#Hey there's Shellkit!

[frozenclangen]

Moon 6

[bone-island]

“Naming a kit shell in brineclan is like taboo”

Some loner”hey my name is grass and this is my kit shell”

Brineclan:”ew”

Heronstar: I can't believe the nerve of some cats. Real talk though, if some monarch in Brineclan just went "I'm going to call this one Shellkit", he'd show up like a bat out of hell.

[oldwarriors-fireandwater]

Chapter One

Fireheart sighed happily as he slipped into the river. The cool water was a welcome relief. It had been two moons since the downfall of Brokenstar. Late summer brought hot days and plenty of fresh-kill. Tension on all borders had relaxed, even with ThunderClan—since Ravenpaw was being trained by Yellowfang and Mudfur, it would be foolish for Thistlestar to even put a paw wrong over the border. RiverClan had been able to resume their relaxed ways, and they were thriving.

Most of the Clan was in or alongside the river. Mallowtail and Brambleflower were watching their kits splash in the shallows, while Reedtail and Skyheart shared tongues in the shade. Minkpaw and Grasspaw were diving in and out of the water, splashing each other playfully while others looked on. Crookedstar was sharing a story with Frogleap, Graypool, and Weaselfoot, his tail thrashing as he vividly described some battle he had been in. Even Whiteclaw and Beetleclaw seemed content, which was a rare sight.

Fireheart flipped around to float on his back. Across the river, RiverClan cats were flopped around on Sunningrocks. Beechflower was snoring loudly, draped over a flat stone, while Silverstream was stretched out beside him. Fireheart smirked as he saw them. Though the pair hadn’t made things official, it was plain as day to all that the two had feelings for each other. His gaze slid towards Dawnwhisker and Leopardfur, who were sunning themselves together. It had been no surprise to any cat when Leopardfur finally asked Dawnwhisker to be her mate. Fireheart was still unnerved by the intimidating deputy, but Dawnwhisker seemed to be in high spirits whenever Leopardfur was by her side, and he was happy for his old mentor.

Crookedstar called out a greeting as a patrol returned, padding along downstream to join the Clan. Silverthorn, Shadefang, and Voleclaw had all been patrolling along the gorge. Shadefang twitched her whiskers in amusement as she gazed over the Clan. “I see everyone else is having a fun afternoon,” she commented.

Leopardfur lifted her gaze. “Anything to report?” she called.

Silverthorn shook his head. “All quiet on the border.”

“Too quiet,” Petalstream meowed. “I’ve hardly seen a hair of a WindClan cat since the battle.”

Blackclaw flicked his tail. “There were barely any of them at the last Gathering,” he grunted. “Think they’re doing alright?”

Fireheart turned himself in the water and paddled back towards the shore. I wasn’t at the last Gathering, he thought. But I thought WindClan would be doing better now that Brokenstar is dead.

“Could ShadowClan he pressing the border again?” Reedtail wondered.

Mosspelt shook her head. “Russetstar said she wanted peace at the last Gathering,” she said. “She seemed like she meant it.” She flicked her tail. “Ferretstar didn’t mention any fights.”

Crookedstar sat up slowly and flicked an ear. “The matters in WindClan are their own,” he meowed. “Speculating won’t solve their problems, whatever they may be.”

Whiteclaw shrugged. “Who cares if WindClan isn’t at the border?” he asked. “Not everything is a bad sign.”

Petalstream sighed. “It’s just been too peaceful,” she said. “It’s hard to not expect the worst.”

Too peaceful? Fireheart wondered, as he padded out of the river and gave himself a good shake. I’d rather it stayed that way!

“One can never be too careful,” Voleclaw agreed. “But it’s not exactly something we can do anything about.”

Crookedstar shrugged. “We will go on as we have. Patrol daily and mark our borders.” The old tom seemed hardly affected by Petalstream’s concern. He turned back to the group he was with. “Now, where was I?”

Weaselfoot’s eyes gleamed. “You’d just thrown a ThunderClan warrior into the river,” he reminded him.

Crookedstar grinned. “Aha! Well, I jumped in after him…”

Fireheart twitched his whiskers and glanced towards the queens. Brambleflower had given birth shortly after the battle. Her kits were nearing two moons old, and they had more energy than any one cat could keep up with. Mallowtail’s litter had grown greatly as well, and they were nearly twice the size of Brambleflower’s kits. Fireheart purred in amusement as Maplekit dunked Shellkit in the water. They must be close to being apprentices, he thought. Could they be about five moons now? They look more like apprentices every day.

Whiteclaw padded towards Mallowtail and purred as he butted his head against her shoulder. The pair flopped down together and began to groom each other while Brambleflower kept a sharp eye on the kits.

Fireheart sighed softly and stretched out on the warm shore. Crookedstar is right, he thought. If WindClan was in real trouble, we’d have heard of it. We should enjoy the peace while it lasts. He rested his chin on his legs and closed his eyes. It was a blissful day—no reason to ruin it with worries about a problem that may not even exist.

The sun set, and the evening became cooler. The Clan headed back into camp, and Crookedstar hurried to jump up upon the fallen log that he used to make announcements. “The Gathering is tonight,” he called. “Come here for a moment so I can announce who’s going.”

That’s tonight? I’d forgotten all about it, Fireheart thought. He padded towards the stump and sat beside Beechflower and Minkpaw.

“Wait,” Beetleclaw meowed. The black tom padded towards the log. “I have something I’d like to do before you all go.”

Crookedstar narrowed his eyes curiously. “Oh?” He seemed almost wary—it was no secret that he and Beetleclaw rarely got along.

Beetleclaw dipped his head. “I’d like to retire. I’m getting old, Crookedstar, and I can’t deny it any longer. Losing Sunwhisker—” his throat tightened at the mention of his deceased mate. “It took a lot out of me. Now that things have calmed down and there doesn’t seem to be a war on the horizon, I feel it’s the right time.”

Fireheart blinked in surprise. Beetleclaw turned to face the Clan, and Fireheart looked him over. He had never really noticed before, but he supposed the tom did look like he was getting on his seasons. His dark muzzle was flecked with gray, and when Fireheart looked closely, his whiskers seemed to be fraying at the ends.

“Never thought I’d see the day that Beetleclaw retired,” muttered Beechflower.

“He told me he was going to,” Minkpaw whispered. “But it’s weird to think about.”

Crookedstar seemed surprised, but nodded in understanding. “Very well. Beetleclaw, is it your wish to give up the name of a warrior and go to join the elders?”

Beetleclaw dipped his head. “It is.”

Crookedstar nodded once more. “Your Clan honors you and all the service you have given us. I call upon StarClan to give you many moons of rest.”

“Beetleclaw!” called Reedtail.

The Clan took up the cry. “Beetleclaw! Beetleclaw!”

Minkpaw raised her chin and called out, the loudest voice of all. “Beetleclaw! Beetleclaw!”

“Beetleclaw,” muttered Fireheart. He had no ill-wishes for the now-elder, but Beetleclaw had certainly never said a kind word his way.

Beetleclaw sighed quietly and padded off towards the elders den. He sat down beside Graypool, who nudged him and smiled warmly.

At least Graypool won’t be alone anymore, Fireheart thought. The kind old queen had been lonely since Snowfang’s death, despite how much of a grump the elder had been.

“Is there anyone else who wishes to retire?” Crookedstar asked, with a meaningful glance towards Voleclaw and Petalstream.

Voleclaw shook his head. “I’m beginning to feel my age, but I’ll give it a few more moons before I quit.”

Petalstream just snorted. “As if.”

Crookedstar looked amused, before he cleared his throat. “Well, with that out of the way… the cats attending the Gathering shall be Petalstream, Whiteclaw, Weaselfoot, Beechflower, Fireheart, Mosspelt, Shadefang, Silverthorn, Dawnwhisker, and Grasspaw.”

Fireheart straightened up. It’s been a while since I’ve been to a Gathering, he thought. I guess we’ll really see how WindClan is tonight.

Fireheart padded down the slope to the Gathering place, tail twitching. WindClan and ThunderClan were already present, but there seemed to be more of the latter. Fireheart scanned the clearing as he followed his Clanmates in. He recognized Twistedfoot talking to Tigerclaw. I’d talk to Twistedfoot, but not while he’s around Tigerclaw. He flicked his tail and split away from his Clanmates. There was Lionheart and an older WindClan molly, Grasspaw was already greeting a few WindClan apprentices, and—

“Hey!” a sharp voice snapped, as Fireheart stepped on a tail. “Watch where you’re going!”

Fireheart glanced over and lifted his paw. “Sandpaw!” he meowed. The pale ginger molly was glaring at him. “We’ve got to stop meeting at Gatherings like this.”

Sandpaw flicked her tail and curled it around her paws. “More like you need to watch where you’re going,” she growled. She sniffed loudly and smoothed her pelt. “Anyway, it’s Sandwhisker now.”

Fireheart sat down. Well, she’s not exactly the most friendly face, but… Better than Tigerclaw, I suppose. “Congratulations,” he meowed. “Are Graypaw and Ravenpaw here too?”

“Ravenpaw is,” Sandwhisker meowed, with a nod towards the Great Rock. “Since he’s our medicine cat. He’s going to be here every time.”

Ravenpaw was seated with a lean brown tom, presumably the WindClan medicine cat. Mudfur and Yellowfang padded up to them and meowed a greeting, and Ravenpaw looked pleased to see his mentors.

“Graystripe is home,” Sandwhisker went on. “He had a bellyache or something.” She flicked her tail. “Is Beechflower here?”

Fireheart nodded. “Yup. I don’t know where he got off to, though.”

Both cats looked up as a line of cats appeared on the slope behind the Great Rock. ShadowClan, Fireheart thought. After a moment, they hurried down the slope and joined the Gathering.

“Think Russetstar actually wants peace?” Fireheart asked, leaning a bit closer to Sandwhisker.

Sandwhisker shrugged. “Doesn’t matter if she does or not. Battle breaks out eventually. It always does. Our Clans would be at war right now if your medicine cats weren’t training Ravenpaw.” She twitched an ear. “That’s just how it is.”

Fireheart watched as Russetstar leaped up to the Great Rock. “That’s a morbid way of looking at things,” he meowed. “Why not just enjoy the peace?”

Sandwhisker rolled her eyes, though she looked more amused than annoyed. “Not everyone spends their days lazing around like you fish-faces,” she meowed. “Some of us have real problems to handle.”

Problems? wondered Fireheart. He shook his head. “RiverClan isn’t lazy!” he retorted. “We just know how to enjoy ourselves.”

“Sure sounds lazy,” muttered Sandwhisker.

Before she could say anything else, Fireheart felt a paw touch his back. He glanced over his shoulder to see a tortoiseshell molly standing before him. He was confused for a moment before he recognized her—they had fought off the old ShadowClan deputy together in WindClan. “Oh, hello!” Fireheart purred.

The queen smiled warmly at him. She looked lean, and her hips and rubs poked out at odd angles. “It’s good to see you again,” she purred. “I never got introduce myself. I’m Morningflower. My son, Gorsekit, isn’t here, but he talks about you often. He saw you fighting from the nursery.”

“I’m Fireheart,” he replied. “I’m glad to hear he’s well.”

“You know each other?” Sandwhisker asked, with a curious twitch of her whiskers.

“Not exactly,” Fireheart meowed. “We fought together for a heartbeat in the battle.”

“Ah.” Sandwhisker leaned back. Her eyes narrowed curiously. “Why send a nursing queen to the Gathering?” she wondered aloud. “Weren’t there enough other representatives?”

Morningflower huffed suddenly. She muttered a goodbye to Fireheart before she strode off and disappeared into the crowd. Fireheart glanced sharply at Sandwhisker. “What was that about?” he demanded.

Sandwhisker flicked her tail. “It’s good to keep an ear out on what goes on in the other Clans,” she meowed sagely.

Before Fireheart could reply, a yowl came from the Great Rock. He turned his gaze towards the top of the stone. The four leaders were perched on top. Russetstar began to speak first.

“Welcome,” she meowed. “ShadowClan is growing strong once more. We have two new apprentices—Rowanpaw and Cedarpaw, the kits of Darkflower.” There were a few welcoming cheers after she paused.

Thistlestar shot her a sly look. “They’re old enough, I hope?” he rumbled. “We all know how eager Brokenstar was to train kits before their time.”

Russetstar drew back her lips. “Of course they are,” she snapped. “We have purged ShadowClan of Brokenstar and his sympathizers. We follow the code.”

Crookedstar cleared his throat, and Russetstar shook herself and returned to her announcements. “Dawncloud has given birth,” she meowed. “Unfortunately, one of her kits was stillborn. The other, Snakekit, is a healthy young tom.” Russetstar sat down. “That is all we have to report.”

Crookedstar was next to speak. “RiverClan is doing well,” he purred. “Summer has been kind to us, and we have more fresh-kill than we could wish for. Beetleclaw retired today and has joined the elder’s den.”

Once more, a few cats cheered for Beetleclaw. Crookedstar dipped his head to Thistlestar. “There’s not much else I can say,” he meowed. “That’s all.”

Thistlestar dipped his head. “ThunderClan is mighty as ever,” he declared. “We are proud to announce three new warriors. Graystripe, Dustpelt, and Sandwhisker have received their warrior names.” He paused to allow for cats to cheer. Fireheart have Sandwhisker a good-natured shove, and she rolled her eyes.

“Additionally, we have two new apprentices,” Thistlestar carried on. “Cinderpaw and Brackenpaw. Our prey runs well and our warriors remain strong.” Russetstar snorted quietly, and he shot her a glare.

Ferretstar rose. The black-and-white tom was skinny, far more so than Morningflower had been. “Well!” he coughed out. “If you’re all done boasting about how well-fed and well-off you all are… I would like to speak.”

“Of course,” Crookedstar meowed. “That is why we’re here.”

Ferretstar lashed his tail. “My Clan is starving!” he spat. A few WindClan cats cried out in protest, but he growled loudly. “I will not put my pride before our survival!” he declared, clearly speaking to his bewildered Clanmates.

They weren’t expecting this, Fireheart realized. It takes guts to show up to a Gathering and go on about how weak your Clan is. But why is he doing it?

Twistedfoot stood. “Ferretstar, please—”

“No, Twistedfoot!” Ferretstar snapped. “If I do nothing, WindClan will perish.”

Cats of all Clans began to whisper. Sandwhisker turned to him, eyes narrowed to slits. “I swear, if he asks us all for territory…”

Ferretstar turned to face the other leaders. “I am making a great risk by admitting my Clan’s weakness,” he meowed. “But I must bring my plight to you.”

“Get on with it,” Thistlestar snapped. His thick tail lashed.

“WindClan starves,” Ferretstar declared. “We have so few warriors that we cannot properly patrol our borders and hunt. Our warriors are exhausted and some need to retire, but can’t.” He bowed his head. “That is why I come here to ask you lend WindClan warriors until we have recovered.”

“What?” Thistlestar drew himself up and bristled. “I beg your pardon?”

Crookedstar looked confused. “What exactly do you mean?”

“I mean exactly what I say,” Ferretstar meowed. His tone was desperate, and Fireheart felt a pang of pity. “We don’t need much. Even just one warrior from each Clan would be a great relief. We simply need more paws to ensure our borders are safe and our kits are fed.”

Russetstar looked thoughtful. “How long would you need them?”

Thistlestar whirled around to stare at her. “Surely you’re not considering this?”

Ferretstar ignored him, seemingly spurred on by Russetstar’s question. “Just a moon or so,” he said. “Long enough for our cats to rest and for our kits to be apprenticed. We have two kits who are nearing six moons. We simply just don’t have enough paws to keep our Clan fed until then.” Quickly, he added, “They could return by the next Gathering.”

Russetstar dipped her head. “Very well,” she meowed. “I want to right my Clan’s wrongs against you. If this is what you ask, I will help.” She frowned. “Though I cannot spare many cats. We are short on cats since the battle… though not as much as WindClan.” She closed her eyes and was quiet for a few moments. “I could only offer one.”

Relief sparked in Ferretstar’s eyes. “That’s all I need,” he breathed. He looked to the other leaders. “What about you?”

Thistlestar had seemed to have calmed in the few moments that passed. He looked thoughtful, before he made the smallest of smirks. “Very well,” he meowed. “I suppose I have a cat up for the job.”

Fireheart narrowed his eyes. What’s he up to? he wondered. He doubted Thistlestar would do anything for another Clan unless it benefited him in some way.

Crookedstar shook his head. “I will not force one of my warriors to spend a moon among an outside Clan,” he said. He leaned back, ears flat. “Though if a cat wishes to volunteer, I will let them go.”

Silence. Fireheart looked around. Every RiverClan cat seemed to have become very interested in their own paws. Surely someone will do it? he thought. Petalstream? Mosspelt? Dawnwhisker, maybe?

But no cat spoke.

Fireheart set his jaw. Then I will. He stood up. “I volunteer!” he called.

Crookedstar looked shocked. After a heartbeat, though, he narrowed his eyes. “Fine,” he growled.

Ferretstar heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank you,” he meowed. “WindClan thanks you all. May I bring them with me tonight?”

Russetstar nodded. “I’ll send my cat to you when we disperse,” she meowed.

Crookedstar lashed his tail. “Do what you want.”

Fireheart swallowed. Uh oh. Did I do something wrong?

Thistlestar shrugged. “She isn’t here. I’ll send her to you when we return.”

Russetstar glanced around. “Does anyone else have anything else to share?” she asked. After a beat of silence, she nodded. “Very well! This Gathering is over.” She leaped down from the Great Rock and vanished into the gathered cats.

Sandwhisker whirled around to stare at him. “Why would you offer yourself?” she asked. “A moon of starving in WindClan and hunting for the enemy?” she scoffed. “You’re one weird cat.” At Thistlestar’s yowl, she started. “I’ve got to go.”

Fireheart snorted. “See you.”

Sandwhisker flicked him with her tail before she padded off. Fireheart watched her go.

“Frog-brain!”

Fireheart flinched. Silverthorn… can’t you ever shut up? He turned to face the tabby tom.

“What were you thinking?” Silverthorn snapped. “Crookedstar obviously didn’t want anyone to go. You’re only helping the enemy by working for them!”

Fireheart shook his head. “It’s not like that,” he retorted. “Cats shouldn’t have to die. RiverClan won’t miss one warrior.”

Silverthorn curled his lip and stomped away. Fireheart rolled his eyes. He hesitated for a moment. What do I do? he wondered. WindClan was gathering up. I suppose I should talk to Crookedstar first.

Fireheart crossed the clearing, heading for RiverClan’s group. Leopardfur was speaking to Crookedstar, but as she spotted Fireheart, she stopped and jerked her head in his direction. Crookedstar turned to glance at him.

Fireheart steeled himself as he padded closer. “So…” he meowed. “Should I go join WindClan?”

“Go,” Crookedstar snapped. “Do not give away RiverClan secrets. Tell them as little about us as possible.”

Leopardfur narrowed her eyes. “Keep your eyes and ears open, Fireheart,” she meowed. “Learn what you can.”

Fireheart blinked. Shut up and spy on WindClan? he thought. That sure sounds like what they’re saying. He nodded anyway. “Okay.”

Crookedstar turned away, and Fireheart’s heart sank. Have I disappointed him?

Fireheart turned away. I don’t have time to mope, he thought. I’ve got to go see WindClan. He padded away from his Clanmates with a final glance over his shoulder.

Ferretstar was speaking to Russetstar, who had a young white-furred molly at her side. Ferretstar leaned in to touch noses with the younger cat.

“Thank you, Russetstar,” Ferretstar was saying. Fireheart stood by and waited. “I… apologize for my misgivings about you.”

Russetstar shrugged. “I understood it,” she assured him. “Brokenstar was a tyrant, and our Clans have a bloody history between them.” She brushed her tail over the other molly’s back. “Work hard, Snowtail. I’ll see you at the next Gathering.”

“I will!” Snowtail promised. Her blue eyes were wide, and she flicked her tail eagerly.

Fireheart frowned. Tail? he wondered. She’s a warrior? Snowtail was short, and she looked younger than Grasspaw and Minkpaw. He flattened his ears. She must have been one of the cats made a warrior early because of Brokenstar, he figured.

Ferretstar turned to look at Fireheart. Fireheart straightened up. “Hello,” he meowed. “I’m—“

Ferretstar’s eyes went wide. His jaws parted slightly. He began to tremble. “Jake?”

[climbdraws]

hey climb,, speakin cat genetics, what would thorn and blossom's kits look like?? i wanna write a fic where thorn and blossom make babies but he dies,, so ivypool takes his place bc u kno gay

thorn & blossoms kits are actually fairly correct! the only thing i (personally) would change would be their names bc they’re kinda odd for thunderclan and don’t really match their descriptions

thornclaw - red classic tabby 

blossomfall - dilute calico 

eaglekit - red classic tabby (canon design)

plumkit - calico (canon design is tortie i just added white)

shellkit -  dilute calico (was solid white but cmon) 

stemkit - red classic tabby bicolor (canon design)

[berrym00n]

Shellkit anon: I meant description, I will try to send it to you! If I can't, it was posted by Harpercollins, some of the book, on issuu . Com

ooo hey anyone who wants to read it a little bit!! i started to read it but my parents called me out to get some parking practice in