#Beekit

[rippleclan]

RippleClan: Moon 103, Part 1

Rattlepelt and Wildclaw are asked to take in a litter of three from AshClan.

[Image ID: Wildclaw and Rattlepelt stand above three newborns. The first, a gold spotted tom with a white belly, has the caption NEW PLAYER: SUNKIT, 0, MALE, FEARLESS. The second kit, a red tom with a few white spots, has the caption NEW PLAYER: BERRYKIT, 0, MALE, BULLYING. The last kit, a calico molly, has the caption NEW PLAYER: SKYKIT, 0, FEMALE, KNOW-IT-ALL.]

"I don't like this, Rattlepelt," Wildclaw muttered as every step sent her sinking to her belly in air-like snow. "I don't like AshClan requesting to see us both like this. I have no friends in AshClan. This can't be good."

"You are the Clan deputy," Rattlepelt reminded her mate. The tail of her fox pelt left a long line in the snow. "It's not so strange for AshClan to speak with you. They could want to discuss some new form of trade, so they invite your artisan mate along."

"Enough bad things happen to the two of us that I'm allowed to be concerned," Wildclaw huffed. "We still don't know what happened to Billowhaze, Splashtuft, and Tallowheart."

"I don't think AshClan is able to make bodies disappear so easily," Rattlepelt sighed, still managing to chuckle despite the weight of the strange tragedy.

It was a gray morning when the two mollies left camp for the AshClan border. Dovefur had returned early from his border patrol, explaining that Leathermask and Rapidleaf were waiting with a gaggle of AshClan cats who wanted to speak with Wildclaw and Rattlepelt. The weather matched the tension each RippleClan cat carried in their hearts. No one, not even the clerics who confirmed their deaths, had an answer for the strange disappearances that rocked the Clan. It barely felt like the three toms were dead, just… out on patrol. So that's all most cats could do. Patrol, and hope to fill the sudden, inexplicable hole in their lives.

At least it properly looked like winter. The snow was so ridiculously fluffy that Wildclaw could barely feel it. It was the sort of snow that kits should spend their days frolicking in and apprentice should bury themselves under to pull pranks on their poor mentors. Wildclaw wondered if Midnightpaw had memories of snow from his early moons. She hoped Valleypaw could enjoy the snow in StarClan, free fron the deadly cold.

Wildclaw and Rattlepelt spotted Leathermask and Rapidleaf before either of them could continue overthinking the situation. They waited by the border alongside Terracottafoot and one of AshClan's mediators. Wildclaw put on her deputy's mask and nodded to the AshClan representatives.

"Greetings, Terracottafoot," Wildclaw said. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"That's not the least of it," Rapidleaf pointed out. "There were two other cats here before we sent Dovefur for you. They still haven't come back."

"I'm glad you both could make it," Terracottafoot purred, licking their cold paws. "Truthfully, Paleseed has raved about how good-hearted you both are."

"Excuse me?" Rattlepelt said with a slight head tilt.

"Well, the two toms you adopted, Midnightpaw and Valleypaw," Terracottafoot stammered, tail curling as they searched for the right words. "They were your third adopted litter, right? You've taken in a lot of kits who needed love and attention."

"Shrewflame and Whiteflower weren't really litters," Wildclaw chuckled politely, "but they needed someone in the nursery with them, and we've never regretted it." Rattlepelt nodded along to her mate's assessment, touching her nose to Wildclaw's cheek.

"That's why we asked for you two specifically," Terracottafoot gulped. "I don't have a good way to ask this, but there are some cats who need your help."

"Oh stars," Leathermask muttered, catching sight of the returning AshClan cats before the smell of birth and milk reached Wildclaw's nose.

The two AshClan cats who had left before Wildclaw and Rattlepelt's arrival carried three kits with them. The first AshClan cat carried two kits at once; both stocky for their tiny forms, one was a stunning red while the other at first seemed pure white, but revealed ginger patches and a black tail when she squirmed. The other AshClan cat carried a golden spotted tom. None of them could have been older than half a moon, but were almost certainly younger than that.

"We didn't want them to wait in the cold if we didn't find a patrol," Terracottafoot explained awkwardly.

"So colorful," Wildclaw muttered. The calico, the only molly of the three, shifted her half-sealed gaze toward Wildclaw. Baby blue eyes gleamed like spots of sky against a cloudy sky.

"I didn't know you had a flair for the dramatic, Terracottafoot," Rattlepelt huffed. "You didn't think to say anything about this before you brought the kits?"

"Maybe you should just hear the story," Terracottafoot awkwardly suggested.

"Are you giving away AshClan kits?" Rapidleaf asked.

"They belonged to Caretaker Dayhaze," Terracottafoot explained. "You probably knew her best, Warrior Leathermask. She suffered complications in the birth and finally past yesterday."

"Dayhaze is mates with Bluesun," Leathermask pointed out. "Why aren't these kits with their father?"

"You misunderstand," the mediator beside Terracottafoot said. "They are Dayhaze's children, but not Bluesun's."

"Oh," Wildclaw gulped. She instinctively shifted a paw to touch Rattlepelt's. Rattlepelt returned the gesture.

"The sire was a kittypet in the human settlement," Terracottafoot continued. "The yellowcough outbreak took him shortly after Caretaker Dayhaze became pregnant. We discussed what she wanted for her kits after she passed, and she decided they would fare better in RippleClan."

"No one in AshClan would adopt them?" Wildclaw muttered. "If a nurse is what you need, Mitespark gave birth to her litter two days ago. She could help."

"If Caretaker Dayhaze did not want the kits to be adopted by an AshClan couple," the mediator beside Terracottafoot sighed, "we have to respect that. Don't look at us like we're tossing them out."

"I'm more-so surprised Eelstar agreed to it," Wildclaw scoffed.

"He didn't have to," Terracottafoot sighed, dipping their head. "I'm sad to announce that Eelstar has joined StarClan."

Good, Wildclaw thought as the faces of her Clanmates shifted with the less-than-awful news. Wildclaw stood taller. Eelstar may have changed from the lackey he was under Autumnstar, but he was still a spirit of suffering in the collective memory of RippleClan. For him to live beyond Downstar and Weedfoot was an insult to their suffering under his burnt paws.

"Barkfur has his nine lives, then?" Wildclaw grunted, the mask of diplomacy slipping with a crack in her voice.

"Elder Barkfur is as old as Eelstar," the interrupting meditator said. "He decided, for the good of the Clan, to retire and give leadership to younger blood. The reign of Lichenstar has now begun."

"My niece," Terracottafoot coughed, concealing a purr of pride. Well then! Wildclaw knew Lichenstar, once Lichenfur. She had been a codekeeper with an unmatched lust for the intricacies of trials and the balance of justice and mercy. Wildclaw made a note to tell Oilstar of this, although as the calico kitten continued to stare at her, her focus slipped.

"Lichenstar deeply values parental rights and the wellbeing of our kits," the mediator noted. "This was Dayhaze's wish, and Lichenstar respects it. As she decreed, it is better for our children to live beyond our reach than to live within and feel the claws of uncaring hearts. Bluesun… has not reacted well to the affair." Maternal fury sparked in Wildclaw's heart. Rattlepelt gently nosed Wildclaw, drawing her eyes off the kits.

"Do you remember what you told me when we found Midnightpaw and Valleypaw?" Rattlepelt said. "It felt like one of those moments StarClan designs just for us. Every time we've taken someone in, they've only made our lives brighter."

"I thought you would be hesitant," Wildclaw stammered. She shifted her back to AshClan, giving her and Rattlepelt a bit more privacy. "We lost Valleypaw just a few moons ago. I thought you'd want to mourn longer. I'm usually the one convincing you of these things."

"I'm sure I don't need to convince you of this," Rattlepelt sighed, brushing her fox pelt against Wildclaw. "You can barely look away."

"You'll take them?" Terracottafoot held their breath.

"That's what their mother wanted," Wildclaw hummed, inching close to the kits. The red kit squinted at Wildclaw, his tiny paws twitching toward her. The golden kit in the back mewled for his brother and sister, outraged at the separation.

"Thank you," Terracottafoot purred, waving the other AshClan cats closer. "Thank you both. There's just one thing we need to do. It's only right that the kits take part in one last AshClan tradition. Just sit together, right here." Terracottafoot patted the snow. Wildclaw and Rattlepelt hesitantly obeyed, sitting right at the edge of the border. Terracottafoot flicked their tail, and the two AshClan cats carrying the kits placed them at Wildclaw and Rattlepelt's paws.

"We can't let them sit in the snow," Rattlepelt snapped, shuffling her fox pelt off. "Here, here, put them on this." Rattlepelt shivered violently as a soft breeze rolled over her exposed silver skin. She rubbed into Wildclaw as the gray deputy tugged the fox pelt underneath the squirming kits. The golden kit did his best to stand, but flopped onto his jaw with a silly mew of protest. The red tom and the calico molly nibbled at the fox fur, hoping to nurse. Terracottafoot sat in front of the newly formed family, clearing their throat.

"We ask our warrior ancestors to look upon these kits and offer your blessings," Terracottafoot recited, eyes to the gray morning sky. "We do not wish to strip them of their heritage, of the parents who brought them into this world. We only ask that their family grow to take on new guardians, cats to share in the responsibilities of those who came before. Warriors of StarClan, bless Wildclaw and Rattlepelt as they accept the children of Dayhaze into their family, joining her in forever guarding the hearts of the kits before them." Wildclaw nosed each kit, taking in their soft scent. She gave the calico kitten a special lick on the head; it would be nice to have a daughter for once.

"We'll keep them safe," Rattlepelt promised, heart and voice warm.

"Just one thing before you take them to RippleClan," Terracottafoot stammered. The spell of their ritual faded, replaced with their usual nervous demeanor. "Dayhaze named them, and I know it was important to her that they keep their names."

"Of course," Wildclaw huffed. "Who's who?"

"She named the red tom Berrykit," Terracottafoot explained, "after holly berries. The calico is Skykit. Dayhaze thought she looked like the sun breaking through thick clouds with those ginger patches. And this squirmy golden kit is Sunkit."

"They're wonderful," Rapidleaf purred.

"I'm sorry though, Terracottafoot," Leathermask sighed, bowing slightly to the AshClan cleric. "You seem to care for Dayhaze."

"She was a good molly, even if she wasn't faithful," Terracottafoot said, nodding as though they had to confirm their own beliefs. "I know her kits will fare well with you, Deputy Wildclaw." Wildclaw studied her new kits. Berrykit had become bored with the fox fur and now nibbled at Skykit. Skykit squealed and clumsily kicked at her brother. Sunkit continued his determined efforts to stand, despite tumbling once more onto the fox pelt.

"We'll protect them," Wildclaw promised. "They'll always be loved."

She couldn't say they'd be safe; memories of Valleypaw running out of camp, her last glimpse of her son, glimmered in her mind's eye. But to say they would be loved… that was a promise Wildclaw could keep.

(Wildclaw: 95, female, deputy, fierce, trusted advisor, good fighter)

(Rattlepelt: 86, female, artisan, thoughtful, leather artist)

(Rapidleaf: 121, female, warrior, lonesome, prophecy interpreter)

(Leathermask: 51, male, warrior, confident, good fighter, eloquent speaker)

(Berrykit: 0, male, kit, bullying)

(Skykit: 0, female, kit, know-it-all)

(Sunkit: 0, male, kit, fearless)

Mitespark safely delivers her litter of six kits, although two of them pass within the first two days. She and Wolverineheart thank the spirits of StarClan who accompanied their four beautiful kits to RippleClan.

[Image ID: Mitespark and Wolverineheart watch over a litter of four. Beside Mitespark, it reads - CONDITION: PREGNANT, + CONDITION: RECOVERING FROM BIRTH. The first kit is a brown, ginger, and white tortoiseshell molly. Under her, it reads NEW PLAYER: LIGHTKIT, 0, FEMALE, DAYDREAMER. The next kit, a black tom, has the caption NEW PLAYER: FUZZYKIT, 0, MALE, UNRULY. Under the next kit, a golden tom with a white patch on his back, it says NEW PLAYER: GOLDENKIT, 0, MALE, BULLYING. The last kit is black and pale ginger with the caption NEW PLAYER: SNAKEKIT, 0, FEMALE, POLITE.]

(Mitespark: 45, female, artisan, charismatic, great mediator)

(Wolverineheart: 35, female, warrior, troublesome, student of science)

(Lightkit: 0, female, kit, daydreamer)

(Fuzzykit: 0, male, kit, unruly)

(Goldenkit: 0, male, kit, bullying)

(Snakekit: 0, female, kit, polite)

Icepaw finally becomes Icepounce and promises his sister that she too will graduate some day.

[Image ID: Icepaw, now Icepounce, tells Quickpaw, "It won't be long!" Under him, it reads LEVEL UP! ICEPAW → ICEPOUNCE, FIERCE → ADVENTUROUS, NEVER SITS STILL → FAST AS THE WIND, ODDLY OBSERVANT → NATURAL INTUITION.]

(Icepounce: 13, male, teacher, adventurous, fast as the wind, natural intuition)

(Quickpaw: 13, female, historian apprentice, ambitious, good swimmer)

Beepaw, Patchpaw, and Morningpaw are apprenticed to Puddlewhisper, Shrewflame, and Icepounce.

[Image ID: Beepaw, Patchpaw, and Morningpaw all have apprentice sprites. Under Beepaw, it says LEVEL UP! BEEKIT → BEEPAW, NOISY → BOLD, + NEW SKILL: PICKY NEST BUILDER. Under Patchpaw, it reads LEVEL UP! PATCHKIT → PATCHPAW, CHARMING → ADVENTUROUS. Under Morningpaw, it reads LEVEL UP! MORNINGKIT → MORNINGPAW, BOSSY → CONFIDENT.]

(Beepaw: 6, male, codekeeper apprentice, bold, quick to help, picky nest builder)

(Patchpaw: 6, male, teacher apprentice, adventurous, interested in Clan history)

(Morningpaw: 6, male, teacher apprentice, confident, eye for details)

[bugsclan]

BUGSclan moon 0.1 :) I need a pfp.

[koolaidcatley]

[bearsplash]

troutkit and beekit have such a special relationship.. to me

[letyachan]

279.Beesting

Daughter of Nectarsong and Dewspring

"Are you the one who brought the Sisters here?"

Beepaw

[leafpoolstanblog]

SkyClan-Y13-GL

Squirreldapple, Rootspring, Needleclaw, and Wrenflight graduate.

Squirreldapple dies shortly after during the DF battle. Frecklewish dies as well.

Nectarsong and Kitescratch have two kits; Beekit and Beetlekit.

[rippleclan]

RippleClan: Moon 98

Even though all Midnightpaw wants to do is sleep, Anchovystrike encourages Midnightpaw to hunt at night. Unfortunately, Anchovystrike encourages Midnightpaw to catch what turns out to be a porcupine, which badly slashes Midnightpaw's left eye.

[Image ID: Anchovystrike and Midnightpaw stalk a bush of red berries, but the back half of a porcupine sticks out of it. Under Midnightpaw, it reads + CONDITION: DAMAGED EYES.]

(Anchovystrike: 33, male, warrior, playful, unshakable StarClan link)

(Midnightpaw: 7, male, warrior apprentice, oblivious, always wandering)

On his first proper day out of the nursery, Beekit bruises himself by hitting the rocks bordering camp. He still has fun, though.

[Image ID: Beekit, who looks just like his dad, trots back to Patchkit and Morningkit, who have grown into full kit sprites and have blue and yellow-green eyes, respectively. Morningkit cheers, "Do it again!" Under Beekit, it reads + NEW SKILL: QUICK TO HELP, + CONDITION: BRUISES. Under Patchkit, it reads + NEW SKILL: INTERESTED IN CLAN HISTORY. Under Morningkit, it reads + NEW SKILL: EYE FOR DETAILS. Billowhaze and Stormjump watch them from the back, with Billowhaze saying, "Your son has a skull made of rock."]

(Beekit: 1, male, kit, noisy, quick to help)

(Patchkit: 1, male, kit, charming, interested in Clan history)

(Morningkit: 1, male kit, bossy, eye for details)

(Billowhaze: 33, male, historian, loyal, good kitsitter)

(Stormjump: 29, female, caretaker, charismatic, incredible cook)

While patrolling the horse path, Oilstar and Carnationspeckle see humans throw a sack out of a monster.

[Image ID: Oilstar and Carnationspeckle approach a long-furred lilac cat wit heather blue eyes and a white spot on their chest and tail. The cat stands at the side of a road. They yowl, "Don't expt me to—*cough*—crawl back home to you!" Under them, it reads NEW PLAYER: INDIGO, 38, HALF TOM (HE/THEY), PLAYFUL, INCREDIBLE RUNNER, GREAT TEACHER, + CONDITION: YELLOWCOUGH.]

---

Harvest Moon always left the five Clans exhausted. Whether that exhaustion stemmed from celebrating from sunrise to the depths of the night, or from warding off the Spirits of Shadow that breached the living world, Harvest Moon sent every cat, young and old, back to their dens asleep on their paws. No one ever wanted to take the first patrol after Harvest Moon. Yet, because of this, it made the perfect opportunity for Oilstar to take her mate on a romantic outing.

Technically, Oilstar and Carnationspeckle were marking the southern border, but the truth of the patrol was obvious to even the youngest kit. In full honesty, they barely made it to the southern reaches of the territory before they both found a quiet spot to enjoy one another.

The two mates curled among the early autumn leaves, bathed in a warm morning glow. The sparce trees of the southern territory stood around them like silent guards, protecting their love. Oilstar dug her face into Carnationspeckle's chest. Carnationspeckle laughed at her mate's sweet touch. She shifted and licked Oilstar's belly. Oilstar wrapped herself further around Carnationspeckle.

"It's been too long since we did this," Oilstar purred, speaking into the soft fluff of Carnationspeckle's flank.

"You're in the leader's den now," Carnationspeckle pointed out. She rested her chin on Oilstar's soft belly. "We can have privacy whenever we want."

"And have our kits and grandkits tease us the whole time?" Oilstar laughed. "No, no. I like finding quiet spots with you. I like stepping away from the Clan for a while. Even StarClan gives us privacy here." Oilstar nuzzled hard under Carnationspeckle's chin, earning another deep laugh.

"Well, if that's how it is," Carnationspeckle hummed. She untangled herself from Oilstar and gazed southward. The pair could see the horse path from where they laid, outlined by the deep marks of the monsters that harrassed horses onwards. "Hmm… no strangers in sight. I think that's a successful patrol."

"You know, we still have to mark it," Oilstar cooed as Carnationspeckle relaxed beside her once more.

"I know," Carnationspeckle whined playfully. "But surely that gives us more private time, doesn't it?"

"Maybe I should have made you deputy," Oilstar hummed. She licked her mate's ear.

"Not the place for me," Carnationspeckle said. She tucked herself further against Oilstar's belly. "This is."

Oilstar rested her chin on Carnationspeckle. She gazed out at the human barns far beyond the territory. Their autumn crops swayed in a gentle breeze. Oilstar wondered if this was what life in StarClan was like; curled up beside those you love, taking in all the beauty the world can offer. If it was, Oilstar would be happy to die some day.

A monster trotted down the horse path from the west. The horse attached to the strange contraption batted at flies with its tail in a shockingly undisturbed manner. Oilstar would have to ask Venturedapple or some other former kittypet what it was like to sit on top of one of those monsters, with its impossibly warped wood and the humans guiding it along. Had any of them been in the den-like monsters with sturdy woven walls?

Oilstar expected the monster and its horse to pass them by, following the horse path as it curved southward down the coast toward places unknown. Yet, to Oilstar's surprise, the monster slowed. The human guiding the monster onward pulled at the ropes holding the horse in place, forcing it to a stop. The human's gangly paw grabbed a leather sack sitting at their side. Something inside the sack squirmed and smacked against the sides, fighting for dear life. The muffled shriek of a cat pulled Carnationspeckle out from under her mate. Both mollies watched as the human threw the sack just off the horse path. The form inside seized and scrambled for the sack's wide mouth.

"There's a cat in there!" Carnationspeckle gasped as the human on the monster grabbed their horse's ropes once more. They flicked the ropes, making the horse cry out. The trapped beast continued its former trot along the path, unaffected by the screeching cat on the path's side.

"Let's hurry," Oilstar huffed, running down the hillside. Carnationspeckle ran alongside her.

As the monster crawled away, a lilac paw plunged out of the leather sack's opening. A wild furred face pulled itself into the sunlight. It was a long-furred lilac tom with a dark leather collar firmly tied around his neck. His blue eyes were watery and his nose was smeared with mucus.

"Cowards!" the tom yowled at the retreating monster. "Don't expect me to—" the tom coughed violently, seizing forward with the intensity of it all. Carnationspeckle flinched back as she and Oilstar got close to the path. The tom choked out through his coughing fit, "—crawl back to you!"

"Oilstar, be careful," Carnationspeckle whispered. "We don't know what he has."

"I have lives to spare," Oilstar assured her mate. As the RippleClan cats drew closer, the kittypet's fury turned toward the collar around his neck. He flung his paws underneath the collar and fell on his side. He pulled at the well-tanned material, getting strands of his own fur caught in his claws. The collar pressed against his throat.

"Stop, stop!" Carnationspeckle yowled. "You'll choke yourself!" The tom pulled his paws back out and gasped for air. Another coughing fit raked his body. He coughed so hard that he threw up on the edge of the path. Oilstar and Carnationspeckle stopped a few tail-lengths away until the tom finally regained his breath.

"You…" the tom gulped, "you might not want to get close. Yellowcough."

"Who are you?" Oilstar asked, putting on her newly discovered leader's voice.

"They named me Indigo," said the kittypet. "I doubt I'll keep that name considering they threw me away!" Indigo hissed at what little could still be seen of the monster, only to cough again.

"Your humans abandon you just because you're sick?" Carnationspeckle gasped.

"A lot of cats are sick right now," Indigo groaned. "I guess they didn't want to catch what I have."

"I'm Oilstar, leader of RippleClan," Oilstar said. "This is my mate, Carnationspeckle. We have clerics who can treat yellowcough. We can offer you food and shelter while you recover."

"RippleClan," Indigo chuckled. He rubbed his soiled face on the grass. "The Witch Hunters told me about you. Some trade agreement, right?"

"Are you a Witch Hunter?" Carnationspeckle gulped. Oilstar could feel Carnationspeckle's hackles rise at the thought of her former kidnappers.

"Just a cat who lived under their rule," Indigo assured her. "They asked me to give them a blanket from my human's house to trade with you once. They could get some tools from you, I think. Hope you put it to good use." A blanket? Oilstar tried to remember some of the strange kittypet words she'd learned in her interactions with the Witch Hunters.

"The human long pelt," Oilstar realized. "Was it the one with the blue and tan stripes? Yes, we still have that! We actually use it to line the floor of our elder's den. Our elders love it. Thank you, Indigo." Oilstar's thanks were interuppted by another coughing fit. "Carnationspeckle, can you hurry back to camp? See if Honeybuzz or Gingerpaw can prepare a nest in the quarantine den for Indigo here. We'll see you there."

"Don't get sick," Carnationspeckle ordered Oilstar, touching noses with her. Carnationspeckle's tail brushed against Oilstar as she stepped away. She ran across the rolling land with the speed of a cat far younger and all the beauty Oilstar adored.

"I won't say no to help," Indigo groaned, stumbling toward Oilstar.

"Lean on me if you need to," Oilstar said. She walked slow beside Indigo, eyeing his bile-stained mouth. This certainly wasn't how she expected to spend a day out with her mate, but she supposed the duties of a leader were never done.

The walk back to camp was ridiculously slow, as Indigo had to stop and cough more than a few times. Oilstar worried he'd collapse before they got to the shipwreck, but luckily the camp came into view soon enough. Indigo stared at the mighty shipwreck, just as so many loners and kittypets before him did when they first graced the camp.

"I've met shipcats before," Indigo muttered, "but I've never been so close to a real ship."

"We had a shipcat living with us for a while," Oilstar hummed. "His name was Washington. He taught us a lot about what this ship might have been like when it sailed the sea." There was a sparkle in Indigo's eyes that fought through his exhaustion. Oilstar's whiskers twitched in mirth as she led the way into camp.

Most of the Clan was still in camp, recovering from the previous night's grand celebration. Yet their attention was still on the entrance, waiting for the newcomer Carnationspeckle had warned them about. Indigo's head bounced from den to den. Strength filled his paws. Yet sadly, Oilstar could not show the kittypet around quite yet. Instead, they looped past the medicine den, toward the dirt place, and into the quarantine den. Inside, Carnationspeckle and Troutpool were fixing a nest. Troutpool's ears perked as her other mother arrived.

"You must be the tomcat my mother told me about," Troutpool purred. "Here, why don't you rest?"

"You're half right," Indigo groaned, eagerly crawling into the mossy nest. "I'm more of a half tom. You know, he and they?"

"We'll remember that," Oilstar said. "Troutpool here is our senior cleric. She and the other clerics will do their best to treat your yellowcough. That way, once you've recovered, you can decide where you go from here. I know you don't want to find your humans."

"What I really want is to get this collar off," Indigo whined, pawing at their neck.

"There's a way to remove it without destroying it, if you want," Carnationspeckle pointed out.

"I want it cut into tiny pieces so I can dance on them," Indigo huffed. "I'm never wearing a collar again."

"I can't stand the feeling of leather." Oilstar almost jumped at Scaleripple's voice. The fluffy cream-colored tom stood silently behind her, watching Indigo.

"Scaleripple, you can meet Indigo in due time," Oilstar sighed. "They're sick and exhausted. Let them rest."

"How can I rest in a place like this?" Indigo groaned, waving at the wooden walls. "This camp is like nothing I've ever seen! And it's all been built by cats! Well, not the ship, but… you know what I mean. I want to know everything about RippleClan."

"I can teach you," Scaleripple said. He walked past Oilstar, either purposefully or forgetfully ignoring her instructions. "I'm a teacher. It's my job."

"That's not a bad idea," Troutpool said. "If we're going to take care of Indigo, he should know a bit about us."

"If they feel strong enough…" Oilstar muttered.

"What's a teacher?" Indigo barely finished their question before another awful coughing fit overtook their lungs. Yellow phelgm stained the leather floor.

"That's definetely yellowcough," Troutpool muttered. "I'm going to get you some mullein immediately, but it will take a bit of time to prepare more medicine for you."

"Scaleripple can keep me company," Indigo coughed. "You don't seem too scared of yellowcough, after all. So, what's a teacher?" Scaleripple sat beside Indigo while Troutpool slipped off to prepare her medicine.

"We teach the Clan how to do things," Scaleripple explained. "We help apprentices with their training and teach warriors new skills. We teach cats about RippleClan. We teach artisans how to hunt and codekeepers how to tan leather. If you want to learn, you can speak with a teacher."

"I want to do that," Indigo gasped, eyes sparkling.

"You do?" Oilstar said. "We don't want to force you into our Clan, Indigo."

"You're not forcing me," Indigo huffed. "My humans threw me out and my friends gave me yellowcough. You actually want to help. Why wouldn't I want to learn about you?"

"If you want to join RippleClan," Carnationspeckle laughed, "we can tell you about the other jobs we have. I'm a caretaker, for example."

"I'm good," Indigo chuckled, coughing through his humor. "Save my life, and I'll be the best teacher you've ever seen."

"We've only had four," Scaleripple said in monotone.

"I like you!" Indigo laughed, batting Scaleripple's shoulder. The cream-colored tom tensed, but did not run away.

Well then. It seemed Harvest Moon had one last surprise for RippleClan.

(Oilstar: 102, female, leader, charismatic, ghost speaker)

(Carnationspeckle: 100, female, caretaker, compassionate, fish-like swimmer)

(Indigo: 38, half tom (he/they), teacher, playful, incredible runner, great teacher)

(Troutpool: 59, female, cleric, insecure, ghost sight)

(Scaleripple: 51, male, teacher, lonesome, unusually strong fighter)

[songclangen]

seems bugskitter has beef with beekit for his sister’s death :((( but at least bee has a new adopted sister!!! it even says that peatswan is heather’s adoptive mother, since honeystripe still thinks of peat as his mate :(

sprite:

[otterwisp]

I respect the Beenose hustle, she is great and deserved better

Yes i agreed, she is very underrated and I want her to get a bit popularized. By requesting everyone that is open request design canon warrior cat characters.

[stochastique-blog]

Weird

Beekit, Beesting

(2021 kit version)

[bugsclan]

Moon 0.2

[koolaidcatley]

[leafpoolstanblog]

SkyClan-R2-Y13-GL

Needleclaw, Rootspring, Leafdrift, and Moonflight become warriors.

Echosong dies.

Dewspring finds a litter and names them Beekit and Beetlekit.

[rippleclan]

RippleClan: Moon 100, Part 1

During a storm, the ocean waves crash into RippleClan’s camp, threatening to drown many.

[Image ID: Wildclaw and Brightreed stand on a boulder amidst stormy waters, with Wolfgaze on a rock in the background. Wildclaw yowls, "Valleypaw!" to which Brightreed responses, "I'll get him!" Under him, it reads + CONDITION: TORN PELT.]

It's a rite of passage for RippleClan kits to stare up at the great shipwreck that watched over the camp and ask the nearest historian "How did it get here?" After all, even the youngest kits could see the ocean from camp and hear the water at its highest tide, tail-lengths from the westernmost rocks. It never rose high enough to lift a ship all the way from the horizon to the top of the rocks. So how did it happen?

Historians would give some vague guess, some storm that none of them had ever witnessed, but they could never give a definitive answer. It had been there before their parents' parents' parents. No one would ever know what caused RippleClan's ship to wreck itself upon the coast of the Clans.

But that day, as rain pelted RippleClan as hard as claws against skin and saltwater leaked between the western walls, Yarrowclaw could imagine how the ship landed on RippleClan's shore.

RippleClan only realized that the storm had grown worse when Billowhaze loudly complained about his nest being wet, waking up everyone in the warrior's den. Water flowed through minute gaps in the wall in a steady stream, soaking into the leather floor. It ruined the nests near the back of the den, ending just before Yarrowclaw's nest. The brown and white warrior stirred only as surprised orders bounced around the den and cats scrambled out into the bruising rain.

"Asterblaze!" Wildclaw barked, the first out of the den. "Valleypaw! The warrior's den is flooding! We need to dam the holes!" Asterblaze and Valleypaw, who had both been guarding the camp through the night and were soaked through their skin, hurried into camp at the deputy's call.

"The water will ruin the artisan's den," Rattlepelt gulped, hurriedly pulling her fox pelt over. "We need paws to take our supplies to higher ground."

"You can direct the other artisans on that," Wildclaw told her mate with a swift nod. "The tree line should provide some cover for now."

"Valleypaw, loop around camp and find the weak points on that side of the den wall," Asterblaze told his young apprentice. "I'll get some mud, and that should seal them up well enough to get through this rain."

"I'll try," Valleypaw promised as the artisans swarmed past the stunned crowd of soaked warriors, following Rattlepelt's orders to move their pots and baskets.

"Be mindful of the waves!" Asterblaze added before Valleypaw ran out of camp. In an artisan's tale, that sort of statement would have been followed by a violent clap of thunder, but the sky was dark, simply relieving its unbearable load.

Yarrowclaw's fellow warriors squirmed and groaned at the rain, shaking or licking their pelts in vain. Ravenweaver and Mitespark rolled a large pot across the soaked sand while Frostdancer ran basketloads of smaller supplies out to the forest. Yarrowclaw's paws itched. Should she be moving supplies too? Would the rain ruin the fresh-kill? She could—no. No ideas. She had to just listen to what Wildclaw ordered. That was what was best.

"Where are we supposed to sleep?" Billowhaze groaned, ears dragged down with waterweight. "I'm not going back in there tonight."

"We'll figure that out," Wildclaw huffed. "I'm sure we can make room in the other dens."

Yarrowclaw was used to the sound of stormy waves hitting the shore beyond the warrior's den. She knew their foaming, creaking sound well. That sound was a steady backdrop to the night's annoyances. Yet Yarrowclaw's ears bled as a loud creak began to overtake Wildclaw's voice. Yarrowclaw looked toward the foam-stained walls of camp, walls that had never had so much ocean foam smeared on their surfaces as long as Yarrowclaw had been around. Beyond those bramble-topped walls, the ocean stood up.

"SHIT!" Wildclaw shrieked above the rising chaos as the gigantic wave crashed into RippleClan's camp.

Yarrowclaw's paws left the ground. Saltwater surrounded her on all sides. The force of the wave shoved the air out of her chest. Someone's large form smacked into Yarrowclaw's jaw. The pair locked claws into each other, desperate for something, anything, they could hold onto. The wave shoved the confused cats deep into the sand, pressed into the crook of a rock. Yarrowclaw's eyes burned with salt.

When the sting of rain hit Yarrowclaw's nose, the half-drowned warrior gasped violently. Her vision blurred as the cat she had collided with, Venturedapple, stumbled off her. Yarrowclaw coughed out salt and foam. Water formed a pool across the camp. The brambles that lined the eastern wall of camp were now thrown about the clearing, broken by the force of the water. Warriors laid in heaps, smashed against the rocks but still breathing, still groaning and hissing with newfound bruises. Oilstar shoved a fallen plank out from in front of her den and searched for explanation. Wolfgaze had somehow landed perfectly on top of the apprentice's den and looked just as shocked by the sight as Yarrowclaw felt about seeing her.

Some of the smaller rocks of the camp wall had rolled from their resting place. Yarrowclaw nearly exploded when she saw one of the rocks that formed the sides of the nursery had rolled in front of it, but she remembered—Stormjump had that infection. She was in the medicine den, and her kits would be with her or Honeybuzz. The medicine den only had a fallen plank floating in the paw-deep water, they were fine for now. Even though water now flowed over the rocks and deepened the waters within camp, everyone was still in camp. The artisans were by the forest, so…

Wait. No. Valleypaw.

"Valleypaw!" Wildclaw yowled. She had landed belly-up in front of the elder's den, next to a dazed Anchovystrike and an unconscious Leathermask. Despite her wounded Clanmates surrounding her, Wildclaw scrambled up, hissing as she moved. She limped toward the flooding wall and climbed onto the brambleless rocks. She searched the watery beach beyond the wall for signs of black fur and yellow eyes. As she looked, Brightreed crawled out from underneath Wolverineheart and Thundergale; the three had been washed against the eastern walls and laid under the falling water as they collected themselves. A bramble mass clung to Brightreed's body, but he shoved it off despite the blood mixing into the dark stormy waters.

"I'll get him!" Brightreed yowled. He jumped onto the slick rocks and dove into the unseen waters beyond. Wildclaw shook herself out, flinging thick drops about, before following the young warrior down.

Yarrowclaw examined herself. She was cold, yes, and certainly aching and bruised, like everyone else. Yet, unlike Leathermask, she was not unconscious. Unlike Brightreed, she was not bleeding. Unlike Tallowheart, when he stumbled into camp with broken ribs, nothing was broken. Even Venturedapple, who groaned at Yarrowclaw's side, seemed shockingly unharmed. Would he have been so safe if he hadn't been thrown into Yarrowclaw? He practically rode her to… to safety.

"StarClan, no," Yarrowclaw muttered, voice lost in the rain and crashing waves. "Please. I can't be prophesized. Please."

Yarrowclaw had barely listened to Oilstar or the clerics since Estherfern told her about her vision. Whatever it was about, Yarrowclaw couldn't help. She offered a dozen interpretations. If the ship was covered in white flowers, maybe they should be talking to the cat literally named Whiteflower. If it was a ship, maybe it was related to the shipwreck itself and not an individual cat. Anything could be true, except for what Yarrowclaw knew to be true. The feral little voice in her head was already rambling.

You're special. You knew it. You knew it! You're chosen. You're invincible. You're going to survive the storm. No matter what happens today, you can't die. StarClan said so. If ships carry others to shore, and you're the ship, you can save your Clan. No one will die if you're around.

No, no, no! Yarrowclaw couldn't be special, she could not be chosen or invincible for her own sake. The moment she gave into those wild, uncontrollable feelings, she put everyone at risk. And yet the vision… it was almost permission to give in. It was StarClan's way of saying just this once, you can be a little delusional, because in this situation, you aren't.

You get to be a hero, Yarrowclaw.

"Get to the forest!" Yarrowclaw yowled as Icepaw and Pearpaw waded out of the apprentice's den, coughing and shaking. "We need to get out of camp! Just evacuate!"

"Find your kin, everyone!" Oilstar barked as another wave crested over the rocks. The Clan dug their paws into the sand and stood against the salty pressure. Yarrowclaw shut her eyes to block out the sting. She held her breath when the water consumed her head and gasped when it receeded. The water now rippled at her elbows.

The clerics aren't out yet. They're dying. You can keep them alive. No one dies around you. Go.

Yarrowclaw jumped through the water, pushing against the terrified warriors flooding toward the exit. She stumbled, jaw smacking the cold water. As she pushed herself up, she saw Oilstar unite with Carnationspeckle in front of the water-filled artisan's den. The mates touched noses, grateful in each other's safety. Oilstar's eyes met Yarrowclaw, stunned at the only cat not flocking for the exit. She believes you're special too, she's the one who tried to convince you, she knows what you have to do. Yarrowclaw pressed on to the medicine den.

The medicine den was more flooded than Yarrowclaw expected. Water seemed to seep through the sand and the cracks in the shipwreck. The back half of the medicine den had turned into a water-filled cave. Tallowheart lingered at the water's edge, struggling to stand even with Troutpool's help. Gingerspring pounded on Weevilsight's prone belly until she vomited water. The tortoiseshell's signature petals floated out of the den. Midnightpaw cowered against the den wall, the left half of his face wrapped tight in bandages. He shook his head wildly as Honeybuzz and Estherfern cooed for him to move.

"It will get worse if we stay," Honeybuzz snapped. "Midnightpaw, we need to leave now. Just go!"

"I can't!" Midnightpaw whined, hiding his good eye against the ruined shelves of medicine.

"Weevilsight, come on, let's get out of here," Gingerspring gulped as Weevilsight stood, shaking and gagging. "We have to go!"

"Yarrowclaw," Estherfern gasped, the first to notice the newcomer in the chaos and rain. There was more fear in her eyes than Yarrowclaw had seen since Mosspounce carried Foampaw's mangled body into camp. Yet at the sight of Yarrowclaw, Estherfern's blown-out pupils relaxed, ever so slightly. "The vision. Just as your ancestors predicted." Estherfern turned toward Troutpool and Tallowheart, who limped away from the thick waters in the back of the den. "Stay with Yarrowclaw, you two. Nothing will happen if you do."

Yes! Yarrowclaw wouldn't let anyone die at her side. A silly storm couldn't kill her. Nothing could! Yarrowclaw bit her tongue. Blood mixed with saltwater.

"Midnightpaw, your brothers and mothers are just out of camp," Yarrowclaw huffed. "I won't let you get dragged off." Midnightpaw stirred from his blind panic, risking a long look at the brown warrior. Honeybuzz took his chance—he shoved Midnightpaw out of his little corner and into Yarrowclaw, splashing all the way.

"We need to get Indigo," Weevilsight coughed as the group trudged out of the medicine den. "They're in the quarantine den. They're still too weak to move through all this."

"I'll get him, I'll get him," Yarrowclaw huffed. She squinted as the full force of the rain once again burned her eyes. The floodwaters dragged at her fur, trying to keep her still.The camp was empty now, everyone else had evacuated. They knew Yarrowclaw couldn't die. No force of nature could contain her! The longer Yarrowclaw stayed in camp, the easier it was to believe that.

"Wait, look," Tallowheart wheezed, wincing as the effort of talking pressed against his broken ribs. A pale ginger figure slipped around the curve of the shipwreck, keeping a lilac cat on their paws.

"Pearpaw?" Troutpool gasped as Pearpaw helped Indigo shove through the heavy waters. "Why haven't you left camp yet? It isn't safe for an apprentice!"

"It isn't safe for Indigo, either, and no one was helping him!" Pearpaw snapped. She buckled as Indigo fell further into her, continuing to cough. Her shaking legs pressed hard into the unseen sand below and shoved Indigo back up.

"Knew I'd like this place," Indigo chuckled weakly. "Could do without the water, though."

"Wave!" Weevilsight screeched, her dark green eyes fixed on the rushing waters flowing over the rocks. Even though Yarrowclaw could not see or hear another massive wave, she knew Weevilsight's clairvoyance was never wrong. Yarrowclaw shoved Honeybuzz and Midnightpaw toward the western walls.

"Brace!" Yarrowclaw ordered as the creaking sound of another massive wave finally reached her ears.

The clerics and their patients swarmed the rocks, pressing themselves flat against the slick stones. Everyone breathed as deep as they could as the next tidal wave smacked over the entire camp. The ocean shoved Yarrowclaw into the wall as hard as it could. She couldn't move, even with her star-blessed invinciblity. The pressure shoved the air out of Yarrowclaw's chest, but she refused to breathe in water. Her face shoved into Honeybuzz's flank, and Midnightpaw's yowl of panic was suffocated by the onslaught.

When the chaos receeded, the water covered Yarrowclaw's belly. Pearpaw, Indigo, and everyone from the medicine den remained along the western wall, leaning against the rocks, struggling for breath. But they were there. Thanks to Yarrowclaw.

"Swim," Yarrowclaw barked, once more shoving Honeybuzz where she needed him to go. The bandages around Midnightpaw's face came undone from the water weight, revealing half-scarred and snarled red marks crossing over his swollen left eye. He instintively hovered at Pearpaw's side, just far enough to stay out of Indigo's way, but just close enough to keep his good eye on his friend. Tallowheart whimpered in pain, shaking as the water splashed against his bruised chest, but Troutpool and Estherfern helped him on.

The brambles of the camp exit were somehow still in place, forming a tight tunnel with barely enough room to breach the water. Not for them, then. The rest of the brambles that typically lined the rock walls were gone, so that would be the group's way out. Yarrowclaw scaled the smallest of those rocks. Her brittle paws rubbed hard against the rain-slick boulders. Honeybuzz climbed up and over, splashing hard in the open waters beyond camp. One by one, the occupants of the medicine den helped one another over the wall and out of their flooded camp.

The beach was gone. It lurked under the belly-high floodwaters, claimed by the feral ocean. Still, the ocean could not claim everything. RippleClan gathered at the treeline, panting and shivering. They yowled the clerics' names, running back to the water to help their kin to shore.

"Pearpaw!" Icepaw bolted ahead of the adults, charging at his sister. "You were supposed to be behind me!" Icepaw dragged his sister out of the water. Scaleripple slipped behind him and helped Indigo limp into the safe confines of thick, rolling roots.

"Midnightpaw!" When the wounded black apprentice made it to the forest, Rattlepelt wrapped herself around him, shaking harder than anyone else. Further back, Yarrowclaw saw Brightreed nursing his bramble-torn pelt, blood dissolving in the heavy rain. Wildclaw sat hunched in on herself, Whiteflower and Shrewflame on either side. She was wailing.

Yarrowclaw could not see Valleypaw.

"Stormjump!" Honeybuzz yowled as Oilstar and Carnationspeckle met the survivors at the edge of the muddy grass. "Stormjump! Where are my sons?" Oh. Had Yarrowclaw not been in the mindset that she could fight the ocean and win, her stomach might have dropped. She had been focused on getting everyone she saw out, not checking who should have been there in the first place.

"They weren't in the medicine den?" Oilstar gulped, voice strained. Honeybuzz's pupils blew out wide. "Honeybuzz, I saw them, your kits were sleeping with you tonight, you wanted to watch over Stormjump's infection."

"I sent them back!" Honeybuzz shrieked. His cicada wing necklace, still clinging to his neck after all the chaos, whipped against his neck as he spun back toward the camp. "Stormjump felt better! They're in the nursery!"

The nursery… the nursery with a giant rock in front of it… the nursery Yarrowclaw didn't think to check.

[Image ID: Honeybuzz and Yarrowclaw stand in the rain. Yarrowclaw says, "Treat the injured. I can do it. I can get your family out. I can't die."]

It's fine. You're fine. You're you. You'll get them out. They'll be fine. You'll bring them back. They can't die if you don't let them. Just go back.

No! Yarrowclaw was mortal! She'd probably drown trying to save them! She couldn't get them alone! She could lead a patrol. Yes, that was it. She just needed help. The vision never suggested it was all on Yarrowclaw.

Honeybuzz ran for the water, but Yarrowclaw instinctively stepped in front of him.

"No," she growled. "Treat the injured. I can do it. I can get your family out. I can't die." Her spastic eyes stuck onto the nearest cat. "Carnationspeckle. You're a good swimmer. We have to get them." Yarrowclaw almost wanted Carnationspeckle to reject, to pull rank, to force Yarrowclaw to stay with the rest of the Clan while other cats, cats who knew when their bodies were tired, cats who could give up, took her place. But Carnationspeckle turned to her mate, fear raising her hackles. Oilstar nodded.

"Venturedapple, we need your strength," Carnationspeckle called into the grieving, shocked crowd. Venturedapple emerged tall, eyes hard and ready.

"They're my kits!" Honeybuzz yowled. He tried to skirt around Yarrowclaw, but Splashtuft, Drumtooth, and Leathermask (who had luckily woken up from whatever blow he'd sustained earlier) lunged at their brother. The littermates pulled Honeybuzz into the crowd by his scruff as the gold and white cleric screamed, "They need me!"

"You're barely standing!" Drumtooth snarled, pinning his brother into the muddy grass.

"Your kits don't need their father drowning tonight," Leathermask said. He smacked Honeybuzz's flailing paws down.

"They can't end up like Mom," Honeybuzz whined. His claws pulled up large chunks of grass.

"The others will get them," Splashtuft promised. Of course they would. No one around Yarrowclaw would die. Whether StarClan simply knew it to be true for the night or whether they blessed her, Yarrowclaw was the ship that could bring them back to shore.

Yarrowclaw left Honeybuzz pinned by his brothers and charged back into the water with Carnationspeckle and Venturedapple behind her. Water now flowed steadily over the tops of the rock wall. Carnationspeckle leaped over the camp walls and dove into the submerged clearing. Water flew up Yarrowclaw's nose as she followed. The rock she had seen earlier, rolled in front of the nursery by the impact of the first massive wave, still sat, trapping its occupants within.

"Stormjump!" Venturedapple called, floating into the barricading rock. "Kits! Can you hear us!"

"Venturedapple!" It was Morningkit! His voice slipped through the rain-filled cracks of the blockage. "Help!"

"Everyone on this side," Carnationspeckle barked, swimming around the den. Yarrowclaw waded after her. "Venturedapple, Yarrowclaw, you need to push this boulder as hard as you can. I'm going to dive and dig out the sand around the rock, make it easier to move. Now push!" Venturedapple positioned himself next to Yarrowclaw. His long fur floated in the churning water. Carnationspeckle breathed deep and shoved her head under. Yarrowclaw braced her front paws on the rock. Venturedapple copied her. Hind legs digging into the sand, shaking under the pressure of the moving floodwaters, they pushed.

Don't think about Carnationspeckle. She doesn't matter. She doesn't even need to dig. You don't need any of them to save the kits. You can move this boulder all by yourself. StarClan chose you for this. Your legs don't hurt. You can't feel pain. You don't get tired. This isn't a bad thing. This is the best thing that could happen. Push the rock. Save those kits.

"Be kind to yourself, Yarrowclaw."

Yarrowclaw yowled as the boulder finally, finally, rolled a mouse-length back. Yarrowclaw couldn't see inside. Carnationspeckle pulled her head out of the water, sand caught in her fur. Yarrowclaw's legs gave out as Carnationspeckle and Venturedapple hooked their paws through the opening. With one last shove, the rock tumbled out from the entrance of the nursery.

The nursery was almost flooded to the ceiling. The deep, safe confines that Yarrowclaw spent her earliest days were hidden in the flood. A dark ginger form floated by the ceiling like debris far at sea. Three tom-kits clung to Stormjump's back. Their claws drew blood from their beloved mother, but she kept their small heads above the rising water. Stormjump's face was… peaceful.

Yarrowclaw grabbed Beekit by the scruff. He looked eerily like his father; same golden head and tail, same blue eyes, same white torso. It made the night loop in Yarrowclaw's head as Carnationspeckle pulled Patchkit and Morningkit close. Venturedapple grabbed Stormjump's still scruff and pulled her body out of the nursery.

"Mom told us to hold on to her," Patchkit stammered. "We held on, but, but we hurt her!" Carnationspeckle lifted Patchkit onto Venturedapple's sturdy back. Morningkit climbed on top of Carnationspeckle

"Where's Dad?" Beekit cried, squirming in Yarrowclaw's chattering jaws.

"We're bringing you to him," Carnationspeckle promised, voice breaking. "Just stay on us. You did so well. Stormjump is so proud of you." With the kits balanced as high above the water as they could carry them, the three brown and white cats waded toward the watery rocks and the forest beyond.

This didn't make sense. No one around Yarrowclaw was supposed to die. Why wasn't Stormjump moving? This wasn't what the vision said!

A ship could still bring a body to shore, it seemed.

(Yarrowclaw: 35, female, warrior, cold, fire master)

(Wildclaw: 92, female, deputy, fierce, trusted advisor, good fighter)

(Rattlepelt: 83, female, artisan, thoughtful, leather artist)

(Asterblaze: 47, male, caretaker, thoughtful, inventor and innovator)

(Valleypaw: 9, male, caretaker apprentice, strict, avid play-fighter)

(Billowhaze: 35, male, historian, loyal, good kit-sitter

(Brightreed: 32, male, warrior, righteous, student of art)

(Oilstar: 104, female, leader, charismatic, ghost speaker)

(Honeybuzz: 48, male, cleric, daring, sklled toolsmith, good teacher)

(Midnightpaw: 9, male, warrior apprentice, oblivious, always wandering)

(Gingerspring: 16, male, cleric, charismatic, human expert, good hunter)

(Estherfern: 134, female, cleric, adventurous, great mediator, prophecy seeker)

(Weevilsight: 35, female, cleric, daring, deep StarClan bond)

(Tallowheart: 36, male, historian, nervous, good swimmer)

(Troutpool: 61, female, cleric, insecure, ghost sight)

(Pearpaw: 10, female, historian apprentice, righteous, moss-ball hunter, lover of stories)

(Indigo: 40, half tom (he/they), teacher, playful, incredible runner, great teacher)

(Icepaw: 10, male, teacher apprentice, fierce, oddly observant, never sits still)

(Carnationspeckle: 102, female, caretaker, compassionate, fish-like swimmer)

(Drumtooth: 48, trans male, caretaker, loyal, great hunter, clever)

(Leathermask: 48, male, warrior, confident, good fighter, eloquent speaker)

(Splashtuft: 48, male, historian, adventurous, fast runner, student of art)

(Venturedapple: 88, male, codekeeper, cold, eloquent speaker)

(Morningkit: 3, male kit, bossy, eye for details)

(Patchkit: 3, male, kit, charming, interested in Clan history)

(Beekit: 3, male, kit, noisy, quick to help)

(Stormjump: 31, female, caretaker, charismatic, incredible cook)

[songclangen]

bee

”Heatherpaw! Heatherpaw!”

Beekit pressed up against her father, watching her sister touch noses with her new mentor. She was adopted, and a moon older than Beekit, so she’d start her warrior training earlier. Beekit was insanely jealous.

”Icymoss is like the best warrior in the Clan, and she’s a moon ahead of me. How am I supposed to ever catch up?” she thought out loud once the cheering had died down.

”There are plenty of good warriors in SongClan,” Honeystripe corrected her, tapping her head with his tail as he approached Heatherpaw to congratulate her.

Beekit hadn’t meant to sound so bitter, and sincerely hoped Heatherpaw hadn’t heard her. She should be happy for her sister, and she was. But it just wasn’t completely fair. Heatherpaw was better than her at pretty much everything already, despite not being born in the Clan and having been very small when she was found. They were actually pretty close in size despite the moon between them, but Heatherpaw was lean and nimble, while Beekit still stumbled over her own paws if she got distracted by a butterfly.

”Congrats, Heatherpaw!” Beekit smiled, pressing her cheek to her sisters anyway. It felt a little forced, so she quickly continued talking; ”I wish Icymoss could become my mentor. You’re so lucky!” That didn’t help, did it?

”Thanks,” Heatherpaw nodded, voice even as usual. ”He’s kind of a goofball, you two would never get anything done.” 

Beekit forced a small laugh. It was hard to tell when Heatherpaw was joking, because her expression was always so unrevealing, but she’d started to get the cues. Still, she didn’t find it very funny.

”Speaking of…” Honeystripe mumbled, nodding to Icymoss who was stood at the entrance of the Camp. ”Don’t you have a territory tour to get to?”

Heatherpaw bounded off without saying goodbye, and Beekit let out a tense breath. She did like Heatherpaw, of course. But they were so different. They had always been different. Heatherpaw didn’t like to play that much, even when they both had been kits. She had preferred to hunt leaves or bugs in silence, and she didn’t like pretending she was an enemy warrior when they wrestled, so Beekit always had to be that. And Heatherpaw always won. Not because she desperately wanted to, she was just better. Beekit was actually pretty bad at play-fighting.

Once she did become an apprentice, she and Heatherpaw would be the only ones. The idea of sharing a den with her sister alone wasn’t all that appealing. Beekit had lots  of weird dreams all the time, and Heatherpaw would always scold her for waking her up. Not to mention, being one step behind her all the time in training would be annoying.

Maybe Tallbeam or Pronghorn could be her mentor. They were some of the best fighters and hunters in the Clan, and respected warriors. Really, as long as it wasn’t Bugskitter, she’d be happy. That tom really had it out for her. Once, when she was small, she’d asked why he was always so cold and nasty to her. My sister would still be alive if it weren’t for you, he’d said. Beekit had been so shocked and scared that she’d never asked him what he meant, and when she asked her dad, Honeystripe had just told her not to listen to him, that it wasn’t her fault. She still didn’t know what wasn’t her fault, but she would never hurt any cat. Whatever Bugskitter had been talking about must have been a lie. That’s what she told herself, anyway. Really, she didn’t really want to know, because the whole thing just made her feel awful.

The moon before her apprentice ceremony came and went. Any day now, Amberstar would call a meeting and set on her on the warrior path. Like the last few nights, Beekit found herself sleepless. Her uncle Bearfreckle was snoozing soundly in the nursery den (usually someone would to keep her company), his breaths light but weighed with sleep. It didn’t give her much comfort, though.

She didn’t know why she was so nervous to become an apprentice. Deep down, she knew it wasn’t just excitement, like everyone told her. And although she just knew she’d mess up a lot and probably be a terrible hunter and fighter, it wasn’t just doubt either. Something felt wrong. The idea of fighting itself felt horrifying, she couldn’t understand how warriors took such pride in it. She didn’t want to hurt anyone, ever! For any reason!

Restless and feeling like ants were crawling through her pelt, she got to her paws and got out of the nursery. The early Greenleaf air was cool and still. There was no wind and no sound of insects, just perfect silence. At camp’s edge she saw Gulldrizzle’s silhouette, keeping guard. She was facing out into the territory, so she didn’t notice Beekit.

Above, countless stars shone steadily down on her. Finally, a calm feeling began to spread through her body. She loved the stars. Pretty much everyone agreed that they were beautiful and comforting, since StarClan was up there. But when she looked up there, she got the same feeling as she did when she saw Honeystripe, or heard his voice. The comfort that told her no matter what, everything was going to be okay.

Laying down in the soft grass outside the nursery, she tilted her head so she could look up at them. They looked back, like they always did. Then, a shape began to take form between the little white dots. A milky white shadow, that grew more and more intense. Beekit threw herself up, and almost lost her balance when she realized the stars weren’t just above her, but all around her, even under her paws!

Her fur tingled with fear, breath quickening. Then, a voice.

”Don’t be afraid,” it said.

She looked ahead again, and the pale shape had turned into…a cat! A white cat, sitting a few tail-lengths ahead of her, with her tail neatly wrapped around her paws. The first thing Beekit noticed was how one of her ears was folded over her head. Her expression was bright and focused, and Beekit almost felt uncomfortable by the intensity of her deep gaze.

”Hello, Beekit” the she-cat mewed.

Beekit forgot to answer for a moment, then mewed back quietly; ”Hi.”

”You’ve grown so much!” the she-cat burst out with a big smile, then closed her eyes briefly as if to contain her emotions. ”See, I’ve been watching you ever since you were born.”

”Oh,” was all Beekit could force out, still a bit taken aback by seemingly floating among the stars. It finally hit her that she was dreaming, and that calmed her down a little. It was a weird dream, sure, but not weirder than the time she’d dreamt that she was an actual bee, flying between flowers, and all her Clanmates were also bees all living in a hive and making honey instead of hunting.

”Do…” the stranger paused, tilting her head. ”Do you know who I am?”

She sounded very hopeful, so Beekit made sure to think really hard. She’d never seen a cat with a folded ear, and she was sure she’d remember that. Finally, she shook her head slightly.

The she-cat sunk a little bit, looking down at her paws. ”No, of course not…” she mumbled, then stood up. ”That’s alright. My name is Peatswan.” She paused, looking at Beekit expectantly, like that would mean anything to her. It didn’t. Peatswan cleared her throat, looking a bit worried. ”Um, I’m a StarClan cat, but maybe you guessed that?”

Beekit hadn’t guessed that, but now she did notice the stars twinkling in the cat’s fur. They hadn’t been easy to see, since she was as white as snow. Then a chill ran up her spine.

”Wait…am I dead? Am I in StarClan?” she gasped, rising to her paws quickly.

The she-cat’s eyes widened, then she purred with amusement. ”No, you’re not dead. This is StarClan, sort of. Our hunting grounds are in a different place, but I thought maybe it would be good to talk to you somewhere less foreign. Though I now realize this isn’t very normal, either.”

As she talked, a weird feeling buzzed in Beekit’s chest. She suddenly realized her voice was familiar. Had she seen this cat in a dream before, and forgotten? Without thinking, Beekit walked up to the StarClan warrior. Peatswan tensed up, but Beekit couldn’t help herself. Once she was close enough to smell her properly, another chill spread through her body. The scent was sweet and so familiar, like walking into the nursery after being out of it for a whole day. Who was this cat? More and more, it was like she could almost remember, but it was buried deep in her mind.

Then she took a few steps back, realizing she was being a bit rude to this stranger. ”Sorry. Um…did you want to tell me anything in particular?”

Looking up at the she-cat’s face, she was surprised. The white warrior was smiling, but her eyes were so full of sadness and grief that Beekit felt her whole chest twist into knots. Had she said something bad?

”Are you okay?” she asked softly.

”Yes,” the she-cat nodded, almost laughing. ”Yes, I’m okay, Beekit. It’s sweet of you to ask. You’re right, I did want to tell you something.”

”What?” Beekit asked, sitting down in the field of stars.

”As I said, I’ve been watching you since you were born. So has all of StarClan. Do you remember when you were a little kit, and you dreamt that you were buried under the snow?”

Beekit shuddered. ”Yes, and then a blizzard came and all the dens got snowed in overnight…it was scary.”

”That was actually StarClan talking to you, in a dream,” Peatswan explained.

Beekit tilted her head, thinking. ”So it was like…a warning? I’m sorry, I didn’t know that…” she apologized, feeling bad. If she’d understood that, she could have told everyone to prepare for the storm.

”It’s okay, we knew you would all be alright. Otherwise we could have sent it to Ratquill or Riverpetal.”

”So why did you send it to me?” Beekit asked.

Peatswan twitched her whiskers with amusement. ”Isn’t it obvious?” she purred. ”You care so much about your Clanmates, and all you want is to help them and make sure everyone is okay, right?” Beekit nodded at this, suddenly feeling more understood than she ever had before. ”That’s why StarClan thinks you would make a good medicine cat. That’s why your dreams are so vivid, too. You have a very strong connection with us.”

”Really?” Beekit chirped, surprised more than anything.

She hadn’t really considered becoming a medicine cat before. The Clan had always had two, and Ratquill and Riverpetal were excellent at their duty. But then…Ratquill had passed away recently. That’s why Riverpetal hadn’t been able to hang out with her and show her stinky herbs the last moon; he’d been too stressed and busy. She’d felt so sad for him. But now, maybe she could finally help him!

”I’m going to be a medicine cat?” she meowed, standing up, paws restless with excitement. This felt nothing like her doubt about being a warrior, this felt completely right! As a medicine cat, she wouldn’t have to practice fighting, she would just get to help her friends and family when they got sick! That was the dream!

”Does that make you happy?” Peatswan meowed, though it seemed she knew the answer.

”Yes! Very!” Beekit mewed and threw herself forward to press her head against the StarClan warrior’s chest. ”Thank you, Peatswan!”

Peatswan laughed and pressed their heads together in a warm embrace, and although they had just met, it felt so familiar and comforting and just right, and Beekit was filled with so much warmth and happiness that her heart was about to pound out of her chest.

Then, she suddenly felt the ground materialize under her body and cool night air surround her, and Peatswan’s warm body was gone. She was laying in the grass outside the nursery again, but not for long. Brimming with excitement, she scrambled to her paws quicker than prey running from a warrior’s claws and bounded into the warriors den.

”Honeystripe! Father, wake up!” she yowled, crawling over her adult Clanmates where they slept. They all protested loudly to being woken up, some beginning to scold her, but she didn’t care.

”What is it, Beekit? Are you okay?” Honeystripe meowed worriedly once she found him.

”I just had the craziest dream!” she meowed, instantly being hushed.

”No one cares about your stupid dream, Beekit…” Breezebriar grumbled, his amber eyes glinting in the darkness.

”What did you dream, Honeybee?” Honeystripe continued, slightly calmed now.

Beekit took a deep breath, and began to retell her experience in a whisper; ”I met a warrior from StarClan, she was so beautiful and nice, her name was Peatswan, and she told me that StarClan has watched over me and sent me dreams — you remember my dream about the blizzard that came true, right? — and...” she trailed off as she saw her father’s expression change to one she couldn’t read, and suddenly everyone in the den were looking at her. ”What is it?”

”What did she say to you, Beekit?” Twigmoor asked from where she was laying nearby, deep curiosity in her face.

”She told me that I’m supposed to become a medicine cat,” Beekit said, feeling odd suddenly, but smiled at Honeystripe. ”Isn’t that great?”

Finally, he cracked into a smile, and she recognized the look in his eye. It was the same as Peatswans had been, in her dream. ”That sounds like something you’d be good at,” he said.

The stiff silence shifted, some beginning to purr congratulations to her, or speaking quietly to each other. Twigmoor leaned closer to her brother.

”You have to tell her now,” she mumbled seriously, and Honeystripe nodded.

”Tell me what?” Beekit asked, but Honeystripe just stood up from his nest and guided her out of the den with his tail. ”Sorry for waking all of you up!”

Honeystripe led her to the edge of the Camp, above the slope behind the leader’s den. There they sat down. Beekit was prickling with anticipation.

”What is it?” she repeated, studying his face with the unreadable expression.

”I want to tell you about your mother,” he said.

Beekit perked up. She’d wondered about her mother since Ratquill told her where kits came from — her father had been annoyed the old medicine cat her told her that when she was ”too young”, but Beekit had actually understood it pretty well — because that meant Honeystripe couldn’t have done it all himself exactly. Though, there were other families in the Clan that weren’t so obvious how they came to be. Either way, when she’d asked him about it, he had become quiet and upset, and not given her an answer. Even though she had been little at the time, she had understood that she shouldn’t ask about it. Besides, she had Twigmoor and Bearfreckle too, they had helped take care of her since she was born, and the three of them had always been enough. So she’d tried to stop thinking about it.

Honeystripe went on to tell her about how amazing her mother had been. Apparently she was very funny, and knew a lot of things that no one else seemed to know, and could copy bird sounds. Then the story turned very sad. When Beekit was born, her mother had died. Apparently this could happen sometimes, and there was nothing medicine cats could do, and it was no one’s fault.

Beekit was struck with a grief so deep that she had to crouch down.

”Was she Bugskitter’s sister?” she asked, looking up at her father, remembering the warrior’s cold words when she was little.

”Yes,” Honeystripe nodded. ”Bugskitter loved her very much, and misses her very much, just like I do.”

Beekit nodded solemnly, her mean feelings for Bugskitter melting away into sympathy. He couldn’t help being angry, and she could understand. After a brief silence, she asked;

”And Peatswan was my mother?”

”Yes, that’s right,” Honeystripe nodded, laying down next to her.

Beekit had known she and the white warrior were connected from the moment she felt her scent. It had resonated deep within her, filling voids inside her that had been there since she was born. It just felt stupid to start assuming things like that based on so little, and she had trained herself not think about her mother for so long. But deep in her heart, maybe she had known it.

”I’m so glad I’m becoming a medicine cat now, I probably get to see her again soon,” Beekit hummed, smiling to herself. Then she was suddenly struck with guilt after saying that, since Honeystripe clearly missed her a lot. She looked up at him to meet his eyes. ”I’m so sorry, Dad. It must have been so hard when she died.”

The emotion in Honeystripe’s eyes almost made her look away, but she held fast. ”You remind me of her so much, Honeybee. When you’re around, I don’t need to miss her so much.