Mintpaw sprinted into the leader’s den and began bouncing up and down in front of Dawnstar. ”DAWNSTAR DAWNSTAR DAWNSTAR I’M AN APPRENTICE! I’M AN APPRENTICE! thanks for appointing me Hemlockleaf he’s awesome thanks by the way did you like your apprenticeship how long ago was that how old are you by the way I’m six moons duh ahahahahahah I heard you do apprentice training too I wanna learn with you can we can we can we can we?”
rookfire had brough space between himself and the kit as soon as he put it down in camp, briefly considering stepping ahead and following mistlewhisker at a brisk pace but instead chose to force the kit to walk by hovering behind it. lingering discomfort, he had never really been one for kits...and dont get him started on pregnancy. a shiver ran down his spine at the thought and the dark tom gave a slight shake to ease the ruffled fur.
entering dawnstars den brought memories of his very own first time in shadowclan camp though he quickly moved onto listening to mistlewhisker instead of lingering on useless memories. "mmh, they were still warm when we got there, malnourished, we missed them by only a few moments." the enforcer added upon meeting mistlewhiskers gaze on accident whilst she was looking at him. he had taken that as a invitation to talk, and he sure hoped that was the intend, or perhaps she just wanted to see if he was actually there.
the good thing about not carrying the kit anymore was not having to feel and taste their pelt on his tongue, dirty and reeking of outsider, the bad thing was that the kit now had free will to do what it pleased. somehow not having shrivelled up at the sight of dawnstar alone (though he had to admit mistlewhisker wasnt that much smaller than their leader anyway), it had apperantly chosen to both disrupt their conversation and cross basic boundaries.
ignoring the talking was easy enough but when attention briefly slipped from listening back and trying to keep the kit in the corner of his vision and listening, to focussing fully on dawnstar, he flinched at the touch inflicted upon his flank by the unfamiliar kit. remaining intact ear and whatever was left of the other one twitched back in discomfort, stepping a bit further away from the kit and shifting his tail to the side to form a barrier between them. the feeling that remained was alike the one he imagined a lingering soul would feel, maggots burying in hollow flesh and squirming around. not many cats sought unnecessary contact like this and even less rookfire could endure without wanting to peel his skin off. striped tail between them, it wasnt much, but stars even a outsider kit could have that much understanding of social clues to get he was not liking their behaviour. on the outside it probably didnt look like much, he had pointedly kept his head turned towards, and eyes trained on dawnstar and mistlewhisker, flinched and shifted only a bit, tail coming to rest as if simply seeking a different position.
EVERY STEP I TAKE IS A MISTAKE....WHY CANT I JUST BE PERFECT?
ׂ╰┈➤Tiny paws wondered around, looking for something to do for once in his life. He then saw the leader's den. Something he had never been to, he padded towards the open den, seeing dawnstar he tried to act normal, though he wasnt. Unexpectantly he stumbed as he tried to sit down and knocked into something. He watched it fall off something and break as it hit the ground, his heart started racing. HOW DARE YOU BREAK SOMETHING YOU IDIOT KIT BE SMART FOR ONCE IN YOUR DAMN LIFE his mind yelled at him as he panicked. He looked up at dawnstar with a startled look on his face. He knew he would probably get punished, he was so damn stupid. "I-I didnt mean to! I swear!! Please forgive me! If it takes a punishment to forgive me then punish me!" he said anxiously, he wanted to be forgiven, he needed to be forgiven. YOUR NOT GONNA GET FORGIVEN DUMB KIT he shook as his mind told him that. He needed to stay calm though. He didnt need to show panicking infront of his leader, it will show that he is just a weak little kit who lost his mom at birth and is all alone, no siblings as he was the only non stillborn in his litter, no friends as noone wanted to interact with him, i mean who can blame them, he's just a stupid kit who knows nothing about the world yet. He was so hopeless and lonely he even refuses for people to be friends with him even if they try, that's why he has no friends. He stood there waiting for an answer.
Safe to say, she was going to have to face this head-on. No time like the present, Lostspark supposed. Even though she'd rather make the present either the past or the future - preferably the former. Dawnstar was already round with kits and ever grouchier because of it, sooooooo there was a fine line Lostspark had to walk on, a role she wasn't by any means looking forward to playing anytime soon.
Anyway, after having picked up a vole (the rabbit looked nice and all, but Lostspark knew all too well the feeling of being stuffed with kits) from the fresh kill pile, and after shooting Aspencry a death glare that was meant to convey 'don't-piss-her-off' (who knows if he understood or not), the lithe grey enforcer approached. . . well, the dragon's den.
“Mother,” At the very least, she had brains enough to wait for Dawnstar to acknowledge her call and allow her in before actually setting foot into the place. Slowly setting down the vole first. “Look who I found at the border.” A familiar face - one Lostspark was certain was smart enough to keep it. Hopefully. Unless her character judgement scale was biased today.
Nudging the piece of prey towards her mother, Lostspark angled herself subconsciously a step in front of Aspencry, planting herself somewhat between him and the leader. He had been a ShadowClanner once, sure, and she was certain he knew better than to mess with the Shadow Queen, but the protective instinct would not diminish, not when her mother was pregnant. Damn Slytiger for getting temporarily exiled.
“Was convincing enough that he'd stay for the long run this time around.” A half glance in Aspencry's direction. That was probably all the defense she was going to offer her former rival, honestly.
If he had thought he was nervous before, it held no comparison to what he had now. Larkfire had been the easy part, if anything this would be a billion times harder. Still he tried to mask it, find that facade that was a constant mask he wore before. He appreciated the other's decision to grab a piece of prey from the pile before going to Dawnstar. And even her glare, at which he simply pinned his ears and nodded. He'd dealt with Dawnstar before, and understood well how deeply important him watching his tongue was.
He took a deep breath as they approached her den. Then actively bit his tongue as Larkfire spoke. He had to choose his words wisely, and he didn't want to overexplain before he was asked to. He didn't want to do anything before he was asked to in fear of messing up, but that was an unrealistic and rather dependant expectation. "That's because I meant it. "
"I wish to become a part of Shadowclan again, no matter what that entails. I will do whatever I can to prove that I deserve a spot in this clan. To prove my loyalty belongs to you and every member of this clan." He had fought every clan in the forest as well as those outside of it in the name of Shadowclan before. He had given his all in every training session, every battle and spar, every patrol. He'd do it again in a heartbeat. He would be a better warrior than he had been as long as he was given the opportunity. His loyalty had never belonged to anywhere but here, he was unsure what he would do, who he would be without it.
#110
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“Whatever you are physically, male or female, strong or weak, ill or healthy--
all those things matter less than what your heart contains. If you have the soul of a warrior, you are a warrior. All those other things, they are the glass that contains the lamp, but you are the light inside.” -Jem Carstairs
Mistlewhisker
ShadowClan Deputy
she/her | 43 moons
[Large black cat with a half white muzzle and a pale green eye] Purrks: Killer Aptitude T3, Shadow Fiend, Mind Reader
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽ The Chariot ☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
· · ────────────── · ·
[Rookfire - @alec ] [Yewkit - @TheNyanCatMinecart ] [Dawnstar - @Undertaker ]
· · ────────────── · ·
Coming into Dawnstar's den with news that wasn't exactly negative was rare for Mistlewhisker. The deputy shouldered her way into the hollowed out cave, making sure Rookfire and the kit followed suit. "Dawnstar. Rookfire, Adderpaw and I were out in the territory and found two dead outsiders and this kit. Yew poisoning, it seems." Mistlewhisker glanced at Rookfire to see if the tom had anything to add, since he had done most of the investigating. She purposefully left Adderpaw out of this conversation, directing the apprentice somewhere else so the leader, deputy and Enforcer could talk without plans being revealed. Once this kit was foisted off on someone, they could address the plan they had to catch the cannibal.
[2 weeks late but I finally remembered to get this out ]
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheNyanCatMinecart
[WARNING: This post contains accidental misgendering]
~ UNNAMED [YEWKIT], ROGUE ~
AFAB | SHE/HER | KIT | 1 MOON | JUST A SCRATCH | RAPID RECOVERY
Massive, long-furred, striking scarlet she-kit with deep, rich colorpoints that fade at the edges and round, fiery amber eyes.
When they entered some kind of hole in the rocks and plants, the dark gray she-cat with the weird eye put the unnamed she-kit down. Plop! She was so exhausted that she immediately collapsed onto the ground. It was hard and smooth, unlike the squishy mud and soft earth she usually walked on. Much new! She'd traveled farther in the span of... however long it had taken the smelly she-cats to walk here than she and Mama and Papa had in days. There was so much to see! Tall trees that towered into the sky and which were much straighter than the ones she was used to, clearings covered in green growth that looked like it would be a lot of fun to play in, and a ton of cats. More cats than she'd known existed! All of them were smelly, but she didn't say anything. No complaining. No making anyone unhappy. Be strong, she thought with a flash of pride.
However, she felt very weak. No one had given her food yet. Her stomach let out another desperate growl. She wanted to rest like Mama Cheeto and Papa Lion. But she couldn't because these strange cats were here. Be strong, she repeated silently. With a great deal of willpower, she pushed herself to her paws. Her head and tail drooped, matted with mud and foliage, but little patches of bright scarlet shone through, even in the den's shadows.
The she-kit looked around with wide amber eyes. It was so cool in here! Even though it smelled stinky. There were things in the shadows, too! Little scraps that looked like the bones from the prey Mama and Papa ate. Furry things that looked like they belonged to other cats. Resting? she wondered, squinting through the darkness. It was hard to see them. They were even skinnier than Mama and Papa!
Beyond that, there was something else, too. A massive, hulking shape. Ba-ger? She'd heard stories about badgers and foxes. Was this one of them? Everyone else looked calm, so surely it must be alright.
The black she-cat with the single green eye was now talking. To the hulking thing? Did badgers speak cat? They must. There were a lot of confusing words involved. However, she used the word "dead" again. Mama and Papa weren't dead! They weren't gone! They were just resting somewhere else, and these weird wild cats would bring them here soon. Right?
Some energy sparked back into the she-kit's paws. "Nuh-uh! No dead! Mama and Papa resting!" She looked at the badger. Did badgers have pointy ears or amber eyes? Did they smell like stinky she-cats? It was a little scary, but she wasn't scared of anything! She was strong! "When you bring Mama and Papa? When food?" she mewed. Forcing herself to move, she began nudging the dark gray she-cat's and the black-and-white she-cat's bellies. Did they have milk? No. The small, colorful she-cat wasn't here anymore, not that she cared much. What about the badger-cat? She tottered forward curiously.
rookfire had brough space between himself and the kit as soon as he put it down in camp, briefly considering stepping ahead and following mistlewhisker at a brisk pace but instead chose to force the kit to walk by hovering behind it. lingering discomfort, he had never really been one for kits...and dont get him started on pregnancy. a shiver ran down his spine at the thought and the dark tom gave a slight shake to ease the ruffled fur.
entering dawnstars den brought memories of his very own first time in shadowclan camp though he quickly moved onto listening to mistlewhisker instead of lingering on useless memories. "mmh, they were still warm when we got there, malnourished, we missed them by only a few moments." the enforcer added upon meeting mistlewhiskers gaze on accident whilst she was looking at him. he had taken that as a invitation to talk, and he sure hoped that was the intend, or perhaps she just wanted to see if he was actually there.
the good thing about not carrying the kit anymore was not having to feel and taste their pelt on his tongue, dirty and reeking of outsider, the bad thing was that the kit now had free will to do what it pleased. somehow not having shrivelled up at the sight of dawnstar alone (though he had to admit mistlewhisker wasnt that much smaller than their leader anyway), it had apperantly chosen to both disrupt their conversation and cross basic boundaries.
ignoring the talking was easy enough but when attention briefly slipped from listening back and trying to keep the kit in the corner of his vision and listening, to focussing fully on dawnstar, he flinched at the touch inflicted upon his flank by the unfamiliar kit. remaining intact ear and whatever was left of the other one twitched back in discomfort, stepping a bit further away from the kit and shifting his tail to the side to form a barrier between them. the feeling that remained was alike the one he imagined a lingering soul would feel, maggots burying in hollow flesh and squirming around. not many cats sought unnecessary contact like this and even less rookfire could endure without wanting to peel his skin off. striped tail between them, it wasnt much, but stars even a outsider kit could have that much understanding of social clues to get he was not liking their behaviour. on the outside it probably didnt look like much, he had pointedly kept his head turned towards, and eyes trained on dawnstar and mistlewhisker, flinched and shifted only a bit, tail coming to rest as if simply seeking a different position.
She was back again and this time she brought unwanted company. The hulking feline stared at Mistlewhisker and the strange, filthy hairball she brought with her. Usually, such a thing wouldn't bug Dawnstar this much, but having the unfamiliar cat in her den made her want to rip it apart. She flattened her ears firmly against her head and lashed her tail to and fro violently. Yay, more irrational needs to spill blood. It's not like killing the kit would make her feel better, she knew she'd just be further enraged that her den was dirty.
There was no winning here. She was usually pretty emotionally unstable compared to normal cats, but being fat made it worse. She might have to keep her den close to everyone to avoid incidents. If she was this bad now she could only imagine how horrible she'd be when the spawn were here.
"They ate poison?" Her voice rumbled in a soft growl. How in the world did they manage to eat death berries? She glanced at Rookfire's added insight and deeper her scowl. She opened her forepaws, extending equally large claws, and punctured the fur beneath her giant paws. The logic wasn't working here. Dawnstar's brain was too clapped for it to compute or come up with even half-sensible reasons for the poison-eating.
The kit was talking and her golden glare drifted down to her. She noticed Rookfire did not like the hairball in the slightest. He made certain to put some distance between him and the hairball. That was interesting for five seconds, and then Dawnstar's curiosity turned back to wanting to kill the unfamiliar kit in her den.
"Your parents are resting forever and so aren't coming here," Dawnstar replied, her large fluffy tail swept out from behind her to halt the kit's curious search for milk. "I don't want to kill you, hairball, but if you go near my belly I'll snap your spine like a twig." Her fanged grin was anything but kind. In this instance, Dawnstar would prefer the hairball to have a healthy dose of fear regarding the leader. As it was, she was barely restraining herself from stepping on the kit.
"Clean her up and then take her to Mossfreckle or whomever with medical training to ensure she's not carrying any diseases or symptoms of poisoning. Then toss her in the nursery and give her to Nightshiver to foster. Her pelt's a bright shade of red like the berries her parents ate, we can call her Yewkit." Cruel naming some might say, but if this kit broke because of a name she wasn't worth being in ShadowClan in the first place. The kit was old enough to start eating solid prey, she assumed the queen would start weaning her.
Quote:
Originally Posted by constellation
MINTPAW
[ 3/100 ]
l apprentice l she/her l 6 moons l
Mintpaw sprinted into the leader’s den and began bouncing up and down in front of Dawnstar. ”DAWNSTAR DAWNSTAR DAWNSTAR I’M AN APPRENTICE! I’M AN APPRENTICE! thanks for appointing me Hemlockleaf he’s awesome thanks by the way did you like your apprenticeship how long ago was that how old are you by the way I’m six moons duh ahahahahahah I heard you do apprentice training too I wanna learn with you can we can we can we can we?”
No self-preservation at all! The extra moody Shadow Queen glared meanly at Mintpaw as she sprang into her den and bounced around like she ate a whole beehive of honey. "Mintpaw, bring the volume down or you'll lose your tongue." Dawnstar hissed aggravatingly. She raised one massive paw to her temple and rubbed it with her head. Despite Dawnstar's obvious annoyance with the apprentice, she'd regard this as a new challenge of patience and see how long she could last before wanting to maul the furball.
"Fine, none of your business, and if you talk this much during training the answer is no, I'm not taking you training. As you'd be jeopardizing your life and I still require that." Dawnstar would have to take someone with her, Lostspark, Mistlewhisker, or Mossfreckle, someone currently irreplaceable that she might listen to keep from straight murdering Mintpaw. Well, maybe she should hold off on training the furball altogether as she didn't trust herself to not kill the cat for annoying her in the slightest.
Safe to say, she was going to have to face this head-on. No time like the present, Lostspark supposed. Even though she'd rather make the present either the past or the future - preferably the former. Dawnstar was already round with kits and ever grouchier because of it, sooooooo there was a fine line Lostspark had to walk on, a role she wasn't by any means looking forward to playing anytime soon.
Anyway, after having picked up a vole (the rabbit looked nice and all, but Lostspark knew all too well the feeling of being stuffed with kits) from the fresh kill pile, and after shooting Aspencry a death glare that was meant to convey 'don't-piss-her-off' (who knows if he understood or not), the lithe grey enforcer approached. . . well, the dragon's den.
“Mother,” At the very least, she had brains enough to wait for Dawnstar to acknowledge her call and allow her in before actually setting foot into the place. Slowly setting down the vole first. “Look who I found at the border.” A familiar face - one Lostspark was certain was smart enough to keep it. Hopefully. Unless her character judgement scale was biased today.
Nudging the piece of prey towards her mother, Lostspark angled herself subconsciously a step in front of Aspencry, planting herself somewhat between him and the leader. He had been a ShadowClanner once, sure, and she was certain he knew better than to mess with the Shadow Queen, but the protective instinct would not diminish, not when her mother was pregnant. Damn Slytiger for getting temporarily exiled.
“Was convincing enough that he'd stay for the long run this time around.” A half glance in Aspencry's direction. That was probably all the defense she was going to offer her former rival, honestly.
If he had thought he was nervous before, it held no comparison to what he had now. Larkfire had been the easy part, if anything this would be a billion times harder. Still he tried to mask it, find that facade that was a constant mask he wore before. He appreciated the other's decision to grab a piece of prey from the pile before going to Dawnstar. And even her glare, at which he simply pinned his ears and nodded. He'd dealt with Dawnstar before, and understood well how deeply important him watching his tongue was.
He took a deep breath as they approached her den. Then actively bit his tongue as Larkfire spoke. He had to choose his words wisely, and he didn't want to overexplain before he was asked to. He didn't want to do anything before he was asked to in fear of messing up, but that was an unrealistic and rather dependant expectation. "That's because I meant it. "
"I wish to become a part of Shadowclan again, no matter what that entails. I will do whatever I can to prove that I deserve a spot in this clan. To prove my loyalty belongs to you and every member of this clan." He had fought every clan in the forest as well as those outside of it in the name of Shadowclan before. He had given his all in every training session, every battle and spar, every patrol. He'd do it again in a heartbeat. He would be a better warrior than he had been as long as he was given the opportunity. His loyalty had never belonged to anywhere but here, he was unsure what he would do, who he would be without it.
#110
The call from outside was answered with a low throaty growl and a guttural "Enter". The growl that had started soft like a babbling stream grew into a raging river that consumed the entirety of the den. The Clan leader was on her paws, tail fluffed up and large fangs bare as she eyed the second cat that walked in with her daughter.
"What the hell is this?" Her usually round pupils had shrunk to small slits in agitation. Lostspark's appeasement gesture was wholeheartedly ignored in favor of fiercely glaring at the pair of cats before her. Dawnstar's never noticed this before, but did Lostspark do that often? Leave out important information or neglect who to tell her gave her the authority to approve missing cats returning? Dawnstar certainly hadn't. Outsiders were one thing, missing cats were an entirely different thing.
She didn't tell her anything about why Aspencry had left or any bit of the conversation that led her to believe that Apsencry was fit to rejoin ShadowClan. Perhaps if they hadn't been so close during their younger moons, or if her daughter hadn't recently lost yet another of her kits, maybe Dawnstar would think Lostspark was competent and not be biased about letting an old friend into the clan.
It was rare that Dawnstar got truly upset with Lostspark. She didn't often give Dawnstar any reason. The she-cat trusted her daughter and valued her thoughts and judgment more than most as she had earned the right through many trials she faced and came out on top of. Lostspark had a fire that though dimmed here and there, never burnt out. It was hard not to respect someone like herself, who could persevere such tribulations and still find reasons to climb out of their nest day after day even when they didn't want to.
But this had to be the second time Lostspark had let her emotions cloud her judgment. Dawnstar adored Lostspark, hell even though she still wasn't certain about the emotion itself, she might ew... love her daughter, but it was times like these that Dawnstar wanted to rip the she-cat's ears off her head. It didn't feel like Lostspark was learning anything.
"Lostspark, please, please don't tell me he said I'm sorry for leaving and I'll do better, and won't leave this time, and you just decided that was good enough and brought him into my camp?" She hissed out behind gritted teeth. Her stomach muscles tensed and she felt her kits kicking so she forced herself to relax the clenched muscles.
It's been seasons! SEASONS! Since she last saw this cat. The longer one was gone the harder Dawnstar made it for them to return. Mere pretty words and petty promises did little to sway her. If they wanted back in they were working their asses off to convince her. Something told her that Lostspark hadn't done the same. One can't just leave her clan and think they have some right to walk back in like nothing.
"You," She snarled at Aspencry, "Shut your mouth or I'll break your jaw." Dawnstar didn't want to hear from Aspencry. Not now, she'll speak to him ...or kill him once she is done with Lostspark.
__________________
siggy art by redshiftreign
Dawnstar is the leader of ShadowClan and her kits currently reside in her den, enter and she may maim or kill you. She has a closed den policy. ShadowClan Resources ||| Dawnstar ||| ||| Kit Curriculum Finder
Last edited by Undertaker; August 20th, 2024 at 05:59 PM.
Mistlewhisker
ShadowClan Deputy
she/her | 43 moons
[Large black cat with a half white muzzle and a pale green eye] Purrks: Killer Aptitude T3, Shadow Fiend, Mind Reader
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽ The Chariot ☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
· · ────────────── · ·
[Dawnstar - @Undertaker ] [Rookfire - @alec ] [Yewkit - @TheNyanCatMinecart ]
· · ────────────── · ·
Rookfire finished explaining, leaving the den in silence as the leader thought over what she had been told. Rookfire started sharply beside her, and Mistlewhisker looked over just in time to see the strange kit make a nudge at her belly. The Deputy merely stepped away, regarding the kit with little interest. Though when she toddled towards Dawnstar, Mistlewhisker held out a paw to gently drag her back before the leader deemed her too close and shredded her.
Dawnstar gave her instructions, and Mistlewhisker's tail flicked idly. Another kit for Nightshiver, then. With the name Yewkit to boot. The Deputy said nothing, merely dipped her head in acknowledgement before herding the kit outside with surprisingly gentle nudges. Once outside, Mistlewhisker turned to Rookfire. "Take Yewkit to Mossfreckle. I am going to speak with Dawnstar about using the bodies for our plan." Was it rude to stick Rookfire with a kit when he so clearly did not like them? Perhaps. But it wasn't like he had to stay with her for long. Besides, he got Mossfreckle attention to compensate.
Mistlewhisker shouldered into the den once more, this time blissfully alone. "Apologies for coming back," she meowed dryly. "But Rookfire mentioned using the bodies of Yewkit's parents to draw out the cannibal. I wanted to hear your thoughts on the matter. It has been a few moons since the last instance of cannibalism, and I wonder if they have simply vanished." It was very possible that one of the many cats to have gone missing in the last few moons could have been the cannibal. It was also possible that they were simply biding their time. "Should we leave the bodies where they are and monitor them, to test whether or not our cannibal has disappeared or not?" Based on the small number of cats she actually trusted to not be a secret cannibal, Mistlewhisker would have a difficult time choosing who would monitor the bodies. One was pregnant, the other had Enforcers to command, and another was calling himself "The Specter" and she didn't trust anyone with a name like that to do what they were told. If Dawnstar had anyone in mind, then that would work too. Mistlewhisker trusted her judgement completely and without hesitation.
Fishkit walked in kinda quickly nearly tripping "Hello mizz dawn-st-star" she mewoed looking at the brown leader with her big green kit eyes unblinking "Do you know my papa?" she asked the leader "he's the best papa ever" she said firmly puffing out her chest trying to look confident "my papa found me so he keep me safes" she said fish kit seemed to have a lot to say for a kit bt she was quiet now as a small purr cane from her mouth
__________________
Brutus is the ataris claw of the crown if she is needed mention me
»»-----------►
[ Atari resources | Bone crest throne ] Risingstorm is one of thinderclans hornets if he is needed mention me
The dark gray she-cat was saying a bunch of confusing things again. Something about... missing someone? The she-kit blinked at her. Mama and Papa talked about missing things all the time. Usually prey, but Mama Cheeto talked about missing home a lot. Especially "Twolegs." Which made no sense. What kind of creature walked on two legs? Everything walked on four legs! But if Mama said it, it must be true. Mama knew a lot of things the colorpoint she-kit didn't.
Whatever. She was hungry. The dark gray she-cat moved away, and no milk-scent clung to her. She didn't process the social cue, only noting that there was no food. The huge black cat had none, either, also moving away. Time to see if the badger-cat did. And wow, she was fat! She could've eaten Papa Lion! The striking scarlet she-kit stared in wonder at the bulging lump of fur. Her parents had been so skinny. Have food! she realized with an excited twitch of her tail. Fat meant food, right? Mama Cheeto had been fat once upon a time, in the hazes of her young memory. Papa Lion had been, too, though not as much. Then these weird ridges have formed on their sides, and they'd been hungry. But now they had food! They had finally come to the right place!
Oh wow, the badger-cat looked angry. The she-kit felt a paw dragging her away from the massive tabby and let it guide her. Mama Cheeto and Papa Lion were rarely mad - usually, they were just tired and sad - but they got angry sometimes, and it was scary. She didn't want to make them any more upset. There was a lot she didn't understand, but she knew that complaining made them unhappy. And if she was quiet, they called her strong! She blinked up at the badger-cat, wondering what to do. Maybe keep her mouth shut? Yeah! She wouldn't complain that she was hungry at all, and she'd be called strong!
The gigantic she-cat said more strange words that she didn't understand. Were those her claws? She stared in amazement. They were even bigger than Papa's! She wanted claws like that one day! She unsheathed her own claws and tried to compare them. Hers were tiny compared to the badger-cat's. Like, super tiny. But she'd get bigger! She'd get as big as Papa! Maybe even as big as the badger-cat!
Oh? Her attention snapped to the fat feline as she brought up the she-kit's parents. Resting... forever? Not coming? She frowned in confusion. How could someone rest forever? Everyone who fell asleep woke up. And why weren't they coming? The other cats said they would! Was it because they were resting? Her mind flashed back to her siblings, snuggled by her side. They were blurs, but she could remember bits and pieces... a tiny ginger kit and a larger golden tabby. They'd "died." Which meant "gone." If Mama and Papa rested forever, would they be gone? But me wanna see them! If they rested forever, she couldn't.
However, a strange calm descended upon her. She wanted her parents... but wasn't the point of her life to keep moving forward? Just walk and let other cats guide her to where they wanted her to go? A last burst of longing faded into the distance. Like her siblings, Mama Cheeto and Papa Lion ebbed away. If they rested forever - if they were "gone," like her siblings - well, what could she do about it? Nothing. These cats were going to help her. They would give her food and everything. Mama and Papa would probably be happier resting. They'd always wanted to rest. They'd even gotten to eat those yummy berries.
Oh, and now the fat badger-cat was smiling at her! The she-kit giggled and grinned. Was she gonna be her new Mama? She didn't sound as kind as Mama, but she didn't mind!
Mama Badger began spouting some strange words, something about cleaning and night and carrying. The she-kit's ears pricked at the mention of berries - and her. Yeah, her pelt did look like the berries! Oh! Oh! She had a name now! Yewkit! It was kinda like how her parents had just called her "kit," but with another named attached to it! Yew! She purred. That was a great name! Like the berries! She loved it. Still, though, why hadn't she been allowed to eat them?
The black she-cat began nudging her, and Yewkit moved in the direction of her nudges. The dark gray she-cat also came along. Yewkit grinned when she heard her name being used. Name! Me have name! This was, like, the best day of her life! Though she did miss Mama and Papa...
No, Mama and Papa weren't important anymore. These new cats were! This was where Yewkit belonged!
"Thank you!" she called over her shoulder to the badger-cat. Yew! You! Haha! Then she looked at the two she-cats. Should she stay quiet and keep moving along? They didn't look unfriendly... but none of them had called her strong yet. However, they'd given her a name! Hmm...
Yewkit's curiosity got the better of her. The black she-cat was leaving, but the dark gray she-cat was still here. "What you name?" she asked. "Where we going? When food?" Her excitement and a strange, fiery feeling kept her on her paws, but her head still spun with exhaustion, and her legs shook with hunger. Besides, she had no idea where she was. Everything was so big, and there were so many cats!
Even after he'd grown so much Dawnstar was still larger then life. Pregnancy softened most cats, at least from what Bleedingpaw had heard but the shadowclan leader was no less intimidating, even being a 'soft' as she ever got with the apprentice. She just... towered over all regardless if they were one of the few maine coons larger then her by nature alone, tattered pelt a tapestry of proof of her might.
Shadowclan cats werent afraid of anything however, and he'd pleased Dawnstar today so Bleedingpaw forced himself to not be afraid, sitting up straight (as was possible, he still swayed and bobbled even sitting) and looking the leader in the eye. Plus, again she liked the gift and the golden bengal gave a beaming grin at the approval, unable to stop himself from purring. It probably wasnt a common grin aimed at Dawnstar, a bit to innocent and whole hearted and sunshine-y for shadowclan in general but it was genuine and so very typical for the little tom as he happily replied. "Im glad you like it! I doubt Im gonna find one like that again but Ill try and make sure the next gift is just as cool! Hmmm maybe something for the kittens to play with to make sure they dont bother you while you do leader stuff? Though Mama has said the only true and best distraction for us was to let us bite someone not her...."
Did that mean he'd just volunteered himself as a chew toy when Dawnstar's kittens were old enough? ....Maybe though he wouldnt complain if that ended up being the case, kittens were fun!
As for the question of the prey.... Well, Bleedingpaw couldnt really stop the pout that formed on his face, puffing up his cheeks a bit childishly. "No its not something I caught... I got a really cool fat gopher on my first hunt I planned to bring to you but when I woke up someone ate it! I shouldve saved it somehow I guess..." In hindsight it was rather foolish to expect his prey still be there and not go to some queens hungry belly but the prey pile was super full of cool stuff right now! Why would someone go for his gopher, cool only because it was Bleedingpaws first ever caught prey, rather then something like the snake he saw on the pile.
"Ill bring you something I caught next time though. Miss Brairsplash says Im actually really good at stealth and Ive already had my first hunting lesson! Im planning on learning advanced hunting next, maybe from Shrewstep if he can? Sleepysunrise says 'diversity of knowledge is key' so I wanna learn from a lot of cats. Oh and Sleepysunrise showed me the territory not long ago! That was super cool.
Mr Pats- uh I mean Mister Hawkbite says my fighting is better then he expected and Im gonna try to be really good at dodging!" because he was never going to be really good at the rest of fighting, despite best efforts. There was only so much adapting one could do to make up for a disability that would never get any better. That he'd gotten so far was impressive enough.
"But advanced fighting is for later. For now Im especially looking at getting swimming lessons or herb lessons from Mama if she can make time because that sounds useful, though shes been rather busy lately so maybe I need to find someone else."
Bleedingpaw loved his Mama he really did but he couldnt keep the slightly sad cast from his voice talking about her of late. Lostspark had just been kind of absent from Bleedingpaws life and the little tom couldnt say why. He wasnt willing to pry either, worried about pushing her away further.
All that was besides the point really. The point was Bleedingpaw was doing very well in training considering potential expectations to the contrary and was eager to keep that going with every lesson from every cat who was willing to train him possible.
Re: ShadowClan Leader's Den
Re: ShadowClan Leader's Den
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