#*turn over a mew leaf

[nimbusclan]

Moon 2

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“Moonpaw, wake up. We have to keep moving. Moonpaw.” 

Moonpaw mrrps in sleepy protest as she's jostled awake by her brother's paw digging insistently into her shoulder. She cracks one bleary eye open, momentarily disoriented by her surroundings. 

Right. They’re not at home. They don't have a home.

She stands, stiff from sleeping on bark, her muscles protesting as she arches her back and stretches her legs. The sun that slots into their log from an opening at the top paints the inside in streaks of rich reds and browns, so different from the cool, smooth stone she’s used to waking up to. She misses her moss nest fiercely in that moment, the weight of her grief threatening to overwhelm her, but she forces the feeling away with a shake of her head. There is no comfortable, warm nest for her to return to. Not now, not ever, and she needs to move on.

“Coming,” she mumbles sleepily, rubbing a paw against her eyes as Fogpaw turns and ducks out of the log. “How'd you sleep?” She stumbles out into the sunlight and shivers in the weak, earling morning newleaf air.

“I've certainly slept better,” Fogpaw mews, licking a paw and drawing it over one of his ears. “Best not to dwell on it. Breakfast first.”

Moonpaw nods, padding after Fogpaw as he weaves through the sparse mountain pines. She opens her mouth, scenting for prey, and sets her ears on a swivel to better hone in on the skittering of small paws through the bed of fallen pine needles that soften the cats' footfalls.

The breeze drifts the scent of mouse towards Moonpaw and her tail flicks up in excitement. She shoots a look Fogpaw's way and he nods and veers off in another direction, allowing her this hunt to chase his own prey.

Creeping forward, the words of her former mentor rings in her ears. Keep your paws light. Even so much as a scattered pebble will alert your catch to your presence. She never was able to complete her training and earn her warrior name, she thinks with a pang, but files that sadness away for later. She has enough information to know how to hunt, and she and Fogpaw will have plenty of time to practice now.

The mouse she's stalking shows itself, leaping onto the root of a tree, little whiskers twitching. Moonpaw waggles her haunches, preparing to launch herself at it, but as she leaps she slips on the loose pine needles underfoot and falls short of her catch. The mouse darts away and she lunges forward, hoping to snag it with a claw as it escapes, but it's too far from her outstretched paws and disappears into a hole in the ground.

“Star-damned trees,” Moonpaw growls to herself and sits back with a huff, her tail tip twitching. “Hunting on the mountain was so much easier.”

Prey continues to evade her for the rest of the afternoon. Squirrels run up trees, voles dive for cover under the leaf litter, and one particularly annoying chase after a songbird ends with Moonpaw landing in a puddle of mud.

She screeches with disgust, the bird long gone, and drags herself out of the mud to shake her fur. Her nose wrinkles in disgust at the state of her pelt. This is going to take ages to clean out of her white fur. Hopefully, Fogpaw is faring better with his hunt.

She follows her brother's scent trail to find him laden with mice, pawfuls of them at his feet. As he glances up and makes eye contact with her, the corner of his muzzle ticks up in amusement. “Rough hunt?”

“Do. Not,” Moonpaw huffs, eyeing his sleek, clean coat enviously. She drops herself next to him in a patch of sunlight and begins to groom her coat. Between mouthfuls of fur, she says, “we need to find someplace else on the territory to stay. This is no place for a mountain cat to settle.” She darts a pointed look at his small mountain of prey. “Except for you, maybe.”

Fogpaw mrrps a laugh and pushes a mouse towards her. “You can have some. I caught plenty.” He settles onto his paws and helps Moonpaw clear the mud from her fur. “I agree, though. I think we should look around the rockier places of our territory until we find a place that could work as a new camp.”

“A whole camp?” Moonpaw says doubtfully, tongue paused in her grooming. “I could settle for a couple of safe hollows in a rock. What do we need a whole camp for?”

“Rebuilding NimbusClan, of course.”

“Oh, Fogpaw–”

“No, Moon, seriously. I don't want to spend the rest of our days as rogues. I want–” he falters, eyeing her hesitantly before continuing. “I've always wanted a family, one like ours. Mom and Dad and us, it just… made me so happy, you know? I want that for myself one day.” He casts his eyes away from her, his shoulders hiking up around his ears, and Moonpaw knows he’s fighting back tears.

Moonpaw smiles gently at Fogpaw, her own eyes misting a little. “It made me happy too, Fogpaw. Makes me happy. They're watching over us in StarClan, I'm sure of it.” She curls her tail reassuringly over his back. 

“I'm sure they are,” He murmurs, resting his head against hers. “I miss them.”

“I miss them, too.”

They sit that way for a while, purring softly with each other as the newleaf breeze plays over their fur. Eventually, they tuck into the mice Fogpaw caught, and then curl together to take a nap in the sunshine.

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---

(Okay so yes I know moons are months and so far the timeline of the fic portions doesn’t exactly line up with that, but bear with me for the sake of storytelling purposes)

[coastclan-clangen]

MOON 02. (New Leaf.)

Honeyspot, Embersight, and Robinbrain took a sunbath and had a little small talk. ↷

. "How is Sandburn doing, Embersight?" The three cats sat under the mid-day sun just outside of camp. The refreshing breeze resulted in the soft clanking of strung-together shells behind them that hung from the top of the rocky camp entrance. Embersight lay in between the two with his flank to his right. His tail brushed the warm sand as it swayed to and fro. "Great," he purred, "very busy feeding Littlekit unnecessary tales of RubbleClan." A chortle puffed through Robinbrain's maw. She was to Embersight's right and curled within herself. Her chest fell up and down with a rhythm. Sleep was nipping at her paws thanks to that hefty fish she had for her afternoon meal. "That's great," mewed Honeyspot from Embersight's left. She lay in a loaf position with her paws tucked neatly beneath her chest. Her eyes remained half-closed as she spoke. "I haven't seen them in my den for a few moons." Embersight purred. "I'm glad," he said between the rumbling within his throat. "No offense, of course," he added with a flick of his tail. "None taken," Honeyspot assured. Her ears pushed themselves to her right to take in the singing of the birds that new-leaf brought. "The song birds always bring good fortune," she reported. "I'm glad that new-leaf is here," Embersight agreed. "The first moon of it flew by." "Indeed," Honeyspot echoed. "It seems to be taking a toll on our dear deputy," the she-cat chuckled at the sight of Robinbrain. Her lack of response let Honeyspot note her rest. His rumbly purrs continued between Embersight's words; "It's good for her. I ought to wake her soon, though," he decided before standing up and stretching. A large yawn revealed his yellow-stained teeth. He sat and began to wash himself, "she said that she was going to lead a hunting patrol at sunhigh." Honeyspot allowed silence to lay in the air between the three as Embersight washed and Robinbrain slept. It was not until she, too, began to wash at her chest that Embersight spoke: "Make sure to grab something from the fresh-kill pile on your way back to your den." The herbalist purred in acknowledgement of the warrior's reminder before rising to her paws. "You'd better wake Robinbrain," she mewed with amusement in her tone. She studied the deputy's fur for a moment as it rose and fell before swiveling to the camp's entrance. "I will," Embersight meowed as Honeyspot pushed through the shells. The flick of her tail assured Embersight that she had heard him. He turned to Robinbrain and prodded her with a sheathed toe. "Wake up," Embersight mewed with a soft undertone, "it's almost sunhigh. Did you forget about your hunting patrol?" A grunt from Robinbrain resulted in a chuckle from Embersight. "I'll meet you inside," he meowed, "with the cats that you requested earlier this morning. Don't be late," he jested as he stalked into the clearing of the camp.

After the Clan finds a strange two-leg object, Furzenudge notes that Owlheart has been a little too fascinated with it. ↷

. "I don't know," Furzenudge mewed. She sat with her tail curled over her mits. Hidden by the thick fur of her tail were her paws that nervously dug at the sand beneath them, "he just can't keep his eyes off of it." Shadowstar nodded at Furzenudge as she rambled on about Owlheart's odd fascination regarding the two-leg object that yesterday's dawn patrol had brought back. As the elder continued her incoherent venting, Shadowstar gazed over her shoulder in the direction of Owlheart who, sure enough, was hunched over the object and sniffing at it. "Furzenudge," Shadowstar interrupted, "would you relay this information to Robinbrain?" He rose to his paws and began stalking past the elder and into the clearing. "I'm going to talk to Owlheart about it." "Oh," Furzenudge squeaked, "of course, Shadowstar." Shadowstar had already escaped earshot of the elder when she began calling for the deputy. "Owlheart," the leader mewed once he was a few fox-lengths away from the mediator, "a word?" He sat to his left with the tip of his tail flicking to the right of his haunches. "Of course," Owlheart mewed as he looked up from the object. "Is everything okay?" He asked with a flick of his ear. He could not help but feel as though Shadowstar's eyes were sharp claws that dug through his own when they met. Shadowstar nodded, which resulted in a relieved sigh of Owlheart. "You seem to be rather interested in this two-leg trash. What's peaking your curiosity?" He gazed upon the small object. It was a half circle connected to the end of a straight line and sharp at the end. Despite being crafted of metal, it was a deep green color. Owlheart followed the leader's gaze and studied the object, once again, from where he sat; "We see these things along the shoreline constantly. It makes me feel like they're a blessing in disguise from StarClan, like we should be putting them to a use of some sort." Shadowstar followed Owlheart's paw as he curled a singular claw into the loop of the object and brought it to his face. It dangled before his nose as he sniffed it yet again. With a disapproving snort, Shadowstar asked: "What use would these objects hold for us? StarClan is usually direct about blessings, if any. You should speak with Honeyspot before making claims about our ancestor's motives." Owlheart refrained from answering. He grasped the circular part of the object with two toes and brought it to his left ear. "What are you doing?" Shadowstar asked. His tail had begun swaying from side to side and his eyebrows furrowed. Owlheart closed his eyes and inhaled a sharp bout of air. With a swift motion, he pushed the sharp end of the circle into the bottom of his ear. It pierced through the thin flesh and came out the other side of his ear. He exhaled through his maw and met Shadowstar's claw-like gaze once again with a nervous smile; "Maybe they can act as a sort of accessory," he mewed with twitching whiskers. Shadowstar stared for a moment that Owlheart could have sworn was an entire moon. "Go to Honeyspot's den," he finally ordered, "and clean yourself up." Owlheart read his expression as angered, but his tone lacked emotion. "I respect your outlook on these strange objects," he continued as he stood, "but you should have consulted with an herbalist before doing something in the name of StarClan." "Yes, Shadowstar," Owlheart dipped his head obediently. He got to his paws and padded across the clearing to the herbalist den. He flicked his left ear - It felt heavier. "But the deep green compliments my pelt quite nicely," he boasted to himself. With a prideful smile painted across his maw, he slipped into Honeyspot's den. "Voledash will love this!"

AUTHOR NOTES. ↷

couple new kitty mentions this post! hope yall like it :3 also sorry for disappearing for two weeks (itll happen again) owlheart is totally a favorite of mine out of the characters introduced thus far hehehe Last Moon, Next Moon, Beginning.

[trash-raccoon-boy]

More lmk warrior cats!

Starting with Pigsy, Pigsy was a loner from as long as he could remember. He kept to himself in a back alley of a restaurant, normally stealing from left overs in the garbage. Being a Sphinx didn't make it any less easier, he was always in risk during winter and getting hurt because of his lack of fur.

He was friends with Sandy before their big fight, that ended with a scar on his shoulder. But before that things were nice, hard but nice. Then he met Tang and his whole life was turned upside down, he met the kittypet cowering under a broken car after getting lost from his twolegs.

Not wanting to leave him to fend for himself he took him back to his Twoleg spot, during this time he got to know him and grew fond of him. After returning him, Pigsy could not stop thinking about him, and so the routen began. Every evening twice a week, he'd cross the whole city just to meet up with Tang. There where plenty of times Tang tried convincing him to stay and live with him, but he didn't want to. Well he did, but living as a kittypet didn't seem right to him.

This routen continues for a 2 years until one winter night. It was could, extremely cold and Pigsy was out trying to find food. This was risky because of his previous mentioned weaknesses to having no fur, but he needed food. He didn't have Sandy to keep him warm, and help him so he had survive on his own. Pigsy rummaged around, finding nothing and was about to head back to his alley when he heard something. A tiny mew.

He was going to ignore it, but it became more frantic. He forced himself to follow the sound and that's when he found a kit, a small brown kit in a box covered with a huge leaf, outside a apartment door. It seemed so small and pitiful, barely 2 months old probably. Without thinking he took the Kitten and made a dash to the outskirts of town just to get to the nearby country side on the other side of town. He ran to Tangs house and hurriedly ran up the fence mewing for Tang. The kittypet wasn't allowed out during leafbare, but it seemed he heard his frantic news because he showed up and upon seeing the kit let out a screech of alarm and got his twolegs.

These twolegs weren't mean like the ones he's met, no they were kind. Quickly bringing them inside and hurriedly helping the kit, while Tang did his best to calm him. Pigsy wanted nothing, but to leave. The kit was safe here, he could just leave back to his city the moment those Twolegs opened the door. But he didn't... He didn't want to leave the kit, and so he stayed. Against his better judgement, he stayed and let the Twolegs take him in.

He doesn't really like his collar, but he doesn't mind as long as he stays with his mate and kit, who was named Mk. He also loved going to work with his Twolegs, they live in a townhouse close to the end of the city and normal drive to work at a small noodle shop. He was content with his small living, and wouldn't change anything.

Tang(I changed his design before posting)

Anyways Tang is a Japanese Bobtail that's mixed with a tuxedo cat, his owners are lovely couple that opened up a noodle shop together. Tangs been their cat for a long time since they've been married.

He has always been interested with his twolegs stories on the journey to the west and kittentales about peachstar, he was always a shy yet happy kitty. Always affectionate and gluttonous.

When he was like 3 years old his two legs took him to the city so they can live their dream and open up a noodle shop, they lived in a quiet townhouse in the far end of the city. With a spacious backyard, it was kinda scary at first being a country cat out in the big city. Especially when he got lost.

He had been chilling outside the house when a dog all of a sudden ran towards him, it scared the shit out of him so bad he took off running. He managed to lose it, unfortunately he couldn't find his way home and after 10 minutes it's started raining. Not wanting to get wet or ran over, he decided to hide under a broken car just till the rain stops.

This is where he would meet Pigsy, a gruff and untrustworthy alley cat. Who despite being a stray seemed rather plump, the cat wasn't trusting off him it seems but decided to help him home anyways. During their walk to his twolegs he got to know Pigsy, and grew rather fond and curious about him.

After getting to his home the two shared their farewells, before heading off in separate directions. Despite enjoying his twoleg life he couldn't help thinking of Pigsy, and it seem he couldn't stop thinking about him either as the two would share regular conversations in his backyard often playing or joking around.

Everything was perfect, but nothing prepared him for being a dad. It was winter, he and Pigsy had a small argument about him staying since it would be cold, but nothing would tame that cat. It was nearly midnight when he woke up to the sound of his friends frantic Mews outside, upon walking out and seeing the kit in his mouth he let out a loud screech.

Tang didn't know what to do, but decided to get his twolegs. His humans were confused for his sudden yowls of panic, but upon seeing the two outside they were equally panicking. They had taken Pigsy and the kit in, and were busy tending to the shivering kit while he tended to Pigsy. The whole night was filled to him comforting his friend and whispering soft reassurance.

That was a long time ago, and is now the proud mate and father to Pigsy and Mk. The kid was a bit rambunctious and certainly kept the house and restaurant lively, he didn't mind tho since the kit was his and also he got to tell legends of peachstar to him.

Sandy! He's currently a kittypet and therapy animal, in the past he was Known as Tideclaw. A fierce and noble warrior, who was exiled after accidently leading a group of warriors into a ambush by mistake.

As a kit Tideclaw never got to know his parents, his mom died from Kittning and his father was the distant and cold ex deputy, that later died when he was a young warrior.

Tidekit had always been a rambunctious cat, he was the only surviving kit from his litter so he'd often play with his den mates or cousins. He was much larger then the other kits, being a maincoon and all. So by the time he was supposed to be a apprentice, he was already twice the size of a normal apprentice and getting cramped in the nursery.

He was named Tidepaw and was mentored by spiritlake. Tidepaw was taught everything by his mentor, he was taught to attack and fight no matter what. This ended with him getting sent to the medicine den, and always escorting the med cat. He lerny a lot of compassion for the medicine cat toadclaw, and how to better manage his anger.

Of course he soon gains the name Tideclaw, the name chosen cause of his readiness to fight and protect his clan. Everything was going well, he thrived as a young warrior and had an apprentice of his own, Swinepaw, by the time he was an full grown adult.

But everything changed when he was on patrol. He, his apprentice, and some other cats; where checking around the boarded because of recent reports of their being rouges. As far as they could find tho, there was no one around. The scent was still strong, yet no one could see them.

They thought of turning back and regrouping at camp, when suddenly a gang of cats ambushed them from above. The cats faught bravely but in the end, it was just Tideclaw left, able to escape.

Showing up, he was immediately met with harshness and cruel words from his clan mates as he told the leader what happened. Everyone was shocked and horrified, and a lot where pissed he abandoned his patrol and fled like a coward. Despite pleading he was kicked out, cause from everyone's perspective he fled the moment the fight got hard. Letting his clan mates die, and not properly defending the clan.

Tideclaw was devisated as he navigated the forest into the city, he was all alone, no clan mates or fresh kill. He was without a home, till he met Pigsy, a sphynx cat with a fierce attitude.

Pigsy was protective and fierce, he looked out for himself and no one, unless someone desperately needed help. This was who Tideclaw needed, who Sandy needed.

He hung around the cat for ages, the two gaining a bound. Tideclaw had only ever known clan life, but to see the life of a loner... It was incredible, that any cat could survive without clan mates, the two thrived together side by side.

Then Tang came along, don't get him wrong Tang was alright. He's met him a couple times and all that, but he never understood why he'd want to hang with these Twolegs. Who would want to be contained to one spot their whole life?

But he made Pigsy happy, so he didn't mind. But soon he could feel Pigsy pulling away, and any past fun would be spent with Pigsy looking longingly. It was clear that despite loving the loner life, Pigsy longed for that little kittypet... And Tideclaw couldn't do anything to stop him.

He tried tho, one night Tideclaw confronted Pigsy about his constant affiliation with the kittypet. He tried to convinced Pigsy that he can't have a paw in both worlds, which in turn had Pigsy snap that they're not a clan and those rules don't applie to him.

They had an argument, which led to a full fight. It rained hard as Tideclaw gave him a nasty scar on his shoulder, before pinning him down. Face in the Muddy streets, both panting and looking at each other. Tideclaws expression was angry before regretfully, as he stared at the mess he made.

He hurt his friend, not wishing to cause further harm, he ran away. Ran as far as he could till he passed out on the pavement.

When morning came, he woke up in a cage. But he wasn't in a shelter, it looked no where like how Pigsy describe it. As the days went by, he learned this was a sanctuary, a place cats without homes are taken, cared for, and trained to be therapy cats.

Honestly the whole idea was redecules, who would want to willingly help Twolegs? They're evil, destroying homes and taken cats. But slowly he relented and started cooroperating, even still he hated humans and only allowed the female handler near him.

That changed tho, when he met someone. During one of the many infamous days, where humans come to interact with the cats in hopes of better socializing them; as well as possibly signing up for a therapy cat. Tideclaw, now renamed Sandy, met him.

A young boy with ginger hair, sitting away from the others. He seemed isolated, around 12 or 14 maybe. It didn't matter, cause for some reason he was drawn to the kid. At first the kid was scaresld and a bit off put, but soon they warmed up. Of course when the day was over Sandy was not happy to be separated from the boy, who he learned was called Mo.

Days he wanted for the kid to comeback, it was clear he longed for him. Then one day, the usual schedule was changed. He was brought to a room and put in a mesh pet carrier, and taken into the Belly of one of the monsters he's seen on the thunder path.

It was terrifying especially when he was taken into a Twoleg house, he didn't know where he was or why he was here. The older Twoleg called someone, he couldn't make out much but he understood one word. Mo.

And as if StarClan could halear him, the boy came down the stairs very melancholy until he spotted Sandy. The giant cat meowed loudly in joy, as he and the boy where reunited.

And that's where he stayed, inside that little Twoleg house with Mo, unless of course Mo had to go out, then he was with Mo as well. Normally on a harness. Sure he misses his clan and old friends, but now everyday he's just excited to see his boy's face when he wakes up.

[scarletwritesshit]

🍰 Blade x Kafka 🍰 Companionship's Immortality

Upon hearing the strangest of gentle sounds behind him, Blade turned around to face Kafka, who he could’ve sworn meowed at him seemingly out of the blue. He looked at her, blinked a few times, yet could not discern anything out of the ordinary, relatively speaking. He turned his back again, but once he did, he heard another faint mew seemingly coming from Kafka. It could just be nothing more than her playing a most unusual prank on him, as Kafka did make a habit of toying with Blade. Eventually, he decided to pay no mind to the strange meowing, though he was still somewhat in disbelief over what he was precisely hearing. They sounded a bit too high pitched, even for Kafka to make.

What purpose did toying with Blade in such a manner even hold? Usually, if he stopped paying her mind, she would eventually get bored of attempting to get his attention. However, the mewing continued to persist, with each noise varying in tone from the last.

"Kafka," Blade said with a slight growl, "why do you insist on meowing at me?"

"Oh, I think you are quite mistaken, Bladie." Kafka said.

Blade turned around, confused, to see that Kafka was now holding a most unusual creature. The outer shell of the creature appeared to be shaped like a cake that he had seen on the Luofu, with the inner part of its body resembling a rather round feline. It had huge golden eyes, and its tail and one of its legs were wrapped in worn bandages.

"It looks just like you," she said with a smile.

He studied at the strange pastry-cat that Kafka was holding up to him. It stretched itself upwards, then bounced back to its normal shape. It seemed to have some sort of rubbery, gelatinous consistency to it, and Blade was almost tempted to poke it just to find out. However, he resisted the urge to satisfy his curiosity, and instead merely looked at it with displeased eyes.

"It looks absolutely nothing like me," he said.

"Someone’s in denial," Silver Wolf commented, still paying more attention to what was on her phone screen.

The strange cat stretched and bounced back once again, making an odd squeaky meow sound.

"And it sounds absolutely nothing like me, too." Blade emphasized.

"But you’re both absolutely adorable. Don’t you agree, Silver Wolf?"

She held up the weird cat so that she could see it and Blade side by side. Kafka was enthralled by their similarities. The outer shell of the creature was black fading into red, colored just like Blade’s hair. They were both wrapped in bandages and adored with the same gold leaf, and even their eyes shared that same ominous shine.

"I see it," Silver Wolf said, looking up briefly from her phone, though not too keen on agreeing with the “adorable” part.

"See? Even Silver Wolf agrees!"

"…Never mind that. Where did you get that thing, anyways?"

"Oh, I might’ve been just a tad bit unable to help myself when I saw them during a little visit to the Herta Space Station."

"So you just up and took one?  It’s bad enough that we have the Xianzhou Luofu and the Astral Express Crew keeping their eyes on us; we don’t need to make even more enemies with whatever these things are!"

"Oh, I don’t think you have to worry yourself, Bladie. These poor creatures act as if they haven’t seen another soul in such a dreadfully long time. I don’t think anyone is going to be missing just one of these pitiful creatures any time soon."

Blade sighed deeply as the unusual creature jiggled once more in Kafka’s hands, mewing softly.

"It serves us no purpose. Why did you even feel the need to take one?"

"Well, if you saw a whole group of them, you’d understand why. You wouldn’t be able to say no."

"I can’t say no to you in the first place."

"Precisely, Bladie. You don’t have much of a choice, darling."

He really didn’t. Blade couldn’t turn down Kafka’s orders no matter the importance, whether it be a matter of life or death or the acquisition of a small critter.

Taking Kafka’s few but convincing words into account, he poked it with a finger and watched it bob like a gelatinous substance. The odd cat simply blinked at him with its large eyes, showing no signs of protest nor discomfort. He poked it again and again, watching it bounce back every time.

"See, Bladie? It’s absolutely adorable, just like you!" she said, taking the cat in one hand and pinching Blade’s cheeks with the other.

He could not resist, though truthfully, he did not want to. Kafka was enjoying the little cat too much, and though he didn’t want to admit it, Blade found his feline lookalike to, indeed, be rather adorable.

Once Kafka freed him from her pinch, he stuck out his finger to the cat to gauge just how friendly it really was. He meant no harm to the creature, even if its reaction was hostile. The cat’s tiny paws grabbed his finger, with a sort of sorrow and yearning that felt all too familiar.

In the moment, Blade could feel what was left of his heart melt with genuine empathy for the poor thing. For the little paws it had, the creature’s grip was rather strong, as if it had just found its reason for carrying on, all while fearing the loss of purpose yet again. He genuinely couldn’t decline Kafka now. Not with how the poor creature longed to find something to hold onto in its unfortunate life. Not with the way its adorableness made Kafka so happy.

The creature was admittedly cute, yes, but he could not help but feel a form of sorrow for it. If this individual felt such a way, then the others might as well, and Blade felt a tinge of desire to lend a hand to…just one more.

He couldn’t take Kafka’s partner all for himself. She seemed all too happy to take responsibility for it. Perhaps, maybe he could sneak back to the Herta Space Station and grab one for himself? If she loved this one so dearly, arguably more than him right now, then he could hardly see a reason for her to say no to a second.

“Where did you even find those things anyways?” he asked.

“Oh, I found the poor little critters thrown away in the space station laboratory,” she said. “A pity that I couldn’t take them all with me, so I simply adopted one that reminded me of you, darling.”

He had a feeling that if she scouted for a creature that resembled Blade, then there could be one that looked like Kafka as well. No guarantees, but Blade was going to attempt to seek one out behind Kafka’s back anyways.

Once he had a break from her watchful eye, Blade made a solo trip to the Herta Space Station’s Special Purpose Lab to investigate the disposal area and locate the creatures. He was greeted by quite a large variety of them, all sharing the same cat like appearance, yet varying greatly in color and adornment. Some had green outer shells, others were a vibrant orange, The “fillings” had immense range as well, and even the characteristics of their eyes were quite diverse. After some looking (and petting a few sad critters to hopefully cheer them up), Blade eventually scouted out a creature that resembled Kafka; a violet and white individual adored with a spider web and sunglasses on top. He crouched down and gently held out his bandaged hand. The little creature seemed rather hesitant at first, but it eventually grabbed one of his fingers with its paw, showing Blade that it was at least accepting of his affection.

Blade picked it up the critter and gave it a gentle squish.

Kafka was right, these creatures are squishy, he thought, gently squishing and stretching its outer shell.

He watched the creature carefully as he played with it, making sure that he was not causing it any discomfort. No one was around to see him, so he spared the creature an ever-so-little smile to return some of the joy that he was feeling. It was an adorable cat-like creature resembling his beloved Kafka, how could he resist allowing himself a little smile in the secrecy of the lab?

He realized that perhaps, he should be making his way back to regroup, lest Kafka becomes concerned with his absence or he finds himself bringing even more critters along for the ride. Hiding the creature wasn’t going to be his problem; the main issue was dealing with Kafka’s teasing once she finds out he gave in and adopted one of his own. She was as sharp as a dagger too, and he physically had no way he could lie his way out of telling the truth.

He was indeed unfortunately correct about it being a short-lived surprise, for she did not hesitate one bit once she heard the slightest mew being uttered from under Blade’s robes.

Hidden away, or at least what he attempted to hide, was one of these critters whose appearance was reminiscent of Kafka.

[talisnessie]

Into the Wild

..but what if it wasn't Tigerclaw?

Prologue

Cold and hungry, a desperate mew drowned by a yapping dog was deafened by the rumbles that could only be described as monstrous. The bundle of fur wriggled in fear, thrashing its tiny paws out before being dropped hard. A fury of paws batted at its head.

A foul, hot breath made the kit shrink away. "Quiet!" The voice was most unpleasant, with a dry, scratching rasp. The kit shrank away as the scrawny, patchy she-cat opened her mouth.

Picking the kit back up, she bounded away, stopping on the edge of a fence. The kit raised its head. Tasting the air made them feel hungry. It was crisp and untainted. It wanted to protest for food, feeling dizzy and weak. Though remaining quiet to avoid another confrontation.

The she-cat adjusted her stance, tightening her grip on the bundle before leaping into the luscious forest. The kit opened its mouth before reeling away. The smells of many cats overwhelmed it, causing it to thrash in fear.

"Pest!" The kit flew from the she-cat, rolling over into a white blanket that chilled it to its bone. The bundle of fur crouched down low, shivering as the she-cat towered over the poor kit.

"You will earn your worth... it's the least you can do after what you've done to me!" The she-cat rasped before touching noses with the kit, who resisted every urge to flinch away.

"You will become one with them, and when they trust you... I will return." She bent down, licking the top of its head. "Don't let me down." She turned, scampering away. The kit desperately tried to follow, only to find its paws heavy and cold. It cried out, hoping its mother would return.

Pitiful cries rang out across the forest, too weak from the harsh cold and hunger. Letting out one last cry, it let its head fall onto its paws. Until it was lifted from the ground.

Underneath the half moon, Bluestar gazed up at the sky. Eyes flicking, searching the sky. A pretty tortoiseshell she-cat bounded up gracefully, letting out a soft mew to alert Bluestar of her presence.

"Spottedleaf..? How is Mousefur?" The blue cat's pelt reflected the moonlight in an ethereal glow. Yet, no matter how magnificent her appearance was, the quiver in her voice betrayed the mortal fears that plagued her and her cats.

Bluestar was able to fool many cats into thinking she held no fears, but nothing could slip past her medicine cat. "She had a couple of deep wounds but is young and a fierce fighter. She will recover," Spottedleaf laid her tail reassuringly across her leader's back. They will all recover, Bluestar."

Bluestar let out a breath stuck inside her chest, tucking her paws underneath her, her eyes never breaking from the sky. "Are you trying to communicate with Starclan?" Spottedleaf asked, sitting beside her leader and joining her in her night watching.

"Thunderclan has not lost a war in its territory until I became leader." Bluestar's tail lashed to and from. "You mustn't take it too hard, Bluestar. Riverclan has always been looking to claim that land as its own. It was only a matter of time." Spottedleaf's soft and warm voice soothed many sick kits and injured warriors, yet her leader wasn't eased by such surface-level comforts.

"Only a matter of time," Bluestar scoffed, her head turned up at Spottedleaf, glaring at her medicine cat, who calmly held her leader's gaze. "New-leaf is late and with fewer kits in camp..." Bluestar's tail drooped as she trailed off, the confidence ebbing away just like a mouse caught in a fox's den, "Starclan has not reached out to me," Bluestar spoke again. Her blue eyes searched Spottedleaf. The medicine cat understood the words unsaid and shook her head, answering, "They have not communicated with me either."

Spottedleaf lifted her head towards the sky just as a shooting star shot through just above her. Spottedleaf's fur stood on end as she watched the star rip through the sky. She watched as the darkness of the Silverpelt started to fall towards her.

With broad and fearful eyes, she looked towards Bluestar and noticed she was gone. She and the clan had to seek shelter to avoid the darkness and weight of the sky falling onto them. She lifted her head and opened her mouth to wail out a warning, but when her eyes panned up to the sky, she was stricken with terror and dismay, as the sky was just at her nose.

Before it could smother her with the void-filled afterlife, the shooting star shot back and stopped just above Spottedleaf's nose. The star slowly began to flicker until it burst with a hungry yet calculated flame that danced weakly. Yet, despite the small size, it burned brightly, causing Spottedleaf to yelp and jump back from the heat on her nose. The grass around her burned in a perfect circle when her paws landed.

When she looked back up, the fallen sky began to rise again. The further the flame rose, the brighter the small flame burned. Spottedleaf's eyes reflected the brilliant light as the stars twinkled and whispered the same words over and over in every direction as the flame began to swirl in the starry night. Spottedleaf watched as the small flame began to grow and bend around the night sky as if putting it back together, weaving in and out before it started to connect the stars. It took Spottedleaf a moment until she realized that it began to resemble a cat. When the flame made its connections, the flame moved down and placed itself just below its neck, as if it was resting against something.

When she opened her mouth to speak, the flame extinguished, and she was suddenly back on the high rock with an eager-looking Bluestar to her left. The flame she saw still reflected in her brilliant amber orbs.

Bluestar watched Spottedleaf, who stood looking out at the sky with each strand of fur spiked up. The moment Bluestar saw her pupils enlarge, she knew she was receiving a message, and in respect, she kept her mews quiet. Once Spottedleaf's head lowered, Bluestar dropped her tail over the tortoiseshell cat's shoulders, "Are you okay?" Bluestar asked in a motherly soothing tone. Spottedleaf nodded slowly; while she was physically back, her eyes seemed distant, as if trying to piece together what she saw.

"What did they say?" Bluestar asked, climbing to her feet. Spottedleaf blinked before taking a breath as she recovered. "Fire alone can save our clan."

"Fire?" Bluestar blinked and shook her head. "But the fire is feared by all clans!" Bluestar stated, shocked and almost outraged. "How could fire save us?" Spottedleaf sat down, cleaning her ears and flatting the fur that had risen along her spine.

"I am not sure, Bluestar, but this was the message I received," Spottedleaf admitted, looking at her leader. Bluestar looked from her medicine cat and then back up to the sky, seeing Starclan twinkle from above. "If that's what they told you, then.." Bluestar said quietly, "Fire will save our clan."

Spottedleaf looked at Bluestar, debating on whether or not she should confide in her leader in what she saw.. but how could she if she didn't have answers to the question that would inevitably be asked of her?

Her ears flicked as she opened her mouth before Bluestar turned and smiled at Spottedleaf, her blue eyes gleaming in the moonlight. "I would be lost without you, Spottedleaf." The medicine cat shuffled her paws slightly before dipping her head respectfully, "I will always guide your paw steps, Bluestar."

Bluestar purred and pressed her nose respectfully to Spottedleaf shoulder. "Rest, I fear that you will have your paws full in the morning." Spottedleaf watched as Bluestar settled back on the highrock, her eyes gazing up at the stars. Spottedleaf bowed her head and padded to her den.

Allegiances

Base credit goes to SuperArtsi on Deviant Art. Click the link below if you wish to use it.

Design credits go to the wonderful WCAnimated and their artist team. Check out their carrd linked below.

This story will not be a one by one recreation. While some plot points may be the same, it will not be the same book. This is my retelling! I hope you enjoy 💖

'If you wish to be alerted when the next installment will drop, let me know if you want to be added to the pings list!

Ping list: @sweetstephstuff @doctorsoul29

[theanoninyourinbox]

Longstar AU - A Dark Interlude

Trigger Warning - blood, injury, animal death

The night was dimly lit, the tree branches weaving together into a nigh impenetrable ceiling against the full moon.  The Newleaf air was chill against Longstar’s pelt as he slunk through the undergrowth.  He squinted in the gloom, the scars on his face pulling as he focused on the bushes ahead of him.  Longstar was on a mission of great importance, one that would shape his very future.

He was catching a late-night snack for his nursing mate.

Flamewish had told Longstar of her second pregnancy shortly after the Bloodclan Battle.  He had been, and still was, ecstatic about the development.  He loved Cloudtail like a son already, and Snowpaw and Mistlepaw like his flesh and blood, but kits of his own…he had taken one look at them and fallen in love.  Little red coated Foxkit, and tiny brown coated Swiftkit.  He only hoped Swiftspirit would be honored by the name.

It had only been a little over a week, and the usually jovial and lively Flamewish was exhausted, and craving a fresh midnight mouse.  Longstar was more than happy to provide, and had left his terrifying beauty in the capable paws of the Nursery and Fireheart.  And Cinderpelt, of course.  Neither sibling would forgive him if he forgot about “their” apprentice. Shaking the memories from his head, he scented the air for mouse-scent and listened intently.  Fireheart had told him though his eyes were fine now, they could – and probably would – deteriorate over time.  The dog’s teeth could have done quite a lot more damage, Starclan bless, but if he was going to lose his eyesight at some point, he’d best be prepared ahead of time to still be able to get around.  There was no fresh mouse scent, or even bird-scent, but a faint hint of bonesandbloodandteethandpack had his hackles raising.

And then a cat screamed terror and pain into the silence.

Longstar leapt into motion, a streak of silver-brown against the shadowed bushes and tree trunks.  The cat wailing was joined by the barking of a dog, and fear cut through Longstar like The Tyrant had cut down Tiger”star” – cold and piercing through his guts.  But a cat was in danger, and even if he was too late for them, he had to drive the dog off.

He only hoped it didn’t take a Life.

The sounds of thrashing bushes and feline terror grew close, and Longstar clambered up a tree to get a better vantage point.  There was indeed a dog, though far smaller than the ones Tiger”star” had lured to kill Thunderclan.  But it was tearing ruthlessly into a gray form, shaking the unknown cat like a leaf in a storm.  With little time to plan if he wanted to save the poor cat, Longstar calculated the distance, and leapt.  He landed on the small dog’s back with a yowl, causing the dog to drop its victim and whirl about wildly.  Digging his claws in, he bit down on the beast’s neck as hard as he could.  The dog yelped in pain and scrambled to get away, and Longstar had to jump off to not be dragged away.  With a final swipe at its hindquarters to drive it away, Longstar finally turned towards its poor victim.

A gray cat lay in a puddle of blood and debris from the bushes.  Their sides heaved raggedly, and their breaths sputtered horribly.  Longstar approached, but it was very apparent that this cat was dying far too quickly for him to help.  He crouched close to their face, and the cat’s remaining heather-blue eye locked onto him.  Longstar’s mind interposed Swiftspirit’s face on the dying cat, and he shuddered in grief.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here fast enough to help you” he gently mewed, “but I promise to be here for you now.  Yow won’t be alone.” 

The cat looked at him with their teary eye, and tried to speak through gasping breaths. “…d…da…k…” The cat coughed wetly, then continued. “DaaAark…kkkk...t...t…nnnh…”  Their eye looked beyond him, and as he processed what they had said, passed into the night with a sigh.

…Dark?...Itn?...Dark kitten?  A KITTEN!?!?!

Longstar quickly looked around in a panic, the blood in the air clouding his senses.  Oh Starclan was there a kitten in this mess?!  Blood spotting his paws as he searched, he saw a gleam like starlight out of the corner of his better eye, and whipped his head around towards where the now lifeless cat had looked.  A tiny tuft of bloody white fur protruded out of the bushes, and Longstar rushed to the spot.  Within the bush, behind the brave parent cat, was an injured kitten, no more than three moons old.  Their – judging by the scent through the blood, a little tomcat – ear was nearly torn off, bloody scratches littered his little body, and his tail hung by a scrap of flesh.  His eyes were wide and horrified, and his sides heaved in terror. 

Oh sweet Starclan he needed to get this kitten help Right NOW! He reached his head out to grab the kitten, and was rewarded with a hiss and a warning swipe to his nose.  “Hey there, are you okay little guy?” Longstar mewed, trying to look friendlier.  “I’m not going to hurt you…you must be Dark, right?”  The kitten stared, as if not even seeing him.  Then his eyes focused at Longstar’s face, and his fur started to flatten. “You’re very brave, little guy, but I need to get you some help.  Can I take you with me?” The kitten – Dark – began to tremble, and whispered “…momma?”

Longstar hid his wince as best he could, and quietly mewed “I’m sorry, but she’s hunting in the stars now, and nothing can hurt her anymore.” Dark’s face twisted into tears, and he held back a whine.  “Please, Dark, can I take you somewhere safe?  My family and my own kits would never forgive me if I left you here.”  The kitten heaved a sob, and nodded, stepping forward gingerly. “…my name’s Darkkit…”

Oh.

That is a very Clan name.

“That’s a great name sweetie, just” Longstar paused, looking at the carnage behind him, “just close your eyes for me, okay?  You don’t want to see your mother like this.”  Darkkit nodded again, with a wince, and wobbled forward.  Longstar grabbed him gently by the scruff, and as fast as he could manage without jarring Darkkit’s injuries, headed for home.

Please Starclan, he prayed, let Fireheart and Cinderpelt be awake!

-------

Fireheart and Cinderpelt were indeed awake, waiting at the entrance to camp with cobwebs and poppy seeds and worried faces.  Yellowfang’s spirit had woken Fireheart, and apparently was staying with Flamewish – probably to see her great-grandkits.  The Healers rushed the injured kitten to the Healer’s Den, and shooed Longstar away as soon as Darkkit fell asleep.  They had garnered some new information from the kitten ��� his sire had been a Windclan cat, who had rejected Darkkit and his mother Smoke, though he couldn’t remember the tom’s name or role.  Longstar had sent an early morning patrol to make sure the dog was gone, and another to bury the mother who had fought so hard to save her son. 

After thoroughly cleaning himself up, Longstar entered the Leader’s Den; as he thought, a starlit gray molly was curled over the sleeping Flamewish and the kits.  Yellowfang glanced up at him with a critical eye, then softened her gaze.

“The kit’ll heal up fine, Longface, stop bringing the mood down in here” she murmured.  Longstar sagged in relief – if he could trust anyone to be honest, it would be Yellowfang.  After a moment, he shrugged. “I’m just hoping Flamewish doesn’t skin me for not bringing a mouse” he joked.

“Extenuating circumstances, you live this time” came from the Queen, opening one eye and smiling up at Longstar.  “Now tell me about our new son!” Yellowfang laughed at the look on Longstar’s face, which woke a mewling Swiftkit and Foxkit.  With a glittering smile, Yellowfang departed from the den, leaving Longstar with his loving mate and kits.

-------

Flamewish was right though, Darkkit fit into their family just fine.

[flickerclans-legacy]

FlickerClan’s Legacy

Chapter 8

❦

A moon passed and Hollowrunner found herself in the leader’s den. She ducked beneath the ivy-covered arch and padded across the soft earth.

New decorations lined its edges. Hollowrunner guessed that Woollydrizzle helped with a majority of them to cheer her mate up, and it looked like it worked. Various raven feathers wove themselves in between pine needles, red wildflowers, and birch sticks.

Auburnstar was no longer grieving. She still groomed herself vigorously, as if she were worried a single hair out of place might cause a disaster. Even the tulip petals she adorned her pelt with hung onto her pretty tortoiseshell pelt like they had claws themselves. The petals shone in the sun as brightly as Auburnstar’s fur some days. Hollowrunner wondered if Auburnstar enjoyed that the petals seemed to match both sides of her pelt.

Auburnstar finished her work and raised her head.

“You have done a good job, Hollowrunner.” She meowed. “Thank you for taking up my duties while I grieved. Even if it was expected of you, I am grateful nonetheless.”

Hollowrunner bowed her head. “Thank you, and I am glad you are back on your feet, Auburnstar. I hope you are doing better...”

“I am." Auburnstar mewed cooly. "I had much to think about during that time. Have you checked on the Rotplace lately?”

Hollowrunner hesitated. The Rotplace was an old and abandoned Twoleg nest where rogues loved to gather. In leaf-bare, it occasionally offered fresh-kill, but it was more trouble than it was worth.

“We did our usual check. There was nothing—”

“Go again,” Auburnstar interrupted, voice sharp. “Organize a patrol. Now.”

Hollowrunner flicked her ears. She trusted her leader, but there was no reason to be so impatient!

“Understood,” she replied. “Is there anything else?”

“Do you have the other evening patrols in order?”

“Yes.”

“Then go. We’ll speak later. I wish to know about the new kits especially, but only once the Rotplace is settled.”

Hollowrunner dipped her head and slipped out of the den. The sun hit her fur, but her thoughts stayed clouded. What was so urgent about the Rotplace? Had grief turned Auburnstar impatient or had something else shifted?

She shook her head. The conversation buzzed in her mind like a trapped fly, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t shake the feeling it left behind.

❦❦❦

She headed for the warriors’ den, poked her head inside, and nudged a sleeping gray-and-white tom.

“Dusktail,” she hissed. “Wake up.”

Dusktail blinked groggily and stretched as he stepped into the sunlight, grooming his paws. The warmth caught the edges of his pelt, but Hollowrunner couldn’t shake the chill at the base of her spine.

“Thank you for keeping me on my paws, Hollowrunner,” he grumbled. “What can your favorite warrior do for you?”

She ignored his sarcasm. “I want you to lead a patrol to the Rotplace and tell me what you find. Be careful. All I need is a scout. If any scent is fresh, come back for more cats. Take who you want, but no apprentices.”

“You really want me leading it?” Dusktail’s voice was flat, the sarcasm gone. But his whiskers twitched with curiosity.

Hollowrunner’s gaze drifted past the clearing. Bluegaze and Jasminelarch stood at the entrance of the medicine den, tails flicking, and worry written across their faces.

“I trust you more than I like you, Dusktail. You’re a capable warrior,” she muttered. “We’re kin. We can figure out everything else later.”

She didn’t give him a chance to reply. Without hesitation, she bounded over to Bluegaze and Jasminelarch.

Jasminelarch exhaled in relief. “Thank StarClan! I thought you were going on that patrol.”

Her fur prickled. “What’s wrong?”

Hollowrunner started to speak, but Bluegaze cut her off. She stayed quiet, but she couldn't help but let bitterness stir in her chest. Sure, why let the deputy get a word in?

“I’ve had dreams, Hollowrunner." He mewed. "I mean, I'm sure what they mean... could be an omen, could be something else. But the Clan’s about to change. And you’d best not tell Auburnstar.”

“What?!” Hollowrunner yowled, her eyes wide in shock.

The cats around the clearing froze, their ears twitching as the conversation shifted. Hollowrunner coughed, a nervous heat creeping up her neck.

“Don’t look at her,” Bluegaze snapped, his tone sharp. “Your deputy is perfectly healthy. It’s none of your business. What are you, ticks?”

The cats muttered and returned to their work, glancing away. Hollowrunner met Bluegaze’s eyes with silent gratitude.

“I can’t lie to my leader,” she whispered, ensuring no one else could hear.

“It isn’t lying. It's hiding the truth for a bit.” Bluegaze meowed.

“That's the same thing.”

Jasminelarch pressed his body into hers and purred. “It won't be forever, Hollowrunner. We want you to be safe is all.”

Instantly, some of the tension eased, his warmth offering quiet comfort.

Bluegaze nodded. “Stay curious, stay loyal, but be careful. Keep your ears pricked. Things aren’t always as they seem.”

In the corner of her eye, Hollowrunner saw Dusktail wave his tail in parting as he led his patrol toward the Rotplace. She sighed and waved back with her tail, watching the patrol vanish out of camp.

She watched the patrol vanish into the trees, their pelts swallowed by shadows. Something in her chest twisted—not fear, no, but the silence before a storm.

Bluegaze’s advice echoed in her mind. The clan was changing, and that storm was coming, but she didn’t know if the storm would break in the forest…or within camp.

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[fic--writer]

Instinctive Charm

If Instinctive Charm were a spell, and Rolan had asked Tav to teach him the art. But the only way to achieve focus remains primal passion.

Chapter 1 ⬇️ Chapter 2

Light streamed in through the patterned windows of the ancient tower, flooding the room with a soft golden glow. Master of the Ramazith tower - a Tiefling with an unspeakable passion for books and scrolls, spent his daily routine in his vast library. While leafing through yet another volume, he came across a scroll that immediately caught his eye.

— Curious... — Rolan murmured, his eyes, yellow oases, sparkling with curiosity.

The scroll promised to teach the reader a spell of Instinctive Charm. But the text was illegible, and despite his many attempts, Rolan could not master the magic. All his efforts failed against the cryptic instructions.

The Archmage sighed and put the scroll aside, remembering his old friend, a wizard named Tav. She had come to his aid more than once, saving his red butt, and he in turn had helped her in an epic battle with a Netherbrain Now they both lived in Baldur's Gate and were good comrades.

Rolan decided that there was no better teacher than Tav, who knew the ins and outs of the charm school. He wrote her an invitation letter, hoping that she would take her mind off her own business and help him. A few days later, she was sitting in his tower, drinking a fruit tea he had prepared especially for her.

— Let me see —  Tav took a sip from her drink, swayed her foot in a leisurely rhythm and unrolled the scroll:

The open sheet of paper smells seductively of antiquity and ink. However, much of the text is vague and illegible, and the rest is a blatant lie, completely irrelevant to the preparation of the spell. The whole thing feels more like an insult to Mystra herself than a tutorial.

— No wonder it didn't work out for you, Rolan. The writing here is utter nonsense and heresy. - Tav whistled, putting down her empty cup.

Rolan frowned, his face distorted with disappointment. Any hope that the manuscript would prove useful had left him. The Typhling's hand clenched involuntarily, and the scroll was crumpled and discarded, as if it were not even good enough for wiping paper.

— It's all right — Tav smiled — I'll teach you. But we'll need something else besides concentration and patience.

— Of course I'm ready. Just tell what we need.

— The thing is, to use instinctive charms, you first have to focus on your primal, instinctive feelings. They need to be strong, all-consuming. When you tap into them and allow your body to respond and recreate them, then you can redirect the energy of the spell. Of course, it will take time to learn. It will be slow at first, but with practice and training you'll learn to do it faster.

Tav led the tower master outside, where the air was saturated with the scents of the city: the salty freshness of the breeze from the harbour mixed with the smell of freshly caught fish and exotic spices and herbs brought by merchants from all over the world.

She straightened her back, her face taking on a thoughtful expression, her eyes slowly closing. She concentrated and suddenly a violet glow appeared around her. It was soft, like twilight enveloping the earth.

Tav made graceful movements with her fingers and hands, as if intertwining them with the wind. She selected a target for the spell.

Her magic affects those around her, mesmerising them, bending their will and changing their beliefs.

Rolan watched, holding his breath. Tav focused her energy on the two cats hanging around the fish counter, a red tabby and a fluffy black and white. The red cat, as if obeying an invisible command, playfully bit his kin. The latter mewed unhappily and ran after the offender. Soon they were rolling around on the floor in a cat fight.

— Great, and what am I supposed to feel and remember? - asked the tiefling, impressed by the demonstration. The passers-by in the city centre were clearly perplexed.

— It is logical and follows from the name itself. - Tav smiled, and with the grace of an aristocrat, she slipped her hands into the pockets of her robe and walked past the stalls, taking Rolan with her. - Think quietly about your strongest emotions and feelings. The things that drive you on the most basic level. I know we've had a hard life, maybe for you it's fear? Fear of death, at some point in the past, or perhaps hatred. Think back, who did you hate? But most importantly! Don't dwell on negative emotions, don't live them over and over again without a purpose - it's dangerous. Remember, it's only necessary for a spell, otherwise you'll go mad. They don't have to be negative feelings, but they are easier to call. Get ready, we'll start tomorrow.

— Ready? Focus your thoughts on the instinct, gather the energy, say the words clearly and direct the flow. Use your hands like this... — Tav explained the theory, the verbal and somatic components of the spell in detail. She carefully demonstrated the necessary gestures, her fingers dancing in the air like the slender branches of a willow tree.

They rehearsed the movements several times: practising over and over again until the gestures became automatic.

Rolan practised hard, trying to master the spell. He concentrated, doing exactly as instructed, but nothing happened. Not a spark, not a breath of wind. Each time he tried to summon the instinct needed for the spell, the concentration slipped away like sand through his fingers.

After another failed attempt, the Archmage lowered his arms and sighed heavily, feeling helpless. Tav, seeing his condition, stepped closer. She analysed his movements, gently adjusting his technique - gently guiding his hands, trying not to break his concentration, but that didn't help either. After another failure, Rolan gave up trying, feeling defeated.

— It's impossible, Tav. I just can't do it. Gods damn it all. I can do nothing right - not a damn thing! — he said with bitterness.

— Rolan, you're doing everything right, but maybe you should try a different approach. There's no way you can't succeed. - She remembered the words of his late teacher, who had recognized his student's power after his own death. She realised that Rolan had the potential to become a very powerful, just needed to find the right key.

— All right, tell me exactly what you wanted to focus on? - Tav said quietly, trying to reassure him with her voice.

— Well, I was remembering how much I hated that sick bastard Lorroakan. What he'd done to me. How I wanted to finish him off... But..- Rolan fell silent, shaking with tension.

— Hmm, I don't think that's exactly what we're looking for. Maybe there was something that triggered a stronger emotion in you. Perhaps you could try focusing on a different memory. - Tav paused, her gaze becoming thoughtful. - Remember, the power of instinct isn't necessarily contained in hate. Sometimes it feeds on something else, something deeper and more powerful. Don't get frustrated, think this through and we'll come back to it later. Magic requires intense focus and mental discipline. Try meditation to tune into the magical energy and prepare your mind.

Rolan listened intently and nodded his head.

But it didn't work out the next time either.

— So what are you concentrating on now? - Tav frowned.

— On how, back in the Shadowlands, I was afraid I'd die before I could save my family…

— Hmm. You know, if it was exactly like you say, it would definitely work. Maybe you didn't really want to kill Lorroakan. Or maybe the fear of death in the Shadowlands wasn't so all-consuming, at least not the fear of your own death? You can be honest with me, for as your mentor I am sworn to keep all your secrets. So perhaps you are deluding yourself?

Rolan hesitated, his thoughts wavering, a shadow of doubt flashing across his mind. He realised that Tav was right: there was something bigger lurking inside him, something that prevented him from truly concentrating. And he admitted it to her, and to himself, for the first time:

— Come to think of it, I didn't really want to kill Lorroakan. Deep down I felt sorry for the bastard. How blind he was because of his arrogance and how ridiculous he died. To be honest, I've never wanted to kill anyone. I can't feel hatred for anyone but myself. I just don't feel it the way I need to. And in the Shadowlands I didn't care about my own fate, I was more concerned about Cal and Lia. Then I don't really know what good things have happened in my life, and the bad things don't seem to be working. I don't even have any vivid images. Like I said, I'm hopeless...

After a moment of silence and reflection, Rolan found the strength to continue:

— Maybe it's because I've never allowed myself to feel hate fully. Maybe I'm too afraid of its power, afraid of losing myself in it. But I don't know what to do if I can't feel it. How can I master magic if I can't even concentrate properly?

Tav, grateful for the frankness, spoke in a soft and enveloping tone, like the rustling of leaves:

— Rolan, magic is not just the power of dark emotions. It is the power of your soul, your heart. Perhaps you should seek another path, another source of energy. We have other, uh, instincts besides fear, hatred. - Tav faltered and stuttered at this point.

— And what do you do in such a case? - Rolan asked, showing interest and readiness to act.

— There is a method... But for it to work, you'll have to relax and trust me and answer the questions honestly. If that's what you really want... We'll try. There is a ritual..." Tav had a great idea how to make the session enjoyable for both of them and a mischievous light flashed in her.

As a graduate of Charm School, she practised the spell carefully with her classmates. Those whose emotions and instincts had been dulled for various reasons went through the ritual of unlocking their baser instincts. Although she had managed to avoid it herself, she had heard many juicy rumours from other students. And after graduation, she was given instructions on how to perform the ritual herself. Tav had been so impressed by what she had read that she had spent several days locked in a room with the manual. Now she had the opportunity to put it into practice.

— Tav, we've been through this. If there is a way to take this further, I am willing to learn and do whatever it takes. You're my mentor and I trust you completely. If I'm not the only one with a problem, I'd like to find out — Rolan said firmly.

— All right, but we'll need a more private setting for this. - I'll prepare everything for the ritual and we'll come back to this later.

On that day, it was ordered to clear the top floor of the Ramazit Tower of unauthorised visitors. Tav rose gently from the couch to complete the preparations for the ritual. She closed the shutters and the last rays of light disappeared. Inviting Rolan in, she walked to the doors and quietly locked them, ensuring the privacy of the room.

Stepping over the threshold, the Archmage found himself in a room shrouded in mysterious aura and magic. His nostrils were immediately assaulted by the aromas wafting from the many vials of oils and diffusers, neatly arranged on carved shelves adorned with rare magical symbols. Lazy, translucent wisps of smoke rose from these containers towards the ceiling. The sweet scents of citrus and the warm breath of sandalwood mingled in the air, creating an invisible blanket of peace.

Rolan stepped forward and saw a massive dark oak table in the centre of the room, covered with a velvet tablecloth. There were cups of herbal and fruit teas on the table, from which a steam of warming spices rose. Ancient scrolls with diagrams and magical formulae, telling of spells and rituals, also lay here.

The floor of the room was covered with soft carpets, delicately embroidered with intricate designs. Cushions were scattered here and there, inviting you to lean back and enjoy moments of peace and quiet.

— Ignis. - Tav said, folding his hands in a simple spell. Tiny sparks leapt into the air and turned into living lights, instantly illuminating the lamps around the room. The candles around the perimeter of the room glowed with an even, calm flame, casting soft reflections on the walls. Their light enveloped the room, creating the illusion of a perpetual sunset.

The light became a soft, enveloping cocoon, blotting out unnecessary detail. There was an atmosphere of intimate comfort in the shaded surroundings, as if the room itself wanted to protect secrets and hide from prying eyes. Here, away from the hustle and bustle of the outside world, one could do anything without fear of being overheard. Every corner of the room is imbued with magic and care. Here, time loses its power and you can forget everything.

[do0zy-artz]

New Additions - 7k Words

Squrrielflight feels off one day, and decides to visit the medicine den. Little does she know, this visit will tip her worldview on its head.

TW: for grief and child death

Thunderclan's deputy pads towards the medicine den one day, her bushy tail flicking behind her. She had been feeling rather...strange lately, and hoped seeing her sister could possibly give some insight on that. And that it wasn't something too serious. She hadn’t been a deputy for long, and wanted to keep being one for a just a bit longer!

"Leafpool?" Squirrelflight calls out, pushing her way into the den. Her littermate sits alone, half turned away from the opening. She is the only one in here, Jayfeather and Briarlight off doing Starclan knows what. Squirrelflight is grateful for the empty den that today.

"Squrrielflight!" Her sister purrs, turning fully towards the den entrance, the herbs she's sorting being forgotten about for the time being. "What do you need?"

"I feel...funny." Squrrielflight says, sitting down a tail-length away. She curls her tails around her paws, hoping that making herself comfortable will stop the anxious fidgeting. It doesn't.

"How so?" Leafpool tilts her head to the side, curious. She scans over her sister, and frowns when there is nothing obviously wrong with her. Physically at least. Which makes Leafpool's job just a tad harder and Squirrelflight more frustrated when she feels off for no reason.

"We'll, I'm tired all the time for starters." Squirrelflight mews, said tiredness being felt in her bones at that very moment. Like it had been for the last several days. "And I've been unbalanced on patrols recently, plus mood swings."

The medicine cats narrows her eyes, before gesturing to a stray nest with her tail. Squirrelflight takes a minute to realize what her sister means, long used to disregarding the possibility. "Lay down for me, will you?"

"You know I can't bear kits, Leaf." She says, her expression becoming strained. Both sisters had found out at the same time, and it was something Squirrelflight kept close to her chest. She hadn't even told Bramblestar yet, despite all the moons of being with him, out of fear for his reaction.

(It just goes on the list of things she should've told him really. Which, in her defense, is a pretty short list. There's only two things on jt.)

"I know, but I want to check all my options." Leafpool says, flicking her tail towards the nest again. Her eyes are still narrowed in caution. "Those were all my symptoms when I was expecting."

"What else could it be? Since it's probably not kits?" Squirrelflight lays down on her side, one ear flicking anxiously. She needs to keep her mind off the idea of kits. It's just going to upset her when Leafpool finds she isn't pregnant.

"An illness of some kind, possibly." Leafpool hums, running her paws over his sisters side gently. And then she runs them over her side again. And again, the examination taking longer than it should've. Her sister's face becomes confused, puzzled. Squirrelflight, against her better judgment, both starts to worry and hope for it to be kits.

Leafpool pulls away, blinking a few times. "Great Starclan..." She whispers, amber eyes wide. Like she can't belive what she'd just found. It only makes that ugly mix of hope and worry swirling inside her sister worse.

"What? What is it?" Squirrelflight mews, already starting to sit up. But not too fast. She doesn't wanna unbalanced herself again and go falling over, not at such an important time like this.

Leafpool tells her the news in her Medicine Cat Voice, eyes full of far too many emtions for anyone to understand. "Well, I don't know how, but you're expecting kits, Squrrielflight."

"I'm....expecting kits?" She repeats, blinking a few times. For the first time in her whole life, Squirrelflight starts doubting her sister's diagnosis. She can't be expecting kits. They told her it wasn't possible, that she would never have any children of her own. They said it directly to her face.

"Yes." But Leafpool confirms it again, her voice sounding oddly hollow. And that's how Squirrelflight knows it's true.

"After Yellowfang told me I could never bare my own?" Squirrelflight mews, making sure she's getting her facts right. Double checking that it is true and that Starclan had apparently lied to her all those moons ago.

"...Yes." Leafpool whispers. It's all she can say.

"She lied." Squirrelflight states, mostly to herself, trying to wrap her mind around it. They had lied to her, told her she could never had kits, crushed her dreams into little pieces. Why? For what? As some kind of sick joke?

Her sister leams forward, and presses her muzzle to Squirrelflight's cheek. It doesn't help. She pretends it does. "I know."

Squirrelflight, now pregnant and her mind still reeling, leaves the medicine den not longer after. Leafpool offers her thyme for shock. She declines. She says she just needs ro go on a walk, clear her head. Her littermate lets her go reluctantly.

She tells Bramblestar later that day, and he is overjoyed. He purrs, showering her in affection. Squrrielflight let's herself giggle at her mates antics, but cannot help but feel like there's a pit in her stomach the whole time.

Starclan had lied to her. They had told her she couldn't have kits, and for what? All so she would take Leafpool's? So their special prophecy children could be raised with no problems? Is that all she was to them? A tool? A prop in their plan? Did her happiness mean nothing to them? Did she mean nothing?

The worst part? They didn't even need to lie. She was going to take the kits. Sure, Squirrelflight hadn't been on board with her sister's plan at first, no cat would've. Lying to your mate, your family, your clanmates, everyone...it was a big thing to ask. But Squirrelflight had heard stories of what happened to half-clan cats, saw the way them and outsiders were treated and shunned by clan-born cats. She knew she wouldn't have been able to live with herself if she didn't take them, and left those kits to a life of scorn. It simply wouldn't be right.

Starclan was Starclan. They should've known that. They were supposed to know everything. But they had chosen to lie instead, to lie and make her believe she would never have her own kits with her own mate. The ones she always, in the back of her mind, knew she would want someday.

(Not to say that Jayfeather and Hollyleaf and Lionblaze were not hers. They were hers, and Bramblestar's, just as much as they were Leafpool's. No matter what they'd thought of her, what their relationships had been like, she had always thought of them as hers and loved them like she would love any kit she'd birthed herself.)

But Starclan had never needed to lie for them to be hers. They were always going to be.) Squirrelflight looks up at the stars that night, and doing so has never felt so hollow.

___________________________________

Her other children are ecstatic when she tells them. Jayfeather even insists he check her over again, just to make sure. Maybe it was a good thing she told him first, then, if he was going to get this way about it.

"I'm sure that I'm expecting, Jay." She laughs, letting him nose her into the medicine den. "Do you not trust Leafpool's judgement?"

"I just want to double check." Her youngest says, pushing her through the den's fern entrance. Well, he used to be her youngest. Now he was going to be her second, or third, or fourth youngest. Something like that.

"Fine." Squirrelflight huffs, amused, and sits down in the den; near the same nest Leafpool had examined her in last time. Jayfeather just grumbles something to himself, and follows in after her.

"What's goin' on?" Briarlight murmurs, poking her head up. The she-cat had been soundly asleep in her nest, and Squrrielflight now felt a little bad about disturbing her. If she'd known Briarlight had been sleeping, she would've kept her voice down more when walking in here.

"Nothing to worry about," Jayfeather mews softly, running his tail along her side as he moves past. "I'm just checking Squrrielflight."

"Leafpool thinks I'm expecting." The ginger she-cat adds, a sheepish smile on her face. Briarlight's now the third cat to find out about this, not that it bothers Squirrelflight. Everyone was going to find out eventually, especially Briarlight. She did live in the medicine den, after all.

"Oh! That's wonderful!" Briarlight purrs, sitting up in her nest. It seems she is going to do some stretches while Squirrelflight gets her check up, and get rid of any stiffness in her legs. Briarlight usually does stretches when she wakes up, if the deputy remembers correctly.

"I'm still checking her over. I'm not so sure yet." Jayfeather snorts, nudging Squirrelflight closer to the nest she'd laid in previous. She couldn't tell if he was grumpy or excited about possibly being a big brother. Or both. "Lay down."

"Somebody's bossy." She snorts, but lays down as she's told. It's better not to argue with your medicine cat, Squirrelflight has learned. Especially when said medicine cat is Jayfeather, of all medicine cats.

Jayfeather runs his paws over his stomach and flank, doing exactly as Leafpool had did. And then he double checks and triple checks, exactly as Leafpool had done. Right when Squirrelflight thinks he's going to quadruple check, Jayfeather moves away with a huff.

"Well, Leafpool was right." He says, sitting back on his haunches. His voice is full of disbelief, but there's something more energetic hidding in there as well. "You are expecting kits."

"I told you so!" Squirrelflight exclaims, jolting up. Well, jolting up as quickly as she can, without putting herself off balance. The kits are making her fat too clumsy for her liking.

"I can't belive it." Jayfeather mews, mostly to himself. He's excited, even if the annoying furball doesn't want to show it. Which he's doing a horrible job at, by the way. His tail is flicking behind him like a rilled up kits'.

"You better start soon!" Squirrelflight purrs, giving her son an affectionate bump with her shoulder. "You're gonna be a big brother!"

Briarlight drags herself over, a smile on her face and a purr in her throat. She might be evenbmore excited at the news than Jayfeather! "Congratulations!"

"Thank you, Briarlight." Squirrelflight purrs still, leaning down and touching her nose to the brown she-cats head. She knows, when the kits inevitably wander in here, that Briarlight will do a wonderful job watching and taking care of them.

"I can't wait to meet them!" Briarlight purrs, pushing herself back towards her nest. She still must be tired then, maybe more so after some stretches.

"I'm sure they'll love you." Squirrelflight says, turning her eyes back to Jayfeather as she adds the last part. "Both of you."

"Have you told anyone else?" The medicine cat asks, getting to his paws. He's at least letting his voice sound a little excited now, if nothing else. Sometimes Squirrelflight wishes she could just, sit on him, or something, and make him more friendly that way

"Just Bramblestar." She says, remembering how she had told her mate last night, and all the inner turmoil that had come after it. (Don't think about Starclan. Don't think about the lies.)

"You should go tell Lionblaze, before he starts nagging me about why you're been in here." Jayfeather says, nodding towards Briarlight, who nods back. Some act of silent communication Squirrelflight knows isn't her place to understand.

"Okay." Squirrelflight laughs, moving towards the den entrance. She was going to tell him next anyways, but this just gave some extra incentive. "I'll save you from being annoyed to death."

"He should be back from patrol soon! Bramblestar sent him out with Brackenfur's hunting patrol." Briarlight mews. She's gotten very good at keeping track of patrols, often watching as they are organized in the morning, even better than the deputy herself sometimes.

"Thank you, Briarlight!" Squirrelflight calls over her shoulder, leaving the den with a flick of her tail. She hears Jayfeather follow after her, and then stalk in the woods. Probably to finds Leafpool and ask why she didn't tell him that his mother was expecting.

She finds the golden warrior rather quickly, dragging him into the empty warriors den to share the news. Lionblaze is just as excited as Jayfeather was when he hears, but expresses it more openly than the medicine cat did.

"Oh Squirrelflight, that's great news!" Lionblaze purrs, rubbing his cheek against hers. His eyes are shining with the same joy he felt over his own kits. "You'll be a great mother."

Squirrelflight feels herself get a little choked up at his words, but nods her thanks anyways. "Thank you, Lionblaze."

"I just wish Hollyleaf could meet them..." He mutters, tail dropping slightly. It's no secret that both Lionblaze and Jayfeather muss their sister deeply, along with the rest of her kin, and often wish she could be there with them. Squirrelflight knows that she often feels the same.

"I do too." She whispers back, grief rising jn her throat again, as it often does when she thinks of the black she-cat. Hollyleaf would've loved these kits, she thinks. She would've loved to be a big sister.

"Come on," Squirrelflight says, nudging her sons shoulder with her own. Now is nkt the time for sadness, not with new lives on the way. "Let's go tell Sandstorm, yeah?"

"Yeah." Lionblaze gives himself a shake, as if shaking the sorrow away. "I've been meaning to pay her a visit anyways." Squirrelflight stands, and he follows her to inform Sandstorm of the news, as well as the rest of their clanmates.

___________________________________

The kits are born, and Squrrielflight feels so happy she could burst.

There are four of them. One, a ginger she-cat, who looks so much like her grandfather it's almost scary. Squirrelflight has to wonder if she will have Firestars shining green eyes as well. The second is dark ginger tom, his fur a darker color than hers. He has his father's tabby markings and his mother's white tipped tail and paws.

The third is another tom, one that looks near identical to his father, expect for the white fur on his stomach. The fourth and final kit is another she-cat, also sporting ginger fur; though her coat much paler than her sister's is. One closer to Sandstorm's. All of them couldn't look more perfect in Squrrielflight's eyes.

Bramblestar lays next to her, head snug against her shoulder. He has not stopped purring for the past hour, and Squrrielflight doesn't think he's going to stop anytime soon.

The kits all lay at her stomach, sound asleep. Squrrielflight thinks this is the most amazing thing she's ever seen. Not long after the kits fall asleep, her eyes flick towards the den's entrance. There's two very familiar shadows waiting there, like the two of them need permission to come see their new siblings.

Jayfeather slowly pokes his head into the den, looking hesitant. Lionblaze's lumbering figure can just barely be seen behind the medicine cat, blocking out all the sunlight. She has no idea why they're hesitating. They'd both been hovering around the den during the kitting, only shooed away by Leafpool to let her rest. She would've expected them to be charging in like badgers by now!

"You two can come in. You don't need to wait!" Squirrelflight says. At the sound of her voice, Bramblestar lifts his head up, just in time to see their two oldest kits shoving past each other to get inside, like they were overexcited 'paws again.

Lionblaze shoves himself in first, clearly excited. Jayfeather, who was just rudely shoved into the den wall, lightly cuffs his brother over the ear when he gets inside. Lionblaze just shoves him a second time in response.

Squrrielflight lets out a purr of amusement at their playfighting. It seems the new kits were bringing out the more playful side of her older ones. Good. These two were so serious all the time, Jayfeather especially. It would be good for them to lighten up a bit.

Jayfeather settles next to her, tucking his paws underneath him. Lionblaze settles on her other side, closer to Bramblestar. He asks how the kitting went, amber eyes surveying his new siblings with wonders. Bramblestar smiles, and said it went well.

"What do they look like?" Jayfeather asks her, eyes staring at nothing. Squirrelflight softens at his question. She had always described what their clanmates looked like to him, ever since he was a tiny little kit.

Squirrelflight had been the one to tell him what Leafpool, his littermates, and even herself looked like all those moons ago; when Jayfeather had been less than a month old and had never known anything but that old tree he'd been born in. She had spent hours telling him what all his clanmates looked like, when the kits had first been brought back to the clan; and had done the same for every new litter of kits born after that. Even at their relationships worst point, Jayfeather had still sought her out.

Squirrelflight noses the sleeping kits closer. Jayfeather reaches his muzzle towards one, then hesitates again. She pushes the newborn closer anyways. He can't have an idea of what each kit looks if he just listens to her say it and doesn't familiarize himself with their scents.

Jayfeather rests his muzzle on her firstborn, a little she-kit. "This one's ginger. Almost the same color Firestar was." Squirrelflight explains softly. Lionblaze and Bramblestar keep having their own, quiet conversation on her otherside, mostly for Jayfeather's sake. The medicine cat will appreciate it later.

When Jayfeather nods, she introduces the next kit to him. Squirrelflight isn't going in birth order, just by whatever bundle of fur is closest. "And this one, her sister, is a pale ginger. Like Sandstorm, but a bit more yellow, like goldenrod."

"Are they all she-kits?" He asks, nosing a third kit gently. Jayfeather's voice is soft, gentle, more than Squirrelflight's ever heard it before. One could even say it was full of love for these newborn kittens. Squirrelflight shakes her head, a soft smile still on her face. She nudges the kit, her youngest son, even closer to him.

"No. The other two are toms." The ginger queen continues her previous explanation, and Jayfeather nods along once again. "He's a brown tabby, like Bramblestar. Expect for the white on his chest and stomach."

"And the last one has my pelt color, with darker stripes and a white tip tail and paws" Squirrelflight says, nudging her second born and last kitten to describe towards him. The kitten squirms, but doesn't wake up. His mother soothes him with a lick behind the ears.

"Thank you" Jayfeather murmurs, giving kit an affectionate lick of his own. He seems so mesmerized by them, like he hasn't assisted in so many births before. But maybe it is different when the newborn kits are you're own kin. "They all sound beautiful."

"They are." Squirrelflight purrs, moving her four little bundles closer to her belly again. They're the most beautiful things she's ever seen, like Jayfeather's and his own littlermates where when they were born.

"Hurry up!" A minute later, her mother's voice comes from outside the den, making all of them look up. Two sets of pawsteps accompanies the noise as well. Jayfeather's ears flick towards it, his whiskers twitching in amusement. It's the most excited Sandstorm's sounded in moons.

"I've already seen them, Sandstorm! I was just coming to fetch you!" Leafpool's voice follows their mother's, amused. She must be following her behind her, then, coming back to the nursey only a mere hour after she'd left it.

"Well now you get to see them again!" Sandstorm says, striding into the den confidently. Leafpool follows behind her, an amused trill still leaving her throat. Her mother stops once inside the den, looking at her kin. Her eyes find the new litter, and are instantly filled with love and wonder.

"Oh Squirrelflight," Sandstorm breathes, laying down in front of the new family. Leafpool follows suits, and settles down next to the elderly she-cat. "They're wonderful."

"I know." Squirrelflight purrs. Everything feels right, now that all her family is surrounding her, meeting her new kits together. She doesn't think this day could get any more perfect.

(Two spots next to Leafpool and Sandstormhave been left, spots that had been left almost unconsciously. The first was left for Firestar, and the second for Hollyleaf. The two cats who should be here, but cannot be. The two cats she's misses more than anything else.

Squirrelflight wondered if Starclan would let their spirits come down and fill those spots, just for a little while.)

"What are you gonna name them?" Lionblaze asks, looking between both his foster parents. He's curious, excited. Squirrelflight feels touched by her eldests enthusiasm.

"We didn't really go over names." Bramblestar says, looking at each cat in the den as he does, a soft smile on his face. "We wanted to name them with all of you."

"That's....thoughtful." Leafpool murmurs, sounding ssurprised. Squirrelflight doesn't know why she would be. She'd helped name her sister kits, so it was only right Leafpool help with naming hers. And that the rest of their are there for the names this time.

"I like the name Sparkkit." Sandstorm suggests, pointing towards the flame colored she-kit. "For that one, she looks so much like.." The elders voice trails off at the end there. She doesn't finish the sentence. Everyone knew what she was going to say.

"She does." Bramblestar agrees quietly. And that is that. Her firstborn is now named Sparkkit, after her flame colored fur and the grandfather that isn't here to meet her. Squirrelflight has to wonder if her father would be honored by this, if he were here, or if he would be far too humble about it.

"I always liked the name Alder." She says, filling the silence in the den, before it becomes oppressive. Bramblestar and Lionblaze mutter their agreement. Alder is a good name for a kit.

"The ginger tom. He looks like an Alder." Leafpool mews quickly, meeting her sister's gaze. A million emtions are shining in her amber eyes, ones only a sibling could understand. She alone knows why Squirrelflight has always liked the name Alder.

For it was the very tree they had sheltered inside, all those leaf-bare's ago, when three litte kits had been born. Squirrelflight watched her first three children be born in an old alder tree, watched them play and find their first shelter in it. Ever since then, she has always been partial to the trees. Ever since then, she knew she'd always want to name a kit after one. Even when she thought having her own kits was an impossible feat.

"What about the other two, then?" Lionblaze asks, pointing towards the pale ginger tabby and the dark brown tom. "Because I wasted all my name ideas already. He admits after a pause, sounding more than a bit sheepish about it.

"Of course you did." Bramblestar teases, nudging the golden warrior playfully. Lionblaze just looks embrasssed about it, and amusement bubbles up in Squrrielflight's chest at the sight.

"How about Dandelionkit? For the pale she-cat." Jayfeather muses aloud, nosing the one he means. "She's apparently yellow just like one."

"You're horrible with names." Lionblaze teases his brother. "Of course it would be an herb."

"You wanted to name two of your kits Snap and Fly." Jayfeather retorts, looking like he wants to smack the grin off his littermates face. Lionblaze opens his mouth to respond, but apparently can't find one, as he closes it soon after.

"I think it's a cute name." Squirrelflight says, breaking up the sibling banter. And thus, her second and final daughter is named Dandelionkit, because she looks like a dandelion flower. It's a cute name. Squirrelflight likes it more and more by the minute.

That leaves only one last kit to name the dark brown tabby. The youngest one. And, while Squirrelflight has a few name ideas, she wants to know what another cat thinks instead.

"Bramblestar?" She asks, looking over at her mate. Yes, she wanted her family to name the kits, but she also wanted their father to have some input as well. He hadn't had any last time, something she still felt guilt over to this day.

Bramblestar hums, proposing a name. Squirrelflight thinks it's the only idea he was really passionate about. "I was thinking...Juniper, for one of them."

"Juniper?" Leafpool asks, curious. She must be wondering why he would choose the name of an herb, of all things. That seems like something she or Jayfeather would suggest instead of their leader.

"Well, it's a berry. Like-" Bramblestar, like Sandstorm had earlier, struggles to finish his sentence, his voice starting to crack. Squirrelflight feels her heart shatter a bit when she realizes why he chose Juniper.

"Like Holly." Leafpool finishes for him. Her voice is full of just as much, if not more, emotion then Bramblestar's. No one else says anything. Such a heavy sense of loss has fallen over the group, Squirrelflight doesn't think they can.

"Yeah, like Holly." He rumbles, and the atmosphere in the den gets far too somber for this kind of day. It was probably always going to happen like this. Hollyleaf's passing had left too big of a gap, one that would never be filled. Not even by four little kits.

"I'll name the brown tabby that." Squirrelflight says, nosing her son. It is the kit that looks the most like her late daughter. It is also the last kit that needs to be named. Something tells her he was always going to be named after Hollyleaf, in a way, just like one of Lionblaze's kits was always going to share her prefix.

There are murmurs of agreement. Yes, that is a perfect name for him. These are wonderful names for all her kits. If Jayfeather goes to nose Juniperkit an extra time, and if Leafpool and Lionblaze look at him with stars and sadness in their eyes, now one says anything about it.

"Let's give them some rest now." Sandstorm suggests, slowly getting to her paws. She nudges her eldest daughter as well, until Leafpool is on her paws once more. Jayfeather and Lionblaze nod their agreement, and the four cats slip out if the den to give the new mother some rest. Bramblestar, resting his head on his mate's shoulder again, calls after them, and says to come back soon. Someone promises they will.

(As Squirrelflight falls asleep, she wonders if Hollyleaf and Firestar's spirits are still with her, or if they have left with the rest of their kin.

She hopes that, this time, they have stayed.)

___________________________________

Only a few hours later, and one of the kits has stopped breathing. Juniperkit lays lifeless at his mother's side, still snug against his siblings. If she didn't know any better, hadn't seen kits pass pre-maturely before, she would think he was just sleeping.

Squrrielflight noses her son when he doesn't stir with the others, panic starting to rise in her throat. And then she noses him again, and again, and again. Until it is clear that he is not moving, and his chest does not move as he breathes. Because her beautiful son is not breathing.

Squirrelflight's kit had only been with them for a few hours, and Starclan has already taken him. He did not even get a chance to open his eyes, to play with his siblings, to live. And they had taken her baby from her before he ever would.

She lets out a wail of grief at the realization, pressing her muzzle into her kits fur. His fur that is now cold, and his body that will now forever be unmoving.

In her distress, Squrrielflight wakes Bramblestar beside her. "Squirrelflight? Squirrelflight?. The leader jerks awake, his voice slurred but full of the same panic as hers. "Squrriel, what's wrong with the kits?"

"It's Juniperkit, he-" Squirrelflight cannot finish her sentance, another wail of grief cutting her off. Once again, for the third time that day, the sentance does not need to be finished to be understood.

Bramblestar makes his own sound of grief, and presses himself closer to his mate. He buries his muzzle in her fluffy pelt, eyes shut tight. Maybe, if he does that, he can ignore a horrible reality for just a moment longer.

There's a worried crowd forming a few tail lengths away from the nuresy, cat called forward by the wails and now whispering amongst themsleves. Daisy, the only permanent nursey queen left, is pushing her way through it; Cloudtail right behind her. The white tom is worried for her little cousin and her new family, even if he has never been the closest to them.

Leafpool rushes into the den, Jayfeather hot on her heels. The crowd had parted to let them through, and did the same when Lionblaze and Sandstorm followed just a moment after. The former's broad head is now peaking in through the nursey's entrance, anxiously blocking the view of most other cats. Sandstorm is right beside him.

"Squrrielflight? Bramblestar? What's wrong?" Leafpool says, worry pooling in her tone. Both parents look up at her voice, eyes glazed in grief. Leafpool has been a medicine cat for too many seasons to not understand why.

"Juniperkit is dead." Bramblestar croaks, voice breaking, because his mate can not muster the will to speak.

"He can't be." Leafpool whispers, staring at the four kits, all still secure next to their mother's side. They all look so peaceful from here. It is hard to believe one could possibly be dead.

"He is." Jayfeather confirms solemnly, touching his nose to the little kit's pelt. He finds just what Squirrelflight had found mere minutes before. A cold and lifeless body, one that would never breathe another breath again.

Lionblaze turns to the crowd outside, murmuring the news in a hushed tone. Mutters of shock and sorrow fill the hollow as clanmates turn to inform each other or the news. Cinderheart walks forward, and presses her flank against her mates comfortingly. All Lionblaze can do is flick his ear in acknowledgement of her presence.

Leafpool is now next to her sister side, running a soothing tail along her spine. Jayfeather is nudging the kits away from the dead one, slowly but surely, not wanting to upset their mother. He knows how protective queens can get over a lost kit. Bramblestar just bows his head in grief.

Squirrelflight does not want to let her son go, curling him close to her as much as she can. She wants to stay with him as long as possible, even if there is no life in him anymore. She has only known him for a few hours. She is not ready to give him, or any of siblings, up. She never will be.

"Let Jayfeather take him. Juniperkit needs to be buried." Leafpool mutters quietly to her sister, sensing how she feels. Sandstorm is doing the same on her other side, but her sister's voice is the only one able to break through the fog in Squirrelflight's head. "You know he'll be gentle."

Once the words reach her, Squrrielflight can only give a small nod in response, and watches dully as Jayfeather picks up her youngest son; then carries him away for the first and last time. She wails again once he is gone, and will keep wailing throughout the night.

The rest of the night becomes a blur for Squirrelflight, after that. The only cats she is aware of beside her are Bramblestar, and they're three remaining kits. Even Leafpool is lost to the fog, eventually. She does not even notice when Sandstorm leaves, and passes Daisy on her way out. The first cat who is not kin to see her kits.

Back in the clearing, Jayfeather sets the kit down right the middle of camp, where all the vigils are held. The medicine cats tail is drapped sadly across the grass, his shoulders hunched. Sandstorm, after exchanging a glance with Daisy, pads over to join him. She trusts the cream queen to look after her grieving daughter, more than she trusts anyone else to do so.

Lionblaze follows them, and so does Cloudtail. Both toms sit to their medicine cats right, head bowed and tails dropping. Leafpool joins them shortly, once she has made sure the other three kits are healthy and has covered the late one's body in lavender. The rest of their clanmates hover at a distance, still reeling from the shock of it all. It is not often such a young cat is taken. Most of them have no idea what to do.

Briarlight is the first cat who is not kin to make her way over, pushing herself across the clearing and towards Jayfeather. She presses herself against the medicine cat, trying to being him any sort of comfort. In return, he rests his tail along her spine. She is the only cat who is not kin to stay for the whole vigil, never leaving her friend's side. Squirrelflight will thank her later.

Their clanmates follow Briarlight's lead, ready to sit vigil. Even if they will not stay the whole night like Juniperkit's kin will. The elders crouch together, Purdy muttering solemnly to himself. Graystripe sits next to Sandstorm, and kets his old friend lean on his shoulder. Millie bows her head on her mate's other side.

Dovewing squeezes herself in-between Lionblaze and Jayfeather. The golden warrior leans on her, and the medicine cat touched his nose to her ear thankfully. Ivypool follows behind her sister not long after, drapping a comforting tail along Lionblaze's back. The latters own family huddles behind her, heads bowed and tails dragging across the grass. They are all part of the group that stays the longest.

Bramblestar leaves to go sit vigil, and it is then Squirrelflight fights through the grief clouding her head. Daisy now lies next to her, replacing the warmth of her mate. There is such sadness shining in the queen's blue eyes. One would almost think she'd lost her own kit that night.

"I'll keep them for a minute." Daisy mumbles, pressing her muzzle into Squirrelflight's cheek fur. "You say goodbye to your son."

The deputy, who feels nothing like her title at the moment, nods. Squirrelflight forces herself to her paws, and stumbles into the clearing. But not before watching Daisy curls around her three kits, and use her fluffy tail to keep them warm.

She stumbles over to the vigil, barely aware if where she's going. But she gets there eventually. Every other cat, including her own mate, moves away to give her space next to her late kit.

(Her son, her beautiful son, the one named after his sister, is dead. Is that why they killed him? For his name? Was Squirrelflight not allowed to have a piece of her daughter at all? Was she just supposed to suffer? To live with nothing but the memories?)

Squrrielflight presses her nose into her son's fur, and starts muttering prayers. She prays for Hollyleaf to watch over him in Starclan. She prays that Firestar will keep him safe and happy. She prays for Ferncloud and Sorreltail and all the other queens to love him as if he was their own, and let him make friends with their own kits taken far too soon. She prays for her clanmmates long gone to be kind to her son, and show him how to be a Thunderclan cat.

___________________________________

Two moons later, another of of her kits passes. Daisy is with them when it happens, helping with the three of them as she always does She is the kits favorite babysitter by far, her time as a nursey queen giving her much experience. The cream she-cat has been such a help with these three, Squirrelflight does not know what she'd do without her.

Today, while Daisy watches Sparkkit and Alderkit, Squirrelflight sits with Dandelionkit. Her youngest daughter, the one that has been sick for over a moon now. She sits with Dandelionkit like this often, trying to coax herbs into her, or providing comfort as she throws up whatever meal she'd had that day. It is a tiring process. Squirrelflight would do a hundred more times if she had too.

Thunderclan's two medicine cats sit with her today, helping as they often do. Dandelionkit, understandably, does not like eating herbs multiple times a day, every day. Sometimes they struggle to get any medicine in her at all. And today seems like it's going to be one of those days, both of her parents attempts having failed already. And a healer can only do so much for an unwilling patient.

Jayfeather pushes a small pile of herbs towards his adopted sister, his voice soft when he speaks. He's always soft when talking to her. "You have to eat your herbs, Dandelion."

"But they taste yucky!" Dandelionkit wrinkles her nose at the plants, frowning. She moves away from her older brother, closer to Squirrelflight's warmth. Jayfeather sighs. That is his third attempt trying to her to take them, and it's a wonder his patience has just now started to run thin.

"You see Alderkit and Sparkkit getting a badger ride?" Leafpool chimes in, drawing her niece closer to her with her tail. All before her son can say anything snappy, like he was clealry about too. She was always better at dealing with their younger paitents than Jayfeather was, anyways.

Dandelionkit looks over to where he brother and sister are indeed getting a badger ride, both kits laying on Daisy's back. "Yeah!?"

"If you eat all your herbs, you'll be able to get a badger ride too! Don't you wanna play with your siblings?" Leafpool says, pushing the herbs closer once again.

After a moment of consideration, and watching how much fun her littermates where having, Dandelionkit nods. "Okay then, I'll eat 'em!"

"Good." Jayfeather purred, prior annoyance forgotten as quickly as it had come. Dandelionkit eats her herbs, thankfully with only a little coughing this time. But her face does screw up in disgust, something Squirrelflight thinks she did on purpose. She can make a disgusted face all she wants, as long as she eats the herbs.

Later, when Daisy returns Alderkit and Sparkkit to her for their afternoon nap, is when everything goes wrong. It's when Dandelionkit starts coughing, coughing like she never has before. Her daughter's eyes roll back, and that is when Squirrelflight knows this is serious.

"Leafpool!" She calls out, panicked beyond belief. Daisy grabs Alderkit and Sparkkit, hidding the scene from them with her tail. "Leafpool, it's Dandelionkit!"

Her sister barges into the den only a moment later. She had probably only just returned to the medicine cat den, thankfully leaving her close by and in camp. Her former apprentice is once again right behind her, even though he had not be called for. Squirrelflight is glad he's hear anyways.

But Jayfeather and Leafpool, try as they might, can not do anything. All they can do is help her through the coughing fit, and provide comfort as the sickness finally runs it fatal course. All they can do is usher her away from her siblings, and pray the two little kits remain unscathed by this event.

They hold vigil for Dandelionkit that night. Squirrelflight sends up the same prayers she did last time, the same cats and the same kin around her. Bramblestar sits next to her, stating at nothing. Alderkit and Sparkkit are hiding in his tail, sniffling and crying for a sister that will never wake up again. Saying goodbye to a kit feels just as hollow as it did the first two times.

(Squirrelflight almost wonders if Starclan's trying to punish her for their own actions.)

The next day, once the small family is nack in the nursey, Daisy curls around all of them. Squirrelflight allows herself to hide in her friend's cream fur, and block out the world. She allows the other queen to scoop her kits closer and help take care of them for the next few days.

Squirrelflight mutters her thanks to Daisy, for being such a help. For showing Dandelionkit love and fun, even when her sickness got in the way. Daisy mutters back that she would do it all over again if she had to. That it was the very least she could do.

___________________________________

The kits are four moons old now, and have become quite a pawful to take care of.

Lionblaze comes back from a hunting patrol, and is near instantly tackled by an excited Sparkkit. She boucnes around his paws, just like his own kits had done a few moons before. Her parents get the same treatment too, whenever they come back, Bramblestar usually making up some story about the patrol to tell her. Her daughter is so excited to see the forest, and Squrrielflight knows she'll be an excellent apprentice.

Alderkit spends a lot of time in the elders den, clinging to Sandstorm. He says she's his favorite grandma. Sandstorm laughs, and points out she's his only grandma. Alderkit doesn't care, and says she's his favorite grandma again. The other elders, Purdy especially, find him adorable, and don't mind his contact visits. They say it's nice to have some company.

Her son also seems to be interested in the medicine den, trailing behind Jayfeather or Leafpool at any chance he gets. Leafpool thinks it's cute, while Jayfeather says the kit needs to stay away from his herbs. Though they all know he finds Alderkit endearing, since he never kicks him out of the medicine den like he kicks out other cats.

Speaking of the medicine den, that is where Alderkit has found himself today. It's where he finds himself a lot of days, really. He's just so drawn to the herbs and what they do. Plants being able to heal a cat is so cool, it's like magic to him. He wants to know how to do it one day, and be just as good as his kin are.

And that day, Jayfeather's looks towards his adopted brother, and asks why he likes coming in here so much. Other than just really liking him and Leafpool. Alderkit practically beams at the question.

"I wanna be a medicine cat, so I can help cats!" Alderkit says, looking up at Jayfeather. His amber eyes look just like his sisters used too. "Like you two helped my siblings!"

The blind tom looks down at him, startled. He doesn't know what to say to that, too caught off gaurd by the awnser. But thankfully his mother does.

"That's wonderful, Alderkit." Leafpool says, a gentle look on her face. "I'm sure Jayfeather would love to train you. Wouldn't you, Jay?" She looks towards her son, giving him a look. One that says don't be rude. He wasn't going to be.

"Yes," Jayfeather says, smiling down at his brother. And he's not lying about it when he says, "I would."

It's the happiest they've ever seen Alderkit, ever since his siblings passed. He looks just as happy as Sparkkit does when she talks about becoming a warrior. And Squirrelflight has never been more grateful for it.

[ebonyclaw]

Flames Reduced to Ash: A Leafpool AU

Fanfic under the cut!

That evening, Leafpool was busier than she had been in a long time. The last time that she had felt this essential was during the aftermath of the badger invasion. Just like what had happened all those moons ago, today there were many injured clanmates for her to attend to, as well as medicinal supplies for her to gather, organize, and stockpile. Cats were brought to her choking: with lungs full of smoke, pelts full of ash, and scalding burn wounds. Their eyes were frenzied with pain and fear as she cared for each and every one of them as if they were her own kits. She soothed their pain with herbal poultices, comforting them with her soft voice and gentle touch. Due to the sheer amount of patients that she was faced with after this latest catastrophe, she kept only those with the most severe injuries in her den that night. The rest with more minor burns were sent to recover in their usual sleeping areas.

At this point, Leafpool was running dangerously low on both sleep and patience. After all, it is hard work being the ever-accommodating medicine cat of Thunderclan, especially in the wake of a disaster such as the great fire which had devastated their camp. What Leafpool really needed was a break, but for some reason, her former apprentice Jayfeather was nowhere to be found. It was now moonhigh, and the brown tabby was getting increasingly anxious.

Just as this anxiety began to stir in her mind was the silence broken by a rustling at her den entrance. Turning her head, Leafpool spotted a thick-furred ginger cat roughly shouldering her way in.

“Squirrelflight!” Leafpool breathed a sigh of relief, leaping from her nest, “I was beginning to worry! Have you seen…“

This momentary relief was short-lived, as Leafpool then got a better look at her dear sister. Squirrelflight’s pelt was patchy and burned, and she also had deep scratches oozing blood on her shoulder. She looked exhausted and ready to collapse. When Leafpool looked into her sister’s eyes, she saw a dark and haunted expression returning her gaze.

Leafpool rushed to her storage to get some herbs to treat Squirrelflight’s wounds. As she was hurriedly gathering some cobwebs to stop the bleeding on her sister’s shoulder, she was interrupted by her harsh mew.

“The kits… Leafpool… they know.” Squirrelflight croaked. 

Leafpool’s eyes shot wide open and she immediately looked around the den at her sleeping patients. With a nervous flick of her tail, she gestured for Squirrelflight to take this discussion outside, offering her a shoulder to lean on for support. They did not walk far, as Squirrelflight had already used most of her energy just making it to the medicine den. However, this conversation needed to take place where prying ears could not overhear. Sitting down and tucking her tail over her paws to hide the trembling, Leafpool looked her sister in the eye.

“Tell me Squirrelflight… What exactly happened during the fire?”

Squirrelflight began to let out several raspy coughs, her lungs and throat still raw from inhaling smoke. After her flank ceased heaving, she turned to look at Leafpool with serious eyes.

“During the fire: Jayfeather, Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, and myself were all searching for an escape route. We were surrounded on all sides by roaring flames, and things were looking bad. However, just as we were about to cross a fallen log to safety, Ashfur appeared from the smoke and blocked our exit.”

Following along with the story attentively thus far, Leafpool was left shocked. Ashfur? But he was their trusted clanmate!

Squirrelflight continued, “I yowled at him to move, to let us go, but you should have seen the hatred in his eyes… Leaf, it was chilling.” She shuddered when recalling the thought of the gray tom’s icy gaze. “It was as if this was a long time coming, like he was waiting for this perfect moment of revenge.”

Leafpool shuffled closer to her sister and gave her cheek a comforting lick, but Squirrelflight was not done with her story yet. She continued, “He was still… so angry that I refused to be his mate all those moons ago.” The ginger cat sounded hollow, “He couldn’t accept that I had long since moved on, that EVERYBODY else had already moved on. For Starclan’s sake Leafpool, the kits are all fully grown warriors now!”

Leafpool was left dumbfounded and completely unable to understand. How could a cat carry a grudge over something so trivial for so long?

“He was furious, and he was yelling about how much pain he was in and how it was all my fault… About how he didn’t ever hate Brambleclaw, he only ever hated ME for rejecting him.” Squirrelflight sneered in contempt, “At that point, I just wanted to make sure that the others could get to safety, so I asked him to please let them go. I thought that since his issue was with me he would have no reason to hurt them.”

Leafpool’s eyes were wide with sympathy, and she wrapped her tail around Squirrelflight’s own quivering tail. 

“B-but he said that they deserved to die too! He said that he would do anything to hurt me… including murdering those three! So… I told them all. I was so angry that he would dare to harm those innocent cats that it just erupted out of me. I said that Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather were not my kits.”

Squirrelflight looked defeated and her ears fell flat, “Leafpool you should have seen their faces…”

Leafpool’s eyes misted over as she was overcome by the reality of the situation. She couldn’t help but to let out a gentle sob. Squirrelflight noticed her sister’s distress and rasped her tongue over her head,

“They do not know who their real parents are, don’t worry,” she mewed, reversing their roles as she turned to comfort Leafpool, “They didn’t even ask. They seemed to want nothing more to do with me as soon as we escaped the fire.”

This did not comfort Leafpool in the slightest. “But you ARE their mother Squirrelfight! Just as much as I am!” Squirrelflight tensed, surprised, as Leafpool continued, “You and Brambleclaw, you are the two cats who raised them! It wasn’t me, and it sure as Starclan was not Crowfeather. You will always be their mother.”

Squirrelflight sighed, “I do not know if they see it that way, Leaf.”

“They will surely come around, they were just shocked and scared, especially after having their lives threatened by their own clanmate! They have had a very eventful day… As a matter of fact, so have you. Go rest now Squirrel, we will work through this together, starting tomorrow.”

Squirrelflight met her sister’s eyes and blinked in exhausted appreciation before turning to go to the warrior’s den. Leafpool watched her leave, feeling like there were ants crawling under her pelt. That cat, their clanmate Ashfur, was suddenly very, very dangerous.

Leafpool padded back towards the entrance of the medicine den, her mind buzzing like a swarm of biting mosquitoes. Ashfur. Ashfur. Ashfur. 

He knows now that my children had to be kept a secret. After all, they are not only the children of an inter-clan relationship, they were also the children of a medicine cat! He may not know why, or who their real parents were, but with some digging he could find out. This was much worse than Squirrelflight let on. This could ruin everything, not only my position within Thunderclan, but the lives of my family as well…

While her consciousness was still rushing, Leafpool spotted him. In the darkness of the night, near the bramble barrier at the edge of the camp, there was a pair of glinting blue eyes staring back at her. The eyes blinked and disappeared, and Leafpool saw a spotted tail flick briefly into sight as the other cat turned and left. 

Rising to her paws, Leafpool began to move without even deciding to. Despite not having the same warrior training as her sister, Leafpool’s instincts took over as she began to tail the smoky gray tom through Thunderclan’s vast forest territory. She followed his scent over fallen logs and across streams, making sure to always stay hidden in the brush. They were heading deep into Thunderclan territory, and Leafpool could not help but wonder about his intended destination. Where could he possibly be going at this hour?

Suddenly, the scent that she was following was alarmingly close, he must have stopped moving. Crouching low, Leafpool peered out from between the leaves to see Ashfur pacing back and forth by the large river that cuts through their whole territory. His tail was lashing and his brow was furrowed. The gray tom then unsheathed his claws and slashed at a nearby piece of brush, letting out a frustrated hiss. Due to the exchange she just shared with Squirrelflight, Leafpool knew the context for this show of aggression. She realized that the reason that he was so angry was that he did not succeed in his scheme.

Leafpool couldn’t believe her eyes, she had always known that Ashfur was not her most pleasant clanmate, but she was never aware of just how much hatred he harbored in his heart. It is not as though she had disbelieved Squirrelflight’s story, but hearing about Ashfur’s true nature was different than seeing it herself firsthand. Leafpool knew then that she should leave, she had to return to her den and pretend that she saw nothing. However, her paws felt rooted in place, and her breath was becoming heavier. She kept watching the angry tom while her heartbeat accelerated. Her thoughts were spinning with fear, as the cat before her was clearly unhinged, and he also had a grudge against her dear sister. 

The emotion that began as terror quickly flickered into a rage that surprised Leafpool with its ferocity. She thought of how scared her children must have been during that confrontation in the fire. Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, Jayfeather… Squirrelflight… I love you all so dearly, and this selfish cat nearly took you all away from me! How dare he!

With trembling legs, she took a single step back, only to feel her paw land right onto a twig. The snap was quiet, but Ashfur’s ears immediately shot upwards. He was now on edge, as his eyes frantically darted around the clearing for the source of the sound. Leafpool held her breath and lowered herself even further, until her belly was brushing against the forest floor. Now, Ashfur was sniffing around the edges of the clearing, getting nearer and nearer to her hiding place. Leafpool felt her claws quietly unsheath and dig into the moss. As Ashfur got closer, Leafpool held her breath. 

Suddenly, recognition sparked in Ashfur’s eyes and he threw his head back.

“I know that you are here, Leafpool!” He yowled, fur bristling, “I can smell your fear-scent!”

Leafpool felt her muscles tense. The sound of her name sent a jolt of lightning down her spine.

“I am sure that Squirrelflight would be DEVASTATED if something were to happen to her sister!” Ashfur meowed smugly, flexing his claws.

Leafpool felt her blood go cold, fully realizing the precarious situation that she had placed herself in. They were both deep in Thunderclan territory with no other cat around, late at night. Far enough away from Thunderclan camp that their sleeping clanmates would not hear any yowling in the distance. Ashfur was a formidable warrior, with many moons of battle experience, and Leafpool was a cat trained only in healing and botany. He was also particularly dangerous for another reason, and that was the strength of his undying hatred against Squirrelflight. Leafpool then understood that if he were to find her now, it would result in a fight to the death. This would be a fight where the odds would be heavily stacked against her.

Leafpool knew then what she had to do. Not only for her own safety in her current situation, but also for the safety of her family in the long-term. She rose a little from the ground, enough to gather her strength in her haunches. She could see Ashfur’s gray paws approaching the bush that she was hiding inside. Up until now her thoughts had been a surging river, but at this moment, her mind went scarily silent. She patiently waited for an opportunity to present itself.

When Ashfur crouched beside her hiding spot to investigate closer, his eyes widened and he opened his mouth to say something. These words never left his mouth however, as Leafpool erupted from the foliage and wrapped her claws around Ashfur’s speckled shoulders. She had the element of surprise, and she knew that she had to finish her attack quickly before he retaliated. Leafpool used all of her weight to bring Ashfur to the ground as he was spitting in rage. His claws flashed past her face to score a scratch in her flank, and her blood splattered onto the stones beneath them. Leafpool gazed into his eyes, aglow with fury, to see nothing but a stranger behind them. She did not hesitate, with the thoughts of her sister and children drowning out any doubt or fear that may have remained in her heart. Pinning the tom to the ground, Leafpool sunk her teeth deep into the light fur of his throat. She held fast, and as he writhed underneath her, she felt his skin pull and tear away in her jaws. Leafpool did not hunt prey for her clan, so she was shocked at just how warm the fresh blood was on her tongue. This must be what catching fresh-kill feels like! She thought, mortified.

After his thrashing slowly began to subside, Ashfur went limp in Leafpool’s grasp. She loosened her grip on his shoulders, and removed her fangs from his neck. His eyes were glassy and unfocused, and he was convulsing at her paws. After a few seconds of a sickening gurgling, he went silent, blood trickling down his chin. Leafpool decided then to take a good look at the wound, just to be absolutely sure that it had killed him. The wound was deep and messy, and was surrounded by torn fur and exposed bloody tissue. This was a kill accomplished by an inexperienced killer, and it was sloppy. The part of her that was a medicine cat grimaced, and she immediately knew that the wound was fatal. 

At once, Leafpool was struck by both a sensation of relief, and that of a deep and existential horror. She felt as though she was going to be sick. Never in her life did she ever expect to be a cat who would intentionally  kill another, not with her line of work as a healer. She restrained herself from retching, and she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She inhaled and exhaled the crisp night air, grounding herself and relieving her nausea. I am used to seeing nasty wounds and smelling blood. She attempted to reassure herself.

The corpse of the gray tom could not be left here in the clearing, and Leafpool knew that. While his open throat could have been caused by a fox or dog, especially given how messy the kill was, the deep scratches on his shoulders were clearly that of a cat’s. Leafpool was certain that his body would be discovered by her clan’s dawn patrol the next day if he were to be left here. It would be better for Ashfur to be considered missing, as opposed to being found as a murder victim. That could lead to a lot of trouble, and potentially even conflict with another clan if they got blamed for his death. Leafpool did not even want to imagine what the consequences would be if she was discovered to be his killer.

Now that the adrenaline coursing through her veins had stopped, Leafpool suddenly felt very small and weak. Using the last remnants of her strength, She hoisted up Ashfur’s body so that it was draped over her back. Slowly and painfully, she hobbled with him towards the riverbank. His back legs dragged across the ground, and his throat was leaking a bloody trail onto the soil. Finally, once she had reached the edge of the river, she shrugged off his body into the churning current below. This river was the deepest and the swiftest on their territory. Leafpool hoped that his body would be carried all the way to the lake so that it would disappear for good. It would be best if Thunderclan quickly forgot about this rotten tom. Leafpool thought darkly.

She watched as his body vanished downstream, and then she washed herself clean with the water. She also cleaned away the bloody trail that he left behind, as her clanmates would be able to tell by the scent that it was cat blood. She looked through the canopy of leaves above her, at the slivers of visible night sky. The stars above twinkled mockingly back at her, almost as if they were saying, we saw what you have done. Leafpool felt a rush of indignation at this perceived scrutiny. Judge me however you like! She thought bitterly to herself, I have served you for my entire life, and all you have done is abandon me when I have needed you the most.

It would soon be sunrise, and Leafpool had to return to the camp before it was time for the dawn patrol. She hurriedly retraced her steps through the forest, all the way back to her den before collapsing in utter exhaustion. The blackness of sleep began to overtake her within moments. Her bravado in the face of her ancestors from earlier had already begun to fade, being replaced by an inescapable terror that shook her to her very core. Oh Starclan, what have I done?

[brinkclangen]

BRINKCLAN - MOON 4

"From this moment on you will be known as Dashlake. StarClan honors your loyalty, and we welcome you as a full member of BrinkClan."

Dashlake licked Pumastar's shoulder as the other cats took up the call. He glanced over to Skystripe, whose chest puffed with pride. He'd done it!

"Congratulations!" Havenpaw pushed against him with a purr.

"Don't freeze!" Rainspore waved her tail cheerily before ducking into the nursery. Tempestpelt gave him a solemn nod before turning for his own den.

Skystripe padded close, resting her chin atop his head as Pumastar had done. "I knew you could do it. Remember to stay silent for your vigil." She tapped the end of her tail against his muzzle before departing.

Pumastar blinked at him warmly, and Dashlake was alone.

His paws shifted on the leaf-bare hardened ground. Silverpelt glittered brightly overhead. One thing he loved, genuinely loved despite the ache of memory, about the new camp from the moment they arrived was that StarClan was never out of sight. Their ancestors could always be seen no matter the season.

A full moon hung over the camp, lighting it as much as the noon sun. Frost glittered in a reflection of StarClan. Dashlake fluffed his fur against the wind and watched the stars turn overhead.

His jaws split in a yawn as he left camp with the morning's patrol. Their small numbers still meant he had to join instead of resting after being up all night. Pumastar glanced over his shoulder at Dashlake sympathetically. "Havenpaw, Skystripe, and I will focus on hunting. You mark the border."

"Yes, Pumastar," Dashlake yawned again. He watched his Clanmates head away. Still within shouting range, he sprayed where a clump of grass used to grow.

A cat hissed fiercely. "Where do you think you're marking, mange pelt?"

Dashlake spun around. A pair of cats glowered at him, their fur bristling. He opened his mouth to reply and caught their scent. "Are you…" he struggled a brief moment to recall where he'd smelled it before. "…SoftClan warriors?"

The one on the left, a huge muscular black and white tom snarled, "What of it?"

"None of us know how many of you—"

The lithe sandy she-cat on the right spat, "It doesn't matter! Get your paws out of our territory!"

Dashlake shuffled back a few paw steps. "I'm not on your—"

She launched at him with a ferocious yowl. Dashlake hit the ground, rolling with her attack. Fear jolted him. He'd never used any battle moves! The she-cat had used too much force, however, and rolled past him. As she leapt to her paws Skystripe streaked over the rocks and slammed into her. Skystripe raked her claws down the she-cat's shoulder and swatted her flank to send her scampering across the border.

Dashlake raised his hackles, expecting the SoftClan tom to join. By then, however, Pumastar and Havenpaw had run over. Apparently not caring for the odds, both SoftClan warriors hissed and fled back into their territory.

"Why didn't you send any cat to see where SoftClan was living?!" Dashlake snapped.

Pumastar bristled. "Have you forgotten what our first moon here was like?"

Skystripe shoved herself between them. "We know where they are now, and that we're sharing a border with them." In a calmer mew to Pumastar she added, "I'd like to discuss sending an envoy when we're back at camp."

The leader nodded. "Let's go get that rabbit we scrounged up."

Dashlake hung his head. "I'm sorry, Skystripe," he murmured.

She placed her tail across his shoulders. "It's all right, Dashlake. If you're up for it, you can join Havenpaw and I later. Looks like we'll all need to toughen our claws."

"I can't believe they were so mean!" Havenpaw complained. "We haven't seen any cats in ages! And they attacked us!"

"Rainspore's a cat," Pumastar reminded her. "So are the kits."

"They're Clan. Clan doesn't count!" Havenpaw insisted.

"Clanmates are nice," Dashlake agreed.

"And they don't stink!"

Dashlake chuckled, soothed by Havenpaw's heckling. How long had it been since he'd done the same? At a Gathering, with other apprentices, sharing purrs despite a mentor's scoldings? Havenpaw deserved to have that, too.

~

What I wouldn't give for a mediator. Tempestpelt sighed.

He'd learned to smooth minor irritants between Skystripe and Pumastar. Another Clan was a different beast entirely. Far better the duty go to Pumastar himself.

A flicker of movement caught his eye. He parted his jaws, but scented nothing.

Bad enough to be caught by a Clanmate ignoring the rule about going out alone again. Worse to be caught by the looming threat of why they didn't.

His jaws closed. Nothing. But, something glowed.

Tempestpelt followed it deeper into the territory. As he neared he peered closely. A cat waved its tail in greeting.

Who were they?

He nodded to it. It tilted its head as though in a purr, and pointed with its tail. Tempestpelt padded up beside it. A small cluster of herbs not yet killed by frost grew beneath a stone.

Tempestpelt's ears swiveled forward in amazement. He hadn't known if the herbs here grew in the early days of leaf-bare. He turned to the cat and crooked his tail in thanks. It dipped its head and stood. Flitting a short distance away, it glanced back at him. Tempestpelt followed.

Another sprouting of leaves.

This time Tempestpelt let out a long, satisfied purr. The cat continued flitting about, showing him small stalks of remaining herbs. Before he returned to camp, Tempestpelt dipped his head in respect. The cat waved its tail and disappeared like wind blowing away fog.

[START] - [PREV] - [NEXT]

[iguessitsjustme]

Boston could walk up to his friends literally tomorrow and say "I've turned over a new leaf. I'm going sober and I'm going to stop sleeping around and I'm going to become a model student" and then follow through on all of that and Mew and Cheum will still find ways to paint Boston as the bad guy. Either they would throw his past in his face or they would rag on him for playing with people's feelings. Also they wouldn't be so concerned about Boston's sudden change in behavior the way they were with Mew because it would have been deemed acceptable. Granted, Mew's self-destructive behavior was bad, but anyone doing such a 180 would be a problem but they would celebrate if Boston did it. They would pat themselves on the back for teaching Boston to change and how to be a "good" person. Then they would fall apart. Especially if Ray goes to rehab. Because without their scapegoats, how do they stay on their high horses?

[talonslockau]

Forest of Secrets - Chapter 3

Chapter 2 || Index || Chapter 4

The days continued to grow colder as leaf-bare approached, though the first frost had yet to descend on the Clans. Most prey were beginning to retreat to their burrows, settling in for the long leafbare before newleaf came. What little remained was skittish and hard to catch, but that didn’t stop the hunting patrols from going out daily. The Clan needed to be fed, no matter how long it took.

The camp was busy as Fireheart returned from one such patrol, carrying the cardinal he had managed to catch. While Mousefur and Dappleshine added their kills to the freshkill pile, he padded over to where the elders were laying in the dappled evening sun, trying to get what little warmth they could on the chilly day. He dropped the red bird in front of where Rosetail and Halftail were conversing.

“The prey hasn’t been running much lately.” Halftail observed, even as he moved to bite into the offered prey. “I hope we don’t have another Great Hunger this leafbare.”

“As do I.” Rosetail murmured sadly. “We lost so many. If it happens again, I don’t think the Clan will be able to recover.” She shook her head bitterly. “Perhaps it was a sign from Starclan that our deputy died just before leafbare.”

Fireheart glanced to where One-eye and Smallear were sitting together, a few tail-lengths away. The old queen was still mourning the death of her son, and had refused to eat for several days. Even now, she looked skinny and frail: he wasn’t sure if she would survive a long, harsh leafbare.

“Nonsense.” He blinked as Patchpelt padded over, evidently having heard the two talking. “Quickflash’s death was tragic, but Tigerclaw is a stronger deputy. I know he will lead us through the leafbare with ease.”

The young warrior bristled at the compliment. “It will be Bluestar’s grace and Starclan’s will that leads us through the leafbare. Tigerclaw is only our deputy.”

Patchpelt glared at him out of the corner of his eye. “Maybe for now.” He mewed, before tucking into the cardinal and flicking his tail to dismiss the warrior.

Fireheart turned away, forcing his fur to lie flat as he padded off. Was even Patchpelt in on Tigerclaw’s sinister plot? No, he told himself: the black and white elder was just being grumpy and headstrong, just as he had been as Dewpaw’s mentor. He had rarely seen Tigerclaw conversing with the elderly warrior back then, and he hadn’t been part of spreading rumors about Ravenspirit, as far as the ginger tom could tell.

He blinked as he saw Snowkit and Cinderpaw sitting together near the nursery, under Speckleflight’s watchful eye. In the days since her father’s death, the last warrior apprentice had been even more withdrawn, barely attending to her duties. Mistspring had asked him to take care of the elders in her stead, as she felt that Cinderpaw needed the rest, and he had agreed. It was good to see her out of her nest now.

He padded over, giving the golden queen nearby a friendly wave of his tail before sitting down. “Good evening, Cinderpaw, Snowkit.” The young warrior mewed amicably to both of them. “Are you talking about your ceremonies coming soon?”

The young gray molly looked surprised to be addressed by him. “No, actually. We were just-” She hesitated, which took him by surprise. He hadn’t known Cinderpaw to hesitate over anything. “Well, it doesn’t really matter. Thanks for bringing food to the elders, by the way.”

“Of course. It’s the least I can do to help out.” He glanced at Snowkit, who was only a whisker-length shorter than him now. Something about the young tom nagged at the back of his mind, but he couldn’t think of what was bothering him. “You must not be excited to start those duties, huh? Though I’m sure Cinderpaw will be happy to show you how, at least for the last moon or so she remains an apprentice.”

The white kit stared at him, apparently unresponsive. He twitched an ear in confusion, wondering if he had perhaps said something wrong, but Cinderpaw jumped in before he could form the words to ask. “You think my ceremony will be that soon?” 

“Of course. Why wouldn’t it?” He glanced over to where Mistspring was sitting with Willowbranch. “Mistspring has taught you just as much as our mentors taught us. There’s no reason to deny you a warrior ceremony now.”

“I guess not.” Even as she said that, her tail drooped. “But Mistspring doesn’t seem to have much confidence in me. I think she’s holding me back.”

“What?” He hadn’t realized how hard Cinderpaw had taken being the last apprentice. She had been sullen with them in the past, true, but he hadn’t realized it had sapped her of her confidence as well. “No, she- she’s just worried about you. What with…” He paused, struggling to find a delicate way to put it. “What with everything going on.”

“Maybe.” But the gray molly didn’t seem convinced by what he had said. “Do you think I would have done well finding Windclan with you guys?” She asked suddenly, gazing at him with wide, vulnerable eyes.

“Huh?” He flicked an ear in surprise. Was their mission the reason she was suddenly so unsure of herself? He hadn’t realized that she might have considered it an option that she would go. “Well, there were a lot of Thunderpaths and Monsters.” He finally said slowly. “Windclan themselves settled beneath a Thunderpath. I think you would have been much braver than us when it came to all of that.” He remembered the first patrol they had been on; she had been so excited to show him the Thunderpath that ran along their border. Her enthusiasm could have been useful, though it also could have gotten them into trouble. What if she had attacked one of the Monsters in the Monstercamp?

He didn’t voice that thought out loud, watching as she perked up. “Braver than Graystripe, even?” She asked, a familiar glow beginning to warm her eyes.

“He was the most scared of all of us!” Fireheart gave her a small grin. “There were a few dogs on the journey, too. I bet you would’ve really shown them a thing or two.”

“Of course I would!” The young molly dropped down into a crouch, her eyes shining now. “No Twoleg pet would ever be able to stand up to me! They’d be telling their grandkits about the scars I gave them!”

He purred warmly, glancing over to Snowkit beside her. The white tom was still staring at him with giant blue eyes, and he was beginning to feel a bit unnerved by it. “Have you shown Snowkit any of your best moves?” He asked quickly. Perhaps the kit was just feeling left out of the conversation, and wanted to be included.

“A couple. Hey, Snowkit! Why don’t you show Fireheart the Badger Back Attack I showed you?” She batted him gently with a paw, drawing her tail across her back before tucking it under her belly.

The kit’s eyes turned to her before his ears perked in delight and he nodded. “Ya!” He mewed, lowering himself to the ground and wiggling his haunches back and forth to test the ground below him. Fireheart stepped back and watched appreciatively; the kit’s weight was off, but that was something he imagined his mentor would help him work on.

The two faced off for several moments before Snowkit leaped, landing clumsily to the left of Cinderpaw. The ginger warrior winced at the display. “That’s too bad. But I’m sure his mentor will-”

He gasped in surprise as Snowkit whirled around and jumped on Cinderpaw’s back, digging his teeth into her scruff. What he had thought was the kit landing off-balance was him preparing himself to turn around. “That’s a great move! Did Mistspring show you that?” He asked as Cinderpaw flailed around uselessly, pretending to be a badger rendered helpless by the attack.

“Well, of course! It was one of the first things she taught me!” She replied as Snowkit tore into her thick fur. “Did Tinyfrost not teach you any badger attacking techniques?”

He thought regretfully back to the first moon Tinyfrost had mentored him. “No.” He admitted at last. “He was busy teaching me other stuff.” 

“I guess he was the same size as you back then, too. I’m not sure he could’ve anyways.” She looked over her shoulder at the kit still savaging her back, nudging his forehead with her nose. As soon as she did, he stopped, nimbly hopping off of her with a pleased grin. He could see that the kit had some of Cinderpaw’s dark gray fur between his white claws.

“You shouldn’t play so roughly, Snowkit.” Fireheart scolded with a frown. “Do you not know how to keep your claws sheathed?”

Cinderpaw shrugged. “I don’t mind. He doesn’t claw hard enough to get through my fur, anyways!”

Even if she didn’t mind, Snowkit’s mentor certainly would. “You still should’ve said for him to stop. You might not mind the claws, but if he tries that move on other cats, they certainly won’t appreciate it.”

“I guess.” The dark gray apprentice huffed dismissively. “But we were busy talking, and I didn’t want to interrupt that to tell him to get off.”

“It’s just a couple of words, though.” Fireheart glanced at the kit in question, who was cleaning his paws and didn’t seem to be paying them any mind. “As an apprentice, you’ll be expected to keep your claws sheathed during training spars. Yellowfang can’t have her den filled with injured apprentices because of you.”

His scruff bristled as the white kit ignored him and continued cleaning his claws. “Hey! I’m talking to you, Snowkit.” He was surprised the kit was treating him so disrespectfully; it would have been unthinkable for him as a young apprentice to outright ignore a warrior giving him advice, even if it had been Sandstorm and Dustleap.

He was about to give the kit a piece of his mind when Cinderpaw interrupted him. “You don’t know, do you?” She asked softly - the quietest he had ever heard her speak before.

He looked back at her with a frown. “I don’t know what?” He snapped. “Look, I know I just became a warrior, but it’s still rude to not even acknowledge what I’m-”

“Snowkit is deaf.”

He blinked in surprise at the young molly’s words. “Huh?” 

“He can’t hear anything.” She glanced over at Speckleflight, who was glaring at Fireheart angrily. He shrank back, suddenly afraid he’d stepped too far and that the older queen would punish him for it. “He’s getting better at tongue-reading, but he can’t know you’re talking to him if he’s not looking at you.”

“I-” He suddenly remembered Speckleflight approaching Bluestar before the last Gathering. Was that why she was refusing to apprentice the kit, even though he was over six moons old? “You’re right. I didn’t know.” He finally admitted. “Is that why Bluestar won’t apprentice him?” He asked in a low whisper, so that Speckleflight wouldn’t hear him.

“What?” Cinderpaw’s gasp of shock made him realize that it must not be common knowledge among the Clan, just like Snowkit’s deafness. “She can’t do that! He’s- We’ve been working so hard!”

“I just overheard her saying that.” He mewed quickly. “Maybe I misheard her, though. She was speaking kind of quietly.”

“That’s enough.” Speckleflight interrupted them before Cinderpaw could respond, gently licking Snowkit on the forehead. He looked up immediately and started purring at the sight of his golden mother. “Snowkit needs to rest now, to prepare for his big day soon.” She led the white tom to the nursery, casting one last glare back at Fireheart before following behind him.

“She seems to think he’ll be apprenticed soon.” The dark gray apprentice beside him pointed out as he turned back to her. “You probably just misheard her.”

“Maybe.” She had seemed so sure, but he couldn’t help but recall Bluestar’s words to Speckleflight just before the last Gathering. Bluestar had seemed immovable; would she really have changed her mind now? He shook his head, deciding it wasn’t for him to worry about. “I should get going. Don’t forget to bring Goldenflower something to eat.”

“I won’t!” He was glad to hear Cinderpaw’s upbeat tone; perhaps his talk with her had restored some of her energetic spirit. “And, Fireheart? Thank you. For coming to talk to me, I mean. It means a lot.”

As he looked back into her wide, honest eyes, he felt a little guilty for leaving her out of everything going on. But Peppermask, Graystripe and himself had all agreed; the risk of her telling someone the truth about Tigerclaw before they were ready was too great. “Of course, Cinderpaw. You’re still my friend. I promise that.”

Her purr followed him as he padded across camp to the warriors’ den. Though he was glad to hear it once more, it was hard to keep his hopes up when even the camp’s most unyieldingly eager cat was having doubts. He’d hoped to have his heart bolstered by her infectious enthusiasm, but now it left him with even more doubts. Would the Clan be able to withstand both leafbare and Tigerclaw’s betrayal?

He couldn’t say for sure.

[asexual-spongebob]

Wail Of The Siren - Chapter 9 - Bullet With Butterfly Wings

Notes:

ah yes, Gaz and Dib arguing… oh god… I’ve honestly been a little afraid to post this one- I hope this is decent, I’ve never thought of angst as my strong suit so hopefully I did okay.

“Anyway, I should get going- I’ll see you later though.” Tak said, “Alright, love you.” Gaz replied, giving Tak a kiss on the neck.

Tak then walked in Dib’s direction, oh shit! Dib thought, she’s going to see me if I stay here!

Dib then quietly ran over to the front of the store, so Tak wouldn’t notice him.

Dib stood there awkwardly, pretending as if nothing was wrong as he watched Tak walk back to her base. 

Dib  rapidly walked to back near the dumpster and the back of the building. He could still see Gaz standing there in the distance.

“Gaz. What the fuck.” Dib snapped. 

Gaz turned to face her sibling, she noticed their eyes were burning with fury. 

Gaz stared at them, “What the hell are you doing here?!” She demanded. 

“The better question is what the hell were you doing with Tak?!” Dib demanded back, “Why were you being all loving dovey with her?!” They add.

“Mew’s my girlfriend!? Of course I’m going to be lovey dovey with mew!” Gaz retorted. 

“Mew’s your girlfriend?!” Dib gasped, “Yeah?! Why did you think we were holding hands and being affectionate with each other?!” Gaz retorted. 

“I thought you were just platonically holding hands! Like Tenn and Skoodge do!” Dib spat. 

“Okay I see your point.” Gaz admitted. 

Dib ignored his sister and continued.

“What if she hurts you?!” Dib winced.

“She won’t! And if she does, I know exactly what to do.”  Gaz insisted. 

“Why do you always have bad things to say about mew. You always talk shit about mew and I’m sick of it.” Gaz snarled. 

“What?” Dib muttered, a bit confused. 

“You know exactly what I’m talking about Dib.” Gaz retorted with clenched teeth. 

“You want to know something?! You’re a fucking hypocrite!” Gaz snapped. 

“I am n-“ Dib tried to say, but Gaz interrupted him before he could finished his sentence.

“YOU ARE.” She screeched, shutting him up. 

Dib’s eyes widened. 

Gaz started to towards him, making him back towards the brick wall. 

“You get all pissy at me for hanging out with Tak, and now you’re getting pissy about the fact she’s my girlfriend. Yet the same thing happened with you and Zim.” She fumed, her eyes wide open, sparkling with fury.

Dib’s pupils dilated of fear, he started shaking like a leaf. 

Gaz stepped closer, making Dib take a step back.

She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

“You bitch about me dating “the girl who tried to destroy the planet”. Yet you are all lovey dovey and kissy wissy with Zim. You know, the person who also tried to destroy the planet so multiple times. Not to mention tried to get us killed multiple times.” Gaz shouted.

Dib was now up against the wall. 

His fear started to fade away, it began to turn into rage. 

It began to boil inside him like a pot of water boiling aggressively on a stove top. 

The pot had boiled over. Dib could not contain his rage any longer. 

Dib punched her in the nose.

“Oh. I’m sorry for giving a shit about you! I’m sorry for saving your ass all those times I-“ they snapped, soon being cut off.

Blood dripped down Gaz’s chin as her eyes shimmered with rage. “Saving my ass?! If anyone’s ass was getting saved, it was your’s!!” Gaz spat. 

Dib ignored what their sister had just said and continued.

“I’m sorry for trying to be a good sibling!” Dib continued on. 

“Good sibling?! What kind of sibling drags their little sister into shit?! What “good sibling” does that?!” Gaz fumed, a few blood droplets splattering onto her My Chemical Romance shirt, thankfully it was hard to see, as the shirt was black.

“What do you mean by that?!” Dib demanded.

“What do you mean by that?” What kind of question is that?! You know damn well what I’m talking about.” Gaz raged.

“Shut up. SHUT UP.” Dib spat.

“You want to know something? I had to be “Dad” when Dad couldn’t! I had to put you to bed! I had to make you dinner! I had to put up with you being annoying! I had to play dolls with you!” He began furiously. 

“I WAS SEVEN YEARS OLD! AND TAKING OF YOU! I could’ve been playing on the playground or something. But you want to know what I was doing instead?! I WAS TAKING CARE OF MY SIX YEAR OLD SISTER. I WAS TRYING TO BE A GOOD BROTHER. AND NOW YOU TREAT ME LIKE THIS?!” Dib continued, his throat beginning to hurt from all the shouting.

“STOP ACTING LIKE YOUR THE ONLY ONE WHO WAS EFFECTED BY DAD NOT BEING ABLE TO CARE FOR US!!” Gaz shouted.

“YOU KNOW WHAT?! I’M DONE WITH THIS CONVERSATION!” Dib shouted back, “I’m going to the beach.” He spat.

“GOOD. I HOPE YOU GET SWEPT AWAY BY A CURRENT YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!” Gaz called out as Dib left. 

You know. You might as well get swept away by a current. Just like Gaz said. It’s not like she’ll care or anything…. Dib mused. 

Dib ran as fast as his legs could carry him, Keef and Meef were heading back from a fishing trip.

Keef noticed Dib ran by, Dib stopped to catch his breath.

“Where are you heading to?” 

“The beach. Tell Zim that I’ll be gone for a bit.”

“Oh.. okay?”

“Also. If you see Gaz, tell her that she’s a fucking bitch.”

“Oh… okay?”

Dib then broke off into a run, headed towards the beach.

Dib panted after making his way to the pier, the sea was foaming like a bottle of beer. 

Dib took a sip from a water bottle that he had stashed in his coat pocket. Dib let out a refreshed sigh. 

He then headed towards the docks, glancing around to see if there were any fishermen. 

The coast was clear. They were fine. No one was there. 

They dove into the water, feeling that sharp, agonizing pain in their body, they glanced down at their hands, their hands were no longer covered in human skin, but rather, they were covered in green scales. 

Dib swam towards the strong rip current up ahead.  He then felt a strong and powerful force trap him. 

Dib began to shake, frantically looking in every direction. 

He was in the rip current. There was no escape.

He could feel himself drift away as he thrashed around in the current, being thrown around in every direction. 

“DIIIB!! NOOOO!!!” Gaz called out in protest, swimming closer in attempt to reach Dib. 

“But you said you wanted me to get swept away by a current?” Dib called out, confused, raising an eyebrow.

“I didn’t mean that! I’m  sorry!” Gaz apologized genuinely.

“Well it’s too late!!!” Dib snapped.

Gaz tried to grab onto her sibling’s webbed and scaly hand trying her hardest to free them from the current’s wrath.

She thrashed through the deep, dark water, trying to free her brother, she then was able to grab onto his hand.

“I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have said that! You were right to call me out! I’m sorry for punching you!” Dib apologized, “It’s okay!!! I understand that you were just concerned!!” Gaz replied, “I’m sorry to! I shouldn’t have said those things to you!” she adds. 

“No! I’m glad you did!” Dib said. 

She let out a grunt as she tried to pull him out, but this rip current was stronger. 

She had let go. 

“GAAAZ!!!!” Dib wailed as the strong current swept him away.

“DIIIIB!!!!” Gaz shouted as she tried to grasp her brother’s hand.

But… she couldn’t.

“GAAAZ!!!” Dib screamed, his screaming getting fainter and fainter the further he drifted away. 

Her brother was gone. Fucking gone. 

Normally, she wouldn’t care, but this time, she did.

What kind of sister are you?! She scolded herself as she tried to hold back tears. 

I need to do something… I should tell someone. She decided, swimming up to the surface. 

She dried herself off with a towel and left, knots in her stomach.

Gaz made her way back home, her shoulders slumped in shame.

How am I going to get him back? Gaz asked herself. 

You’re a terrible sister. This is all your fault. She told herself.

Gaz made her way to the tide pool and dried herself off, cleaning her bloody nose, waiting for the bleeding to stop. Her clothes were still damp but not as much. She rinsed the salt water off herself with some water she had stashed in a water bottle. 

Once she was mostly dry, she made her way home, How am I supposed to explain this to Dad?! How would he feel… 

Gaz could just imagine the lecture she’d receive. She knew that she’d be grounded for ages. 

Gazlene Membrane! How could you say that to your brother?! 

Gaz let out sigh, I deserve that. I deserve to be lectured like that. She told herself once again as she made her way through the dark streets of Detroit. The street lights leading the way.

She noticed Keef and Meef walking on the sidewalk.

“Hey um. Sorry if this sounds weird but Dib told me to tell you that you’re a fricking betch.. I have no idea why..”

“He’s right… I am… and I’m a terrible sister.”

“What? What makes you say that?”

“I told him to go get swept away by a current… and he did… all because of this argument we got into..”

“Betch what the frick?” 

“Yeah I know I shouldn’t have.. I was just really angry.. we both apologized to each other though. If my Dad and Clembrane find out they’re going to go ballistic on me-“

“Oh um.. that’s good? Anyway I gotta go to Zim’s house. See you later.”

Gaz and Keef then went their separate ways, Gaz walked the rest of the way home. 

Gaz made it, opening the front door, only to see her Dad glancing over at her from his chair near the front door.

“Hello daughter, where have you been?” He asked “Uh… I went to the mall with Tak and Tenn.” Gaz lied “Oh cool! Hope you had fun.” He smiled “I did.” Gaz replied.

“Where’s your sibling?” Professor Membrane asked “Oh uh… their at Zim’s.” Gaz lied. 

God I hate this. She thought, normally she would be fine with lying to someone, but her Dad was the expectation. She hated lying to him about anything.

No… he can’t know the truth… At least not right now… Gaz thought.

Professor Membrane just nodded and continued to read the marine biology book he was reading. 

Gaz then made her way upstairs, locking herself in her room and sitting on the floor, staring at her collection of Littlest Pet Shops. 

•••

Keef knocked on the door to Zim’s house.

Skoodge answered.

“Hi Keef.” He smiled, but then noticed the expression on Keef’s face.

“What’s wrong?” Skoodge asked.

“Something happened to Dib… that’s why I came here.” Keef answered.

“Oh.. oh my irk!” Skoodge exclaimed, then letting Keef come in the house.

“Hi Zim..” Keef sighed with a frown as he looked at him, he was sitting on the couch with Gir and Sir.

Zim was caught off guard. Something was up.

Keef wasn’t happy and cheerful like they usually were, now they seemed sad and gloomy.

“Hi Keef.” Zim said.

“Um… Dib’s gone.” Keef murmured.

“He’s gone?!” Zim gasped out of disbelief.

“Yeah… Them and Gaz got into a fight and she told them to go get swept away by a current… and they were.” Keef began, “she feels really bad about it now… and we have no idea where Dib is now.” Keef finished.

Zim felt his squeedily spooch shatter into little pieces. “D-Dib’s g-gone?” Zim stammered out of disbelief, starting to tear up. Keef nodded with a frown.

Zim flopped off the couch and onto the floor, beginning to sniffle before bursting into tears. 

Skoodge and Keef kneeled on floor, trying to soothe Zim. 

“It’s okay Zim! We’ll figure out a solution!” Keef assured, gently stroking Zim’s back.

“MY BELOVED DIB STINK! MY DIB FISH!!! THEIR GONE!!!” Zim wailed hysterically, smashing his fist against the floor, ignoring what Keef had just said. 

“I love them so much!!! Even if they smell like tuna and anchovies!” Zim croaked.

Keef looked at Skoodge. “What should we do?” Keef questioned “I think you should get home.. I’ll deal with it.” Skoodge assured with a thumbs up.

Keef nodded and left, awkwardly saying goodbye to Skoodge and Zim. 

Skoodge hugged Zim. “I’m sorry…” he sympathized, Zim whimpered and sobbed into his shirt.

“My Dib siren!” Zim cried.

•••

Professor Membrane was out running some errands, Gaz was in her room, the home phone in her hands. 

Gaz dialed Tak’s number, her hands shaking the entire time, she grasped her favorite kitten lps, Violeta for comfort. It was a purple and white one with green eyes, number 2033.

Soon, Tak picked up.

“Hi love!! How are you?”

“Not to good… I did something… bad…horrible..” 

“Oh irk- what did you do?”

“Dib’s gone… and it’s all my fault…”

“What happened?”

“We got into an argument, and I went a little too hard on him- I told him to go get swept away by a current and well… He did. I feel absolutely horrible now… and Keef told me that Zim is depressed now.. He said that it keeps crying and it keeps talking about how much it misses Dib.. I think they said that xyr base is now littered with garbage..”

“Damn.. hopefully we can get him back…” 

“Yeah… we need to. Or my Dad and Clembrane are going to go ballistic on me..”

“I’d tell them if I were you. Explaining the fact that you’re both siren’s may be a bit difficult but, I think they might know how to get Dib back.”

“Alright thanks love, I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye.”

“Bye.” 

Gaz hung up and crawled into bed, shaking anxiously, hoping she’d soon drift off to sleep.

No crying. You’re not a baby anymore.. She told herself, trying her best to hold back her tears. 

She hadn’t cried in months, it was something she always shunned herself for. 

Gaz couldn’t hold back her tears any longer.

Gaz smashed her face into her pillow, sobbing violently. Professor Membrane and Clembrane were coming upstairs to check on Gaz, all they could hear was the sound of her violent and aggressive sobbing.

The two were taken aback, it was rare for them to hear Gaz cry. 

“I’ll ask her if she’s okay.” Professor Membrane decided, knocking on the door. 

Gaz continued to sob, ridiculing herself in the process, What is wrong with you?! Why are you like this?!but then, she was alarmed by a knock at her door.

“Gazlene, is something wrong?” She heard Professor Membrane ask. 

“Yeah is somethin’ wrong? We heard you cryin’” Clembrane adds. 

“Nothing! Just go away!” Gaz shouted nasally, with a sniffle as she lifted her head up from her pillow, then looking down at her hands.

She was caught off guard. They were webbed and covered in purple scales.

Tears could trigger a siren transformation.

Goddamn. Just what I needed. Gaz thought sarcastically as tears rolled down her face.

Outside her door, Professor Membrane and Clembrane glanced at each other. 

“I hope everything is okay…” Clembrane frowned, Professor Membrane nodded, 

“If you need us we’ll be downstairs!” Professor Membrane said, him and Clembrane then heading back downstairs. 

•••

Tenn, Skoodge and Keef walked around City Center mall, Tenn was scanning the area for T.E.S, while Skoodge and Keef munched on some soft pretzels.

Tenn glanced at the two. 

“How have guys been?” Tenn asked.

“Fine.. Zim hasn’t though-“ Skoodge answered.

“Oh irk- what happened?” Tenn pressed.

“Dib and Gaz got into a fight and Dib was swept away by a current.. Gaz really needs to find a way to get Dib back. Or her parents are going to be mad.” Keef answered.

“Oh damn- hopefully she can get him back.” Tenn said.

“Yeah, the problem is, is that we don’t know where that current took Dib. So he could be anywhere.” Skoodge pointed out.

“So he could be all the way in Australia?” Keef replied.

“Maybe. Who knows- I think it’s more likely that he’s in Wisconsin or Canada though- I mean. We are south of Canada.” Skoodge said, Keef and Tenn nodded, then heading over to T.E.S, still wondering how Gaz was going to get Dib back.

End Notes:

So Uh- i decided to insert one of my hcs into this. Specifically Dib having the responsibility of taking care of Gaz at a young age and basically having to be “parent”. I notice that tends to happen with older siblings. So I figured that Dib might have some trauma related to that.

Can’t believe this is the second to last update holy shit-

[pawbean-soda]

catgender short story

hi, leopard here. so recently we started researching xenogenders and neopronouns and i found out about catgender, a label that i find fits me really well. my gender is closely linked to my therianism and my therotype and I'd like to explain it a little. leopards and animals in general lead very physical lives and for me that transfers over in large quantities. i am the most in touch with the body and have the most (or at least very) vivid shifts out of all of us. if you were to ask a cat what their gender was, what would they say? would the cat really pick a human gender or is that just bias from our own human-centric experience. wouldn't the cat have it's own idea of gender derived from its own cat-centric experience. everyone's alter humanity is different, but for me the answer is a resounding yes. both my experience of living in a human body and being a leopard combine to have me end up being a catgender girl.

while researching how catgender pronouns work i found a resounding lack of material representing catgender and catgender pronouns, so i made my own. not sure if this will become a thing or not but here you have it. a short (very short) story featuring a main character who use exclusively catgender pronouns. enjoy.

Eli had lived in vancouver washington paw’s whole life, but at night it was like a new city altogether. the streetlamps and the stars breathing new life into paw’s home. Even the view through paw’s window was wholly different in the dark, mysterious and bathed in a blanket of shadow.

“Hey, are you coming or what?” paws dad yelled up the stairs. Right! Eli was going on a night hike with paws dad. Paw pulled pawself from the window and quickly finished packing paws bag. A flashlight, some snacks, paws phone, bugspray. Eli had been on many hikes before, but never at night. Paw’s dad prided themself on their outdoorsmanship and had taken paw on many, many camping trips and hikes through paws childhood and even now, with Eli being almost seventeen, he was still insistent that paw always come with him on little trips like this. Not that paw had any objections. Paw loved the feeling of wind through paws' hair and bark beneath paws fingers. The forest was always so alive in a way the city wasn't, from the eagles sorting so high paw would have trouble breathing at those heights to the tiny almost too small to see bugs on every leaf and rock. And with paws dad being a veteran hiker, the views were always amazing. Finally with paws bag packed and paws hiking boots securely laced, Eli and paws dad set off in the car to the olympic national park.

Even just a few minutes into the hike Eli was seeing things in a new light. Originally when paws dad suggested this idea, paw thought it would be a dark and spooky experience, but it was more otherworldly and ethereal than scary. All the little white mushrooms that dotted the trail almost seemed to glow in the moonlight and the ferns weaving between the trees glinted like they were catching the stars in their leaves. From way up in the trees Eli could hear leaves rustling and owls hooting and off in the distance a coyote pack rallied for a hunt.

“Careful here this moss is more slippery than it looks” purrs dad was a foot and a half onto a wooden bridge spanning a ravine and had clearly almost slipped, gripping the handrail so hard his knuckles were white. With a good grip on the railing mew started to cross the bridge. Eli was here last summer with paws friend Noah's family. Back then there was a river rushing through the ravine. Looking down, paw saw that in the month's sense purr’s visit it had trickled down into a small stream. “Hey, look at that” paw pointed to something down in the ravine. “Good spotting eli. Those are mule deer”. The deer, a mother and a baby, had stopped at the stream to drink. The mom turned to look up at Eli and mews dad before turning and darting away, her fawn following closely after.

“It should be right, here! Eli it’s over here”, purrs dad was gesturing excitedly at a seaming inconspicuous game trail, which apparently led to the lake. “You know, this was easter to find in the daylight” eli pushed through the bushes and stepped out onto the rocky shore. The lake was almost completely still, with only gentle ripples disturbing the dark clear surface. A reflection of the stars peppered the water like pinholes in blackout curtains, letting the light from the other side seep through and The moon’s watery twin danced with the gentle sway of the waves. It was mesmerizing in a way only nature could be. Eli sat down on the beach, mews feet almost touching the water. Mews dad sat down beside them. For what felt like hours, they sat with the lake and the moon, the forest at their backs. They will have to leave at some point, but not anytime soon.

[antclan-blogs]

MOON 11

Badgerdust has gotten yellowcough. Chaffinchbounce’s tail was badly injured by a fox. Rivernose slipped on some rocks and dislocated his leg.

This moon’s story under the cut!

“What brings you here?” Chaffinchbounce mewed, gently licking his mangled tail to stop it from becoming infected. Rivernose had just limped through the leaf barrier, hissing in pain.

“Dislocated my leg again.” He managed through gritted teeth, hobbling across the den and collapsing into a nest beside Chaffinchbounce.

“That’s rough.” The deputy nodded sympathetically. “Well, join the club.” He gestured to his bleeding tail.

Badgerdust, who had been curled around Stoatkit quietly, lifted his head and coughed throatily. “Hello Rivernose.” He greeted.

Rivernose gave Badgerdust a troubled glance. “Is he alright?” He asked Chaffinchbounce in a low mew. Both Badgerdust and his son, Stoatkit, had yellowcough this moon, and didn’t seem to be dealing with it particularly well.

The blueish-grey warrior shrugged. “He’d never admit it if he wasn’t. Wants to be strong for his kin, see.” Chaffinchbounce nodded towards Stoatkit, who was staring blearily up at his father.

Rivernose sighed and shifted in his nest. “He’s too hard on himself.” He whispered.

Just then, Hushstep and Berrypaw trotted into the den with mouths full of dock leaves.

“Rivernose, I told you to take some poppy seeds!” Berrypaw sighed as he dropped the herbs he was carrying and trotted over to the nests.

“Sorry, Berrypaw.” Rivernose sighed. “Could you pass me some? My leg is in agony.”

Berrypaw nodded and leaned over to fetch a few poppy seeds, dropping them at Rivernose’s paws. “Just this once, since you’re such a poor soul.” He mewed sarcastically.

Chaffinchbounce glanced at Hushstep and chuckled. “You’re beginning to sound like your mentor.” He told the grey apprentice.

Berrypaw only rolled his eyes and gave Hushstep a playful nudge. “I hope not! He snores.” He joked, humour glinting in his eyes.

Hushstep let out a mrrow of laughter as he dropped some lungwort into Badgerdust’s nest. “Chew this up.” He told the sickly warrior.

Chaffinchbounce rolled over and groaned. “Stupid fox. My tail is killing me.” He complained. “Not literally!” He added with a chuckle as both Berrypaw and Hushstep shot him alarmed glances.

Rivernose laughed and craned his neck to look over at Badgerdust. “Alright, Badger?” He called to his friend, but the warrior groaned in reply.

“Do I look alright?” Badgerdust replied slowly. He turned his head towards Hushstep. “Can you check on Gladekit?”

The medicine cat let out a long breath. “Berrypaw can do it.” He gestured to his apprentice. “He’s in the nursery with Mossgleam.”

Berrypaw dropped what he was doing and padded away to check that Badgerdust’s other kit was doing ok. Rivernose watched him leave, and turned to the other cats with a sigh.

“I hate being cooped up in this den. It’s so stuffy.” The grey tom complained, before meeting Hushstep’s gaze. “No offence.”

Hushstep shrugged. “Let’s just hope you all get better soon, then.”

i love these kitties way too much smh..berrypaw is growing up so yeah 😭 i honestly have no idea if these cats actually canonically like each other in clangen but here’s hoping because they do in my head