Mosspaw | 10 Moons | Apprentice | 18/18 |Camp | Mentions: Horsetail, Softsong, Creekpaw, Whorlpaw, Mumblepaw (D) Willowstar, Sunstar, Honeyfrost, Swallowfall (ID)

Mosspaw held his breath at the stormy look in Willowstar's eyes, but it was Sunstar, not Willowstar, who spoke in response. He glanced sideways at his fellow apprentices and winced as the orange tom leapt down from the highrock and got right in Honeyfrost's face before she she-cat could retreat. The young tom sat up ramrod straight in shock as Sunstar cast the warrior out of the clan. His throat tightened a bit with fear as an uproar arose. How had things spiraled out of control so quickly? It was as if they were all caught in the claws of some vicious influence, causing them to break and turn against one-another like a pack of rogues.

The tom turned his head away, closing his eyes for a brief moment to regain control his emotions. He opened them again, calmer, as Willowstar continued over the protests. He looked up when he heard his name. A brief flash of panic swept through him at the thought that he might have done something wrong, but it was only the she-cat assigning him a mentor. Softsong. The apprentice rolled the name around in his mind for a moment, testing it, then his eyes searched the crowd for its owner. He let his gaze linger on the black-and-white tom for a long moment, a shy smile working its way onto his face at the thought of finally having a mentor to train with and learn from. He turned away when Horsetail congratulated them all. He dipped his head in gratitude, flashing the other apprentices a tiny smile. "Congratulations." He murmured to them, and gave Creekpaw a flick on the shoulder with his tail. "Training with a leader ought to be fun."

Suddenly a cry of grief split the air, ringing in his ears and making his fur stand on end. Startled, he glanced back up to the high rock, only to see that Sunstar was gone, fled from the camp. The grey-and-white tom pinned his ears back, confusion etching his features. He'd been so absorbed in his interactions he hadn't heard the last part of Willowstar's speech. Whatever it was she had said, it had upset the other leader greatly. He shuffled to the side a bit to allow Horsetail to pass him as the tom leapt up and went to intercept Pebblesplash, who had just finished an anger-filled speech of her own. He praised the medicine cat silently for attempting to defuse the situation, but said nothing aloud, not daring to draw attention to himself.

The tom forced himself to focus as Willowstar continued on to announce Swallowfall as the new deputy, and the dreadful mess of a meeting finally, finally wound to a close. He let his eyes slide shut and drew in a deep, calming breath of chilly winter air.

Hawkstrike|14 Moons|Warrior|30/30 Health|Camp|Mentions: Sunstar(ID), WIllowstar(ID)

Hawkstrike flattened his ears. She was right. He didn't know what had come over him. 'I blame you. Me? But I'm you, aren't you technically blaming yourself then?' Hawkstrike slunk back down and walked back towards the back of the crowd. His mind seemed to become fuzzy as he thought. 'I just yelled at a leader. Correction, you just snapped in front of a leader. Oh, shut up. Just shut up. I'm your inner demon kid, everyone's got one.' Hawkstrike felt like he could scream. He wanted to dig himself a hole and live in it for the rest of his moons. That's when he heard Sunstar shout out so that even StarClan could hear. He looekd over at Willowstar and saw her horrified expression. Hawkstrike dug his claws into the ground. 'Why does it feel like the Clan in going to a mess. Because it is.'

Stripecloud|16 moons|30/30|Warrior|Camp|Mentions: Sunstar

Stripecloud knew Willowstar was right. 'He could do more damage than good if we kicked him out." The stripe tom sighed hating the disappointment that laced Willowstar's voice. It might not be that clear, but he could hear it. He then looked at Sunstar. He jumped off Highrock and let out a wail of grief. Stripecloud looked at Sunstar his eyes full of pity. He knew how the tom felt.
"Stripepaw, I think it went this way." Tanglepaw said looking left. Stripepaw was starting to become nervous. A growl sounded out. "S-stripepaw?" The pair turned around to be faced by a snarling dog. It leaped and grabbed Tanglepaw. "Ahhhh! My plan was to sneak up on it! Not for it to sneak up on us." Tanglepaw yelped clawing the dog across the nose.
"Tanglepaw!" Stripecloud charged and rammed his head against the dog. He let out a hiss crouching low. The dog stood back up his eyes narrowed. A trail of blood ran down his forehead. Stripepaw felt his heart pounding against his chest. The dog charged but Tanglepaw leaped in front of Stripepaw's way. The dog grabbed the tom and threw him against a tree. He then looked at Stripepaw and snarled showing his teeth. Stripepaw stared the dog straight in the eye everything feeling as if it were in slow motion. He felt as if he were frozen with fear. Stripepaw tried to dodge the dog's attack but failed. The dog clawed Stripepaw right on the eye. Tanglepaw stood up and let out a hiss stumbling a little. He charged but the dog saw it coming. He grabbed Tanglepaw by the neck and bit down. Stripepaw snarled and clawed the dog across the nose his left eye closed. The dog seemed just to bite down harder. Tanglepaw let out a squeal trying to get away. The dog growled and bit down even harder. Tanglepaw seemed to give up. He hung limp shaking. Stripepaw clawed the dog's snout over and over until it finally let Tanglepaw go. Stripepaw felt the dog's teeth wrap around his neck. He let out a squeal struggling out of his grasp. Stripepaw closed his eyes trying to think of an idea. Then the dog let out a yelp letting go of Stripepaw. The apprentice looked over and saw his mentor and Tanglepaw's mentor. He dragged himself over to Tanglepaw the apprentice breathing heavily. "T-tanglepaw?" Tanglepaw looked over at his brother.
"It's not your fault. I dragged you into this Stripepaw, I'm sorry." The apprentice closed his eyes and his chest fell. Stripepaw waited for it to rise again but it didn't.
"Tanglepaw!" His voice cracked with grief as he "sobbed" into his brother's fur.
Stripecloud snapped out of his thoughts breathing heavily. He noticed he was sitting down. The tom had no idea why he was thinking of that. 'Random thoughts. I guess.' He let out another sneeze flattening his ears against his head.

(I was bored, that's why I did the flashback. :)

Raindrop | 14 Moons | Warrior | 30/30 |Camp | Mentions: Stripecloud, Whorlpaw, Creekpaw, Mosspaw, Sunstar (ID), Willowstar (ID), Quietshadow (ID), Honeyfrost (ID), Pebblesplash (ID)

Raindrop smiled at the apprentices once more as they started to calm down from Quietshadow's disruption. However her smile was immediately pulled from her as Willowstar's voice rang out over the clearing.

The harshness of her tone made Raindrop shrink back, her ears flattening as she bowed submissively. Nice. Just named a warrior and I'm already being yelled at. Her tail tip twitched, however she knew better than to speak out.

She couldn't say the same for Honeyfrost, however. The she's retort made Raindrops mouth open a little, but she could see a reason behind her accusations. She looked up expectantly at Willowstar to see what would happen next, however Sunstar grabbed her attention.

The whole debocle ended in a lot of furious cats and yeling, it made Raindrop's head hurt. What had happened to the kinship this clan had once shared? She cared for all the cats of the clan deeply. Well, some moreso than others, yet still, when had they split into factions and sides? And poor Honeyfrost... Earthquake too. Them leaving for a while marks the loss of two powerful assets to the clan. Raindrop shook her head, standing, she padded over to Stripecloud from the apprentices and sat down beside him with a sigh.

Stripecloud looked at her with an unreadable expression, a flicker of pain etched his eyes before he looked away again.

More yelling.

Raindrop's pet burned with guilt. She knew this wasn't all directed at her, however she was part of this clan. Anything that happened within it was, by default, also her responibility. This meeting was supposed to raise spirits, yet now every cat was yelling. Her mind raced with shame and guilt.

"...Lioncloud and Hollowfall are dead..."

The clan's yelling was cut off abruptly. Silence washed over the clan as Sunstar's eyes flashed with unremarkable grief. He didn't know. The orange tom lept off the highrock with a cry of grief, a long moan, before he ran off. Raindrop was left in shock.

Pebblesplash's yelling sounded disruptive in the eerie silence that filled Raindrop's ears. It echoed in her mind, pounding through her skull. "Pebblesplash..." She whispered slowly, a shaky breath left her. Willowstar's next words barely stuck in her mind, I'll have to congratulate Swallowfall later. She told herself blankly before looking over at Stripecloud again.

He was hunched over, a wild look in his eyes. His breathing grew heavy and his ears flattened. Raindrop nosed his shoulder in worry, "Stripecloud? Hey, snap out of it. It's okay, whatever it is you're safe now. You can talk to me if you want." Raindrop laid her tail on Stripecloud's, trying to comfort him.

Stripecloud|16 moons|30/30|Warrior|Camp|Mentions: Raindrop

Stripecloud shook his head sitting up. His ears were still flattened against his head as he twined his tail with Raindrop's. "Later," He murmured. "You shouldn't worry about me, this should be a happy time for you." The tom chuckled slightly the memories still flashing in his head. 'Even if you have to deal with all this yelling." He added in his head looking to the leaders. Everyone seemed to have shut up. Maybe it was Sunstar's call of distress. Or WIllowstar's sharp scolding. 'Wonderful, this meeting was supposed to be happy. Apprentices becoming warriors. KIts becoming apprentices. Apprentices getting new mentors. All those lovely things.' He sighed his shoulders dropping as if in defeat. Was this what the Clan had come too?

Softsong | 16 Moons | Warrior | 30/30 | Camp | Mentions: Aldershade, Mosspaw, Pebblesplash, Honeyfrost, Open!

Softsong watched with confusion as more and more cats split up from the meeting. It was not over yet, where were they going? He leaned against Aldershade and let out a quiet sigh, returning his attention to his leader. He glanced around as Willowstar yelled at the cats who had been disrespectful, feeling that they got what they deserved. He perked up a little and got ready for the leaders to continue the ceremony, hoping to get his first apprentice, but Honeyfrost opened her mouth. He rolled his eyes and felt like going over to her and just slap his tail over her mouth. How dare she disrespect her leaders like that? And how dare she make it seem like Clearsong and his kin were not a part of the Clan as a family? He gave Sunstar an approving nod as he watched the orange tom leap down from the high rock and pad to her. Whatever Sunstar had planned, Honeyfrost surely deserved it. He almost reeled back in shock as he heard that she would be exiled. Sure a harsh punishment, but he could see why Sunstar would do it.

The black and white tom got ready to pay attention to the ceremony again, pleased when he heard that Aldershade got assigned Olivepaw as an apprentice. He looked to the kit and happily cheered her name. He noticed however, that he was one of few to do so. He raised an eyebrow and looked around. He had not picked out the voices of certain cats, and he gave them all a disapproving stare. How would they feel if their ceremonies were interrupted by cats thinking that bringing up drama and arguing was more important than this? He knew he could be hot-headed at times, but at least he managed to keep himself in check at the appropriate times. Mostly. When he looked around, it actually seemed like most cats were focusing on the drama, and not the ceremony. He looked over at Olivepaw. Poor little Olivepaw, who had her entire apprentice ceremony ruined. He felt bad for her. Well, at least some cats had the sense and kindness to go to her and congratulate her. He internally slammed his entire self into the ground when he heard Hawkstrike of all cats spoke out against Willowstar and Sunstar. "He's been a warrior for less than a day and he's already disrespecting the leader and breaking the warrior code..." He thought sourly to himself. Again, he listened as Willowstar scolded these out-of-line cats.

He stared up at the calico she-cat for a long while when she accidentally revealed the fate of Lioncloud and Hollowfall. While he had not known, he felt in that moment that she had not intended for Sunstar to hear these news yet. They had been awake for days, but nobody had dared to tell him that his brother was dead. He lowered his head in shame. He had been Sunstar's own apprentice, had felt that Sunstar was a father to him. He closed his eyes as Sunstar's agonised cry split the air, flattened his ears and felt personally responsible for not having filled him in yet. More yelling filled the air and he was getting fed up with it. He heard Pebblesplash daring to compare Clearsong's weird situation with Hollowfall's death. He dug his claws into the dirt and took a deep breath. For the meeting, he would leave it for later. Praise Starclan for Horsetail. Finally a voice of reason from someone who was not a leader. Still a high ranking cat, but it was refreshing.

Blissfully, no, mercifully, the clan was silent while Willowstar finished up the meeting. Softsong was happy to know that Mosspaw was his first apprentice, and he rushed to the young tom to touch noses with him. Once he had cheered all the new apprentices' names of course. Then followed by cheering for his own old training-partner, Swallowfall becoming a deputy. "Sorry this is brief, but I don't want my first impression on you as a mentor to be an angry cat who backtalks his fellow warriors." He explained, then headed to Pebblesplash and Honeyfrost. He felt his fur bristle with all the fury he felt toward the two she-cats. His eyes blazed with mixed emotions, hurt, betrayal, anger.

"How could you?" He asked them. "Olivepaw had her apprentice ceremony today, Swallowfall became a deputy. I got my first apprentice." He kept going, not giving them time to defend themselves. Not that they could, what they had done were inexcusable. "Today was supposed to be a good day, a new apprentice, four new warriors, a new deputy and apprentices getting mentors." His tone brightened as he spoke of the recent events. "But now Olivepaw's memory of her apprentice ceremony is going to be about you getting exiled." He gave a pointed look at Honeyfrost. "And you speaking up against Willowstar and Sunstar." A look at Pebblesplash. "I thought you cared for this Clan like a family, but now I hear that you only see your kin as family." He let out a shaky breath, trying to gather his thoughts. "I trusted and cared about the both of you, I thought you were my family." He bit his teeth together. "I know I wasn't here when Glade ruled, I ran away like a coward at the first sign of danger. I came back when the high ranks did, to find the Clan in ruin. You blame Sunstar and Willowstar. But Sunstar was like a father to me, he would NEVER leave or hurt us!" He glared at them. "You call yourselves warriors, but you let Glade rule you. You were so desperate for someone to rule your lives that you let that mange pelt get away with hurting you, with hurting Aldershade! If he was really as bad as you all say, why didn't you run away like me? Or better yet unite and fight him off?" He was well aware that these two warriors were not solely responsible for Glade's rule, but they were the most vocal about his faults. "Let Sunstar and Willowstar catch up, inform them of what's going on. I can't believe that I, a freshly made warrior, have a better grasp of this than you do." He finished with that, now giving them time to talk.

Snowecho(storm) | 28 Moons | Medicine Cat | 30/30 | Camp | Mentions: Mumblepaw, Open!

Snowecho(storm) awkwardly sat in silence as the entire clan deteriorated into screaming at each other, attacking each other, and who knows what else. He stopped paying attention during Willowstar's scolding. He had no idea what was going on, nobody had talked to him. Well, other than Softsong. But even Softsong had hesitated to fill him in. It seemed like most cats stepped on ice around him these days, and he had no idea why. Sure he forgot Stormbush, Willowstar, Sunstar, Horsetail, and that other cat, but he had no issue remembering the other Clan cats. During his little spacing out, apprentices were made, cats were exiled, and Sunstar left. That, and he saw a strange sight of birds raining from the sky, followed by a bright sunrise and a nice warm feeling. When he finally came to, he shook his head a little and was surprised to see the high rock empty of cats. He supposed the meeting was over, and got up and padded to the Clan entrance, deliberately ignoring all the drama going on. He entertained the thought of turning his hunting with Mumblepaw into a herb hunt, but scratched that idea. He wanted to feel the thrill of hunting prey, and showing his new apprentice that even medicine cats could be cool. Looking across the clearing, he could see that Mumblepaw was busy, so decided to just wait at the camp entrance.

Mumblepaw | 14 Moons | Medicine Cat Apprentice | 18/18 | Camp | Mentions: Willowstar (ID), Sunstar (ID), Horsetail, Pebblesplash (ID)

Mumblepaw listened as Sunstar announced Honeyfrost to be exiled, the apprentice blinked in shock. It didn't take long, as quite of few of his clanmates protested towards Sunstar's decision, shouting at the leaders with fury. In all honesty, Mumblepaw felt bad for the leaders most of all... having to take in the backlash and try to continue on, he was a bit worried that they would finally crack one of these days. Soon Willowstar took over and calmly defended both Sunstar and herself before announcing apprentices and mentors, his ear perking as Clearsong was announced one of the new mentors. '...Perhaps it will go smoothly.', the young tom thought. As Willowstar continued to speak, the words she spoke made Mumblepaw's mind go blank. When she announced Lioncloud and Hollowfall's deaths, Mumblepaw's gaze immediately turned to Sunstar, the tom was in complete shock, it was like he had not know his own kin had died. The medicine apprentice looked to his paws as he heard his leader yowl in agony. After that, he was gone and Willowstar wrapped up this dreadful excuse of a meeting with making Swallowfall the new deputy and having her and Wolffang set out patrols while she went after Sunstar.

He closed his eyes, trying to relax his mind and rethink all the events that just happened. 'It can take just the smallest thing, just one word, a single mistake.. to change everything.' Mumblepaw thought.. Turning his head in search of Horsetail, Mumblepaw saw the tom scolding Pebblesplash. Letting out snort as he watched the gray she-cat back away. 'Better stop him before he does that to somebody else.' He thought with a groan before padding over, tapping the sandy tom on the shoulder. "You are coming off as intimidating Horsetail, try to calm down.. more arguing won't fix anything. Did you see the way Pebblesplash looked at you.." He whispered.

Hawkstrike|14 Moons|Warrior|30/30 Health|Camp|Mentions: Pebblesplash, Softsong(ID), Honeyfrost(ID)

Hawkstrike was fading out when he heard Softsong snapping at Honeyfrost who was about a fox length away from him. Hawkstrike saw Honeyfrost snap back at him dropping her voice in a whisper. He didn't know what she was saying but he knew it was rude. The tom didn't know who to go too so he walked over to Pebblesplash. She seemed to be boiling with anger, and a few other emotions Hawkstrike couldn't read. "Hey, Pebblesplash." He murmured his ears flattened against his head. 'I blame you. Me, what did I do? You made me snap, I'm embarrassed now. You're the one that listened to me.' Hawkstrike looked at his paws letting out a small sigh as he sat down.

Quietshadow | 46 Moons | Warrior | 30/30 |Temp. Camp| Mentions: (D) Softsong, Hawkstrike, Pebblesplash, Clearsong (ID) Glade, Honeyfrost, Apprentices, Sunstar, Willowstar
——
Quietshadow sighed, dejected. Glade was nowhere to be found. Admitting defeat, she padded back to camp. When she arrived back at camp, it was a sight to behold. The leaders were gone. The apprentices, I should steer clear of them were huddled in a group. Pebblesplash, Honeyfrost and Clearsong were near the warrior's den. Softsong and Hawkstripe approached them, poised angirly. What now…

She slipped up behind them, hence her name, and listened. That must have been rough to take in. Honeyfrost left, for why? She’d find out later.
“If you’re quiet done hashing on them, perhaps you could look at both sides of the story?” Quietshadow moved next to her kits, her old maternal instincts taking over.
“Let’s see here... I also arrived when Glade did, but mine was a return trip. I know all about fleeing, Softsong. It is the coward’s way out. And they have experienced it second-hand, so don’t try and aim a blow that low at them. “
“You can’t blame Clearsong for getting possessed by his evil grandmother. Or Pebblesplash for taking the news so poorly. Look at them. Sad bunch right now. And when Pebblesplash stood up to Sunstar and Willowstar? She did what she thought was right. Granted, if you all are reacting this poorly, she could have expressed it better. But sometime, we have to let things slide. StarClan forbid we made mistakes today.”
“I don’t know enough about this current situation to fully argue for or against a side, but I do know one thing. These are my kits. I will defend them. So leave them alone, they’ve had a hard enough time.” Quiethshadow took a breath. Hopefully the she-cat had remained calm enough. Don’t start another fight. They don’t trust or like you already.

Whorlpaw | 8 Moons | Apprentice | 18/18 | Camp | Mentions: Mosspaw, Creekpaw, Olivepaw

Whorlpaw stopped listening to most of the meeting, it was nothing more than petty arguments and countless yelling now. Seriously, these warriors, were suppose to be that cats she and her fellow apprentices were suppose to respect and achieve to be... yet they were acting like a bunch of sleep deprived kits! The grayish she-cat let out a groaning sigh as she let her mind wander elsewhere for a while, her thoughts getting cut off by a yowling moan. Looking up in shock the apprentice watched Sunstar dash away to who knew where. What in Starclan's name had happen? After that Willowstar had made Swallowfall deputy, briefly ending the meeting and leaving as well.

Whorlpaw let out a tired huff, honestly she just wanted to let her body drop to the snowy ground. "This meeting was complete mess... I don't want to even call it a meeting." She mewed to Mosspaw and Creekpaw. Looking around Whorlpaw saw a few cats still arguing, go figure, but the thing that really caught her eye was Olivepaw. The tortoiseshell she-cat had just became an apprentice, yet nobody really cheered for the young she-cat, instead too caught up in the fighting one another. A frown formed onto Whorlpaw's muzzle as she stared at the her, wondering how Olivepaw could be feeling about it all. Turning her head back to Mosspaw and Creekpaw, Whorlpaw gave her denmates a quick flick on the shoulder with her tail and motioning her head towards Olivepaw's direction. "These poor excuses of warriors just can't seem to do anything right today. They didn't even bother to cheer for Olivepaw! It was suppose to an exciting day for her, for all of us but they've ruined it!" The she-cat grumbled. "I'm going to talk to her, you two coming with me?" She asked the two, soon turning and making her way to Olivepaw. She opened her muzzle to speak, "...The day just seems to get worse and worse, huh?" She chuckled slightly, letting out a sigh as she continued. "Sorry your apprentice ceremony had to be at such a terrible time..." The she-cat said.

Clearsong / Slateleaf | 20 Moons | Warrior | 30/30 | Camp | Mentions: Earthquake, Pebblesplash, Sunstar (ID), Willowstar (ID)

Clearsong's muscles screamed a protest as Honeyfrost lifted him and led him to the warrior's den. He walked, his head spinning from tiredness. As soon as Honeyfrost was distracted again, Clearsong took the opportunity to lay down. An odd smile on his face even though the slush beneath him was cold. His energy was sapped, he wasn't sure why. Shouts echoes around him but they didn't faze him this time, he didn't hear them. A steady slosh filled his ears as his heartbeat was the only thing he heard. Clearsong made no scene about it, in and out of consciousness he drifted. Catching words and fragments but not enough to piece together.

"Kittypet... Rouges... Honeyfrost... Dawn..." The words echoed without meaning for a moment, before being replaced once more with the slosh of his heartbeat. Moments passed, he heard Hollowfall's name once, then his own a bit later before his consciousness came back to him. Opening his eyes, he lifted his head from his paws slightly to see an air of despair hung around the camp. Pebblesplash was approaching him as well as Earthquake. Both their eyes were troubled, fear prickled in his peaceful state for a moment at the looks on their faces. Earthquake spoke first, his words warmed his heart but they had a small twinge of finality in them. Then Pebblesplash spoke.

"Honeyfrost... exiled?" The words croaked from him, his eyes drooping. What had happened? Why had she been exiled? Did this mean Earthquake would leave too? Clearsong's ears flattened, his eyes filled with sadness, a flame of grief lit in his chest at the thought of his uncle leaving. He was Clearsong's adoptive father! He couldn't just leave like this! Like... like his real father did…

His eyes closed once more and he returned his head to his paws as he drifted to sleep in his spot. The whooshing sound returned, however this time it sounded more like wind than a heartbeat. A clouded sky shielded the sun overhead and in front of him layed a black she cat, purring as she curled arround two newborn kits. One of them, an orange and white tabby mewled loudly as the little black kit next to kim suckled away happily. A large orange tom entered the den, he nuzzled the mother before he sat down. "They're beautiful, you did so well." He purred, sniffing the two kits and licking them in turn.

The black she cat's eyes shone with pride, her purring filled the den as she nudged the orange kit toward her stomach. Smiling as he latched on and started suckling. "They look like us." She murmured softly, her motherly tone smooth and sweet like nectar. "Amberstone, what should we name them?"

"We should wait until they open their eyes before we do that." He said gently, laying down to curl around the kits as well.

The tired mother nodded, drifting to sleep. Her velvety purrs showed her content.

...

"But his eyes are so blue! What if he's blind?" A worried cry filled the den.

"It doesn't matter if he's blind or not. I know he'll grow to be a strong warrior, Quietshadow." Amberstone sat watching the small orange kit tumble over his large paws as he tried to catch his own tail.

"Clearkit."

"Clearkit?" The tom looked up, caught off guard.

"Yes. Clearkit. I hope his mind stays as clear as the sky the color of his eyes resemble." Quietshadow smiled, looking at the kit as he looked back at her.

Amberstone was silent for a moment before reaching down to pick up the black kit who had been batting a ball of moss on shaky paws. "You'll be Pebblekit, then."

"Why Pebblekit? The mother asked gently.

"Her pelt, the little gray speckles look like the pebbles that glitter at the bottom of the river."

Quietshadow nosed the little black kit, "Pebblekit it is." she purred.

...

"I don't understand! Why not?" Quietshadow whined, her eyes sparkled as they pleaded him.

"The kits are only a few moons old! They'll never survive a journey like that! We don't even know how far it is!" Amberstong growled in response, "Do you want your kits to die?" He spat, clawing at the earth beneath him.

"They won't! They're strong enough to make it! We have to try!"

"I said no and that's final!" Amberstone hissed, lashing his tail. He turned away and stormed out of camp as Quietshadow's ears flattened in dissatisfaction.

...

"Where's Clearkit!?" The cry rang out over camp as Amberstone frantically searched for the orange tabby kit. Pebblekit was searching close by his side.

Quietshadow padded into camp with Clearkit in her jaws, hanging by the scruff, he was starting to get too big to carry. She placed him in front of her and looked at Amberstone cooly. "Calm down, he's fine." She growled.

Amberstone ran over, sniffing the kit up and down. Clearkit's left ear had been torn and blood was welling up on it. He quickly began to clean the wound, noticing the scent of the training hollow on him. Amberstone paused, his eyes widening as he looked up at Quietshadow. ”Please don’t tell me you…”

Clearsong cut him short, “Mama was teaching me how to be a tough warrior! Grr! Fear me!” He rushed to the worried Pebblekit, bowling her over and swatting her playfully. His movements had a bit of skill to them, surprisingly.

”He’s almost four moons. He can handle a little training, it’s not like he doesn’t rough house with his sister all the time, anyway.” Quietshadow flicked her tail cooly, fixing Amberstone with a stare, ”He looks fine to me.”

”Nonsense!” Amberstone spat, his claws unsheathing slightly, ”This is not any way a mother should think!” He looked to Clearkit and Pebblekit, lowering his voice. ”You know the age of apprenticeship is 6 moons! I thought you were responsible enough to know how to take care of your own kits according to the code!”

”I don’t give to fox tails about the code!” Quietshadow snapped, hissing the words as she approached Amberstone. ”Can’t you see how big he is!? He’s perfectly fine handling this on his own. Clearkit has to learn how to deal with blood at some point, so what if it’s a little earlier!?” The last word dripped with anger, it was almost mocking. The kits had stopped playing, now worried about the tension. The padded up and tentatively rubbed up against them, trying to calm them. Quietshadow’s stare never left Amberstone, even as he broke it to stare sadly at Pebblekit by his side. Quietshadow huffed, ”If you weren’t so sensitive, you’d see what I mean.” She turned and stalked off toward the medicine den, leading a confused Clearkit with her tail.

Amberstone watched her go, his shoulders slumped as he fell into a sit beside Pebblekit.

That was the last time he slept in the nursery.

…

”Pebblepaw!! Clearpaw!! Cheers erupted in the camp as two apprentices sat side by side, one whose pelt resembled a swift flowing river, dark and dappled, the other who’s seeing eyes shone sky blue with pride. Amberstone rushed through the crowd of congratulating cats, eager to be the first to nuzzle his kits as they gained their apprentice names. His purring seemed to fill the clearing with warmth as his eyes glittered with happiness.

Quietshadow sat stoic, in the background. Not moving, her chants were meager however her eyes portrayed a different story. A mixture of warmth and sadness, remorse and regret, even longing, pooled in her green depths. Her face broke into a sad smile as she dipped her head one final time to her camp, her clanmates, her mate, and her kits. She loved them deeply, her heart was shattering as she did so, however she couldn’t turn back. Her heart had been calling her, echoing with an unknown yearning. Almost as if she had lost her kit and knew they were out there, somewhere, anywhere. She padded out the bramble wall.

It was not until she had left clan territory, did she realize she had forgotten to say goodbye.

…

”Search the camp and surrounding territory! Willowheart, you may lead one of the patrols. Take Amberstone and Pebblepaw with you, they’ll know her scent best. Report back before sundown, we can’t have Pebblepaw miss her vigil.” Thistlestar called over the camp, dipping his head for them to leave before he continued calling for more cats. Willowheart lead them out of camp swiftly, searching for a trail. It had only been a few hours after the ceremony, however a light rain had begun to fall. Amberstone’s tail lashed as he practically ran in circles around the group, sniffing every nook and cranny. Pebblepaw watched Amberstone desperately, vainly search for any trace of his mate’s scent on the wet forest floor. Multiple times, did his eyes light up and his tail flew straight as he caught a scent, a new fire burning in him, before it quickly diminished as he lost it again. His tail once more dragging behind him.

Willowheart paused in her sniffing, her coat now drenched from the steadily falling rain. ”Amberstone…” She said gently, walking up to and placing her tail on the large orange tom’s back. ”I think we’re done. We can do nothing more.” The sun was starting to dip below the tree line, they were already well into old Shadowclan territory.

”NO!” The tom shrieked, he turned around swiftly, moving her tail away as his voice broke and madness burned in his eyes, ”She’s here. She has to be. She couldn’t have left! She wouldn’t! I know she can’t!” His voice sped up as he continued, it rose and broke off as he fell back, a squish in the muddy earth. ”She didn’t leave me.” His voice was barely a whisper, his breath was shaky and erratic. Pebblepaw curled around him, trying to comfort him, her eyes were pools of grief. Willowheart watched the two as their realization settled in. Quietshadow had left them.

…

Amberstone often left throughout the day to search for a trace Quietshadow. Anything to tell him she’d come back to them, to him. Every time, he’d come back heart broken.

He padded toward Clearpaw and Pebblepaw, nuzzling them in an odd, old fit of affection. He took in their scent, loving the way it reminded him of his family, hating the way it hurt him to smell.

He sat in front if his kits, he watched them look back at his disheveled shape. His fur was matted, his eyes bleary and tired. He watched them too: Pebblepaw’s sleek pelt, shiny like a glittering fish, her eyes glowing warmly and softly as she looked back at him. Clearpaw’s orange and white tabby pelt, his strong muscles rippling under his fur, his size matching that of Amberstone’s, and his eyes that bright blue that had brought forth his name.

Amberstone let out a tiny smile, for a flicker of a moment. They would definitely become wonderful warriors, strong and proud.

They would hate him forever.

He shook his head, locking eyes with each of his kits in turn. ”You both-” his breath hitched, he paused a moment before continuing. The two seemed confused, they would only be for a short while longer. ”You both have brought me so much joy. I love you, both of you, with my entire heart, and no one can possibly change that. You two have always have always been my first priority, don’t forget that. He finished, giving them another nuzzle. ”I just wanted you guys to know how much i appreciate you… I’m going to go hunting, you two stay here and enjoy yourselves, okay?”

He stood with a flick of his tail before padding out of camp. His mind filled with thoughts. Quietshadow’s scent, her voice, they way she moved when she was very excited. A smile spread across his face, it felt nice. He hadn’t felt this serene in a long while. He padded through the forest in a daze, losing track of time and direction. He followed his heart, wherever it took him throughout clan territory, however, deep down he knew where he was headed, he just hadn’t realized it yet. A squeak distracted his attention, he honestly preferred it. He hated thinking about her, yet she was all he could think of. All that filled his mind. Her voice. Her scent. Her feel. Her movements. The squeak occurred again, this time Amberstone dropped to a hunter's crouch.

Squirrel.

The plump brown body was opening a walnut, distractedly, as Amberstone approached. He got closer, his mouth watering as he thought about catching it.

Her shape. Her scent.

Amberstone stepped on a twig, the snap seemed to echo throughout the pine forest. Louder than the busy rumbles he heard not far off in the distance. The squirrel looked up, squealing in alarm as it saw Amberstone. He hissed, flattening his ears. ”You’re not getting away, too!” He yowled, bolting after it. His eyes blazed with madness as he sprinted after the squirrel. He gained on it, slowly shortening the distance as his powerful muscles propelled him forward.

A whooshing sound filled his ears.

He kept running. He was getting closer! If he could just jump, he might catch it. If he… If he… The pounding of his paws grew louder in his ears as they hit black asphalt. The whooshing sound was unbearably loud, but the squirrel was right under his paws. He reached down to grab it, his jaws closing around its tail as he-

THUMP

A screaming ache roared through his body. He screeched in pain, yowling, trying to move his body. His front legs moved, maybe they could..? What about his hind legs...? They wouldn’t move. His heart pounded, roaring filled his ears. His eyes were glazed as he continued to yowl. It hurt! Starclan it hurt! What had happened?

Her scent. Her form. Her shape. Her-

He relaxed. The adrenaline rush had started to subside as well as the pain. He heard yowling. He wasn’t sure from who.

”Amberstone!? Amberstone! Oh Starclan no! Not like this! Not father!” He could hear the words but he couldn’t find the strength to reply. What had happened? He felt fine. It was okay. ”Clearpaw! Get a medicine cat!”

“He…”

“Clearpaw go!!!”

The shriek filled his ears, but he didn’t pay attention anymore. He could see a forest in full greenleaf. It smelled like prey. He padded forward and left his body behind, internally knowing not to look back.

…

Clearsong’s breath hitched. He stumbled back. What had he just seen? Was this what really happened? He shook with all the information he had taken in. His heart ached and grief filled his features, he let out a low, sorrowful moan. He knew this wasn’t just a dream. This was Amberstone’s story.