail pads across the clearing, tail swaying happily behind him. He spots the stretched out body of Dawnfrost laying in one of the many sunbeams filling the camp. Smiling, he changes course, slowing his pawsteps to a stalk. Paletail crouches down a few tail lengths away, wiggling his hindquarters. Taking in a deep breath, he launches himself forward, landing belly first on top of the smaller tom.

Dawnfrost grunts, eyes shooting open as all the breath leaves his body. Laughing erupts above him and he looks up with a sharp glare, spotting his friend.

“Paletail.” He growls. Dawnfrost twists his upper body and pushes at the tom. “Get off me you big lug.”

“Oh, but I’m sooooo comfy. Can’t you let me stay here just a little bit longer?” Paletail stretches out, but slowly slides off Dawnfrost until only his back legs are on him.

“You’re going to crush me one of these days.” Dawnfrost meows, giving Paletail an annoyed look. He goes back to his previous outstretched position.

“And what a way to die that’ll be. Don’t worry though, I’ll give you a few more years.” Paletail adjusts himself to curl his front paws under his chest, but keeps his back paws across Dawnfrost.

“How considerate of you.” Dawnfrost grumbles.

“I know right. I should have been honored for that in my warrior ceremony.”

“You shouldn’t have been honored at all.”

“Um, rude. I’ll have you know that I…”

Dawnfrost waits for Paletail to continue, ear flicking. After a few heartbeats he lifts his head, giving his friend a confused look. “That you what?”

“Huh?” Paletail doesn’t turn his head back to his friend, staring across the camp.

“You’ll have me know that you what? What were you going to say?”

“Oh, um… sorry, I forgot.”

Dawnfrost hums, staring at his friend. Finally, he follows the bigger tom’s gaze, wanting to know what has him so distracted. A teasing smile breaks across his face when he sees just who has Paletail so enraptured.

Fennelpelt sits across the clearing, presumably laughing at a joke Strikestar had told. His eyes shone brightly, tail tip flicking lazily beside him. Dawnfrost could definitely see the appeal of the warrior.

“Oh, ok, I see.” Dawnfrost chuckles and lays back down. “Don’t let me get in the way of your ogling.”

“What! I’m not ogling! I’m just…admiring.” Paletail tears his gaze away to glare at his friend.

“Right, and I’m a talking squirrel. You're staring at him like he hung the moon and stars.” Dawnfrost replies, rolling his eyes.

“I’m just appreciating his warrior-ness. Nothing more to it.”

“Oh yea? How’s that warrior-ness looking? Lean and strong? Making your heart flutter?”

“Shut up!” Paletail rolls over and shoves his paws into Dawnfrost’s face, making the smaller tom laugh. “You make it sound like you don’t have anyone catching your eye.”

“I don’t yet, but you never know. Maybe someone else will join the clan. Then I can join you in your lovestruck staring sessions.” Dawnfrost smirks and dodges the swipe aimed at his ears.

“You’re insufferable sometimes, you know that?” Paletail huffs.

“I’m as insufferable as you are considerate.” Downfrost replies, already resigning himself to his fate as Paletail throws himself at him, laughing.

******

Yarrowtuft stares out into the rolling moorland of Patchouliclan territory, fur whipping from the harsh wind. Behind her, she can hear Fennelpelt and Dawnfrost talking about something or other. She’s not quite sure. A heavy pang hits her heart as memories of running across the hills with Lowback come to her mind. The tom was always so energetic as an apprentice. A brush against her shoulder snaps Yarrowtuft out of her thoughts.

“I miss him too, but I know that he’s happy running around in the hills of Starclan territory.” Fennelpelt meows, giving Yarrowtuft a knowing look.

“Yea, I was just thinking about when he was an apprentice. The first time I took him out, he darted down a rabbit hole because he wanted to bring something back to the clan. I had to go down and fetch him because he got lost.” Yarrowtuft purrs, smiling.

“Lowback did that?” Dawnfrost asks, lifting his head from where he was sniffing the border a few tail-lengths away. “I thought he was always super serious.”

“That’s just what he wanted you to think. Lowback was one of the most loving cats I knew. He would have made a great mentor.”

“There’s no doubt about that.” Fennelpelt meows. “We should probably continue on. It’s going to start getting dark soon.”

“You’re right. We’re almost done, shouldn’t take long.” Yarrowtuft steps around Fennelpelt, continuing down the edge of their border. Coming close to a bush, she moves to place a marking when a high-pitched squeal makes her pause. Lifting her head, she looks around, ears pricked to catch another sound.

Laughter comes from behind the bush, followed by another squeal and a shout. The voices sounded like they came from a younger cat, no older than an apprentice if Yarrowtuft had to guess. With a flick of her tail, she gains the attention of her warriors and nods to the bush. She slowly pushes through, feeling Fennelpelt brush up beside her. Yarrowtuft peeks out, spotting movement on the other side of the border.

Two kits were tussling in the grass, stubby tails waving as they playfully batted at each other. Yarrowtuft didn’t recognize either of them. They must have been born after she left. That thought makes her frown, she’d missed so much.

“What should we do?” Fennelpelt asks. “We can’t just leave them alone. What if something happens to them?”

“Their clan might be looking for them already. Patchouliclan doesn’t like trespassers and they’ll be angry if they find us on their territory.” Yarrowtuft replies.

“I’m sure they’ll understand if it’s you that they find. You used to be part of their clan afterall.”

“It doesn’t work like that, Fennelpelt. I’m part of a different clan now. I can’t just waltz into their territory.”

“I think we should take them back to their camp.” Dawnfrost meows, wiggling his way into the spot on Yarrowtuft’s other side. He looks at the kits with a smile, eyes warm. “They must have been really determined if they got this far out.”

“If we do take them back to their camp, you're going back to ours. If Patchouliclan ends up being hostile, I don’t want you getting hurt.” Yarrowtuft says.

“But I’m a warrior. I can handle myself.” Dawnfrost protests.

“I don’t want to risk it. You're still young and aren’t as skilled as Fennelpelt and I.”

Dawnfrost grumbles under his breath, but doesn’t argue. “So are you guys going to take them back?”

“I think we should.” Fennelpelt says.

Yarrowtuft it quiet for a few more heartbeats, deliberating in her head. Finally, she nods. “Yea, we’re taking them back.”

She stands and steps out of the bush. Yarrowtuft looks over her shoulder to Dawnfrost, finding only his eyes staring out from the green fronds.

“Go head back to camp, we’ll be there soon. If Strikestar asks where we are, tell her we’re taking some kits back to their camp.”

“Yes ma’am.” Dawnfrost backs out of the bush and disappears into the undergrowth.

Yarrowtuft turns  back and moves towards the part of the border the kits were playing, Fennelpelt close behind her. The kits, still chasing each other around, were oblivious to their presence. Yarrowtuft debates whether to call out to them as to not startle them. She steps over the border, mouth open to call a greeting when someone else beats her to it.

“Drykit! Thrushkit!”

“Where are you?”

Yarrowtuft freezes, tail puffing up. She scans the hills, but doesn’t spot anyone. Without a word, she turns and pads back to her side of the border, leaving Fennelpelt to follow her.

“Well that’s good. We don’t have to walk all the way to their camp now.” Fennelpelt meows, tail swishing behind him.

“It’s a good thing they didn’t see us either.” Yarrowtuft adds.

“Yea, that’d probably be bad if they did.”

Narrowed eyes watch them retreat into the shadows of the trees, tails lashing angrily.

“Heatherstar will find this very interesting.”

******

Shinepelt steps around a patch of mud, eyeing it with narrowed eyes. He only takes a few steps when he hears a sharp sucking sound.

“Oh for the love of…” Paletail’s annoyed growl makes him chuckle. The sucking sound comes again and Paletail appears beside him, holding up a mud soaked paw. “Starclan wants to punish me for something, I’m tellin’ ya.”

“Maybe if you used your eyes every once in a while, you wouldn’t be stepping in puddles all the time.” Shinepelt says, smiling when Paletail shoots him an annoyed look.

“Our whole territory is one big puddle.” Paletail licks his paw, wrinkling his nose at the earthy taste. “Besides, I never had to deal with this in Chestnutclan. You must be familiar with it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Shinepelt asks, ears flicking back.

“I just mean that Streamclan has a bunch of water in their territory, right? You're used to getting your pelt wet.” Paletail replies. He licks his paw again before putting it down and looking around.

“If you're looking for clean water, you’ll have to wait until we get out of the bog.”

“Mouse-dung.”

Shinepelt lets out an amused huff. He turns back to the path before them, intent on going back to the search for herbs. In the few moons they’d been there, he’d become more familiar with the types of medical supplies he had available to him. Fennelpelt was helpful with finding some in the more forested parts of the territory and Hyeridrizzle recognized a few from the plants around her old housefolk den. He was hoping he’d be able to talk to some of the other medicine cats at the next half-moon meeting, especially his old mentor.

Suddenly, a chill travels down Shinepelt’s back, making the fur along his spine fluff up. He looks around, sensing eyes on him and spots a glimmering figure in the brush to his left. His breath hitches, eyes going wide. A Starclan cat. He didn’t recognize them though.

Paletail lifts his head, mouth open as a familiar scent invades his nose. It takes a few seconds to register, but his face morphs into one that could only be described as a kit finding something they’d been looking for.

“Palefur!” Paletail rushes forward, butting his head under the chin of the Starclan cat, purr basically shaking his body.

Shinepelt furrows his brow, looking between Paletail and the Starclan cat, Palefur. They both had long gray fur, broken up by darker gray markings. It isn’t until he gets to the face does Shinepelt realize who this cat must be.

“Look at you. You’ve grown so much!” Palefur purrs, nuzzling his son. He looks at him proudly. “You’ll be as big as me in a few more moons.”

“I’m going to be bigger than you!” Paletail meows, smirking and puffing out his chest. He laughs as Palefur brings up a paw and ruffles the fluff of fur on his head.

“Your mother will be so proud of you.”

Shinepelt smiles, watching them fondly. After a few moments he turns away, wanting to give the two a much needed moment. Paletail will catch up.

*****

Hyeridrizzle was familiar with the scent of foxes. She’d grown up smelling them around her cabin. However, that didn’t mean she was very good at telling the different breeds apart. That’s how she found herself, nose to the ground, following the scent of one. It wasn’t far away, its acrid smell filling the air. Rounding a bend, Hyeridrizzle finally spots a sharply moving red pelt ahead.

The fox had its muzzle buried in the carcass of a rabbit, not yet noticing Hyeridrizzle. If she had to guess by the mostly intact body, the fox had just started eating there. There was still a lot of meat she could bring back to the clan, to Strikestar. She was only one cat though. One cat that still, admittedly, wasn’t the best at fighting.

With a silent sigh, Hyeridrizzle turns and creeps away, careful not to make any noise. She wouldn’t be able to drive off the fox without serious injury and maybe even death. Swampclan couldn’t deal with that right now. They needed all the warriors they could get. Holding her head up high, Hyeridrizzle sets off in search of different prey.

Author's Note

I did not expect to take this long for the next chapter. I should be able to work on them more now that I readily have my laptop at hand. I had a little bit of fun with lighting for these illustrations. Let me know what y'all think of them!

[swampclanclangen]

Month 3 - Greenleaf

Strikestar pushes past a fern, feeling relief from the hot sun in the shade above her. She looks over her shoulder, spotting the dark pelt of Hyeridrizzle a few tail lengths behind.

“How are you doing back there?” Strikestar asks.

“I feel like I’m going to start melting.” Hyeridrizzle replies. She stops next to Strikestar and flops onto her haunches, head bowed. “I don’t know how you clan cats put up with this heat every year.”

“Hey, you're a clan cat now too. You’ll get used to it eventually.” Strikestar says, whiskers twitching in amusement.

“I’m gonna die of heatstroke before then.”

“Not if Shinepelt has anything to say about it. He’ll just travel to Starclan and drag you back by force if he has to.” Strikestar nudges Hyeridrizzle. “Now come on. We’re almost to the edge of the border.”

Hyeridrizzle groans and pushes herself up, following close behind her leader. She scans the undergrowth around them as they walk, listening intently to the birds singing in the trees. Before she joined the clan, Hyeridrizzle used to sit on the railing of her housefolks cabin, staring out into the trees and imagining what it would be like to live in them. The younger her would have never envisioned that she would finally be able to.

“What’s on your mind?”

“Huh?” Hyeridrizzle focuses back on the she-cat in front of her.

“You looked like you were thinking of something.”

“Just remembering when I would dream of living in the forest when I was younger. Nothing important.” Hyeridrizzle replies.

“Seems important to me. It takes guts to leave everything you’ve ever known behind. Trust me, I know.” Strikestar meows.

“I guess you would. I was just tired of the same old routine everyday. Wanted something new, you know?”

Strikestar nods, falling quiet as they finally come up to the edge of their border. She looks out at the twoleg place in the distance.

“So…why did you decide to leave your clan to make a new one?” Hyeridrizzle asks.

“Same reason as you I suppose. It was the same routine and I felt stuck. I figured making Swampclan would help me in some way.”

“And did it?” “Yea, it did. I wouldn’t change my decision even if I was given the chance.” Strikestar replies. She gets to work marking the border, Hyeridrizzle close behind. The sounds of the forest surround them. Chirping from birds and squirrels, rustling in the flowers, branches shuffling above. Strikestar wouldn’t trade the sounds of the forest for anything.

The sun was starting to make its way down when the two warriors had finally finished and were making their way back to camp. The heat of midday was waning into a cool breeze, giving some relief. Strikestar trots around a high root from one of the many mangroves in the swamp, ducking under another.

“Uh, Strikestar? Where did the birds go?” Hyeridrizzle asks.

“What do you mean?” Strikestar pauses and turns. She looks up, spotting a few birds in the trees. “The birds are still there.”

“They stopped singing. Everything stopped.” Hyeridrizzle looks around, hackles rising. “Something’s wrong.”

Strikestar flicks her ears around, trying her best to pick up any of the sounds she was listening to earlier. She picks up on a rhythmic thumping heading towards them, gradually getting louder. A low grunting joins in with the thump and dread fills Strikestar. She breaks into a run towards Hyeridrizzle, shoving her to the ground just as a large dog appears behind her. Before Strikestar could react further, jaws close around her back leg and pull her into the air. She lets out a pained yowl, lashing out with outstretched claws. Skin rips and blood splatters across her legs and underbelly.

“Strikestar!” Hyeridrizzle cries. She launches herself at the dog, jaws clamping onto loose skin around its neck.

The dog lets go of Strikestar in favor of snapping at Hyeridrizzle, just missing by a hair as the she-cat pulls away. It lets out a low growl, lips curling back.

Hyeridrizzle rakes her claws across its nose, making it jerk back. She follows it, striking out each time it tries to get closer. Finally, with one last cut, it whimpers and turns away, retreating back into the forest. Hyeridrizzle watches it go, eyes narrowed to slits and claws digging into the ground. A groan draws her attention away.

“Strikestar.” Hyeridrizzle spins around and bounds to the limp body of her leader. “Strikestar, are you ok?”

“I think…I think my leg is broken.” Strikestar replies, wincing.

“Did you lose a life?”

“No, no. Just my leg. Help me up.” Strikestar shimmies her front paws under her and pushes up.

“Woah, hey! Do you think that’s a good idea?” Hyeridrizzle asks, but goes to support Strikestar.

“Gotta get back to camp somehow.”

Hyeridrizzle frowns but doesn’t argue further. She lets Strikestar lean against her and slowly makes her way back to camp.

******

Shinepelt pushes another herb bundle back into its place in storage, humming softly to himself. He turns his attention to the pile of poppy seeds, separating them into smaller piles and putting them next to their specific herb bundles. Brushing off his paws, he stands and makes his way to the entrance of the medicine den. 

“Shinepelt, thank Starclan.” Dawnfrost bounds up to the medicine cat just as he appears.

“Dawnfrost, what’s wrong?”

“Strikestar’s hurt. Hyeridrizzle and Paletail are helping her into the camp.” Dawnfrost replies.

“Hurt? How did she get hurt?” Shinepelt asks, perking up. He pads to the entrance of the camp.

“Hyeridrizzle didn’t say how. She just told me to tell you.” Dawnfrost says, following after.

Shinepelt hums in acknowledgment. The bushes ahead rustle and Paletail comes out first, followed by Strikestar and Hyeridrizzle. The medicine cat’s eyes trail along Strikestar’s body, landing on her back leg. Her oddly twisted back leg. The blood drains from Shinepelt’s face.

“What in Starclan’s name happened?” Shinepelt exclaims, rushing forward to take Strikestar from Hyeridrizzle.

“Dog attack. Strikestar saved me.” Hyeridrizzle replies. “It grabbed her leg. She thinks it’s broken.”

“She thought right.” Shinepelt helps Strikestar to his den, letting her lay down in one of the moss nests. He turns his attention to her leg, running a paw along the limb until he gets to the break.

“So, good and bad news.”

“Good news first.”

“Nope, bad news first.”

“You’re mean.”

“Shush. The leg is definitely broken, however, it’s not as bad as it looks. The bone isn’t sticking through the skin and it feels like it’ll set well enough.” Shinepelt turns away to grab a couple sticks and some cobwebs. He sets the sticks on either side of her leg.

“Brace yourself.” Shinepelt meows. He waits a moment before straightening out the leg and pinning it to the ground with his own back leg.

Strikestar lets out a sharp hiss, digging her claws into the ground. She lays her head on the ground.

Shinepelt thickly wraps the cobwebs around the sticks and her leg, making sure the splint wouldn’t come apart or loosen.

“You have to be more careful, you know that.” Shinepelt says.

“I couldn’t just let the dog get Hyeridrizzle. I have nine lives for a reason.” Strikestar forces out through clenched teeth.

“You could lose those nine lives faster than you think. One wrong move and you're helpless to stop it. Didn’t your mother ever tell you about the Tiger that lost his lives in one swipe?”

“That’s just a story.” Strikestar scoffs.

“Every story comes from some form of truth.” Shinepelt looks at Strikestar, frowning at the conflicted look on her face. He sighs.

“Listen, I’m not trying to tell you what to do or that you shouldn’t do your best to protect everyone. I’m just telling you to be careful.” Shinepelt settles down next to his leader and starts to groom her blood speckled fur.

“We still need you as our leader. It’s too soon for you to leave us.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” Strikestar says, closing her eyes and relaxing.

“No need to apologize. Now try to get some sleep. You’ll need all the rest you can to heal up quickly.”

Strikestar hums, curling her tail around her body.

Shinepelt continues his ministrations, feeling the change in breathing underneath him as Strikestar slips into unconsciousness.

“Shinepelt?”

The tom looks up, spotting Hyeridrizzle standing in the entrance to his den.

“Will she be ok?”

“Just fine. She’ll just have to rest and heal up.”

“Oh, that’s good.” Hyeridrizzle lingers in the entrance, like she wants to say more.

Shinepelt smiles softly, giving the warrior a reassuring look as he guesses what might be bothering her. “It’s not your fault. Strikestar would have done this for any cat.”

“How did you?” Hyeridrizzle tilts her head.

“Medicine cat intuition. Now go rest.”

“Thank you, Shinepelt.”

“No problem.” Shinepelt turns back to Strikestar and goes back to cleaning her fur.

******

Authors Note

Sorry this one is on the shorter side and has no illustrations, I've been busy with work. There also wasn't much that happened this moon. Hopefully I'll be able to do more for the next chapter!

[swampclanclangen]

Month 2 - Newleaf

Strikestar looks out at her clan, watching them meander around the camp. Her gaze was on two particular cats, though: Dawnpaw and Palepaw. The two moons since they first became a clan seemed to have passed in a blur and the apprentices had grown into cats worthy of being warriors, and literally growing too. Palepaw had quickly become the second biggest cat in the clan, just a bit smaller than Strikestar herself. Dawnpaw had grown too, his head that had barely reached her shoulder now went above it. They would definitely make the clan proud.

“Strikestar, you wanted to see me?” Fennelpelt’s voice breaks the leader out of her thoughts. The young tom settles down beside her, following her gaze to the apprentices. “I’m guessing they’re the topics you wanted to talk about.”

“Yes. I think it’s time they’ve earned their warrior names.” Strikestar replies. She wraps her tail around her front paws.

“Has that much time passed already?”

“It’s gone by fast, hasn’t it?” Strikestar frowns, a worry coming to her mind. She looks away, towards Fennelpelt. “There’s just one thing I’m not so sure about.”

Fennelpelt hums in acknowledgement, glancing at his leader with a flick of his ear. “What’s that?” “I’m not so sure Palepaw has grown out of his childish tendencies. It’s going to get him in trouble one day. We both know that.” Strikestar meows.

“Then let it get him in trouble. He's never going to learn if we don’t let him make mistakes.” Fennelpelt says, turning his attention back to the lively apprentice.

“Those are some harsh words from you Fennelpelt.”

“I don’t think so. I just don’t want him to get hurt and the only way I can do that is letting him hurt himself first. He’ll learn after the first time that it’s something to avoid.”

“Wise words for such a young warrior.” Strikestar says, pushing herself to her feet.

“Eh, I try.” Fennelpelt shoots her a toothy grin. “Want me to give them a heads up?”

“No, let them be surprised. We need something to lift their spirits after what happened last moon.” Strikestar says.

“Right…”

With that, Strikestar turns and launches herself onto the top of the Mangrove Rock. Her actions alert the other cats and they all gather at its base before she can finish calling them together.

“It has come to my attention that there are some important matters to attend to. After our devastating loss last moon.” Strikestar glanced over at Shinepelt, whose head had dipped below his shoulders. “It’s now more important than ever that we have warriors to protect our clan. So, I would like to announce the names of two new warriors. Palepaw, Dawnpaw, please step forward.”

“What!” Palepaw exclaims, jumping to his feet. “Are you serious?”

Dawnpaw slaps his tail across Palepaw’s mouth, shooting him an unimpressed look.

Palepaw hunches his shoulders, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry.”

Strikestar purrs in amusement. She jumps off the rock and stands tall as the apprentices make their way up to her. Both of their chests were puffed up, pride written across their faces.

“Palepaw, Dawnpaw, do you promise to uphold the Warrior Code and protect Swampclan, even at the cost of your life?” Strikestar asks, glancing between the duo.

“I do.” Palepaw meows, voice strong and unwavering.

“I do.” Dawnpaw echoes, voice slightly quieter.

Strikestar turns her attention to Dawnpaw first. “Dawnpaw, I name you Dawnfrost in honor of your spirit.”

Dawnfrost dips his head, allowing Strikestar to press her nose to the top of it. He steps back, situating himself beside Fennelpelt.

“Palepaw,” Strikestar meows, “I name you Paletail in honor of your lightheartedness and resilience. Let it lead you well.”

Paletail copies Dawnfrost’s actions, letting Strikestar honor him, and goes to sit beside Dawnfrost.

“I now hail you as full warriors of Swampclan. You will sit vigil tonight and watch out for your clan as they sleep.”

“Dawnfrost! Paletail! Dawnfrost! Paletail!” The clan chants their names, making it echo around the clearing.

“Congrats you two.” Yarrowtuft meows, approaching the new warriors. “I’m excited to see what you do in the future.”

“Thanks Yarrowtuft!” Paletail meows, smiling wide. He shares a look with Dawnfrost, seeing the same look of pride and excitement looking back at him.

******

Paletail barely stifles a yawn, bringing up a paw to cover his mouth. He looks around the clearing, scanning for any possible dangers. He still wasn’t quite sure what kind of dangers there would be in a bog. The coyote he saw a couple months ago was the only predator he’s seen so far. He could only pray to Starclan that an alligator didn’t somehow make its way to camp. He’d never seen one, but stories from when he was a kit still haunted him.

“Hey Dawnfrost.” Paletail whispers, leaning closer to his friend.

“Shhh. We’re not supposed to be talking.” Dawnfrost whispers back, not taking his eyes off the camp entrance.

“I just got a quick question. Then I’ll be quiet.”

“Fine. What is it?”

“Have you seen an alligator yet?” Paletail asks.

“An alligator? Yea. I saw one when on patrol with Hyeridrizzle a few days ago.”

“Really!”

“Shhhh!”

“Sorry.” Paletail shrinks down. “Really?”

“Yea.” Dawnfrost finally looks away from the entrance to look at Paletail. He chuckles slightly at the awe covering his friend’s face.

“What did it look like? Was it as scary as the stories the elders used to tell us?” Paletail asks.

“Kind of. It didn’t do anything just laid in the shallows, but it’s mouth was open and I don’t think anyone’s getting out of those jaws.” Dawnfrost meows, shuddering as he recalls the teeth lining its gums.

“Was it big?”

“Yea, it was pretty big. Hyeridrizzle told me she’s seen bigger, though.”

“I bet if we manage to hunt and kill one, it’ll really impress Strikestar.” Paletail says, turning back to the clearing.

“Yea, if we don’t get killed first.” Dawnfrost huffs.

“If we stick together, we can handle anything.” Paletail meows, brushing his tail against Dawnfrost’s.

“Yea, maybe.” Dawnfrost smiles, curling his tail around the tip of Paletail’s tail.

******

“What is that place?” Yarrowtuft asks.

Fennelpelt turns with a confused hum, looking in the direction of the deputy. He spots the tops of large triangular shapes in the distance, broken up occasionally by a long pole.

“Oh. That’s the twoleg place on the edge of Chestnutclan’s border. It’s like a big camp for twolegs.” Fennelpelt replies, coming to stand next to Yarrowtuft. He tilts his head, ears pricked to listen to the odd sounds coming from it. “Do you think that’s where Hyeridrizzle used to live?”

“No, she told me she lived in a wooden den in the swamp. Those dens don’t look wooden.” Yarrowtuft says. She turns and continues on, wanting to put the strange place behind her.

“Hey, wait!” Fennelpelt calls, tail lashing behind him as an idea comes to mind. “What if we hunted in there?”

“What?” Yarrowtuft asks, bewildered.

Fennelpelt gives Yarrowtuft a bold look. “Let’s hunt in the twoleg place.”

“No. Absolutely not. Do you know how dangerous twolegs are?” Yarrowtuft meows, voice becoming stern.

“Of course I do!” Fennelpelt says, offended.

“Then don’t be mouse-brained. Now come on, let’s go.” Yarrowtuft turns, using her tail to beckon the young warrior.

“Why can’t we hunt there? What if we find something big?” Fennelpelt asks, not moving.

“Twolegs don’t have anything for us except cages and dogs.” Yarrowtuft retorts, giving Fennelpelt a hard look.

“You don’t know that. If we just give it a try then maybe-”

“I said no, Fennelpelt. Now come on!”

“But-”

“I can’t lose another warrior under my watch! Ok?” Yarrowtuft growls, spinning around to glare at Fennelpelt.

Fennelpelt recoils, fur fluffing up. He stares at Yarrowtuft, brow furrowing.

“Sorry. I’m sorry. Let’s just keep going.” Yarrowtuft turns and pads away, tail tip flicking behind her.

Fennelpelt watches her for a couple heartbeats before finally pushing himself into motion. He quickly catches up to Yarrowtuft, only slowing to walk beside her. He glances at the red she-cat.

“It’s not your fault, you know. What happened to Lowback. There was nothing you could have done.” Fennelpelt says.

“I keep trying to tell myself that, but I can’t believe it.” Yarrowtuft sighs, tail drooping. “I just ran and left him there.”

“I didn’t know Lowback very well, but I do know that if we were alive, he wouldn’t blame you. Lowback was the kind of warrior that put others before himself. That’s why he was so great.” Fennelpelt says. He drapes his tail over the deputy’s shoulders.

“He might not have blamed me, but you can’t say that for everyone else. Shinepelt can’t even look at me.” Yarrowtuft meows.

“Shinepelt’s grieving. Just give him some time, ok?”

“Ok.”

‘Now come on. I promised Paletail I’d get him a mouse.”

Updated Refs

Sorry for the wait y'all, I've been a bit busy with life and all that. My friend wasn't available to proofread, so there might be some typos and stuff. Anyways, our boys are finally warriors!

[swampclanclangen]

Month 1 - Newleaf

“Do you really think this is a good idea?” Lowback asks, glancing over his shoulder. He meets the eyes of the kittypet behind them and quickly looks away. “What are we going to tell Strikestar?”

“Exactly what the kittypet told us. She wants to join and become a warrior.” Yarrowtuft replies, not taking her eyes off the path in front of them. She ducks under a low hanging fern, spotting the dip of the grotto up ahead.

“We’re almost there.” Yarrowtuft looks over her shoulder, giving the kittypet a stern look. “Stay close to us and don’t talk to anyone. Got it?”

“Got it!” The kittypet jumps forward, shouldering her way between the warriors. “Oh, I’m just so excited! I’ve always wanted to be a warrior!”

“You have to be accepted by Strikestar first and there’s no guarantee of that.” Yarrowtuft meows. She hops down into the grotto and pads down the path, leaving Lowback to make sure the kittypet didn’t fall off. Yarrowtuft pushes through the bush and stops, waiting for the others.

“Wow! This is amazing!” The kittypet exclaims as she comes through the bush. She looks around the camp in awe, eyes wide and mouth open.

Yarrowtuft watches the kittypet for a moment, feeling a slight warmth fill her chest. It reminded her of the way kits looked on their first day out of the nursery. The kittypet suddenly looks at her and the black mask around her face briefly flickers to a dark red. Yarrowtuft flinches and looks away.

“Yarrowtuft, you ok?” Lowback’s voice makes her look back up. The younger warrior had a knowing look on his face.

“Fine. Now come on.” Yarrowtuft turns and stalks towards Strikestar’s den. She pushes her head through the sparse lichen hanging down in the entrance, spotting Strikestar sorting out some rocks.

“Strikestar? We need you for something.” Yarrowtuft meows, gaining the leader’s attention.

“What is it?” Strikestar asks, standing and padding over to her deputy.

Yarrowtuft pulls her head out and gestures to the kittypet standing next to a seated Lowback. “We found a kittypet by the border. Says she wants to join.”

“A kittypet?” Strikestar’s brow furrows, looking at the big gray tabby. She approaches the kittypet, tail swaying easily behind her.

“Strikestar, this is -”

“Hyeridrizzle! It’s nice to meet you!” The kittypet steps forward, butting her head against Strikestar’s shoulder in greeting.

“Hyeridrizzle? You told us your name was just Hyeri.” Lowback says, eyes narrowing slightly.

“Well, if I’m going to be a warrior then I need a warrior name don’t I?” Hyeridrizzle says, smiling at the tom.

“That’s not how it works.” Lowback starts but is cut off by Strikestar.

“Nevermind that. What made you want to be a warrior?” She asks the kittypet, settling into a seated position.

“I’ve been watching the clan cats for moons and always dreamed of being able to join you guys.” Hyeridrizzle explains, gesturing with a paw around the camp. “I noticed you guys a lot closer than usual and decided now was my chance.”

“You do understand what being a clancat means right? It’s not going to be easy. You’ll have to hunt for your own food, fight, you might even die.” Strikestar says, voice serious and face stern. “I can’t in good conscience let you make this decision without telling you the risks.”

The bright and playful look on Hyeridrizzle’s face shifts into a somber expression. “I enjoyed being a kittypet, I won’t deny that, but I’ve always felt like I’ve been missing something. Something that I couldn’t gain from merely exploring my garden.”

Strikestar nods. She stands, puffing out her chest.

“Hyeridrizzle, do you promise to put your clan before yourself and honor the warrior code?” Strikestar asks.

“I promise.” Hyeridrizzle replies, holding her head high.

“Then I welcome you as a warrior of Swampclan.”

“Thank you, Strikestar.” Hyeridrizzle dips her head to the older cat. She lifts it back up after a few heartbeats.

Strikestar nods before turning around and disappearing back into her den, making the lichen swish.

“Would you like us to introduce you to the others?” Lowback asks, looking at Yarrowtuft for confirmation that she wanted to help.

Yarrowtuft nods and steps forward. “The others can look scary at first, but they’re really kind.”

“I’d love that, thank you.” Hyeridrizzle says, smiling at the warriors. She looks around the camp, spotting only a few cats in the clearing.

“Well you already know Strikestar, our leader, and Yarrowtuft and I. Yarrowtuft is our deputy, which basically means she’s in charge when Strikestar can’t be.” Lowback says.

“What are you?” Hyeridrizzle asks.

“Hm? Oh, I’m just a regular warrior.” Lowback replies. “Now come on, let’s go see Shinepelt. He’s our medicine cat.”

Hyeridrizzle follows after the young tom, eyeing the small cave next to the entrance. A small white and black cat was spread out in front of it, head on his paws.

“Hey Shinepelt!” Lowback quickened his pace and stopped next to Shinepelt, putting his paws on his shoulders and shaking the medicine cat.

Shinepelt jerks away, rolling onto his back to get away from Lowback. He gives the warrior an annoyed look. “Rude.”

“We have someone to introduce.” Lowback flicks his tail behind him, pointing to Hyeridrizzle and Yarrowtuft as they come up. “This is Hyeridrizzle. She’s a new warrior.”

Shinepelt rolls onto his stomach and pushes himself up. He smiles at the older warrior. “Nice to meet you, I’m Shinepelt.”

“Nice to meet you too.” Hyeridrizzle dips her head.

“A head dip? That’s a first.” Shinepelt turns to Lowback. “You should try that sometime. Might make me like you more.”

“You love me.” Lowback smirks, lowering his head to Shinepelt’s height. The smaller tom leans forward and presses his muzzle against the warrior’s cheek.

“That’s up for debate.” Shinepelt pulls back. “Now go along, I got work to do.”

“Must be so tiring to lay around in the sun.” Lowback teases, but pulls away.

“Mouse-brain. I’ll come see you later.” Shinepelt purrs. He turns away and trots into his den, but not before flicking Lowback with the tip of his tail.

“Alright, come on casanova. We don’t have all day.” Yarrowtuft says, rolling her eyes fondly at the two.

Lowback chuckles and takes the lead. He pads across the clearing to the rest of his lounging clanmates.

“Hey Lowback!” Palepaw calls, waving his paw in the air.

“Hey guys. We want to introduce you to someone.” Lowback sits down, gesturing to the she-cats settling down beside him. “This is Hyeridrizzle. She’s a new warrior.”

“Hello!” Hyeridrizzle meows, dipping her head in greeting.

“Are you from one of the other clans?” Palepaw asks, tilting his head in confusion. “I’ve never seen you before.”

“No, I was a kittypet. I decided it wasn’t for me though, so I asked Strikestar if I could join.” Hyeridrizzle explains.

“And she said yes?”

“Well I wouldn’t be here if she said no.” Hyeridrizzle says, smiling.

“Oh, right.” Palepaw says sheepishly, scuffing his paw in the dirt.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Fennelpelt speaks up from his spot next to Palepaw. “I’m Fennelpelt.”

“Nice to meet you too.”

“Where’s Dawnpaw?” Yarrowtuft asks, looking around. She spots a small brown flash before Dawnpaw appears in front of Hyeridrizzle, a clump of yellow flowers in his jaws. The apprentice sets them down at the older warrior’s paws.

“These are for you. As a welcome gift.” Dawnpaw meows, shyly ducking his head.

“Thank you, Dawnpaw I presume.” Dawnpaw nods. “They’re lovely.” Hyeridrizzle leans down and grabs the flowers.

“And that is everyone.” Lowback says, looking over at Yarrowtuft. “I think we’re going to continue our patrol. I’ve noticed the prey pile looking pretty skimpy. Unacceptable this far into newleaf.”

“You just want an excuse to run around.” Yarrowtuft says, but pushes to her feet. She stretches out and starts walking to the camp entrance. “Well, let’s go before it gets dark out.”

Lowback hops to his feet, flicking his tail in goodbye, and quickly follows after Yarrowtuft. The two warriors make their way out of the camp and into the forest of their territory.

“Where do you want to hunt first?” Yarrowtuft asks, matching Lowback’s steady pace.

“I thought you said we were just running around.” Lowback meows, shooting Yarrowtuft a teasing look. He quickened his pace, jumping over a log. Lowback pulls ahead, laughing in glee. He had missed being able to just run like he did back in Patchouliclan. He finally skids to a stop in a clearing, watching in satisfaction as Yarrowtuft bursts through the undergrowth.

“You’re still the slowpoke you were in Patchouliclan.” He meows smugly.

“You have longer legs than me.” Yarrowtuft pants, tail dragging along the ground.

“Excuses, excuses.” Lowback scans the clearing, ears pricked. A faint crackling noise catches his attention. “Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Yarrowtuft looks where Lowback is, ears flicking around. She pads forward, eyes squinting to see if she could spot what was making the noise. Orange peeks through the leaves, growing closer.

“Fire. Fire!” Lowback grabs Yarrowtuft’s tail and yanks her back. Just as he did, flames shoot out from the undergrowth, licking greedily at the grass. Lowback flinches away from the heat, pulling Yarrowtuft further away.

“Lowback, run!” Yarrowtuft exclaims, pushing at the younger warrior’s chest.

“You first. I’m faster, I can get away.” Lowback shoves Yarrowtuft forward.

Yarrowtuft leaps away, paws hitting the ground just at the edge of the clearing. A pained yowl makes her stop, turning back around. Lowback was stumbling away from the fire, holding his injured back paw off the ground.

“Lowback!” Yarrowtuft moves to go to him.

“No! I’m fine, you go.” Lowback stumbles forward, hissing in pain. When Yarrowtuft doesn’t move he lets out a low growl. “Run!”

Yarrowtuft springs into action, paws hitting the ground in rapid succession. Fear fills her chest as the heat and roar of the fire draw closer. A sense of dread follows when she realizes she can’t hear a second set of pawsteps behind her. It felt like ages when Yarrowtuft finally stopped, the heat and crackling no longer there. She turns around, frantically scanning the underbrush, trying to find any chance of white or silver fur. Grief fills her heart as the minutes pass by. In one last ditch effort, Yarrowtuft takes a deep breath.

“Lowback!” Yarrowtuft waits for a reply, but, as she expected, none came. Finally, she turns, making her way back to camp, tail dragging a trail across the ground. The walk back was a daze, seeming to last for an eternity. She didn’t come back to her senses until the drop into the grotto stopped her. Yarrowtuft stares down into it, eyes dull. All the color from earlier seemed to have drained from the camp, leaving it washed out. Finally finding the energy to move again, she makes her way down the trail and through the bushes.

“Yarrowtuft?” Shinepelt appears in front of Yarrowtuft, startling the deputy. “Are you alright?”

“I…” Yarrowtuft trails off. “I need to talk to Strikestar.”

“She’s in her den. Where’s Lowback?” Shinepelt asks quickly, not taking a breath between sentences.

Yarrowtuft pads away without answering. She pushes through the lichen covering the entrance and pauses. How was she going to tell Strikestar this?

“Yarrowtuft?”

“Lowback’s dead.”

“What? Yarrowtuft what do you mean?” Strikestar hurries forward, staring down at her deputy in surprise. “What happened?”

“There was a fire. He…he didn’t make it out.” Yarrowtuft drops onto her haunches with a sigh. “What are we going to tell Shinepelt?”

Strikestar frowns, looking outside the den to the anxiously waiting tom across the clearing. “You let me deal with that. For now, go rest.”

Yarrowtuft nods. She heaves herself up and follows Strikestar out of the den. Yarrowtuft slowly makes her way to the warrior’s den. Just as she’s about to go in, an anguished wail echoes around the clearing. A fresh stab of grief hits her heart. Yarrowtuft pushes into the den and collapses in her nest. She covers her ears with her paws to block out the cries coming from outside and closes her eyes.

******

Shinepelt sorts through his storage of herbs, ears pricked to hear the singing of birds outside the den. He raises his head, eyes squinting at the light shining through the entrance. It had been a couple of weeks since Lowback passed. Shinepelt refused to leave his den, instead opting to stay in the dark of his cave. Focusing back on the herbs before him, he notices how the moss crinkled and broke apart in his paw. Sighing, Shinepelt pushes himself to his feet. He couldn’t let grief stop him from his duties as a medicine cat.

He steps out of his den, ignoring the way the light hurt his eyes. Shinepelt scans the clearing, still expecting to see the white and silver pelt of Lowback amongst his clanmates. Instead, he’s greeted with the sight of a dark gray tabby walking up to him. He raises his head, eyes narrowing as he tries to recall the newcomer’s name.

“Hyeridrizzle, right?” Shinepelt asks.

“Yea. Do you need any help?” The she-cat asks, eyes gentle, but not pitying. Shinepelt appreciated that.

“Yes, actually. Do you mind coming with me to find more moss? Mine has become old.” Shinepelt replies.

“Of course. I’m ready when you are.”

“Let’s go, then.” Shinepelt walks away, heading to the camp entrance. Once out, he makes his way to the best moss patch he knows. Hyeridrizzle quietly follows behind him. After a few minutes of walking, Shinepelt stops in front of a thoroughly picked-through moss patch.

“It looks like some other animals got here before we did. I’ll have to come back another time.” Shinepelt sighs.

“I’ll come with you when you do.” Hyeridrizzle says, stopping next to Shinepelt.

“Thank you, Hyeridrizzle.”

“No problem.”

******

Palepaw trots after Fennelpelt, tail swishing happily behind him.

“Did your old mentor ever teach you how to climb trees?” Fennelpelt asks, looking over his shoulder.

“He told me about it, but we never actually went out to climb.” Palepaw replies. He pulls up beside Fennelpelt. “Is that what we’re doing today?”

“Yep! Don’t worry, though, we’ll start off small. Just a little mangrove. They have lots of places to put your paws.” Fennelpelt stops, looking up at the mangrove in front of them.

Palepaw follows his gaze, eyes widening.

“Now what you want to do is-Palepaw!” Fennelpelt jumps forward to grab the apprentice but just misses him as he scampers up the tree.

Palepaw propels himself up, easily finding pawholds in the twisted bark of the tree. He hops to a branch, digging his claws in, and looks out over the territory.

“Everything looks so small from up here. I can almost see camp!” Palepaw exclaims, stretching up on his tiptoes.

“Careful Palepaw! It’s dangerous up there.” Fennelpelt calls from below, voice slightly exacerbated.

“It’s not that ba-ah!” Palepaw scrambles to the trunk, fear striking his chest as he looks down. Fennelpelt was small under him. Everything was small under him. “H-How do I get down?” “If you had waited. I would have told you  before you went up there.” Fennelpelt says, sitting down.

“Well can’t you tell me now?”

“Hmmm, I don’t know. Might let you figure it out.”

“Fennelpelt, please! I’m gonna fall.” Palepaw digs his claws deeper into the bark.

“You’re not going to fall.” Fennelpelt rolls his eyes. “Just come down the same way you went up.”

“How do I do that?”

“Face the tree and slowly lower yourself down. I’ll be right here to catch you if you fall.” Fennelpelt stretches up on his hind legs and puts his front paws on the tree.

“You just said I wouldn’t fall!”

“I’ll make sure you fall if you don’t start making your way down.”

“Fine! I’m coming.” Palepaw pushes himself away from the trunk, looking down.

“Don’t look down. That’ll make it worse.”

Palepaw turns his attention back to the tree. Slowly, he lowers himself down, taking extra care to put his paws in each crevice he could. After a few moments, he looks down. Relief fills his chest when Fennelpelt comes into view just under him. Suddenly, a mischievous idea comes to mind.

“Don’t you dare.” Fennelpelt says, eyes narrowing.

“I didn’t do anything.” Palepaw says, looking away. He pulls one of his paws out of a crevice.

“But you want to do it.”

“I don’t know what you're talking about.” Palepaw pulls another paw out. He starts to tip backwards.

“Palepaw!” Fennelpelt gasps as a heavy body hits him, bringing him to sprawl on the ground. Laughter erupts above him and he can’t help the grin from coming across his face.

“Palepaw.”

“Yes?”

“One.”

“One? What do you mean by one?”

“Two.”

“Wait. Fennelpelt, no.” Palepaw jumps to his feet, slowly backing away. He watches Fennelpelt climb to his paws and turn to him. “There I got off. Everything’s fine.”

“Three.” Fennelpelt lunges forward.

Palepaw yowls and scrambles away, Fennelpelt quick to follow him, laughing.

Updated Ref Sheets

Authors Note

Lowback quickly became one of my favorite cats and I find it very cruel that I could only have him for two moons. He died so young too, he had so much potential left

[swampclanclangen]

Month 0 - Newleaf

Strikestar looks down into the grotto she called home, eyes scanning the few cats milling about the clearing. The adrenaline she had gained from her nine lives was starting to drain, leaving her with a heavy ache in her body.

“How does it feel?” Shinepelt asks, coming up beside his leader.

“Unreal. Like I don’t deserve this.” Strikestar replies. She sits down, tail curling around her paws. She tries to hold her head up, but can’t help the slight dip.

“We wouldn’t have chosen you to be our leader if we didn’t think you deserved it.” Shinepelt follows her movements and sits down, though keeps his tail stretched out. “I mean, you heard the speech Yarrowtuft gave on why you should be leader.”

“Yea, you're right. Thanks Shinepelt.” Strikestar smiles at the healer.

“Of course. I’m your medicine cat, it’s my job to advise you. And your deputy, once you choose them.”

“Speaking of deputy, I think Yarrowtuft will make a good one.”

“Not Lowback? I heard that his old leader was thinking of appointing him if anything happened to their deputy.” Shinepelt says, brow raised to his leader.

“Lowback is a good warrior, there’s no doubt about that, but I want someone who knows how to talk their way out of a fight. We’re too small of a clan right now to risk losing anyone.” Strikestar replies.

“I guess you're right.” Shinepelt tilts his head with a hum. “You know, the whole reason the other clans decided to make a new one was because of overcrowding, but they only gave up seven cats altogether.”

“It is odd. I’m not going to question it, though. We have a new clan, cats to look after. That’s more important than the thought process of a few cats.” Strikestar stands and stretches out, mouth opening in a wide yawn.

“Tired?” Shinepelt jokes, whiskers twitching.

“More than you know.” Strikestar replies. With one more glance at the cats in the clearing, she hops down into the grotto and pads down the path to the entrance. She pushes through the bushes hiding the entrance and takes a deep breath, welcoming the scent of her new clanmates.

“Strikehawk’s back!” A big gray apprentice exclaims, eyes shining with excitement. Beside him, a smaller brown apprentice jerks awake, giving the gray cat an annoyed glare. “Oops! Sorry, Dawnpaw.”

The excited call attracted the attention of the warriors scattered throughout the camp and they quickly made their way over, welcoming back the leader with purrs.

“It’s not Strikehawk anymore. Welcome home Strikestar!” Shinepelt meows, sliding out of the bushes and stopping next to his leader.

“They accepted you!” Fennelpelt says, eyes shining.

“I told you they would. Strikestar’s the perfect fit for leader.” Yarrowtuft says.

The gray apprentice from before squeezes between the two warriors, fur fluffed up, making himself look even bigger.

“Does this mean me and Dawnpaw can get our warrior names now?” He asks, paws quickly tapping the ground.

Strikestar chuckles and places her paw over one of the apprentice’s, stopping his fidgeting. “Not yet, Palepaw, but soon.”

“But Shinepelt already got his name and he’s only three moons older than us.” Palepaw pouts.

“He’s a medicine cat, it’s different.” Fennelpelt says, voice patient, but he couldn’t hide the amusement in his eyes.

“Oh.” Palepaw deflates a second but quickly puffs back up. “But we get to start training again soon, right?”

“Yes, just as soon as I can assign you two mentors.” Strikestar replies.

“Awesome! Did you hear that Dawnpaw? We can train again soon!” Palepaw meows, turning and bounding back to the smaller apprentice, who merely nodded.

“Apprentices.” Lowback says, shaking his head fondly. “At least we know he’ll always keep us on our toes.”

“Maybe I should give him to you, Lowback. Might mellow him out.” Strikestar teases, smiling.

“Please don’t. I’ll never be able to keep up with him.”

“I’m only kidding. He’s yours Fennelpelt.” Strikestar turns her attention to the black warrior, watching as his eyes widen.

“Me?”

“Yes, you. I’ve seen how much you enjoy his energy. I think it’ll serve you both well.”

“I’m honored, Strikestar. Thank you.” Fennelpelt dips his head.

“Who are you thinking of appointing for Dawnpaw?” Yarrowtuft asks.

Strikestar looks over to the duo of apprentices. Palepaw was happily talking animatedly with his paws, tail lashing behind him. Dawnpaw merely listened contently, paws tucked underneath him.

“I think I’ll take him as my own apprentice. I know the least about him and I want to change that. Training him might help.” Strikestar says.

“Maybe that’ll help him come out of his shell.” Lowback says.

“Interesting how we managed to get two apprentices that are complete opposites of each other.” Yarrowtuft adds.

“Palepaw probably volunteered and drug Dawnpaw along with him.” Lowback jokes.

“I wouldn’t put it past them. Now come on. I want to sleep, but I need to make a couple announcements first.” Strikestar walks around the warriors and bounds towards the tree that made up her den. She leaps onto the boulder ensnared in its roots and settles down, tail curling loosely.

“All cats old enough to navigate the swamp, come join me under the mangrove tree!” Strikestar calls out.

The cats, already close by, scoot a few tail lengths closer, the apprentices a bit further away, coming to join them.

“Today is an exciting day for all of us. We’ve been an established clan for a little under four sunrises and I know we’ll continue to be one for generations to come. I’m proud of all of you for the teamwork we’ve managed to accomplish in these few days.” Strikestar looks down on her cats, smiling at the way one or two of them puffed out their chests.

“However, to really be a clan, we need a deputy. I thought about this a lot while traveling to the Mooncave and have come to a decision. Yarrowtuft.” The she-cat jumps in surprise, eyes widening. “Will you do me the honor of being my deputy?”

Yarrowtuft sucks in a sharp breath, paws frozen to the ground. A muzzle nudges her shoulder, making her look down. Shinepelt smiles up at her, eyes shining, and motions for her to stand. Yarrowtuft turns her attention back to Strikestar who was staring down at her expectantly. Finally, she pushes herself to her feet and bows her head.

“I will, Strikestar.”

“Yarrowtuft! Yarrowtuft!” Palepaw is the first to start the chant, the rest of the cats following suit.

“Yarrowtuft! Yarrowtuft! Yarrowtuft!”

Yarrowtuft raises her head and makes her way to the foot of the boulder, sitting down as the chanting dies away.

“Onto the next matter. We have a couple apprentices who need mentors. Palepaw, will you please step forward.”

Palepaw walks through the crowd, chest puffed up. He stops, face serious, but the twitch of his tail gives away his true feelings.

“Fennelpelt! You will mentor Palepaw. Pass down your insight to him and make him into a great warrior.”

Fennelpelt pads forward, turning to Palepaw when he gets close. He didn’t have to bend down much, considering the apprentice was almost the same size as him. Fennelpelt presses his nose to Palepaw’s for a heartbeat before pulling back and leading the apprentice back into the crowd.

“Dawnpaw, please step forward.” Strikestar calls.

Dawnpaw, already at the front of the crowd, steps forward. He tilts his head back to look up at Strikestar, heart thrumming in anticipation.

Strikestar stands and jumps down from the boulder, much to the apprentice’s surprise. “I will be your mentor.”

Dawnpaw can’t help his gasp and quickly clamps his jaws shut. Strikestar reaches out with her nose, and, after a moment of hesitation, Dawnpaw meets her. He quickly pulls away, looking up at the leader in awe.

“You’ll make a great warrior one day.” Strikestar murmurs. She turns back to the clan, head held high.

“We’ll all make great warriors one day. Swampclan’s legacy will live long after we’re all gone. We’ll show we’re a clan to be reckoned with!”

It’s quiet for a moment before a chant starts, low at first and slowly getting louder.

“Swampclan! Swampclan! Swampclan!”

“You are all dismissed! We will start patrols and training tomorrow. For now, everyone deserves to rest.” Strikestar nods to her warriors before turning and going into her den. She collapses into her nest, letting out a sigh. It wasn’t long before sleep claimed her.

******

Birdsong is the first thing Strikestar hears when she awakes. That and the sound of a cat calling her name.

“Strikestar! Are you awake?”

“Yea! Yea, I’m up. Just give me a second.” Strikestar replies with a yawn. She pushes herself up, stretching out as she does. Strikestar pads out of her den and is quickly met by Yarrowtuft.

“Good morning.” The smaller she-cat greets.

“Mornin’. What did you need?” Strikestar replies.

“I was wondering if I could get your input on patrols today.” Yarrowtuft says. She sits down and lifts a paw, licking it, before dragging it across her face.

“What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking that maybe Lowback could-”

“Wait! Sorry to interrupt, Yarrowtuft,” Shinepelt’s voice cuts off the deputy as he trots up to the warriors, “but I was hoping Lowback could come with me while I look for some herbs. I’m not familiar with the territory and would feel safer if he came with me.”

“Of course! I can just lead the hunting patrol myself.” Yarrowtuft replies.

“Who are you taking with you?” Shinepelt asks.

“I want to take Fennelpelt and Palepaw with me. With Fennelpelt being younger and this being his first apprentice, I want to make sure he’s not too overwhelmed.” Yarrowtuft says, bending her neck to lick some chest fluff.

“That’s a good idea.” Strikestar nods. “I would like to take Dawnpaw out myself for some training today.”

“Then it looks like everything’s settled then.” Yarrowtuft stands, tail tip flicking behind her. “I hope everyday’s patrol scheduling is this easy. I’ll see you two later.”

Strikestar meows a goodbye and turns to Shinepelt. “What kind of herbs will you be looking for?”

“I’m not sure, honestly. I don’t know what’s around here so I’m really just looking for familiar herbs that were back in Streamclan territory.” Shinepelt replies. A wistful look enters his eyes. “Do you miss the streams?”

“Every time we come across any murky bog water. I don’t think the water here will ever be as clear as in Streamclan.” Strikestar says. She rests her tail on Shinepelt’s shoulder.

“Well,” Shinepelt turns away, “I better get going. Maybe Lowback will recognize some herbs Patchouliclan used.” He says a quick goodbye and pads off, scanning the clearing for the warrior’s familiar white and silver pelt. He spots him talking to Fennelpelt and makes his way over.

“Lowback, could I ask you a favor?” Shinepelt mews as he stops next to the warrior.

“What do you need?” Lowback asks, voice lower than usual from the grogginess of sleep.

“Would you mind coming with me to find some herbs? I’d just feel better with a warrior tagging along.” Shinepelt says.

“Sure, but I don’t think I’ll be of much help identifying anything. I wasn’t in the medicine den much.” Lowback says, giving the small tom an apologetic look.

“That’s ok. I’m mostly getting a feel of the territory.”

“You should try to look for comfrey. There was a lot of it back in Chestnutclan’s forest. It has these big leaves with pretty purple flowers.” Fennelpelt says. “It can be used for a lot of things.”

“How do you know all that?” Lowback asks, turning to the younger tom.

“My older sister is a medicine cat. I used to hang out with her sometimes and she told me about the herbs they use.” Fennelpelt smiles fondly, but his tail droops behind him.

Lowback reaches out to press his nose to Fennelpelt’s shoulder but stops and pulls away. He turns back to Shinepelt.

“We should head out now. So we can be back before dark.” He meows. Without waiting for a response he pads forward, heading for the camp entrance. Quick pawsteps follow after him. Lowback pushes through the bushes, letting out a little grumble as his pelt gets snagged. Once out, he trots up the path and hops up the short distance to the top of the grotto. Wind tugs at his fur, making a chill run down his spine.

“Where should we start?” Lowback asks, looking over his shoulder.

Shinepelt, still making his way up the path, pauses, brow furrowing as he thinks. After a heartbeat, he starts again and hops out of the grotto.

“I’m most familiar with herbs near water. We could check around the bogs first and make our way back.” Shinepelt proposes, looking at Lowback for his thoughts.

“You’re the healer. I trust you know what you're doing.” Lowback sets off again but makes sure to set a pace he knows the medicine cat can keep up with. His eyes scan the forest around them, feeling on edge. Coming from the open fields of Patchouliclan, a forest was way out of his comfort zone.

Lowback jumps over a fallen log, pausing for Shinepelt, and continues on. He found himself wondering once again why he had been chosen to leave the clan. He was a good warrior, even graduating earlier than his peers. He could have been deputy for Starclan’s sake! Lowback swallows back a low growl, not wanting to startle Shinepelt. Unfortunately, it seemed the medicine cat could see the tenseness in his shoulders.

“What’s wrong?” Shinepelt quickened his pace to walk alongside Lowback. He shoots the warrior a worried look.

“Nothing.”

“Liar.”

“Don’t call me a liar.”

“I will when you stop lying to me.”

“It’s nothing, Shinepelt. You don’t have to worry about me.” Lowback pulls ahead of the medicine cat.

Shinepelt frowns, brow furrowing. He jumps forward, blocking Lowback’s path, and places his paw on the warrior’s chest, pushing him back into a sitting position.

“It’s my job to worry about you. Now.” Shinepelt sits down, looking at Lowback with a stern expression. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

Lowback sighs, his head dropping to look at the ground. “I’m worried about what kind of legacy I’ll leave behind.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean what kind of warrior is chosen to leave their clan?���

“One that they knew was strong enough to withstand the hardships of making a new one.”

“Huh?” Lowback lifts his head, giving Shinepelt a bewildered look.

“Do you really think the other clans would send cats they didn’t think could handle themselves into unfamiliar territory? They wanted to downsize their clans, not kill cats.” Shinepelt says.

“But why me?”

“I don’t know, but I do know one thing.”

“What is it?” Lowback leans forward, anticipation etched across his face.

“I know that Swampclan will honor you as one of the founding members and one of the best warriors in clan history.” Shinpelt stands, shaking out his pelt. He turns around, looking over his shoulder. “I mean, being considered for deputy at only fourteen moons old? Seriously? I don’t think the clans will ever forget you, even long after you're gone.”

Lowback watches Shinepelt’s retreating back, still trying to process what had been told to him. A nice warmth bloomed in his chest, pushing out the earlier anxiety he was feeling. A smile overtakes his features.

“You coming?” Shinepelt called ahead, waiting next to one of the mangroves that seemed to take over the swamp part of their territory.

“Yea!” Lowback hops up and bounds to the medicine cat. “Thanks, Shinepelt.”

“No problem. Now let’s go! I see some poppies we can get seeds from ahead.”

******

Palepaw bounds ahead of the patrol, eyes shining in excitement as he takes in all the new scenery. Dawnpaw and him hadn’t been allowed far out of the camp since they’d arrived. Safety issues or whatever. So Palepaw was making sure to take in everything he could.

“Stay close please!” Yarrowtuft’s call made him skid to a stop.

Looking back, Palepaw finally realizes the gap he had made between them. He trots back over to the warriors, giving the deputy a sheepish smile. “Sorry, Yarrowtuft.”

“You’re ok. Just try to be careful. We don’t know what’s out here yet.” Yarrowtuft says, touching the apprentice’s shoulder with her tail as she passes by.

“Do you think there’s similar prey here to Chestnutclan’s territory?” Palepaw asks Fennelpelt, falling into step with his mentor.

“Probably. We have the same forest as them, but we also have an added swampland. I’m not sure what we’ll find there.” Fennelpelt replies.

“I think there will be frogs and lizards. Do you think Strikestar and Shinepelt will like them?”

“They didn’t eat lizards in Streamclan. I don’t know about frogs though.”

“You should try lizard. We found them in the fields sometimes in Patchouliclan.” Yarrowtuft meows, slowly slightly to be closer.

“Aren’t they all scaly though?” Palepaw asks, nose wrinkling in disgust.

“The outside maybe, but not the inside. They made a nice snack.”

“Do you think they’ll be the-”

A deep howl cuts off Fennelpelt. The cats bristle, claws quickly becoming unsheathed.

“What was that?” Palepaw hisses, frantically looking around. He steps closer to Fennelpelt, trying to gain some comfort from his mentor.

“I don’t know.” Fennelpelt meows, curling his tail around the back of Palepaw.

“We should check it out. Might be a danger to the clan.” Yarrowtuft beckons the rest of the patrol and heads in the direction of the howl.

“Stay close.” Fennelpelt murmurs before ushering Palepaw forward.

The patrol creeps through the undergrowth, ears pricked and eyes watching for any sign of danger. A low ripping sound starts up and gradually gets louder. Finally, Yarrowtuft lifts her tail to signal the patrol to stop. She creeps forward, spotting a brown body moving around a few tail-lengths away. The body starts to take shape, revealing a coyote. Yarrowtuft’s breath hitches. As quickly, but quietly, as she can, she backs away and returns to her patrol.

“Come on.” She meows, heading back in the direction of camp.

“What was it?” Fennelpelt asks, matching her pace. Palepaw followed just behind.

“A coyote. We have to tell Strikestar about it.” Yarrowtuft replies.

“A coyote? Dawnpaw’s gonna be so pumped when I tell him!” Palepaw exclaims. He bounds forward to walk ahead of the patrol.

“Do you think that’s bad?” Fennelpelt asks.

“I don’t know. There was only one, but usually when there’s one, there’s more close behind.”

“Did you have a lot of coyotes in Patchouliclan? I only ever saw them outside the territory on border patrols.”

“They came more often during leafbare when prey was scarce. Wasn’t uncommon to see them in newleaf though.”

“Hopefully they’re no problem for us.” Fennelpelt says, glancing at Yarrowtuft before focusing his attention back on Palepaw.

“Here’s to hoping.”

Authors Note

First moon up guys! I'm hoping to post at the beginning of each week and with around four years worth of content in the game already done, I don't think that'll be too hard of a challenge. My friend beta read this, but neither of us are professionals so expect some mistakes.

I only did a few illustrations this time, but I want to know if y'all might want more in a chapter in the future, and, again, apologies for the less than ideal image quality.

If y'all have any qiestions, don't be afraid to ask! Cya!

[swampclanclangen]

Figured it might be good to start off this journey by introducing the founding members of Swampclan. I apologize in advance for the poor quality images

Starting us off is the leader, Strikestar!

The deputy, Yarrowtuft

Medicine Cat, Shinepelt

The warriors, Lowback and Fennelpelt

And the apprentices, Dawnpaw and Palepaw

They’re not the most aesthetic looking references but they get the job done lol

[swampclanclangen]

Welcome to Swampclan

Hey y'all, welcome to Swampclan! Careful of the gators, though. They're not as welcoming.

After having this game for a year, I finally decided I wanted to document and share a clan of my own. I've been inspired by multiple blogs and even some tiktok accounts, most noticeably @/clangenrising. This blog is going to be a kind of chapter-like picture book with illustrations breaking up events. I don't have a story planned for this clan, so sorry if that's what you were looking for. It's really more of a go with the flow, slice-of-life adventure about the happenings in Swampclan

I will make any warnings for heavy content ahead of time and put a little description of what the content entails. I will also be taking a pg-13 approach in regard to sexual content, this will also have a precursor warning

Regarding cat references, when there's a new cat introduced, I'll make a separate post with the new designs. If y'all want, you can draw any of the cats in the story, just please give credit if you decide to post them!

I want to attempt to keep things organized so regular posts will only have the #swampclan tag, asks will have #swampclanask, and out of character/for fun posts will have #swampclanhijinks. I'll add more if needed as time goes on

Lastly, I'll try to update at a consistent basis, but there may be times I don't update for a few weeks at a time. Just wanted to warn y'all in advance

PS, I have no clue if this is going to get any traction, I'd be surprised and happy if it does, but if it doesn't, oh well. I'm mostly doing this to have fun and practice my storytelling and art/character design skills