[Fawn]

Lionstar

The crown is getting heavy
But they've written my name in the stars

Lionstar felt confident in the mentors he had chosen for Brackenpaw and Ivypaw. But he had still approached them after the ceremony to request that he be the one to take the trio out on their first exploration of the territory. Turn it into a family outing, of sorts.

Gorsetail and Feathercloud agreed. Perhaps it was his imagination, but both cats looked a little relieved at the opportunity to process their new mentorship roles. He had given them apprentices without consulting them first.

"We should turn it into a game," said Brackenpaw as he bounded along beside his parents. The tom trekked a few foxlengths ahead, eager to see all that he could of his new, steadily broadening world. "Let's split up. Mom versus Dad! First one to reach the NightClan border wins!"

Lionstar chuckled. "I think your mother and I would rather we all be one big team. We keep together for now." He brushed softly against his mate's plush lilac fur, sharing a look of deep affection - and almost disbelief.

These days had seemed a figment of his imagination. Yet it was real, he was living this moment in full, and with their three kits beside them.

"Keeping up, Lilypaw?" Lionstar slowed his pace, wanting to keep their blind daughter as close by as possible. Especially when Brackenpaw and Ivypaw seemed so distracted. It was, admittedly, a sensory overload even for cats with all of their senses intact. "We'll be stopping at the sparkling brook soon. No swimming," he ordered, pinning the apprentices with a stern look. "We're only going to drink and rest, before we reach the first border."

Lionstar glanced at Honeysong, wishing he could ask her how he was doing - as a father, as a mentor, as a Clan leader. It was hard not to coddle them, these kits they hadn't expected but wanted dearly. Could be doing something different? His mate's opinion was as invaluable to him as his deputy's.

I've been building up all these kingdoms for so long
It's good to be king

87 Moons || TreeClan || 325 Words || @zen @poptart Justice

Phoenix (Gorsetail mention!) and BlooRey DVD (Feathercloud mention!)

[Deleted]

If there's so much I must be
can I still just be me, the way I am?

---

Her first real trek out into TreeClan territory! Ivypaw's plumed tail swished excitedly behind her as she trotted along with the rest of her family, taking everything in. She had, of course, on numerous occasions attempted to sneak out of camp as a kit, but Honeysong was far too vigilant, and she had never accomplished anything but getting scolded. But now she was an apprentice, now she could explore as she liked! Almost. She paused to cast a glance back at her family, having wandered a few paces ahead of them in her excitement. If she went too far ahead, Lionstar would probably call her back, and though the temptation was there, it was kind of nice to get to do her first exploration of the territory all together with her family.

And at that thought, she realized she'd forgotten Lilypaw in her excitement and scampered back to her sister's side, pressing lightly against her so she could guide her around obstacles with gentle nudges. Her whiskers twitched, amused, as their brother suggested making a game of their territory tour, trying to pit them against each other, which Ivypaw would have been totally for, but Lionstar quickly shot that idea down. Her tail flicked dismissively. Oh well.

Their father told them that their first stop was the sparkling brook. His warning not to go swimming had her wrinkling her nose. What cat wanted to go swimming, that wasn't RainClan anyway? She hated getting wet. With her thick fur, it took forever to dry, and made her look like some scrawny, pathetic loner or something. Part of her wanted to challenge Brackenpaw to a race to this brook they were headed toward, but she didn't want to leave Lilypaw again, so she stayed put. Briefly, she closed her eyes and focused on her other senses, that which Lilypaw would be experiencing, but eventually she stumbled in a dip in the ground and opened her eyes once more.

“Sure are a lot more scents out here than in camp, huh Lilypaw?” she mewed, focusing on things the blind apprentice was experiencing right alongside them. Her ears twitched and she glanced around, “I've never heard that bird before either. Are there different birds in different parts of the territory?” She asked generally, sure either her mother or father would know the answer.

---

Can I trust in my own heart
or am I just one part of some big plan?

Fawn Justice @poptart

[Justice]

Honeysong was in her own little world. Lost in a dream that she hoped she never woke up from. Happy and with the great love of her life and the kits she'd always wanted. StarClan had finally forgiven her for losing the first litter she'd borne and now her life was complete. Warrior, mate, queen, mother. All titles she was more than happy to take up for herself.

She sighed and tipped her head as the world came back to the present with her rambunctious kits trailing around she and Lionstar. "I have to agree with your father. Besides, it wouldn't be a very fair game with an uneven number of cats." She shifted and licked a patch of fur between Brankenpaw's ears so that it stood up straight then just smiled serenely. Time was moving on for her family, and still she was content with it. Her warm amber eyes met Lionstar's and her grin widened and grew affectionate before she headbutted him and purred loudly.

"If you three behave maybe on the way back we can go and cheer up your big brother." Falconstorm may not have been blood related to them, but she still told her little ones that he was their brother. His sadness these last few moons was painful for her, but he wasn't yet ready to say anything to her about it. She thought he might have spoken to Lionstar, so there was that. He was functioning as a medicine cat, but that was about it. "And they'll have to learn to swim eventually." Though they were not RainClan cats, Honeysong agreed that all cats should be able to swim regardless.

Her gaze went to her smallest offspring, tail swishing out to pass along her back in the most subtle of motions. She'd never let Lilypaw go astray, and knew that her beloved would never steer her wrong either. She'd be okay. Her attention then swept to the final of her three kit litter and her abundant curiosity. Ivypaw. It was so hard for her to believe they were apprentices now. It seemed to her that only yesterday they were blind and deaf little scraps of fluff mewing for her attention and constant care.

"The valley itself is a very diverse place for prey." Her ears twitched then swiveled to find the bird her daughter was hearing. "That one is usually heard in newleaf, like it is now. Soon I'm sure your mentors will teach you about climbing trees." She gave her daughter the same treatment as her son, a lick between the ears to make fur stand up. "And someday, my little ones, you will be the fiercest warriors in TreeClan."

Fawn @zen @poptart

[Fawn]

Lionstar

The crown is getting heavy
But they've written my name in the stars

"And they'll have to learn to swim eventually."

"They do," Lionstar agreed. "Not on their first outing, though." It wouldn't surprise him if Brackenpaw and Ivypaw still tried to push each other into the water. The sparkling brook could look deceptively low, but for six-moon old kittens? It could be dangerous.

Brackenpaw purred soundly at his mother's affection, nuzzling the side of his reddish-brown muzzle into her flank. He liked how that sounded - being the fiercest warriors in TreeClan - but that didn't mean they had to give up on walks like these, right? He wanted to stay close to his family. Then again, their father was a fierce warrior of TreeClan, so fierce he was in charge of TreeClan. Brackenpaw watched the larger figurehead curiosity. "Have you been in any fights, Dad? You're a fierce warrior, or else you wouldn't be leader."

Lionstar's whiskers twitched, and he hummed an amused noise in his throat. "I've been in plenty of fights." It must be hard for them to imagine him unsheathing his claws for any reason; these kits had only ever seen him play the role of doting father or capable leader. They had not seen any evidence of who he'd been before them; his simpler days of warriorhood felt so far away, now. "And," Lionstar fixed his golden gaze on his son, who watched him with obvious interest. "I didn't become leader by being the fiercest warrior in TreeClan. It takes a lot more than aggression or battle prowess to be put in charge of others."

Of course, at that age, to a young tom like Brackenpaw, the idea of fighting impressive battles and coming out victorious was like a siren song. Lionstar chuckled. "I'll speak to Feathercloud and Gorsetail. Maybe we can have a joint battle training session, and you can see your ol' dad in action." He had taught both Feathercloud and Gorsetail to fight; it would be a fun trip down memory lane, and a refresher for both warriors.

Not to mention himself.

I've been building up all these kingdoms for so long
It's good to be king

87 Moons || TreeClan || 336 Words || @zen Justice @poptart

[Deleted]

Lilypaw knew her first excursion beyond the safety of Treeclans' camp walls would be quite a bit different than what she had grown accustomed to, however she wasn't at all prepared for what she encountered.The scents and sounds were obviously foreign, however the new world that was unfolding beneath her paws required her full attention leaving her feeling incredibly overwhelmed. Her father, and the rest of her family more than likely, was keeping a close eye on her and it was apparent he had noticed the lack of confidence in her stride. "Keeping up, Lilypaw?" Lionstar questioned to which she replied truthfully, "I think I may find every single hole and dip in the territory before we're finished." Most fresh apprentices would have put on a strong bravado to try and impress their mentor, Lilypaw however could never find it in her heart to deceive her father. All the talk of games and playing in the water were far from Lilypaw's mind and she found her focus being clawed back to the other cats present with her as she heard her sisters voice.“Sure are a lot more scents out here than in camp, huh Lilypaw?” eliciting another truthful response "There ARE more scents..." Lilypaw replied before quietly whispering "You don't understand..."

Fawn @zen  Justice