#mc Hollowbriar

[mushroomclangen]

Founders, Part 2

[mushroomclangen]

Moon 2 - Newleaf

Minor events: Flintfoot’s stomach ache has gone, Rootpaw has gotten a running nose, Dogkit has gotten a stomach ache, Bluffstar isn’t sure how many kits she’s going to have

Early mornings were never Chivespeckle’s specialty but with so few cats in the Clan to patrol he had to try and put the effort in. Emphasis on try; Hollowbriar usually had to drag him out of his nest to hear Frondswipe announce the patrols for the day.

The two of them typically ended up going on border patrols together for two reasons. Firstly, they were the most active warriors in the Clan, and Frondswipe trusted them to cover as much ground as they could in a day, with minimal distractions. Hollowbriar certainly didn’t mind the long walks, Chivespeckle not so much, but at least Hollowbriar kept him entertained. Secondly, Hollowbriar was the smoothest talker in the Clan. She had a bite to her tongue that could disrupt the peace of a gathering but she also was incredibly persuasive. She talked them out of a situation a while back when Chivespeckle ended up chasing a rabbit on JaggedClan territory and claiming it for himself. If they were to encounter any problems, whether it be with outsiders or other Clans, she could handle it, and Chivespeckle could back her up. At the end of the day, Chivespeckle enjoyed spending time with Hollowbriar. He’d much rather be with her than having heart-felt one-to-one’s with Lighteye or following the gloomy trail that Flintfoot and Rootpaw left.

So as the sun began to shine above the trees, a warmth in the air for once, Frondswipe once again appointed the two of them on the border patrol, specifically the Thunder Path border to the west and the JaggedClan border to the north. Nothing they couldn’t handle.

Continued under cut…

As the two of them settled to share a mouse before their long trek around the territory, Chivespeckle spotted a tiny ginger face poking out of the nursery. Honeykit grinned upon seeing that cats were awake and so began his daily ritual of loudly shouting “good morning” to every cat he saw and if the cat were to ignore him he would say it again, and again, and again. Though for Chivespeckle, the morning routine lasted longer than just a hello. Honeykit came bounding up to him and Hollowbriar and began to chat excessively, asking what they were doing up so early, where they were going, and could he come along? The answers were always the same and with Dogkit feeling unwell Honeykit was more persistent than ever, clambering over Chivespeckle’s back as he spoke. Chivespeckle humoured Honeykit at first but even he had to admit that the kit was a little bit overbearing at times. Was he this bad as a kit? Hollowbriar sure got plenty of amusement out of it.

Once they were able to shake Honeykit off and send him back to Eggrumble they set out for the Thunder Path border. The tips of ferns were curled with fresh leaves and the tree canopies were thickening out once more, providing the shade that most MushroomClan cats preferred. Chivespeckle was glad that the chill in the air was gone. To celebrate the gorgeous morning, Hollowbriar was quick to challenge Chivespeckle to a race and he gladly accepted. They sprinted through the forest, leaping over twisted roots and darting around the thickest bushes. Chivespeckle considered himself to be pretty quick but Hollowbriar was bigger. Her long strides propelled her forwards like a stag. She won with ease, as she usually did, and Chivespeckle accused her of cheating, as he usually did.

They stuck to the shade of the trees as they wandered along the Thunder Path. The stench of monsters overtook their own scent markers so it was important to refresh them whenever possible. Chivespeckle felt like they were coming here a lot more regularly ever since Honeykit and Dogkit were brought to camp. They still hadn’t found their father and after Slumberstar reported that one of his patrols chased off a ginger loner at the last gathering he didn’t have much hope that he would ever return. It was probably for the best, they needed warriors anyways.

Chivespeckle was in the middle of rubbing his cheek up against a tree when Hollowbriar suddenly called him over. A piece of ginger fur was caught up in a bramble bush. Chivespeckle leant in to sniff it and wrinkled his nose up in disgust; a fox had only just passed through. Hollowbriar was committed to following its scent trail, reminding Chivespeckle that foxes sometimes led to prey. This was supposed to be a border patrol, Chivespeckle reminded her, but even he couldn’t deny that if they found something substantial Frondswipe would be pleased. Prey was still in slightly short supply for the Clan and Bluffstar had a voracious appetite at the moment, no thanks to her pregnancy. Chivespeckle knew they would return to the border eventually and allowed Hollowbriar to track the scent back into the forest. It didn’t take very long for the fox to come into view and another scent to catch Chivespeckle’s attention. The red fox was feasting on the carcass of a doe, who seemed to have gotten herself caught in a Twoleg trap. Although some scavengers had gotten there first there was still plenty of meat to spare.

Chivespeckle felt Hollowbriar buzzing with excitement beside her. They had to try and win this feast for themselves. For once, everyone in the Clan would go to sleep with a full belly. Chivespeckle watched the fox closely. It seemed young, possibly a cub from last NewLeaf, so he assumed it would be more reckless, meaning more chance of injuries on their side. Hollowbriar was convinced that they could do this and devised a plan: she’ll intimidate the fox while Chivespeckle sneaks up behind the carcass. Chivespeckle nodded, he could do that. Chivespeckle crept through the foliage until he was positioned on the other side of the deer, watching as the fox gnawed on a bone. Hollowbriar emerged from the bushes, her fur standing on end and turning the already large she-cat into a mountain lion, hissing and growling. The fox turned towards her, growling in return, although its tail was tucked tightly between its legs and its ears pressed flat to its head. With its back now to the carcass, Chivespeckle moved, stalking around the deers legs, and while Hollowbriar kept the fox focused on her he closed in. Then, he pounced, landing on the fox’s back and digging his claws in as he pushed it into the ground. The fox yelped in surprise and thrashed around beneath him, twisting its head frantically. Chivespeckle drew blood, and the fox shrieked, but as it managed to wriggle out of Chivespeckle’s grasp it moved to attack him instead, genuinely surprising Chivespeckle. Teeth lunged for his right leg but were pulled back. Hollowbriar had a mouth full of fox tail and was dragging the shrieking fox towards her, mumbling something about not letting his guard down. Hollowbriar’s strength overwhelmed the young fox as she pulled it towards her, its claws scouring the earth as she tugged, until it was close enough for her to slash at its muzzle. With a yelp, the fox stumbled back, looked at its attackers, then begrudgingly fled with its tail tucked between its legs.

Hollowbriar yowled in triumph and Chivespeckle joined her with a purr, praising her for her strength. Hollowbriar joked that it would have been easier if Chivespeckle didn’t doze off. He swatted her ear. He didn’t fall asleep! The fox just took him by surprise, that’s all. Hollowbriar reminded him that foxes are cunning and unpredictable. One moment you’re winning, the next you’re having your leg mangled. Chivespeckle didn’t need a young cat to tell him that but he bit his tongue. After all, they should be proud of themselves for winning such a large feast. He was sure Frondswipe wouldn’t mind them bringing this back before they continued their journey. Hollowbriar offered to watch over the doe while Chivespeckle went to find someone to lend them a paw, and maybe she could figure out how to free it from the trap in the meantime. Chivespeckle nodded, padding away with a spring in his step knowing that plenty of praise would be coming their way

[mushroomclangen]

Moon 0 - Newleaf - Part 3

The Gathering

Frondswipe couldn’t believe it had nearly been a moon since the wolf attack. At the last gathering, Thymestar had mentioned JaggedClan’s plan to drive the wolves out of their territory. Said plan was hatched a half-moon later, resulting in the deaths of so many MushroomClan cats. There was very little chatter as she, Bluffstar, Eggrumble, Flintfoot, Rootpaw and Hollowbriar made their way through the dusky forest, the sky barely illuminated by the full moon. It was almost eerie.

Rootpaw whispered something to Flintfoot behind her. In response, Flintfoot assured her that she could stay by her side. Rootpaw didn’t want to come to the gathering but unfortunately for her Bluffstar wanted at least one apprentice to be there and Antlerpaw was still having problems with her bite wound; the latter was devastated to miss out, of course. Ahead of Frondswipe, Eggrumble leaned over to murmur a couple of words in Bluffstar’s ear. Bluffstar let out a small hum, and ended the conversation there. Hollowbriar was the only cat who didn’t appear to be completely miserable. There was a stride in the tortie’s step, even if Eggrumble scolded her prior to leaving for wanting to show the other Clans how she fought the wolves. Frondswipe was pretty sure she came close to having her tail ripped off if Bluffstar hadn’t pulled her out of the way… that certainly wouldn’t be mentioned to her rival warriors.

Continued under cut…

As the trees began to thin out the shapes of cats moving under the moonlight became clearer. Bluffstar glanced back before proceeding, a positive smile on her face. Frondswipe padded up alongside Bluffstar, she forgot that she was the deputy for a moment there, and puffed her chest out as they strode into the clearing. Cats of all different smells turned to them, their expressions were a mixture of concern and sorrow.

“Oh StarClan, is that all of them?”

“Slumberstar was right, Icestar is dead…”

“How did so many cats die? Stars, I don’t know what I’d do if I was Bluffheart…”

Frondswipe tried her best to block most of the noise out. Sure, she appreciated the sympathy, she was sure Bluffstar and the others did as well, but you could only hear so much of it before it became jarring. The twisted, fallen trunks of the Truce Trees laid ahead of her. At its base sat the other deputies: Rimetail, Kitewhistle and Junipercloud, three cats that Frondswipe never expected to be sitting beside. Above them, resting on branches and tree trunks, were the leaders: Thymestar of JaggedClan, Waspstar of NewtClan, and Slumberstar of WarmClan. Frondswipe gave Bluffstar a friendly nudge, assuring her leader that everything would be fine. Bluffstar purred gratefully, returning the gesture before climbing up to the perch where Icestar once sat.

Junipercloud dipped their head in greeting and once again congratulated Frondswipe for being chosen as deputy, having been there with Slumberstar when Bluffstar left for the Star Cavern. The other two deputies followed suit, Frondswipe glowed with joy.

A loud meow cut through the noise of the gathering. Waspstar wanted to begin; he wanted to know exactly what happened when the wolves attacked MushroomClan. Suddenly, all eyes focused on Bluffstar and Frondswipe, ears perked forward eagerly. Frondswipe heard Bluffstar’s voice shake as she began to retell the events of earlier that moon. She and Icestar were made aware of Thymestar’s plan to drive out the wolves at the last gathering. They approved of her method and supported the cause, it wasn’t uncommon for the wolves to occasionally cross the border from time to time. However, they didn’t know when Thymestar’s plan was going to come into action, nor that it had partially failed. By the time a cat spotted the wolves heading in the direction of camp it was already too late. They were advancing quickly, spurred on by anger, and there was no time to evacuate.

Frondswipe could hear Bluffstar’s trembling voice trail off as she took a deep breath. Slumberstar urged her to take as long as she needed, though Bluffstar seemed determined to continue. She avoided going into the gory details of the massacre but confirmed the deaths of Icestar and Eggrumble’s fellow medicine cats: Sparrowthorn and Mistsong. She also listed those who survived; nine cats in total. Wails of horror rippled through the gathering as cats realised the fates of their friends across the borders.

“No! Not Sparrowthorn…”

“So many families destroyed… Poor Antlerpaw and Rootpaw.”

“Did she say Jaywhisper’s name? Has he died too?”

Frondswipe could see the other deputies looking at her from the corner of her eye. Kitewhistle, for once, seemed lost for words, while Rimetail seemed to mumbling a cat’s name under her breath, her eyes were as wide as the moon above them. Junipercloud sighed, at least the others didn’t get to see the aftermath; Frondswipe thanked them again for their selfless efforts.

Bluffstar allowed the gathering to mourn for a moment before meowing loudly to get everyone’s attention again. MushroomClan will rebuild. Their territory is still safe and habitable and Bluffstar announces that she will be opening her borders to any eager outsiders who wish to become a Clan cat. A murmur is heard amongst the crowd of cats. Waspstar growls, reminding Bluffstar what Icestar thought of outsiders, though Slumberstar is quick to remind Waspstar that Bluffstar can make her own rules now, and if she is to achieve her goal of rebuilding MushroomClan it would be impossible without the assistance of loners and kittypets. Frondswipe, personally, was excited to see who would join the Clan. She never understood why some leaders were so against it.

Thymestar, quiet for most of Bluffstar’s turn, finally spoke up. She apologised deeply for letting the wolves run into MushroomClan territory. They deviated from the path her warriors had set up, she knew that she should have sent some warriors down to the border in case anything went wrong but she couldn’t risk the lives of her Clanmates. She had already lost two, an apprentice and a senior warrior, in the days leading up to the attack. Bluffstar, always so easy to forgive others, was sorry to hear that Thymestar also lost cats to the wolves, and assured her that there was nothing else that could have been done. Wolves are smarter than prey, after all. It doesn’t seem to stop Thymestar from feeling any less guilty.

Bluffstar doesn’t have much else to say about the matter, and looks to the other leaders to continue the gathering.

Waspstar steps forward, announcing recent news for NewtClan:

Now that the frost is gone, the rivers are flowing freely again, bringing the fish back to NewtClan’s waters

Dovepelt has given birth to two healthy kits: Lilykit and Snowkit. Their father, Snailstripe, is present at the gathering and brims with pride as cats congratulate him

Frecklepaw, the medicine cat’s apprentice, has finished his training and was taken to the Star Cavern by Maplerapid the other night to receive his full name. He is now named Freckleback

Waspstar has nothing else to say, so passes on to Thymestar. Thymestar begins on a sorrowful note:

As the Clan worked to remove the wolves from JaggedClan territory, Sprucepaw and Batstrike were unfortunately killed. Their selfless efforts to protect their Clan will never be forgotten.

There is still a strong chill in the air up in the mountains but prey is running reasonably well again. She praised her warriors for their efforts these past few moons

Slumberstar is the one to finish the gathering:

Prey is running well; rabbits are starting to emerge from their burrows and WarmClan has been taking advantage of their sleepiness.

Slumberstar is proud to announce that his grandson, Rookpaw, has completed his warrior assessments and was given his full name earlier on in the moon. Rookswipe has already proven himself to be a valuable warrior and Slumberstar couldn’t be happier

Slumberstar then turns to Bluffstar. He tells her that Junipercloud has been undertaking the task of shadowing the wolves, making sure they leave the Clan’s territories for good. Junipercloud stands up, surprising Frondswipe. They ask Slumberstar if they can speak in his stead; Slumberstar grants them permission. Junipercloud is confident that the wolves have long since left WarmClan territory and should not pose a threat anymore, Frondswipe was aware of that from when WarmClan visited to lend a paw. However, the other day Junipercloud and their patrol scented something rotten seeping over the border. They decided to follow the trail and found the body of a wolf, covered in claw wounds…

That was the wolf that tried to enter the nursery, Hollowbriar shouted across the clearing. She and a few other warriors tore the beast to shreds when they found out that it had murdered the kits! Bluffstar flinched at Hollowbriar’s abrasiveness and urged her to calm down, especially since some cats seemed rather uncomfortable to hear about kits being killed in such a brutal manner. Junipercloud assumed that the wolf made it out of the territories before succumbing to blood loss. So far, the rest of its pack hasn’t returned for it, and they doubt that they will. Bluffstar thanks Junipercloud for the update.

With all news discussed, Slumberstar decided to dismiss the meeting. Cats slowly began to filter out of the clearing, meowing their goodbyes and any final wishes of good luck towards MushroomClan. Bluffstar jumped down from her branch and landed beside Frondswipe. Frondswipe rubbed her cheek against hers with a purr, praising her for doing so well. She couldn’t believe how far Bluffstar had come in life. She could still remember being there to see Bluffstar’s eyes open for the very first time, now she was at her side as her deputy. She couldn’t be more proud of her, of them.

Gradually the rest of MushroomClan gathered around the two of them. Rootpaw was still sticking close to Flintfoot, almost hiding under her mentors legs. Eggrumble sauntered over, yelling for Hollowbriar to stop chasing after a WarmClan warrior. Bluffstar didn’t waste too much time lingering around and began to lead her Clan away from the Truce Trees.

Frondswipe padded alongside Bluffstar, eager to discuss some of the things brought up by the other Clans. It was amazing that they actually managed to kill one of the wolves, albeit only after the blood loss kicked in! In her eyes, it should be seen as a tiny victory for them. Bluffstar nodded with a laugh, joking that Hollowbriar probably wouldn’t stop bragging about it for the next moon. Frondswipe giggled but stopped when Bluffstar’s face darkened. She asked her what was wrong. Bluffstar admitted that she has been feeling a bit sick recently. Eggrumble assured her that it was just nerves, though Bluffstar wasn’t too sure. Frondswipe frowned, making sure to assure Bluffstar that if she needed to take a break she was happy to cover for her. Bluffstar opened her mouth to thank her but was interrupted by a sudden and loud retch, her legs swaying as she grimaced with pain.

Eggrumble was by her side immediately, taking Bluffstar towards a nearby bush in case she needed to vomit. Frondswipe watched with concern, unable to answer Flintfoot’s own questions as she came to stand beside her. All she could hear was Eggrumble telling Bluffstar to take it easy and promising to give her a proper check up in the morning. Frondswipe hoped it wasn’t anything too serious. Sure, she could handle herself taking care of the Clan, but it certainly wasn’t ideal when there was so few cats to keep things running…