[Phoenix]

Gorsetail

Deputy of TreeClan

i wish everyone was loved tonight
and somehow stop this endless fight

Dark and threatening against the outline of nearly bare branches, storm clouds hung low in the sky, and after a quick glance upward, the deputy of TreeClan lengthened his stride, moving forward with a new urgency. With the changing of the seasons came the revival of forest life, and StarClan knew that after those long, grueling leaf-bare moons, they could use all the prey they could catch. Nearly every able bodied warrior and their apprentice had been assigned to a hunting patrol, and while he was of course willing to do his part for the clan, he had no desire to return to camp looking – and feeling – like a drowned cat. Already he had stayed out longer than he should have, determined to catch one last mouse before the weather forced him to return to camp. As if sensing his urgency, the wind picked up, and far above his head, the barren trees creaked their complaints. Gorsetail sped up, and it was with great relief that he ducked inside the familiar hollow tree. If there was a storm tonight, and that seemed inevitable, then he pitied the poor cat who would be caught out in the rain.

A small smile touched his lips as he made his way over to the fresh-kill pile, and he felt a warm burst of pride and satisfaction in his chest. No one could ever accuse TreeClan of not caring for their own; the weather had been poor, yet warriors and apprentices alike had gone out and done their best work to make sure that there would be no hungry cats tonight. It was during moments like these that he could truly understand how Lionstar walked with his head held so high. Dropping his contribution on the top, the deputy picked out a vole, and although it would have been just as easy to ask an apprentice to do so in his place, he padded toward the nursery. Many moons had passed since he had last spent any significant portion of his time talking with the queens and kits, and as his thoughts turned toward Moonfeather and her kits, who despite joining TreeClan before leaf-bare began were still more stranger than clanmate to him, he realized that he truly ought to rectify that issue. And he might as well start now.

Of course there were also Silentsong and her two kits – and mate. Fatherhood had been good for Zephyrfang, and though the other tom had calmed down ever so slightly since the birth of his sons, Gorsetail still would not be entirely surprised to wake up one morning and find out that the warrior had moved into the nursery to keep them company. Still, he definitely did not miss the days when a paw would rudely prod him in the side long before even the birds started to sing. Shaking his head at the thought, the tabby feline poked his head inside the moss-lined den and placed the vole at his paws. ”Anyone hungry?” He called out quietly, tail tip flicking.

Justice Fawn BlooRey DVD in case any of you wanted to toss someone in

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[BlooRey DVD]

52 Moons, Warrior-Queen of TreeClan

Serenity. That is what she felt, lying in the dimness of the nursery, in a nest lined with soft feathers. Zephyrfang always made it his goal to find the best feathers for her, and it never ceased to bring a brilliant smile to her features. Like most cooler days, the warrior-queen spent much of the afternoon drifting in and out of consciousness, content to remain in the shelter of camp. This must have been her third venture out of the grips of sleep, but the tortoiseshell and white she-cat couldn't help but feel that something was strange about this particular moment.

One tri-colored ear rotated as the sound of pawsteps broke her concentration. They were larger pawfalls, telling her that someone was approaching the nursery. For a moment, she thought it may be Zephyrfang, but the gait wasn't quite right. The voice breaking the otherwise silent nursery air let her know that the TreeClan deputy was ducking into the nursery. Hazel-green eyes fluttered open, a gentle smile spilling over the queen's face in preparation. It was as her gaze was passing over the nest that she noticed the distinctly empty spot where one of her sons should have been sleeping peacefully beside his brother. Oh no.

"ATTACK!" The realization came to the pretty tortoiseshell a split-second too late. The tell-tale thud of Thornkit colliding with the deputy's flank told her that the restless 6-moon old tom had tackled Gorsetail. Leaping to her paws and sending little scraps of her nest in three different directions, her gaze snapped to the entrance where, as expected, Thornkit was wrestling with the TreeClan deputy's tail. Bounding forward a couple pawsteps to bring her closer to Gorsetail, she flashed him a sheepishly apologetic smile before stomping her right forepaw three times in rapid succession. Despite the younger brown tabby tom's preoccupied state, one of his ears flicked up, trained to that particular sound since he was old enough to walk about.

Thornkit seemed to freeze all of a sudden, jaws unhinged in preparation to clamp down on poor Gorsetail's unsuspecting tail. His bright eyes slid slowly to the shape of the frowning tortoiseshell queen standing a pawful of foxlengths away. As if on cue, the largest, mousedung-eating grin spread over the kit's features. Gorsetail was immediately abandoned as the tom feigned innocence and sauntered over to his mother's side. "But Ma! I thought there was an intruder! I was just protecting you!"

With a deliberate eye roll, and a shake of her muzzle, she pointed to the nest with her tail, effectively ordering Thornkit to return to the nest. Though he paused to rub up alongside her with a loud purr, he obeyed, promptly flopping down beside Finchkit. Exhaling fondly, she shot Gorsetail another apologetic look before padding up to him and touching her nose to his chest in gratitude. From here, if he were to return the touch, he'd feel the thankful purr rumbling in her chest. Stepping back, she leaned to the side slightly to peek at his tail, a questioning and concerned look on her features.

Thornkit, I swear to StarClan if you've caused him any pain... She thought to herself, awaiting Gorsetail's response.

Word Count: 532 words Tags: Phoenix Notes: Thornkit, you little- XD

[Fawn]

7 Moons - She-Kit - TreeClan

At Thornkit's signal, Fawnkit had leaped over her sister's sleeping form (she'd been lying in wait, feigning sleep) and batted playfully at the deputy's front paws. "Ah! It's the NightClan deputy! Get him, Thornfang!" Silentsong's stamping made her accomplice freeze in his tracks, and Fawn's blue-shaded muzzle was covered by her tail to quiet her laughter. Silentsong looked so so annoyed - but Thornkit was smiling like a StarClan cat come down to deliver good news - weaseling his way out of major trouble.

Fawnkit didn't expect any reprimand from Moonfeather; she'd gotten very very good at sensing her mother's moods, as well as who she liked and didn't like. Gorsetail seemed to fit into the latter category, so she could bat at his feet, tail waving challengingly behind her, with utter impunity.

The vole did smell good though, and Fawnkit's interests in playing waned. "Can we practice pouncing on the vole, Gorsetail?" She was tired of sharpening her skills on mossballs and cats' tails, especially since the latter always got her a little cuff on the ears and a sharp eye from her mother. Besides, it would be fun to catch something and then actually be able to eat it afterward.

Seven moons old now, Fawnkit felt restless, eager to be a part of Clan life and get out of the stuffy nursery. What had once felt like the safest place in the whole forest was now more like a cage. She liked it, it was safe, but Fawnkit didn't want safe. She wanted adventure. She wanted to climb a tree or catch a bird!

He sprinkled me in pixie dust and told me to believe
Believe in him and believe in me
Together we will fly away in a cloud of green
To your beautiful destiny

273 Words Phoenix BlooRey DVD @dreamer Justice Hellion Notes

[Deleted]

6 Moons - TreeClan - Tom

Finchkit was curled up dozing fitfully when a commotion startled him into wakefulness. Surging up from his nest, the large fluffy-furred 7 lb tom scattered nesting everywhere and his muzzle whipped back and forth as he tried to understand what was going on. He nearly bumped his head on the branches and sticks above. He huffed, wondering how his mother and father had dealt with this. Was the apprentice den any bigger? He hoped so, because this nursery was far beyond cramped. If he stretched himself out, he could probably touch the tip of of his claws to Gorsetail from his nest. Is that why it seemed like his parents were constantly slumping? Because they needed to bend down to reach other cats? He smirked.

The commotion was that Thornkit and Fawnkit had attacked the deputy, playfully. Ironically Thornkit was almost bigger than Gorsetail, and the scene was rather comical. Finchkit's ears swiveled at the sound of his mothers stomps and he crouched reflexively. He could feel the frustration and concern radiating off of her, but Fawnkit continued to play around with Gorsetail's paws. Some protective instinct lit in Finchkit and he stepped out of the remains of his nest.

"Yeah mom. We are almost apprentices!"He didnt say they already should be apprentices, "We can even go outside where we wont be bothering you! Its not like we would run off into the rain or anything. We aren't like fishy Rainclan." He put on the cheesiest sweetest grin while at the same time reaching around to swat Fawnkit with his tail slightly, hoping she would catch onto his idea.

As excited as Finchkit was to see the outside, and as frustrated he was that he wasn't already an apprentice, he knew that is he so much as stepped a paw out of camp, his mother would ground him the nursery for at least a moon.So tries his hardest to be on his best behavior and often made references to any cat who could hear them about how old he was. Maybe it would actualy work someday soon and he and Thornkit and Fawnkit could actually become apprentices.

I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones.
Enough to make my systems blow.

Tags: Phoenix  Fawn  BlooRey DVD
Word Count: 385
Notes: By all accounts, Gorsetail being small, the already largely inclined Thorn and Finch would likely be larger than him. Fawnkit would be about 2/3 to 3/4 of full adult, possibly the same size as Gorsetail depending on how small he is. I may have spent way too long researching growth, size, and weight for all of them.

[Phoenix]

Gorsetail

Deputy of TreeClan

i wish everyone was loved tonight
and somehow stop this endless fight

The only warning TreeClan’s deputy had of his impending fate was the battle cry and a blur of brown fur. He barely had time to flinch back, a flash of confusion flickering across his mind, before a sudden weight collided with him and sent him stumbling to the side to try and recover his balance. Swallowing his initial shout of surprise, he managed to right himself only to dance to the side to avoid stepping on the second kit who had materialized right under his paws. As he tried to nudge Fawnkit gently to the side with one of his paws, he became painfully aware that either his tail had decided to grow in size at that exact moment or that a kit had latched onto it. Filled with something between amusement and exasperation, green eyes looked back at the culprit – Thornkit, he should have known – and forcing his heart to slow down and fur to lie flat, he began trying to extract his tail from the younger tom’s tenacious grip while also avoiding stepping on his other attacker, who was relentlessly batting at his feet. Three sharp thumps of a paw on the nursery floor had him glancing up at Silentsong in a manner not entirely different than that of her son, and suddenly the weight on his tail vanished as the younger tom slunk over to his mother as if he had not just been reprimanded for attacking the clan’s deputy.

Gorsetail returned the warrior-queen’s silent apology, heart warmed by the silent purr he felt rumbling through her chest, and stepped back to offer what he hoped was a reassuring smile. ”Don’t worry about it,” He murmured. ”I’ll have to talk to Lionstar about finding them mentors; it’s about time they’ve started training.” In truth, it was beyond time, but although everyone would agree that this past leaf-bare had brought more pressing concerns than apprentice ceremonies, he still felt the guilt at delaying theirs pressing on his shoulders. Never had he been quite as unbearable as his brothers, but Gorsetail would never forget the way his heart felt like it would burst when he had stood in the nursery and looked out at the Ancient Stump, letting himself imagine the day when he would finally begin training. Even now, with the hindsight of his many moons, he never in his entire life would have expected that Lionstar would be his mentor. Wavesurge and Wildsky had certainly been jealous enough, and though it had gotten off to a rocky start, the experience had gained him valuable friends in Sprucefur and Feathercloud.

Fawnkit’s question reined in his wandering thoughts and reminded him of why he had stopped by in the first place. Finding the discarded vole on the ground not far away, he stepped over and nudged it toward them with his paw. ”Let’s see if anyone wants to eat this one first,” He offered, looking down at Fawnkit’s eager expression. ”And then we can go find a new vole and somewhere where there’re a little more room. You all can show me your best hunting crouches. How does that sound?” After all, he had come to the nursery to feed its inhabitants, and while he did not want to entirely turn down the she-cat’s request, he thought that he might as well offer the vole to the queens (it seemed as though the kits were more interested in playing than eating) before it was battered by three sets of claws.

@dreamer Fawn BlooRey DVD

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[BlooRey DVD]

52 Moons, Warrior-Queen of TreeClan

Relief swept the warrior-queen as she caught sight of Gorsetail's reassuring gaze. Returning his smile, she warmed at his words. Although a part of her would miss having her kits by her side at all times, the proud flutter in her chest at having them named apprentices outweighed it. And she knew her kits were growing restless, desire to see the outside world now that it had begun to warm flooding their curious minds. Boys will be boys. She thought to herself fondly. Finchkit's voice roused her from her silent musings, hazel-green gaze finding the shape of her second son easily.

She frowned a moment, side stepping to bring herself closer to Finchkit so she might rasp her tongue over the top of his head, flattening a piece of stray fur. Without missing a beat, Thornkit was there once more, his surprisingly sturdy frame pressing against her as he rubbed his head beneath her chin. Though having both her kits so close certainly left the area feeling a little cramped, Silentsong couldn't help but laugh silently at her two beautiful boys. "We promise to be good for Gorsetail, Ma! He wants to see our crouches; you don't want to disappoint the Clan deputy, do you?"

At this, Silentsong rolled her eyes once more. Shaking her head softly, she pulled away from her two tom-kits. With a gentle touch of her nose to Fawnkit's head, she stooped to pick up the vole. The tortoiseshell's gaze was playfully possessive, claiming the prey as her own with a grateful glance toward the tom who'd brought it in. With a wave of her plume-like tail, she ushered the three kits outside, slipping past Gorsetail in the process. Although the Clan deputy had offered to occupy the kits, Silentsong couldn't bring herself to subject Gorsetail to the horror of reining in three restless kits by himself.

As the squeezed her way past Gorsetail, she touched her nose to his shoulder in gratitude, vole swinging from her jaws in the process. She broke out into the open air heartbeats before Thornkit's frame barreled out of the entrance, his voice ringing with something akin to brave authority. "Finchflight! Fawnstep! Don't let the NightClan deputy out of your sight! We can't let him bring in reinforcements!" Silentsong could only shake her head. The kits had grown used to coming up with warrior names for one another during play time.

Good luck, Gorsetail. She thought to herself, amused, as she settled down just outside the nursery with her vole.

Word Count: 403 words Tags: Phoenix Fawn @dreamer Notes:

[Fawn]

7 Moons - She-Kit - TreeClan

Yes! They were getting out of the nursery! It was a momentary reprieve, but Fawnkit already felt her spirits lifting. With the conspiratorial swat of Finchkit's tail against her flank, she gave him a cheeky bat on the ear when no one else was looking - content to continue their little silent game of 'gotcha' that had been going on for as long as she could remember.

Finchflight, and Fawnstep are great names. A surge of energy rippled through her like an internal breeze, ruffling her heart more than her fur. Having grown up in TreeClan, Fawnkit had come to understand the importance of names. The pride that came with being a warrior. Would Moonfeather be proud to see me become a warrior? It had never occurred to her up until this point; young as she was, doubts and other what-if's had not begun to really cross her mind.

The promise of showing Gorsetail that they were ready to be apprentices was enough to quell any budding mental disquiet. Tail weaving in the air in soft crooks and curls, Fawnkit took up position on Gorsetail's flank, giving him a playful prod. "Don't try to escape, we'll catch you faster than you can say 'vole'!" Fawnkit stole a glance at Finchkit from over the deputy's back. "Right Finchflight?"

Thornkit, as was the usual, led the charge into the rest of TreeClan's camp. Fawnkit tried to imagine how this would look to her as an apprentice, passionately hoping their ceremony would be soon, so she no longer had to lie awake in her nest, wistfully thinking of the day she got to be Fawnpaw. With a storm brewing through the trees above, the air was different, fresher and a bit damp compared to the warm milkscent and smell of Moonfeather permeating the nursery. Fawnkit fluffed out a short coat, eyes bright.

She wasn't cold. She was happy. The question burst from her mouth even before she could think about it. "Can we see the sparkling brook, Gorsetail? Does it really sparkle?" And the hidden thicket, and the great maple, and StarClan's claws? Fawnkit's paws itched to carry her into the rest of the forest. She wanted to see everything.

He sprinkled me in pixie dust and told me to believe
Believe in him and believe in me
Together we will fly away in a cloud of green
To your beautiful destiny

365 Phoenix , BlooRey DVD , @dreamer Notes