[Ghost the Undead Goddess]

The sharp taste of iron flooded the palate of the elder she-cat as her fangs sank deep into the throat of a feebly wriggling body of a fluffy moorland hare. His fear scent was strong for a moment before all the fight left his body and hang limply within the ancient leader's jaws. She had been pleased by the lack of noise coming from the rodent upon his passing, and silently the former queen sent a thanks to Starclan for allowing fresh prey to feed her clan.

"Quick as always, nice kill." The sound of Greenclover caused Owlstar's attention to shift from the rabbit to her tabby coated daughter - the young warrioress was pulling herself free of the tunnel she had spooked the hare from only moments prior. 

A large ear flickered atop the old she-cat's wedge shaped face as she accepted the complement from the younger feline before turning her wide, amber hues towards Crowface and Canyonpaw. The latter of the two being Owlstar's newest apprentice, and a former trainee from Stoneclan who had been separated from the rest during the massive Earthquake back a few moons prior.  

"At least age hasn't dulled any of your senses, not that the same can be said for much of any other cat." Crowface's sharp growl sounded, though despite how unpleasant she may have come across the thin black oriental she-cat was always deeply respectful when it came to her aging leader. Only in a fashion like her own, could the narrow faced feline complement one cat while completely disregarding another without a single thought to it.  

Though, as the days continued on, Owlstar wasn't entirely sure how sound Crowface's point was anymore. Leading up to Leafbare, and consistantly after it had been slowly adding tolls onto the once fully gray she-cat. Her bones seemed weary, her joints ached and she could feel herself growing slower - despite the fact that her mind still seemed to be sharp and intact as always. 

A hundred moons had come and gone, yet Owlstar still stood like a stone in the moors and she would remain that way as long as she could. 

"Come, it's time we returned." The ever familiar rasp of the bird named leader sounded, her wide amber eyes shifting to the near adult Bengal form of Canyonpaw. "See if the elders or the queens would like this rabbit when we arrive back at camp." Without a second word and a flicker of her long tail, Owlstar turned to lead the small patrol back across the moors - confident that her apprentice had snatched up the white coated hare beforehand. 

The sun was starting to make it's slow descent back down from the sky and behind the mountains that circled the entire valley, the day fading into it's darker counterpart of night. The warmth of Greenleaf and the heated winds seemed to wash away the memories of the frosted Leafbare her clan had endured recently, though it would only be too soon that the cold and the snow returned.

Upon entering camp, Owlstar was pleased to see Canyonpaw trotting off towards the warm den of the nursery without hesitation - Crowface and Greenclover parting to head off in their own directions after setting down mice and shrews that hung from their jaws. Overall the trip had been a success, especially since they had flushed that hidden hare out into the claws of the old leader. 

"Mother." The second of three, the eldest daughter to Owlstar quickly trotted forwards as the old gray she-cat started making her way to the well known, well-used grassy knoll near her underground den. "He's ready." Her voice was strong and respectful as she spoke to not only her mother but also her leader. 

"And Nobleflame?" Owlstar asked in her raspy tone, shifting her wedge shaped head to see if those old amber hues of hers could spot the ginger and white warrior in question. 

"She returned with her patrol not long before you did." Goldenblaze responded quickly, informatively and without hesitation.

Owlstar gently dismissed her golden coated daughter with a flicker of that long tail before ascending to the top of the mound, within a second her well known rasp called out the clan. "Let those old enough to race the moors gather around the Mound for a clan meeting." 

As always, there was a rising sense of pride within the narrow chest of the old she-cat as those sharp hues of hers watched each different form, pelt and feline merge into one mass of Galeclan before her. The love she had for all those below her, for the traditions and the uniqueness - even for those who had not originally been born along the moors. She was still their leader, and they were her cats until she no longer walked the grasses with them. 

"Galeclan is strong." It was a mantra now, something spoken and repeated and ignited within the hearts of all those below her. Even now, during this meeting, Owlstar's wide ears caught the faint murmurs of a few repeating her words like an oath. "It is time for another young life to join in with our traditions, a new path in life awaits him! Russetkit, come forward."

Amber pools paused upon the youngster sitting near the permanent queens, his paws on edge as he couldn't hold himself still. The innocent look of excitement and wonder upon his face a sight that Owlstar would never get tired of looking at. Her face gave away no emotions, but there was the faintest of glimmers within her eyes that only few would be able to place if they noticed it. 

"You have reached your sixth moon, and you are ready to start your warrior training as an apprentice. Until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Russetpaw." Shifting her attention from one youngster to another, Owlstar's sight found her niece sitting comfortably next to Goldenblaze and Greenclover. "Nobleflame, I believe you are more than ready to take on your first apprentice. You are a passionate and capable young warrior, please pass on all that you known to this young apprentice."

She watched as the two stepped forwards, interacting with each other long enough to touch noses before the yowls of approval started to sing Russetpaw's new name into the rising moonlight. She would watch his training with interest, curious as to how the young tom would do now that he would no longer be attached to Flintstorm - the warrior who raised him.  

OWLSTAR

galeclan leader || 99 moons

1085 WORDS

xvinn  Gemini ♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 Ginger (Goldenblaze)

[xvinn]

russetkit russetpaw! (he/they) | galeclan

The nursery had been brimming with excitement all morning, and by that, it was more that one singular kit seemed to have such boundless energy about the day that it was palpable across the entire camp. If the queens and other kits were excited about anything, it was probably the fact that they might finally get some quiet in the nursery for the first time in moons, as they would no longer be caught up with an oversized kit who had enough hyperactivity to make a wild dog look lazy.

Sitting at the entrance of the nursery, Russetkit looked around the camp with wide eyes, seeing it in a different light than he'd ever felt before. Somehow, even though he hadn't even received his apprentice name or mentor yet, the air around him felt different. The view itself seemed different.

Of course, there was still an emptiness when they looked to either side. How they wished that Tawnykit and Honeykit were here, standing alongside them. The three kits should have been receiving their apprentice names together - their mother should have been here practically overgrooming her kits to look good. But now, Russetkit sat alone. But that didn't mean he was alone - there was this strange feeling that maybe they were there, too, walking beside him. He liked to think it was true.

Russetkit returned into the nursery once more, pacing in the circles they'd been already making all morning. It was surprising that with so much pacing, there wasn't a clear hole in the ground from where their paws had gone back and forth. But their paws were itching with excitement, wanting to run and move and jump. They wanted to burst out of the camp entrance and into the open fields beyond, racing at full speed with the wind in their fur. They wanted to see and feel it all.

When he could see Owlstar returning to camp out of the corner of his eye, Russetkit's heart raced. He watched as the leader moved towards her den, and couldn't take his gaze away. He wondered if maybe one day he could be the leader of GaleClan. Russetstar ... he wondered if that would make Embercloud, Honeykit and Tawnykit proud. He wondered if that would even make Weaselstrike proud. He wondered if maybe even Flintstorm would pay a closer eye to him. He wondered if he would make a good leader, if others would trust him, if maybe they wouldn't push him away quite as much and would actually want to spend time with him.

The kit's attention snapped to the present moment when Owlstar's voice rang out. Russetkit stood on their paws, before feeling a tail resting on his shoulder, "Breathe, Russetkit, you don't want to pass out from excitement before the ceremony's even started," the soft voice of Sorrelheart, one of the permanent queens, tried to soothe them. But it was hard to keep calm and still when such exciting things were taking place!

"Russetkit, come forward." Upon hearing their cue, Russetkit raced forward towards the Mound, looking at Owlstar. Their mind wandered briefly once again: would there be a future where they would be the one to call these meetings, and grant kits their apprentice names? "You have reached your sixth moon, and you are ready to start your warrior training as an apprentice. Until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Russetpaw."

Russetpaw.

No more Russetkit, now he was Russetpaw. Just thinking the name on repeat in his mind made his heart race with excitement, though he tried his best to remember Sorrelheart's words and tell himself to breathe before he passed out. He still needed to hear Owlstar name Flintstorm as his mentor, after all. Then everything would truly begin, his story would begin about how he would become the greatest warrior that GaleClan had ever seen. He would grow strong and brave, just like Flintstorm. His name would be known for generations to come, and elders would tell tales to kits in the far future about the great things he would be come to be known for, he just knew it would be true.

But then ... everything seemed to stop.

Nobleflame?

They didn't understand, why was Nobleflame going to be their mentor? Why not Flintstorm? It felt crushing, though they did their best not to let it show. They couldn't show that they were weak in this moment in front of the entire Clan as they sang out their new name, though the name seemed to sting with every time it was shouted. They still held their nose up to touch with the approaching ginger and white she-cat's. They didn't want her to think that they didn't think she would be a good mentor - she would be a great mentor! But Russetpaw just didn't think that she would be a great mentor for them when it was clear that they wanted Flintstorm to be their mentor.

Then, it sank in: this was a test. Maybe Owlstar knew that Russetpaw was going to be a great warrior and noble leader one day, and she wanted to put him to the test to make sure that he would be ready for that day. He needed to be able to hide these feelings and accept whatever challenge came his way. His first challenge as an apprentice: show that he would be able to train to be the greatest warrior under any mentor. And not just any mentor, a mentor who was kin to the leader herself. He would prove his future, and show the entire valley that he was going to be the greatest cat that had ever lived.

"So, when do we start?"

Ghost the Undead Goddess / owlstar ● ♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 / nobleflame ● 957 words

[♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟]

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[attr="class","noble"][attr="class","noble-content"]Nobleflame had arrived at the warrens, her head weighed down with the bulk of a fat rabbit she had slaughtered on the hunt. The ginger and white molly had found herself with a lot to think about on this hunt. Owlstar had informed her of her choice to make her a mentor, a choice that Nobleflame didn’t feel entirely ready for. It still felt as though there was so much for her to learn about the world. But the more she had pondered the idea, the more she felt excited for the challenge. After all, who said that a mentor had to know everything? Nobleflame hoped that there was as much she could learn from her prospective apprentice as they could learn from her. Anticipation was crackling in her pelt by the time she laid the prey down on the pile, her eyes flicking to the nursery every few moments.

The moment Owlstar called the meeting, springing up onto the mound, Nobleflame trotted into the crowd. Despite her age, Owlstar sat at the peak of the mound like a mountain lion surveying her territory. A prick of pride stabbed at Nobleflame’s heart. She was more than just her leader, but her kin. Nobleflame hoped that if the day came that Nightrunner would take Owlstar’s place, that he would possess even half the courage, dignity and wisdom that she did.

She saw Russetkit, his chest expanding and retracting like that of a frightened vole. A purr rose in her throat. Had she been that small when she’d become an apprentice? She was sure the tom still had some kitten fluff caught behind his ears. It was strange how apprentices started to look more and more like kits the older you got. Owlstar called him forward, and Nobleflame focused her gaze back on the mound. She stood, her ears flicking forward to acknowledge the announcement of her name. She felt Cloudbelly glaring at the back of her head, his jealousy palpable. But he was far younger than her. Her tail flicked. He would get his chance to be a mentor.

She weaved through the crowd and gently touched her nose to that of her apprentice. Was that disappointment glittering in his eyes? She wondered at that. But a moment later, she blinked and it was gone, replaced with a determined expression that made her whiskers twitch. “Today.” She murmured in answer, her own eyes flaring with the same determination. Then she smiled. “If you think you’re ready, that is.”

There's a new direction that I'd like to choose

Nobleflame

Warrior of GaleClan

She/her

WORDS: 418
TAGGED: Ghost the Undead Goddess xvinn
NOTES: I'm so sorry this is so late!!

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