[Phoenix]

[smear:e0ca52]S A N D S T A R[/smear:e7c40c] [smear:e0ca52]Leader of RainClan[/smear:e7c40c]

Death had spent quite a lot of time on the forefront of his mind recently, and he did not like it. The deaths of Snoweye and Brookrun had bothered him considerably, as they had been two cats whom he had been very proud to have in his clan, but it was the lost of his first life that plagued his mind and kept him up at night. He was mortal; now that he remembered that fact, which he had blissfully forgotten for the past how ever many moons, he was shaken to the core. He could die. Yes, he had eight more lives, but he could lose those as easily as he could have lost his single life before he became a leader. He nearly shook just thinking about it, and all the blood seemed to rush from his body, leaving cold emptiness behind. Taking a deep breath, he shook off the bone-chilling sensation and shoved the morbid thoughts from his mind. They were not worth worrying about for too long. He would not die any time soon; he would make sure of that. Amber eyes looked out at their makeshift camp, which was a rather pathetic sight all together, and the somber cats that paced it. They had been forced to abandon their camp a day or two ago and had held vigils for those who had joined StarClan once they reached this area. It consisted of little more than down trodden grass, which was wet, sparse undergrowth, which was also wet, and a few scattered stones and bare trees, both of which provided little shelter from the winds that seemed far colder than they had been before. It was toward one of these rocks, the center-most and incidentally largest of them, that the tall, golden tabby strode. His features, though slightly more haggard than they had been before the flood, were composed into an even expression, though subtle pride, visible to those who knew him well, existed in the slight rise of his lips. Death wandered among them, but the continuation of life did as well; and it was the latter on which he wanted his clan, and himself, to focus. Ceremonies were a good way to get their minds off of the flood's devastation, if only for a little while. A little happiness in such a grim time could do wonders. "Let every cat old enough to walk gather for a clan meeting." The words, slightly altered from their usual pattern, left his jaws clear and loud. The kits, who were not old enough to catch their own prey, had been forced to escape the flood just like the warriors, and if they could survive that, then he thought that they ought to be included in a clan meeting. This one, at least, which was so soon after the event. They needed a distraction as much as anyone. He had leapt onto the stone in one graceful, practiced motion, and from their new vantage point, yellow eyes gazed around the area, watching as the felines slowly picked their way over to the rock.

[Deleted]

you can tell me the world is round

HERONKIT

The lazy sun had only just begun its daily ascent to the middle of the sky when the young Heronkit's eyes first forced open. Eyes, refocusing from dark to light, pictured an average world: Kittens in piles with their mothers, dust filtering through the air thick enough to be seen, and the far-off twittering of birds beyond claw's reach. This had been Heronkit's mundane habitat day in and day out. But Heronkit, upon rising and giving her long coat a gentle toss, recognized that today was not, in fact, like the others. Today was special. The day she would become Heronpaw was finally here.

After realizing the significance of the day, the salt and peppered colored kitten had pushed herself to a standing position and bounded out of the nursery den. In the Newleaf morning, Heronkit was trembling with excitement. Excitement that couldn't be contained by any words she or anyone else could tell her. Heronkit's sort of excitement was the kind you needed to run out. So that was what Heronkit did -- she ran. The tall kitten bolted, leaving without waking either of her brothers and only stopped once she had gotten out just beyond the RainClan camp. Her tiny body seized as she tried to catch her breath. 

Once her body had caught up with her actions, the kitten began to yell to the birds overhead. "I'm going to be an apprentice today, guys!" Heronkit proclaimed loudly before giggling and racing around the bottom of the tree. The birds fleeing from her high pitched, jubilant tones were the only indication of her presence at all. Heronkit was having such fun that she never even heard Sandstar call the clan to order in their makeshift home. All the stress of the past few days in relocating to a drier home; Heronkit felt none of it. The tortoiseshell had never felt any of the negativity radiating from her clanmates. To her, the flood had been just another adventure.

BUT I'LL PROVE TO YOU IT'S SQUARE

[Deleted]

Mud stuck unpleasently to the long russet red fur of Timberwing as she begrugently padded into the make-shift camp of Rainclan. She was no stranger to the floods in the begining of newleaf as Nightclan had had them as well. However, the fox colored she-cat was not so pleased with the over flooding of Rainclan, she didn't like water, and to be honest, water didn't seem to like her. The former Nightclan warrior had extreamly long and unbearably thick fur, when it was wet, it stuck to her like an over-loveable kit that wouldn't leave you alone, not to menton that when she would fall into the river or streams, it felt like she was carring a whole nother cat with her because of the weight, and thus she thought the would drown.


Despite her distaste of the water, Timberwing had tried to make her life in Rainclan more pleasent than her time in Nightclan. As such, she took part in everything she could to help out. She was loyal to her adoptive clan and was very respectful to the cats she had come to live with. Even in this hard time with the intense floods, Timberwing was striving to help Rainclan. She had a meesly frog in her jaws that had been relaxing on a drifting lillypad along the flooded river back near their old camp. She was able to grab the slimmy creature, but just barely. Her fur was wet, dripping and she had mud clinging to it in chunks from falling into the swollen river then trudging back to the make shift camp through all the mud that had built up.


The russet red she-cat dropped her frog in the small pile of caught prey, her forest green eyes were dull as she looked over the food pile. Looks like she would not eat again tonght, which was fine for her. More food for those who needed it, such as the kits, queens, apprentices and elders. Her ears flicked and the tuffs of fur atop swayed like grass in a gentle breeze, her eyes flickered up when she heard Sandstar call for a meeting, she also watchd him leap atop a large stone that was dry from the floods. A nice dry spot to sit at any rate.


Timberwing tried to shake out her fox colored fur before padding over to join the clan for the meeting their leader had called. With each step, her large, flat paws would sink some into the ground below her paws, making a sucking noise everytime she would pull them back out. It was quite a workout, and Timberwing was sure she would grow muscles on her shoulders and hips for such hard walking. When she reached a subtle place, the she-cat sat down, her bushy tail curling around her muddy paws as she looked up with her dull green eyes.

[Fawn]

CROWKIT

The startlingly noticeable emptiness he felt and saw upon awakening shook the dark tabby tom to the core. Still having trouble wrapping his head around the idea that Hawk-kit just hadn't been cutout for RainClan's lifestyle. Well he should have at least tried, not ran away like a coward to stupid StoneClan! Feeling bitter and hurt and a dozen other emotions in between, the dark tabby uncurled from the tight ball he'd been in, grooming himself somberly though his mouth felt dry and cottony, as though he hadn't had a drink of water in many many moons.

Water...

The flooding.
Had that been the final straw for Hawk-kit? Had that cataclysmic (from their perspective at least) event been the final push his brother needed to decide that RainClan was simply not the home for him? Even just thinking the name sent a small ball of sorrow into his chest, where it snowballed into anger and frustration and resentment, the young so upset he could hardly speak at the brother who had abandoned him without saying goodbye. What am I supposed to do when you're not there? Be a warrior without you? Have my apprentice ceremony WITHOUT YOU? We're supposed to be brothers! Not cats from separate Clans.

Bile rose up in the back of his throat as he cast a wide glance with pained orange eyes for his wayward sister, a tremor of fear striking his heart at the idea that she had abandoned him too. No. That wasn't possible. She would never be so cruel. Probably out chasing birds, he reasoned, and, having no appetite for either socialization or some meager frog a warrior had just dropped on the freshkill pile outside, Crowkit padded out of the makeshift nursery to hover at the edge of the gathering crowd.

Before he could really get settled into his grumpy, loner-like behavior, a large, looming shadow overhead made him look up, seeing the strong, masculine face of his father looking down at him, the behemoth of a mottled tom reaching down to swipe a bright pink tongue across the distressed kitten's ears. "It's not the end of the world, Crowkit," rumbled the tom in a voice for his son and his son alone.

Crowkit's eyes flashed darkly. "Yes it is!" He hissed back, the fur along his shoulderblades spiking like a hedgehog's in the presence of a fox that didn't know better. "You and Mom just let him go. I don't wanna talk to you or her, so leave me alone." If the bigger feline felt hurt over these words, he didn't let it show, but rather took his place beside his son, who turned away from him belligerently, eyes fixed on Sandstar up above without actually seeing him.
Let's just get this over with.

RUSSETPAW

"Oh Russetpaw, I'm so sorry. At least they're in StarClan now, watching over you."

"Yeah." Came a stony response. "At least there's that."

If another cat said those words to him, he was going to explode. Contrary to his usual personality, the formerly energetic, charismatic and easily befriended tom had seemed to age 20 moons overnight, his face set in either a look of grimness or was as blank as a slate, as though he were a ghost walking amongst the land of the living but couldn't be bothered to care. Of course the Clan was no stranger to death, nor was it to seeing the grief etched in the faces of those left behind, and many gave him his space, but there were several cats - young and old alike - who had gone out of their way to give him their condolences, whether they actually would do any good or not.

Having been moving mechanically for the past few days, and sleeping very little, Russetpaw had had to be prodded by his cousin Roselight to realize that Sandstar had called a meeting. With a grunt to show he would follow, the heartbroken tom had let himself settle in his usual spot amongst the warriors and queens and elders and kits (it was likely to be a big announcement if Sandstar had let the youngest and the oldest into the audience), but, as expected, the usual deep-seeded ache in his chest started up again when there was no familiar brush of his father's fur as he passed by, or the sweet scent of his mother's fur and her pretty smile whenever she would spot him in the crowd.

He missed them so much he thought it was going to kill him, but the self-preservationist in him would not allow that to happen. No matter how much he missed them, and how long he would mourn their loss, he couldn't allow himself to just...crumble and fall. Then what would be the point of it all? With a cold keenness to his gaze, Russetpaw briefly let his emerald stare wander over the crowd, feeling a note of contentment at realizing Fleetkit was amongst the cats gathered, perfectly unharmed. Returning his attention to Sandstar - who had also lost a life in the floods - Russetpaw sensed the presence of Razorfang and Roselight nearby, but did not turn to check if they were there.

Instead, he held back a sigh and looked up, blinking against the sunlight framing their leader in a pale golden light.

[Insidious]

R A Z O R F A N G

He hadn't been asleep like most when the thunderous call of Sandstar had emitted. The evening had dragged by slowly for RainClan's hazelnut faced deputy, and with what little sleep he had managed to gather, an early awakening had summonsed him nearest the edges of RainClan's newest location prior to the sun even rising. As the minutes continued to pass, the abundance of familiar faces too increased. Those that passed on their journey to gather before Sandstar – Razorfang offered the dip of his head in greeting to those that met the familiar, icy tinge of his gray-green stare. The seemingly glassy way in which Razorfang exchanged a glance with those of his clan hadn't vanished over night. However, it was proving difficult for the large tom to maintain the hollow struck emotions he radiated, what with the events that had taken place prior to RainClan reaching safety from the flood.

He didn't enjoy seeing his apprentice so... lost. And, throughout the day's unfolding, he couldn't help but notice how many felines dared approach Russetpaw and offer their sympathetic words. It disgusted the deputy, in truth. Could none see he simply needed time to himself? With a snort, the deputy rose from his seat. He flicked a dismissive ear with the twisting of his muscled frame, as if doing so would depart with the haunting image of two felines he knew would not be present at this gathering before RainClan's sandy hued leader. Never before had Razorfang been known to have a past tied in with that of Brookrun or Snoweye. But, even though he didn't, that didn't lessen the fact that they were important to him – for they had been important to Russetpaw. Perhaps, in time, the familiar light would return to the green eyes Razorfang was normally thrilled to meet from his apprentice. For, he had never before found himself so unwilling to approach him. Under any other circumstance, Razorfang would have taken a seat directly behind Russetpaw – looming over him with the familiar, storm cloud-like stature. Today, however, a seat was taken beside the creamy features he subconsciously knew to be Roselight.

He was sitting far closer to her than he likely would have noticed; his mind preoccupied, and too far so to be bothered with noticing nor particularly caring to move farther away. He subtly turned his head toward the she-cat, gray-green eyes skimming her facial expression before being averted back toward where Sandstar stood in patient wait for the entirety of RainClan to assemble. In the mess of thoughts clouding the deputy's mind, he hadn't noticed the – almost instinctive – movement of his tail to gently brush against that of Roselight's. It stayed atop of hers for the briefest of moments, flicking away as quickly as it had seemingly taken its placement there.

As expected, his gaze – upon losing interest in Sandstar while joining him in the anxious wait for all of RainClan to assemble – found reddish brown hue of Russetpaw amongst the crowd. He wasn't entirely certain as to whether or not Russetpaw knew he was near, or matter of fact, knew he was staring. Perhaps, later on, he would find a moment to talk to him. He figured Russetpaw needed someone who lacked sympathy in a time such as this. Of course, Razorfang was inwardly sympathetic of his apprentice's loss – he cared for the young, almost-warrior more than most felines in his life. However, it wasn't enough to make him evolve into that brother-like figure he had seemingly become over their moons together. Russetpaw needed a spark of his ordinary routine; someone who wouldn't simply look down upon him with soft, sorry eyes.

[Phoenix]

[smear:e0ca52]S A N D S T A R[/smear:e7c40c] [smear:e0ca52]Leader of RainClan[/smear:e7c40c]

Perched atop a rock that was nowhere near a replacement for the River Stone, he could only watch the bedraggled forms of his clan mates gather in response to his slightly altered call. Yellow eyes were drawn to Russetpaw, whom he knew had lost both parents in the flood, and he was worried, but not surprised, at what he saw in the younger tom's defeated form. A glance to the side told him that Razorfang seemed to be having similar thoughts, and though he wanted to help the younger tom in what way he could, he knew that the deputy would be able to provide more comfort than himself. Heronkit, he was pleased to see, acted as though she had no care in the world; in contrast, Crowkit sat beside Vultureback, seeming weighted down by a circumstance beyond his control. Beside Timberwing sat Brighteyes, and amusement flickered through him at the disgruntled faces on perhaps the only two cats in all of RainClan who disliked water. Deciding that the majority of his clan had arrived, the tom flicked his tail and silenced the few conversations that had begun in various places of the crowd. He had picked his words carefully, deciding to briefly allude to the topic that was no doubt on the forefront, or somewhere near it, of all of their minds. "Even in the wake of devastation, I find myself reminded that life continues on regardless of our wishes, and it is this idea that I wish to address and recognize today." He did not need to name the felines for whom life would not continue. "As such, it is my pleasure to welcome two of our ranks to the Apprentice's Den. Heronkit and Crowkit, please come forward." Patiently, he waited for the two kits to do so, and as they drew closer, the differences in the two of them became all the more obvious. Heronkit, who reminded him so much of his late sister, had all of the expected excitement, whereas Crowkit was troubled with thoughts that should only belong in the minds of cats far beyond his age. He hoped that the ceremony would distract him, but he had a feeling that the constant activity of training would help more than the simple words of a ceremony. "Heronkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed." Yellow eyes shifted from Crowkit to his sister. "From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Heronpaw." It was the name his own sister had never been able to utter. "Your mentor will be Tideripple. I hope Tideripple will pass down all he knows on to you." The words provided him with comfort; since they were ancient tradition, they had never, and would never, change. It was a stability the chaos of life lacked. Turning his gaze out toward the crowd, he easily picked out the approaching gray tabby tom. "Tideripple, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training, and you have shown yourself to be lively and incredibly loyal to RainClan. You will be the mentor of Heronpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Heronpaw." He waited for the two to touch noses before continuing on with the second ceremony. Gaze turning to rest on the new apprentice's brother, the golden tabby spoke steadily, "Crowkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Crowpaw. Your mentor will be Timberwing. I hope Timberwing will pass down all she knows on to you." It was ironic that Crowpaw, who was so crushed by his brother's betrayal, had received Timberwing, a former NightClan warrior, as a mentor, but he hoped that something good would come out of it. The she-cat, who had proved her loyalty to RainClan numerous times, had the ability to do what none of them could. She could understand the situation from the point of view of, for lack of a better word, the betrayer, and perhaps that deeper insight would help the young tom overcome his pain. "Timberwing," He addressed the she-cat. "You are ready to tkae on an apprentice. You have received excellent training, and you have shown yourself to be trustworthy and highly-skilled. You will be the mentor of Crowpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Crowpaw." He paused while the two touched noses and proceeded to let the four felines melt back into the crowd. He was not quite done. Having pinpointed his location earlier, it did not take him very long to find a heart-broken apprentice sitting amongst the sea of cats. "Russetpaw, please step forward."

[Deleted]

Lilypaw couldn't believe it. RainClan's camp; devastated, ruined. Will it ever be the same again? the question hung over her like a dark cloud, dulling her emotions, Yes, a voice inside her said, RainClan will be strong again, we will rebuild our camp, bigger and better than ever before.
It was rather useless, their makeshift camp. No one seemed to quite know what to do and sober warriors were wandering around restlessly. The calico apprentice had been out fishing already, but her mind had been distracted and so she had only caught one rather measly fish.
Her restless green gaze scoured the camp for a certain ruddy-coloured tom. Russetpaw. The older apprentice had lost his parents in the flood; Snoweye and Brookrun, who’d been expecting kits. Lilypaw couldn’t imagine live without her parents, he must be heartbroken.

”Let every cat old enough to walk gather for a clan meeting!”

It must’ve been pretty important, for the whole clan were invited to this meeting. Lilypaw got to her paws and wandered over to below a large stone where Sandstar stood. Pale green eyes were drawn to the golden-furred tom and she waited patiently for him to speak.
"Even in the wake of devastation, I find myself reminded that life continues on regardless of our wishes, and it is this idea that I wish to address and recognize today.”
Lilypaw smiled, it must be time for Crowkit and Heronkit to be made apprentices. And it seemed, her assumptions were correct, Heronkit and Crowkit were called forward and their mentors named. Sandstar’s attempt to lift their hearts had worked, or at least to Lilypaw it had.
Thoughts of the flood were now distant; pushed away till later, all that mattered now was Crowkit and Heronkit. No. Crowpaw and Heronpaw.
By the way Sandstar stood, it seemed he wasn’t quite done. Lilypaw blinked, what possibly could there be to add?
"Russetpaw, please step forward."
Lilypaw purred, it must’ve been time for Russetpaw’s warrior ceremony. Russetpaw had definitely earned his warrior name after how boldly and bravely he had acted in the flood, calmly addressing the situation and alerting everyone. The calico she-cat was glad to be a friend. His warrior ceremony seemed to have come at just the right time, it would certainly take his mind off his parents.

[Fawn]

CROWPAW

Crowkit had not been alive long enough to know all of his Clanmates by name, and when the one belonging to his newly crowned mentor finally hit his eardrums, the dark tabby found himself searching amongst the crowd - gaze finally settling on a rich russet coat of a she-cat even older than his father. Having no major concept of time, Crowkit - or rather, Crowpaw felt the hopes he'd had of getting a cool mentor like Razorfang, Deputy of RainClan, crash and burn before they'd gotten too much further off the ground.
She's practically an elder!

In a brief flash of an overactive imagination, the son of Vultureback envisioned his days spent as Timberwing's apprentice - having to prod her constantly to get her moving, as she only wanted to sleep all day and took forever to get to the point. Obviously she wasn't as old as some of the RainClan elders, but she was old enough that if Timberwing ever asked him to check her pelt for ticks, it would be heavily crowned upon by his superiors should he refuse, no matter how much he wanted to. Whiskers twitching, a glance was stolen in his father's direction, able to see with some surprise that Vultureback appeared to approve of their mentors - nodding respectfully to Timberwing and Tideripple in turn.

Wait, hadn't Tideripple been the one who helped his father and mother when Falconleap had been escaping to RainClan? He couldn't remember all the details, especially since he hadn't even been born during that little adventure, but knowing Tideripple had played some small part in him being here allowed Crowpaw to warm up to him and the idea of Heronpaw being Tideripple's new apprentice. Turning around, his orange eyes flickered and glowed like fire, his bitterness momentarily cast aside so that he might touch noses with his mentor as was the ceremonial sign of respect. Crowpaw would be lying if he said his hopes were particularly high right now, what with the loss of Hawk-kit to that stupid Clan full of rocks and dirt, but he had to admit, he'd been waiting for apprenticeship for so long, that to finally have reached it was a milestone well worth celebrating.

ROSELIGHT

So narrow a distance between them caught the cream-furred she-cat by surprise, her whiskers twitching as she nearly edged a little closer, inwardly startled by how much comfort his presence actually provided. This flood, the loss of Russetpaw's parents (her aunt and uncle), this tiresome charade of having to be uprooted from their own camp and the normalcy of their lives to try and keep carrying on - it was all starting to press down on her, but Roselight had never been alone in this endless endeavor. For starters, there was Russetpaw, who sat alone, silent but strong despite his grief, the light faded but not entirely lost. And then there was Razorfang, a cat with a reputation she would have scoffed at had he been in any other Clan but hers, had she not gotten to know him up close. He was deserving of his reputation for being a little frightening, but he was much more than a scary cat with scary teeth and a voice like thunder when agitated.

The soft brush of his thin tail overtop hers solidified those thoughts, and Roselight allowed herself a smile and a purr so faint it was likely only she could hear it. I'm glad you're safe, Razorfang. Of the lives that had been claimed by the river that had betrayed them, the Clan that trusted it so much, the pretty RainClan she-cat was grateful that he had not been amongst them. It was hard and heart-hurting to imagine him gone, the dark tom with the gray-green eyes and the splash of hazel along his jaw, to be here one day and simply have vanished overnight in a swirl of water and misery and grief. It was with this in mind that she let her shoulder gently brush against his, the height difference allowing her some subtlety of movement, attempting not to let herself be caught in his peripherals when he stole a glance at Russetpaw.

Though Razorfang had been unconscious of the closeness between himself and Roselight, there was one RainClan tom in particular who had noticed it.

Salmonfur's eyes narrowed from where he sat, a row or two behind his daughter and the muscular tom who was their deputy, his golden eyes burning like dying suns with the strength of his indignation and growing dislike. Of all the toms in RainClan, why did it have to be that one?

RUSSETPAW

"Crowpaw! Heronpaw!"

Despite how black and how deep a hole had formed in the center of his chest, Russetpaw was not so lost that he could not bring himself to cheer for his juniors, allowing his voice to add to the chanting crowd. When the noise died away and the four cats faded back into the congregated cats, he was completely prepared to leave and go back to whatever it was he'd been doing before Sandstar had called a meeting. He couldn't even remember. Had he been hunting? Or sleeping? No, definitely not sleeping... He just didn't sleep anymore. The shortness of his memory likely had something to do with the shock that still lingered from the loss he had suffered, the biting, hard reality tending to swallow up whatever seemingly menial tasks he'd been up to throughout the day, the attempts at distractions not really helping all that much.

"Russetpaw, please step forward."

The ruddy muscular tom sat up a little straighter, his expression radiating slight surprise at being addressed, the purpose of Sandstar doing so escaping him entirely, emerald green eyes somberly showing a familiar spark of curiosity. Even though he was far from his old self, Russetpaw still felt that usual twinge of happiness whenever the leader had spoken to him, always grateful to be acknowledged in the eyes of a cat he one day aspired to reach, to succeed, in a sense. Rising with the quiet fluidity he had no doubt picked up from his mentor, Razorfang, Russetpaw slipped through the crowd like a ghost, careful not to step on any tails or protruding paws as Sandstar came closer and closer into view.

Not sure whether to sit or stand, Russetpaw simply remained standing. Was this what he thought it was?

He thought he could hear the faint purring of Lilypaw somewhere in the crowd, and that gave him a little strength, green eyes sliding to their corners to catch Roselight beaming at him from his peripherals.

Oh yes, it was exactly what he thought it was.

Despite how he had spent many moons pining for this day, Russetpaw couldn't help but realize just how unprepared he was for the actual ceremony. Trying to wrap his mind around what he knew was coming, the ruddy tom let his gaze meet Sandstar's, attempting to divorce the grief from his heart for just a few seconds, just a few moments to stand here, before RainClan and his parents up in StarClan to become everything he'd promised himself he would.

A Warrior of RainClan.

[Deleted]

The large russet red she-cat's ears twitched as she lifted her head to gaze at Sandstar before turning her attention to her new apprentice, Crowpaw. They young tom would be her first apprentice in Rainclan, but not even close to being her first apprentice ever. Timberwing stood on her nimble paws with a swip of her bushy tail as she headed for the young tom of Rainclan she would now be mentoring. Her mind rain through the possiblities of what somecats around her thought of a cat like her mentoring one of their own. She could hear a couple of hisses that no-doubtly came from where the elders sat. She had yet to find that one of them accepted her into Rainclan, and though she truely wanted to be a Rainclan cat and to forget about such a past that she had experianced, she was unable to sway the older cats than her.


The former Nightclan she-cat saw the divided mix of emotions running in his eyes, pain and excitement. Such opposites on the scale of emotions, but Timberwing knew these pains. She had seen what had happened to young Crowpaw, the betrayl of his brother Hawk-kit. Timberwing's forest green eyes were guarded of emotion, but a small twinkle of sorrow remained there as if she were unable to let go of such painful memories and sorrowful past. Though Timberwing had not experiance a loss, such as a brother or sister running away and abandoning her, she had the mother who didn't give a mouse-tail about her and her littlermates. That enough was as if someone close to her had walked out on her, leaving her empty and alone in the world. Yes, Timberwing knew pain as if it was second nature to her. Hopefully, the older she-cat could pull Crowpaw from his sorrows after he is willing to learned to accept the past and give him something to look forwards in training as a warrior.


The older she-cat was swift to touch Crowpaw's nose and pull away to sit near him, her ears trained to listen to Sandstar as she continued her lecture to her clan, calling up Russetpaw. A warrior ceremony as well. The fox colored she-cat could only relate too well to his story as well. Loosing one's parents is hard, and Timberwing knew of such pains. She watched as cats try to give their sorries towards his situation, but Timberwing knew that such things would only infuriate him. A cat in his situation didn't want another cat's appology, they wanted solitude, peace and quietness. They didn't want to be surrounded by cats who acted as if they knew such pain and to Timberwing her reaction was to let Russetpaw be. She hadn't been one of those cats who had walked up to Russetpaw to appologize, nor had she gone near him since the flood. Her decision was to let the young tom figure out his life for the moment. Let him decide to let the sorrow end and the healing begin.  

[Deleted]

I C E K I T

To make up for the fact that he had spent yesterday off playing with his brother, this morning Icekit made sure to focus his attention on Ashkit and play with mostly her today. He did feel a bit bad for leaving her behind the other day. Now, they were playing Hunter and Prey, and the white kit had just started a massive leap… when suddenly his sister’s ears pricked off and she started walking away. The deaf kit ended up crashing against the ground, staring at his sister, who had decided to stop playing for some reason. What just happened? Only then did he notice other cats walking in one direction as well. Blue eyes watched carefully as they all walked towards one specific area: a bump of rocks that a golden cat was standing on. With a metaphorical shrug of his shoulders, Icekit followed the other cats, not really sure why they were all walking to the rocks. Or was it the golden cat they were walking to? All the other cats seemed to be staring at him expectedly…

A nudge on his shoulder drew his attention away from Sandstar. It was his mother, who, now that she had his attention, pawed at the ground next to her then returned her gaze to the golden cat. Come here, next to me. Icekit walked over to her and purred, with a light side-headbutt, before sitting down himself and looking around. All the other cats seemed to be looking at this golden, smooth-furred tom, but the white kit couldn’t tell why. Aside from a flick of his tail, it wasn’t as though the adult was doing much. Suddenly, two cats started moving in the crowd. Icekit perked up, watching the two step forward and placing them as they did so. The deaf kit might not have known Crowkit’s and Heronkit’s names, but he certainly knew them; they were one of the other litters in the nursery. Hold on… where was the other one? Last time he could remember, there were three kits in that litter, not two. Blue eyes scanned the crowd for the third one, a male with lighter brown coloring than the other male, but that one was nowhere to be found. When other cats started moving, he would have to ask one of them about their missing sibling.

Blue eyes watched the apprenticeship ceremony carefully; Icekit had never seen something like this before. The kits were treated one at a time, and a different adult cat (who he recognized wasn’t their mother) touched noses with them before they both went back into the crowd. Why? What was the point in that? The deaf kit couldn’t see any point in the ceremony, but now that it was over, he could go ask one of them why the third kit wasn’t there. The other cats were still standing still, and another cat was walking up, however, so it wasn’t over yet. Still, the white kit began edging his way towards the newly-appointed Crowpaw and Heronpaw, intending to formally start after them once all the other cats started moving around. For now, they were all looking at that golden cat and the darker tom (one Icekit was able to recognize), and so the white kit moved very slowly over, trying not to alert any of the other cats. They all seemed so focused on whatever was happening, so Icekit figured he should be too, but it was so boring.

[Phoenix]

[smear:e0ca52]S A N D S T A R[/smear:e7c40c] [smear:e0ca52]Leader of RainClan[/smear:e7c40c]

As he watched the ruddy apprentice step forward, the RainClan leader could not help but find his mind drawn back to the conversation they had had, just the two of them, not so long ago. "Is being leader worth it?" He had answered that question by describing the responsibilities that came with shouldering the fate of a clan and left it up to the apprentice to decide whether or not it was the path he wanted to follow. Though he had not inquired into Russetpaw's answer, he was fairly confident that he knew the answer that he would receive. It would take a commendably oblivious feline to not see the drive resting resolutely within those green eyes, which had just brightened in sudden enlightenment. "I, Sandstar, leader of RainClan, call upon our warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice," He began the ancient tradition, the words rolling off his tongue with practiced ease. Yellow eyes, pride glittering in their depths, did not leave the green pair, holding his gaze steady. "He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn." His firm voice carried over the near silent crowd. Because he knew Razorfang, he knew that the apprentice had trained hard, and despite the early conflicts in the pair's training, everything had worked out. More recently, the younger tom had made RainClan proud, taking charge and playing a significantly helpful role during the evacuation of their now-flooded camp. "Russetpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Having been ready for the customary "I do", he continued on barely a moment after the words had left Russetpaw's mouth. "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name." He could almost hear the slight intake of breath as every cat, not just the star of the show, waited to discover the name by which they would call their clan mate for the rest of his life. "Russetpaw, from this moment you will be known as Russethawk. StarClan honors your sense of duty and responsibility and vibrant energy, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RainClan." In a fluid motion, the golden tabby leapt from the stone, paws landing lightly on the slightly sodden ground. Ignoring the moisture, he padded over to the newest warrior, surprised with the relative difficulty he had reaching the top of the younger tom's head. Had Russethawk grown that much in such a short amount of time? He could remember the ruddy feline as an adventurous kit, his mischievious streak ending somewhat when he became an apprentice under Razorfang's tutelage. And now, he was taking his first steps into the next chapter of his life. With pride in his eyes, Sandstar recognized that these could very well be his first steps to becoming a very successful leader. It is worth it.

[Fawn]

RUSSETHAWK
Warrior || RainClan || 12 Moons

Russethawk!

In that single pinnacle moment, a defining point in his life, the newly crowned warrior was deeply moved by the force of nostalgia that seemed to crash over him like a wife. His nursery days spent with misdirected enthusiasm and rambunctiousness unmatched, green eyes alive and wondering, forever wondering what his warrior name would be. Oh he'd stayed up through the night thinking it over. A thousand possibilities existed, a thousand different versions of 'him', but there could only be one true name that would mark and follow him through the rest of his life as the fates had intended it to. Russethawk. It was a strong name a tom of a strong mind and body, who, in the glaring face of death and grief would not wilt, but rather dig deep and stand tall, supported by the love and energy of the parents he had lost.

It was a name meant to give him strength.

In the span of a few seconds, the young warrior's mind whirled further still, settling briefly on the time spent as an apprentice, trained by Razorfang, then just a cold warrior with a heart of ice and a sense of pride as sharp as his teeth. Fastforwarding through their introductions, Russethawk blinked, a lump in his throat as he recalled the clashing of their egos and personalities, and that brief but monumental time spent apart under a different mentor or teaching a new student. Unconsciously glancing around for the cat in question, Russethawk found and held Razorfang's gaze for a moment, that energetic, charismatic youngster he had been at the beginning shining through in the glimmer of emerald eyes and the smile curving across his muzzle, as if to say I did it. Told you I would.

Refocusing upon Sandstar, it took Russethawk a few moments to realize the Clan was chanting his name - even Lilypaw, her incident with the river darting across his mind like a bat after an insect, Russethawk bowed his head so that Sandstar might complete the ceremony, his heart lifting out of the gloomy tomb it had been encased in since the accident.
Don't worry Lilypaw, Bravepaw, Shadowpaw. You'll get your ceremonies soon.

Though the time spent without them in the warriors den would be painful, Russethawk was prepared to live up to the expectations he had built for himself, and to carry the full weight of the name Sandstar had given him - Russethawk suspecting a great deal of thought had gone into it. Sandstar never did anything half-way, after all. Licking the leader's shoulder gratefully, Russethawk turned around, hearing the loud chanting and enthusiastic rumble of RainClan pounding against his ear drums, the young tom smiling, swept away by the scene before him, of RainClan, his family, (though two members were not amongst the familiar faces bright green eyes gazed upon) all cheering in support of him.

It made everything worth it, rather, and it renewed his determination and his desires to reach his maximum potential, reawakening the dream he had held in his heart since he'd been what, 2 moons old? It felt so long ago... Feeling lighter than air despite that shackle of grief being the only thing that kept him from floating away, Russethawk grinned at his three friends first, purring and brushing his jaw against each of their shoulders in turn, as if to say thanks for everything, guys before he caught sight of his cousin, Roselight and his mentor, Razorfang out of his peripherals.

Roselight, purring so loud he almost felt them, nuzzled his scruff affectionately, the picture of pride and warmth, making Russethawk almost embarrassed of how 'big a deal' she was making out of it. "Thanks Roselight," he mewed first to the beautiful she-cat, attention shifting to the gray-green eyed deputy who had approached with her. Meeting his mentor who was no longer his mentor, Russethawk grinned, emerald eyes warm, though the weight on his soul had not yet lifted completely.
"We made it." Purred Russethawk, sounding almost astonished, as if he had woken up this morning and didn't really remember getting here. His tone quickly turned to one of affectionate humor, knocking Razorfang's shoulder just as he did when he'd still been his apprentice.
"Don't think you're rid of me just yet. I may not be your apprentice anymore, Razorfang, but I may occasionally need a brush up on my training or a brief conversation with my old mentor."

[Deleted]

The older russet red she-cat raised herself to her paws as she padded over to congragulate the newest warrior of Rainclan. Her bushy tail flickered over Russethawk's shoulder as she opened her jaws to speak the words that held in her throat. She saw his eyes light up with excitement and unbelieveable pride that he had become a full rounded cat. Her own green eyes held a soft light of excitement for the tom as well, knowing what he had just recently gone through with the loss of his family, of couse that dull part of Timberwing's eyes never faded from sight, but the brightness of a new day over powered it for the moment.


"Congragulations Russethawk, you've earned your warrior name." She said in her gentle, gruff voice, her eyes running over the newly named tom of Rainclan. With a gentle nod to Roselight and Russethawk's former mentor, Razorfang, she turned to continue padding past the group and towards the entrance of the rag-tag camp that Rainclan had found in their escape of their flooded territory. The former Nightclan cat turned to glance back at the meeting that was breaking apart with the success of two new apprentices, Heronpaw and Crowpaw, in which she was now mentoring one, and the new warrior, Russethawk.

[Deleted]

♪ Ashkit ♪

Sitting just beneath the cover of a leafy bush, the light calico she-cat's eyes glimmered as they laid transfixed upon the clouds. Anything that showed the slightest bit of movement could serve as entertainment for Ashkit; she wasn't much of a handful as far as that went. Rarely bored, the green-eyed kit hardly ever complained unless she was hungry, which was no doubt appreciated by her parents. But, given her generally spacey nature and calm demeanor, she didn't often seek out her brothers for a play fight. That didn't mean she didn't like it when they sought her out for one.

Icekit's initial pounce caught Ashkit off guard, causing her to let loose a high-pitched mew and try to leap away - which didn't quite work considering the tom had pinned her down. She smiled and wriggled out of her brother's grip, immediately recognizing the game he had initiated. She sprinted from him, running circles around the make-shift camp. As the 'prey' in the scenario, she was not ready to get herself eaten! Eventually, her exaggerated strides wore her out and Icekit had closed in on her. She showed a small smile and was ready to take the tackle he was preparing.

But, it was then that she heard the calling of Sandstar's voice.

Ashkit had been cognisant of that tom's role as leader for a while. When Sandstar called, everycat came. Flicking her ears as the mumbling and chattering of other clan cats began to roar from the base of the rock the leader had perched himself atop, Ashkit decided she ought to join them. Completely forgetting Icekit's situation, she let out a mew of, "Come on," before heading toward them without another glance behind herself. The mottled kit sat herself rather far in the back of the crowd, giving herself a bit of room to see over the heads of older, taller cats.

When she did look back, she saw that their mother had gotten Icekit to follow,but she still felt a little guilty leaving him behind when they had been playing. She padded over and sat beside them, rubbing against Eelpebble with a purr as she did so.From what Ashkit could understand, this ceremony was to celebrate a few of her fellow kits' coming to the age of six moons. She wasn't sure of the relevance of the number, but she could tell that they would be treated differently from them on, and that they would no longer be Crowkit and Heronkit, but Crowpaw and Heronpaw. That would take some getting used to for her, but she was happy for them nonetheless. When the time came to chant their new names, she did so happily.

She had wondered where the third kit from that litter had gone, but she had learned froim experience not to ask such things. She always felt awful when met with a tragic answer, and never knew quite what to say to apologize. Ashkit knew that something bad had happened to Russetpaw's mother, so when she heard his name called, she presumed that it was something about that, and her ears flattened back in anticipation. That, however, wasn't the case. Apparently, he had reached a different age mark - one of 12 moons, it seemed - that warrented a new name for him, as well. Ashkit echoed the voices of the others as they spoke his new name, and then the light calico she-cat turned to see that her brotehr had started toward the newly named Heronpaw and Crowpaw. Assuming he was going to congradulate them, she followed behind with a smile. A small purr rumbled in her throat as she mused about what her warrior name would be.

I worry because I care about you~