[Deleted]

Darkstar was beginning to despise the pineneedle clearing. It was a terrible place for NightClan’s camp. The sun shone so brightly overhead during the day she found it nearly impossible to sleep, used to the cool darkness of the caverns as she was. And many of her Clanmates seemed to be feeling it as well. Added on to the stress of having to evacuate their home, the difficult sleeping conditions were making even some of the calmer tempered warriors snappish. Unfortunately, unless they wanted to find a cave a bit higher up in the mountains to shelter in, it was their best option for a temporary camp until the flood waters went down. At least the rain had finally stopped.

Most of the previous couple days had been spent trying to fortify the clearing as best as they could in the terrible weather, making it more of a camp, more defensible, more comfortable. As loathe as Darkstar was to allow it, fortifying the clearing and hunting had meant fewer border patrols, but at least the RainClan border hardly needed patrolling. One patrol was enough to know their water loving neighbor’s entire territory was under water. They couldn’t even get near the border.

But now that the clearing was set up as a slightly more defensible position, a sense of normalcy could begin to return. As normal as it could get with their home under water, at least. And Rainfur pointed out to her how Ravenflight’s kits were old enough to be apprentices, and that the ceremony would be a good distraction and a ray of hope. Darkstar also thought it just as well to get the three out of ‘camp’ and helping out in a time when NightClan needed all capable members to be productive. So she had told Rainfur to let the queen know her kits would be apprentices tonight.

With an annoyed flick of her tail that there was no great vantage point like the boulder ledge to address the Clan from, Darkstar padded to the center of the clearing as the last light of day was fading from the sky overhead, tail lifting behind as she raised her voice to be heard, “Let all cats who wear the shadows as their own pelts gather for a Clan meeting!” She waited as some cats emerged from the makeshift ‘dens’ about the clearing at her call, and others wandered over, already awake and preparing for their assigned patrols.

When the Clan had gathered and settled to hear what she would say, she spoke again, “The flood has taken our camp for now, but not our strength. Tonight, NightClan gains three new apprentices. Badgerkit, Hawk-kit, Cricketkit, step forward.” Her fiery gaze came to rest on the three young cats, “You will begin your journey to warriorhood in the face of adversity, and you will become stronger warriors for it.”

Her gaze flicked around the clearing briefly, pausing momentarily on the cats she had chosen as mentors for the three before her, before returning to the soon to be apprentices, “You three 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 names, you will be known as Badgerpaw, Hawkpaw, and Cricketpaw.” She named Badgerpaw’s mentor first, and then Hawkpaw’s, the two toms touching noses with their new mentors in turn and taking their seats beside their new teachers, and then it was only Cricketpaw left mentorless.

Darkstar’s ember gaze found Nettleheart in the crowd, her tail flicking once, as though to flick away what remained of her reservations. Nettleheart had not been born in NightClan, but she had done nothing but prove herself a loyal warrior to the Clan that had taken her and her brother in when their own mother had abandoned them. Her devotion to Briarthroat after the former deputy’s disappearance had been admirable. “Nettleheart, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You were fortunate to receive excellent training from Briarthroat, and you have shown yourself to be passionate and loyal. You will mentor Cricketpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her."

Abyss Fawn
Greenleaf 20 - At last the rains ease and the storm clouds dissipate. The sun shines a little brighter in its wake.

[Fawn]

One for the money two for the freakshow

It was a lousy parody of NightClan's usual encampment. Nettleheart hadn't realized how much she preferred the warriors' den until forced to sleep outside it. Irritable even on a good day, not even the persistent cheer of Graywolf or Snakestep could quell the calico's temperament lately. The constant feeling of wet paws, that ever-present sensation of pointlessness sitting in the pit of her stomach... It was enough to make any cat on edge.

Nettleheart had been flicking wet leaves off her claws, two frogs dangling by their feet from her jaws, when the call came. In the Pineneedle Clearing, Darkstar's voice didn't have the same volume, the same echoing bravado as it bounced off the cavern walls. Hardly feeling inspired to drop everything and converge upon NightClan's leader, Nettleheart instead pushed through her Clanmates until she reached the makeshift fresh kill pile.

Nettleheart dropped the frogs on top, staring flatly into their bulbous, lifeless eyes. They were a pathetic sight, and the she-cat scoffed under her breath, leaving her abysmal thoughts with the rest of the dead prey as she finally joined the Clan meeting.

It was an apprentice ceremony. Nettleheart swallowed the profound ache in her chest, memories sparking pain inside of her like a flare-up from an old injury. Scrap-paw and Briarthroat...

“Nettleheart, you are ready to take on an apprentice."

The calico's pupils dilated, body going rigid as Darkstar singled her out before the entire Clan. I'm what? They were giving her an apprentice? For sky's sake, why--

Darkstar bulldozed Nettleheart's thoughts, her words of power ringing in the calico's tall ears.

"You were fortunate to receive excellent training from Briarthroat, and you have shown yourself to be passionate and loyal. You will mentor Cricketpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her."

Cricketpaw. It took a nudge from her brother to push the affronted she-cat into action; Nettleheart, skin burning from all eyes on her, managed to lift her head proudly, stalking forward until she was almost nose to nose with the fluffy little mossball Darkstar expected her to teach. Cricketpaw, huh? Rebellion surged from deep within her, and Nettleheart, for one heartbeat, two heartbeats, wanted to spit on the ground and tell Darkstar to pick someone else to kitsit.

But, like a ghost she couldn't quite exorcise, her mentor's face and voice would fill up her mind. Telling her she could do this. Telling her that he was proud of her. Nettleheart squeezed her eyes shut, wishing Briarthroat's hold on who she was and how her future played out would weaken already. Fine, fine, I'll do it. Nettleheart opened her eyes, and, without much warning, pushed her nose against Cricketpaw's.

There was something familiar about the she-kit's scent, and Nettleheart was already looking around, sizing up the enormous brown tom that had instantly sprung to mind. Buckfur. This was Buckfur's little sister. Nettleheart's tail flicked with a touch of nerves. She'd do what she could to teach Cricketpaw how to survive.

She owed Buckfur at least that much.

Wild child got the fever tonight

27 Moons | Warrior | NightClan

Nettleheart

@zen Abyss Ghost the Undead Goddess 506 Words Notes

[Abyss]

Cricketpaw

6 moons | She-cat | Nightclan

It was strange. Light brown eyes scanned the Pineneedle Clearing, a slight curiosity hinted in those woody pools. The young black and white she-cat had never left the Nightclan camp before. Cricketpaw had been born within the dark caverns that Nightclan called home and had developed a comfortness with the darkness, as most Nightclan cats did. The most sunlight that she had ever experienced was either looking towards the bright light that cascaded down from the camp entrance or that tiny bit of time that she spent right outside of camp when mother allowed her and her brothers to see what existed outside, but even then it had been dark, since they usually slept during the day. Now, little Cricketpaw stood at the edge of the Pineneedle Clearing, an area outside of camp that she had never been to before, and stood in the light of the sun. On one paw, the feeling of warmth that enveloped her caused by the light was comforting, but she was still so used to the coolness of the shadows.

“Pay attention, Cricket!” She heard Badgerkit’s voice snap, catching her attention. She turned back to where Ravenflight, Badgerkit, and Spiderkit were all right at the border of their makeshift camp. The four of them were attempting to help with building up some better walls for the clearing, though it was difficult to do when three of them weren’t allowed to leave the clearing. Them “helping” consisted of filling in the small gaps in the border with stones and sticks, hopefully making the structure more durable. The small she-cat’s ears pinned back against her head and her head shrunk back towards her shoulders, her eyes fully dilating at her brother’s small scold.

Just as she took a few quick steps forward to begin helping again, a voice rang through the clearing. All four pairs of eyes turned to find Darkstar standing at the center of the “camp”, tail and head held high. She addressed the clan and called for a meeting. For a while there, Badgerkit, Spiderkit, and Cricketkit weren’t technically allowed to be at the meetings, since they were too young. But the last moon or two Ravenflight had allowed the three of them to sit next to her during them, since they were to be Apprentices soon.

As Ravenflight stood and walked towards where the rest of the clan was beginning to gather, the three kits followed behind her, the two larger of the three kits walking normally while Cricketkit more so lightly jogged. As they reached the gathering place and took their seats, it wasn’t clear at first what this meeting was about. From what Darkstar had started with, at first Cricketkit assumed that she had called this just to boost everyone’s spirits. But she was quickly proven wrong as the large tortoiseshell announced that there were to be new Apprentices. One glance up to her mother’s face caused the little cat’s eyes to widen. That look of pride on her mother’s face...did that mean?

“Badgerkit, Spiderkit, Cricketkit, step forward.”

Badgerkit and Spiderkit, both with smiles on their faces and proud expressions, immediately walked forward to the front of the gathered cats. Cricketkit, on the other paw, froze. It took a light push against her rump from her mother’s nose for her to actually move forward, which she was hesitant about. A slight ping of fear ran down her spine as she watched the eyes of her clanmates on either side of her looking at her. She quickly rushed forward next to Spiderkit, standing next to him and letting out a quick breath. She was becoming an Apprentice. She couldn’t let herself look scared. Hard to do for someone like her, but she had to try.

She watched as both of her brothers received their mentors and walked away from her with them, sitting next to them in the crowd. Suddenly the main focus, her tail slowly began to tuck between her legs until Darkstar’s voice spoke again, at which point her tail stopped moving. She had her new name. Cricketpaw. And, at the Leader’s next small speech, she had a mentor. Her small head turned to find the sights of others looking to one cat in the crowd, a calico she-cat named Nettleheart. If she remembered correctly, she had seen Buckfur talking with that she-cat a few times. But she had never talked to her before.

She watched as the Warrior padded forward, a glint in her eye and an odd expression on her face. She took a tiny step backwards as her new mentor stepped right up to her, unsure and slightly frightened at first. Why was she making that face? Did she not want to be Cricketpaw’s mentor? Was she angry? Her light brown eyes blinked rapidly a few times during these thoughts before she saw Nettleheart’s face quickly approach her own, forcefully pressing her nose against the smaller she-cat’s. It took a little bit of effort not to step back again. This was how this was done. She was given her new name, given a mentor, and then touched noses with that cat. But what if that cat didn’t actually want to be her mentor? The tip of her tail threatening to cave in towards her stomach, she watched as the meeting began to end, cats starting to disperse.

Naturally, her eyes scanned the clearing, looking for anyone familiar. Badgerpaw and Spiderpaw were both padding away with their mentors. Lionfang was nowhere to be seen. Blackstag, even though he wasn’t necessarily the ideal choice, was also already gone. She did find her eyes drawn to one cat. Buckfur. As soon as her eyes locked onto his large and fluffy form, her eyes held an expression of “what do I do? Save me” on them. What was she supposed to do? What would Nettleheart want her to do? Would Nettleheart even like her? If her big brother knew this she-cat, then maybe he could help improve the situation.

1000 | @zen Fawn Ghost the Undead Goddess | Big Brother Buckfur time!
Made by Aqua

[♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟]

when you grow up your heart dies

BrAmBlEKiT

nightclan she-cat 4 moons

Bramblekit had barely gotten any sleep at all. The light of the day had beaten down on her in her makeshift nest that she shared with Thornscar and her siblings, and as much as her mother tried to gather together a sheltering of ferns to try and keep the sun from disturbing them, it was impossible to ignore the rays of warm sunlight that brushed her pelt. The clearing was horribly uncomfortable, and even though it was the furthest she had ever been from camp, none of this felt like a fun adventure at all.

She jumped up in her nest when she heard Darkstar call from across the clearing. “Let all cats who wear the shadows as their own pelts gather for a Clan meeting!” Bramblekit pricked her ears. She hadn't seen a clan meeting yet! Not knowing if she was allowed attend, she simply stepped out of her nest and hung back at the edge of the clearing, her tail lashing in excitement. “The flood has taken our camp for now, but not our strength. Tonight, NightClan gains three new apprentices.” Bramblekit's heart thudded at those words, her eyes wide. For a stupid moment, she thought she and her siblings were being made apprentices. She sprang to her paws, tail lashing. 

“Badgerkit, Spiderkit, Cricketkit, step forward.” Darkstar finished, her gaze settling on the three older kits. Bramblekit sat down again, feeling rather foolish. It was two moons too early, there was no way Darkstar would make her, Hollowkit and Breezekit apprentices before they were ready. “You will begin your journey to warriorhood in the face of adversity, and you will become stronger warriors for it.” Bramblekit's ears flicked in dismay. Stronger even than me? She wondered. She shook the thought away. Never! I'm going to be NightClan's best warrior! 

“You three 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 names, you will be known as Badgerpaw, Spiderpaw, and Cricketpaw.” With the ceremony drawing to a close, Bramblekit sat back down, feeling foolish. “Badgerpaw! Cricketpaw! Spiderpaw!” She squeaked from her side of the clearing, eyes gleaming with excitement. It'll be my turn next. She promised herself, paws trembling. Bramblepaw.

@zen ,Abyss 377 Notes

[Ghost the Undead Goddess]

Rewrite your history

Tufted ears flickered as the massive tabby was pulled from his snooze, exhaustion wriggling within his large stature. Between being bogged down with a heavy coat from the rain and attempting to live and sleep without the comfort and darkness of their cavernous camp, the warrior was having a hard time adjusting. 

And for Starclan's sake, he was so tired of having wet fur. 

Darkstar's call for the clan brought the massive tom to his paws, making his way towards where his clanmates made a ragged, wet group. Keeping on the outskirts, as he was far to large to try and squeeze into a closer spot, the brown and black feline found a position near his brother. 

Blackstag looked extremely disinterested in what this could possibly be about, but it didn't take long for Buckfur to catch sight of his father's mate ushering her young kits forwards while attempting to groom the one last time. Green pools brightened with pride and excitement, his younger siblings would be gaining their apprentice names today.

Hawkpaw, Badgerpaw, and Cricketpaw!

Buckfur couldn't help the smile that lit up his face, fluffy tail flickering ever so sightly as his deep voice bellowed out with the others as they called the new names of the youngsters. The smallest sliver of amusement wriggled within his large form at the fact that Nettleheart had been named as his timid sister's mentor. 

Not that the large tom didn't like the prickly she-cat, quite the opposite in fact. He rather enjoyed spending time with her, she was passionate and feisty, and though she didn't see it the way he did, Nettleheart was a Nightclanner through and through.

"Congragulations." Buckfur's deep tone rumbled within his chest as the massive warrior made his way through the parting cats. Blackstag had left the moment he could, his expression remaining cold and detached during the whole thing, he had little to do with their younger siblings. Though to be honest, the massive black tom wasn't exactly kit friendly in general. 

The fluffy tabby's fur brushed every so softly against the calico' she-cat's side as he paused next to her. Warm green pools looked over the small, slightly trembling form of Cricketpaw which caused that gentle smile to curl across his large maw. "Don't worry so much little bug." He said in an affectionate tone, leaning down to quickly run his tongue against one of her ears. 

"Darkstar gave you a great mentor, Nettleheart is pretty awesome." Buckfur gave a small wink to his sister for reasurance before lifting his head to turn his attention towards the multicolored she-cat at his side. 

"As for you," His tone softened ever so slightly, a purr rumbling within his chest as he spoke to Nettleheart. "I'm sure Briarthroat would be just as proud of you as I am. You will be a great mentor." Words of gentle encouragement as that smile remained upon his face with those warm green pools reflecting his approval. 

Light up your wildest dreams

BuCKfUr

31 Moons Warrior NightClan

Fawn Abyss - 509 words -  notes