Hidden Haven

[Orion]

|| Centipedepaw & Hornetpaw | @TheNyanCatMinecart /open! ||

Hornetpaw halted his brother with a warning tail-tip to the spine. The flame-colored tom had heard the incoming baying of dogs as well as everybody else except Centipedepaw, though he guessed that his Deaf littermate had likely felt the pounding reverberations of canine paws thrumming through the earth. Centipede stopped immediately, eyes automatically cutting to Hornet—prepared to receive any communication details he could. An unspoken question dug a furrow between the pale-faced boy's brows: what now?

Signs flew rapidly, Hornetpaw dipping into pure muscle memory to relay Dawnstar's barked orders and narrate the action erupting into life all around them. The brothers continued to orbit Ivysnake as though trapped in her gravity—available at the twitch of a whisker if the medicine cat apprentice required their aid. Neither boy dared open his mouth to speak aloud or yowl their confusion; the bundle of herbs they each carried was far too precious, first of all, and secondly they knew that their private language might very well save their lives. Dogs would not be able to hear the wholly silent sentences that passed between their paws, their expressive faces, their stature. Luckily, Ivysnake seemed mostly on board with this method—and what signs she didn't yet know, the black-striped warrior had simply substituted for with readily interpreted gestures. As a unit, the three of them were deadly efficient. Soldiers of ShadowClan to be proud of.

When Dawnstar told Ivysnake to watch the clan in her abscence, the boys repositioned themselves at Ivysnake's flanks—stares flinty and harsh as they observed their peers. If their leader required the medicine cat apprentice to act as the commanding officer, then Hornetpaw and Centipedepaw would stand in as her enforcers. Their hackles prickled dangerously along their backs, tails lashing in warning as they surveyed the more vulnerable members of ShadowClan: kits and queens who would require protection if the dogs broke through Dawnstar's small patrol.

But the terrifying tabby didn't make her faction wait long. With whiplike urgency she lead ShadowClan out of their familiar forest and toward the towering steep cliffs that made a path to the Mourning Ruins—not pausing to see if her loyal cats were following. Why should she need to? Of course they were. None of them had anywhere else to go...

Centipedepaw pressed anxiously against Hornetpaw's side as though checking to ensure that his littermate didn't disappear. Hornetpaw responded by hitting his brother's shoulder with a joking paw-punch, plastering a tilted grin on his muzzle that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'll go first, 'kay? That way I can signal you with my tail if anything happens on the way up. Just don't trip over your big dumb feet."

"MY big dumb feet?!" Centipede gestured back angrily. He unsheathed his claws to tell his idiot sibling what he really thought—yet he had no choice but to swallow his pride as Dawnstar headed up the sharp incline.

This place... wasn't what Hornet or Centipede expected.

The brothers had never traveled this far, and the sudden alien landscape surrounding them had the littermates quietly nudging together as their gazes swiveled back and forth. Where were all the pine trees? Why the acrid smell of old smoke and bitter ice, rather than the familiar murk of mud and shade? Their paws stepped cautiously over a chewed-up gravel path, snarls written across both of their muzzles; the strange woods eventually opened up into a peaceful glade, dotted here and there with dilapidated dens. A refugee camp if they ever saw one.

Too exhausted to argue or ask questions, the boys trudged wherever Ivysnake lead them and flopped onto their haunches, herb bundles dropping to the grass as they opened their mouths in massive yawns that made their jaws click. A clan meeting? Already? The sun had barely begun to burn the horizon... but oh well. ShadowClan cats could handle anything: including a meeting after traveling who knows how far to escape from twolegs and their mangy dogs.

[Pitou]

**Elmshadow**

@NinjaBloss @TheNyanCatMinecart @Orion

The trek had been long but that had little to do with the tension the dark medicine cat found building in his shoulders. With relatively little knowledge beyond the basics and now the sudden rush from the camp, the den he was just getting accustomed to, Elmshadow felt like he was thrown back into the turmoil of unknowing. He'd always been very sure, highly convicted; Hawkscreech had made sure of that and Elmshadow had quickly proven to be his father's favorite (if the tom had had one beyond least disappointed in) for that very trait. It wasn't until Goldenstep's influence that Elmshadow first felt that flicker of doubt and uncertainty that it seemed was so common in so many other warriors. Since his appointment as medicine cat Elmshadow hadn't allowed himself to doubt his capabilities but now the turmoil was causing an unfamiliar itch beneath his pelt.

To regain his composure, Elmshadow immediately turned his attention to what needed to be done. Following Dawnstar into the grassy clearing, Elmshadow scanned the area. He'd need to set up the makeshift, temporary medicine den. Before his mind could get too deep into planning and scoping, Dawnstar's hulking, shadowy figure moved away from the crowd of Shadowclanners and up the lone center tree, wasting no time in calling out for a meeting. He glanced towards Slytiger to catch his attention then looked up to locate Ivysnake, Hornetpaw and Centipedepaw. Setting down his bundle in a designated spot, he motioned for everybody else to do the same; he'd sort out where to put everything once the meeting was over. As soon as his herbs were temporarily figured out, he turned his attention to Dawnstar.

**Cougarivy**

As bouncy as when she first started out on trek, the little she-cat padded into the grassy clearing, taking it all in for the first time. Her thoughts traveled briefly to the cats assigned by Dawnstar to distract the dogs but were quickly diverted, if they couldn't figure their way here then at least they died like warriors. As Dawnstar broke away, Cougarivy scanned the group until her blue eyes stopped on Elmshadow. She smiled and took a step in his direction but was interrupted by Dawnstar's call for a meeting. With one last glance at her mate, she rolled her eyes then turned to look up at the leader perched on a branch as she sat down smoothly for the meeting.

**Sunsetpaw**

@cloudivity

The golden she-cat gave Sagekit one glance as they slowed into a grassy clearing, spotted with overgrown makeshift dens and a single large tree. She'd grown to respect the tom-kit throughout the journey and leading up to it. He'd had a traumatic injury after following the warriors out of camp but he seemed to bounce back relatively easily, she saw strength in that and believed he'd become a worthwhile warrior to Shadowclan. She touched her nose to the top of the kit's head, taking him over towards his mother. "You're very brave. Maybe some day you'll teach me your secrets," Sunsetpaw smiled, laughing softly. She looked up to Dappledleaf, fixing her posture erect, "He did great. If you ever need any anything, I'd be happy to help." Without waiting for much of a reply, Sunsetpaw turned away and took a pace to the sided to sit down, curling her fluffy tail around her paws, and looked up to Dawnstar.

[TheNyanCatMinecart]

~ IVYSNAKE OF SHADOWCLAN ~

The climb had been a bit difficult, but nothing Ivysnake couldn't handle. Her slender, angular build meant that she was rather agile, and although her muscles hadn't been used in what felt like forever, she was still strong, and she could feel them rolling beneath her short pelt as she climbed. Occasionally, a shower of stones would go down into her face, but she either ignored them or turned her head away with an almost inaudible grunt. Now she was just behind Dawnstar, looking around at a part of the forest that looked just like ThunderClan's. No more straight, normal pine trees. Everywhere was littered with leaves and trees with wild branches and all sorts of different colors. It was also getting lighter out; Ivysnake's amber eyes flashed in the hues that came from the sky, but she much preferred the menacing glint they had in the shadows.

Ivysnake had some sort of special ability not to feel tired during important situations, but she could tell that some of the cats around her were beginning to droop. Even Dawnstar, the almighty leader, didn't stifle a yawn. Ivysnake did feel a little tired, she supposed, but there were still so many important things to do. She had to talk with Elmshadow about putting their herbs down in a safe place, and she wanted to spend some time with Centipedepaw in a place that would be new to him... and admittedly, Ivysnake wasn't sure if she'd been here before. The place held a sense of abandonment, but she ignored this feeling, instead focusing on Dawnstar and the task at paw.

The medicine cat apprentice watched as her colossal tabby leader jumped onto a branch that reminded her a bit of ThunderClan's meeting place and called for a Clan meeting. Ivysnake didn't want to sit down yet - she had to find the cats carrying herbs, which included her medicine cat mentor and warrior apprentice, and check the Clan over for injuries. But that last part needed to wait, as Ivysnake needed to listen to what Dawnstar had to say. Ivysnake's amber eyes raked the crowd, seeking out her Clanmates. She saw Slytiger looking around, and Ivysnake raised her black-striped tail to get his attention. Bounding over, she set down her herb bundle, went to take the honeycomb from him, and cleared a spot on the ground for it. Ivysnake put it down and gave a nod of acknowledgment to the tiger-like cat before picking her herb bundle up and searching the crowd once more.

There was Elmshadow, motioning for them to come over. Oops. "You can stay there; I'll bring the honeycomb over," the dark brown tabby meowed to Slytiger. She bounded over to Elmshadow, deposited her herb bundle, went back, grabbed the honeycomb, and cleared another special spot for it. She didn't want it dripping all over the ground or collecting too much debris - the Dark Forest knew how much honey had been lost during the trip. "We'll keep this separate," she meowed, pointing to it with her tail. "And after the meeting, we need to check our Clanmates for injuries. Especially the cats sent to lure the dogs away."

Oh, there the apprentices were. How did Ivysnake lose track of them? They'd been by her the whole time, but she'd been too busy with everything else to focus on them. Pay more attention, Ivysnake told herself bitingly, then saw them flopped down on the ground not far from her. Their herb bundles lay beside them. Sighing, the black-striped tabby hurried over to them. "I'll bring these over here. But next time, don't drop your bundles like that!" With that, Ivysnake put both herb wraps by hers and Elmshadow's, then sat down beside the medicine cat, finally focusing fully on Dawnstar and waiting for the meeting to start.

@NinjaBloss @Orion @Ravensong

[Ragwort]

Duskwatcher stalked over, tail twitching every which way as he sat down to listen to the clan meeting.

[puppeteer]

Sagekit

Sagekit was so glad that everything was done and over with. He was so tired. He was glad to have been able to walk with Sunsetpaw, as she was really cool. She was super nice to him, too, so that was another plus. She was calling him brave... Was he? He thought she was the bravest cat he'd ever known! "You're way braver, Sunsetpaw." He mewed to her as they walked to his mother, who looked a bit frazzled. He ran straight into his mother with a purr. The white tomkit was SO happy to see her!!

{ @Ravensong }

Dappledleaf

She saw and then felt her large son run straight into her side. She started to lick his head. "Thank you very much, Sunsetpaw. I hope he behaved for you." She purred, with a small side glance to her mischevious son. She started sniffing his paw, asking him questions about his pain, and if he could put weight on it yet. She was quite happy to have both of her kits back with her.

Willowkit

I'm soo tired! The little she-kits thoughts were grumbling.. And there was her brother!! She leaned against him, and sighed happily. Sagekit was back with her and their mother. That's all that really mattered to her. She had missed her brother terribly, and it felt so weird to be away from him for so long, even if he was just farther up in the group.

[Undertaker]

High Rank Announcement [#hrannouncement]

The amber orbs took in how tired it appeared several of her clanmates were, but most of them powered through it to hear the meeting. It seems that the members of ShadowClan at least have some grit. The leader didn't want to keep them long and so began the session.

"ShadowClan, we'll be staying here for a few days, just until I'm certain the twolegs and their mutts have left our territory." There was no point in getting too cozy nor complaining about the move. She wasn't going to waste too much time in the haven. "We'll get through some ceremonies and then I'll handle setting up some patrols. Marshkit, [ @Peachy Wolf27 ], Sorrelkit [ @jupiter ] Sagekit, Willowkit [ @cloudivity ], Maplekit [ @AutumLeaf ], and Burningkit [ @Atticus ]. Come up here so I can get your apprentice ceremonies done." Even though it was unlikely Sagekit would be able to start his training, he could still obtain his apprentice rank. His mentor would just have to check with one of their medicine cats to see when they could start training him.

While she was waiting on the kits to step up she glanced at the warriors below her and made quick work on deciding who'd be going hunting with her. "Raccoonpelt [ @The Vast ], Newtpaw [ @wispyy ], and Badgerscar [ @Spotty ], as soon as I"m done with this meeting you three will be going hunting with me." Now, Dawnstar didn't really want to go hunting but she got the feeling that if she didn't go hunting there wouldn't be any prey for the clan. Though it was not their fault the last two hunting patrols had failed her. So if she wanted something done she'd do it herself.

"Elmshadow [ @ Ravensong ], Ivysnake [ @TheNyanCatMinecart ]. If you need herbs set up an herb patrol and send them out now." Yes, yes, she was aware that all of the clan should be present at the meeting, but unfortunately, Dawnstar was tired and cranky and wanted stuff done while she was doing ceremonies so if the kits were unhappy, they could go grumbled about not having attention away from the leader. Dawnstar had more important things to think about than a few unhappy kits.

[AutumLeaf]

Maplekit stepped up excitedly
@Undertaker

[puppeteer]

Dappledleaf

Oh, StarClan! She had forgotten about the kits apprentice ceremonies in all this chaos. She quickly groomed them, before nosing them forward. "Don't forget to touch noses with your new mentors!" She whispered to her kits. Her eyes teared. This was the first litter she was able to raise and see grow. Hopefully.. no, they would survive. She was so happy.

Willowkit and Sagekit

They were becoming apprentices!! They looked to eachother, their eyes wide. They scampered in front of Dawnstar, Willowkit matching Sagekits speed. They looked up at their leader, excitement shining in their eyes. Today was their day, along with the other kits becoming apprentices. Who would their mentors be? Would they train together? They couldn't predict the future, but they were excited.

{ @Undertaker }

[Quasar]

Burningkit | she/her | @Ravensong @/undertaker @Poppy.

The lean kit blinked in slight surprise as her name was called, amber eyes glancing over to her sister. With a small grin she flicked her tail...or what was left of it, anyways, and padded up to join the other kits who were called. Soon she would be an apprentice, and from then on she would have opportunity after opportunity to prove herself and get the recognition she rightly deserved.

Warblermoon | he/ve

The enforcer had been noticeably off lately. Between the disappearance of his mate and kit and the relocation of the entire clan, it was a wonder he was still managing to keep his head on right. Letting out a sigh as he sat down, ve flicked an ear as Dawnstars call reached ver. At once ve straightened up, gazing keenly at the apprentices-to-be as they were called up.

[Peachy Wolf27]

(Time existed: Roughly 74 days) (Posts made: Roughly 40 posts)


Marsh’Kit twitched his tail excitedly. My ceremony! Yay!! He stepped up. I’m so nervous… I wonder who my mentor will be?