Creekpaw | 11 Moons | Apprentice | 18/18 | Camp | Mentions Mosspaw, Olivepaw, Whorlpaw [d]; — [i/d]

Giving a long sigh, Creekpaw looked around to her denmates. They had each congratulated her for securing an apprenticeship with one of the leaders, but she had trouble feeling excited for herself. ”Well, by StarClan, that was quite the meeting.” She mumbled before realizing Whorlpaw had said the same. The younger apprentice had mentioned Olivepaw, and with a gasp, she realized that she was correct. No one had given congratulations to the young she-cat. “Of course. I know I’d feel awful to have my special day ruined.”

Headbutting Mosspaw lightly on the shoulder as she passed, she turned to ask, ‘You coming?’ before continuing on behind Whorlpaw. She gave Olivepaw a purr and lowered her head to press her nose into the tortoiseshell’s forehead. ”Congratulations.”

Mosspaw | 10 Moons | Apprentice | 18/18 |Camp | Mentions: Softsong, Whorlpaw, Creekpaw, Olivepaw (D) Honeyfrost, Pebblesplash (ID)

Mosspaw's somber mood evaporated almost immediately when he saw Softsong approach him. He quickly got to his feet and touched noses with his new mentor, giving a quick understanding nod at the tom's apologetic briefness. He watched him bound away to confront Honeyfrost and Pebblesplash, a small smile flickering across his face, before turning his attention back to his fellow apprentices when Whorlpaw spoke up once more.

His expression fell a little at her words, and he followed the other apprentices' gazes over to Olivepaw. They were right, he realized, none of them had bothered to pay the poor tortoiseshell she-cat any attention, and on such a special day too. It really was unfair, he thought, then internally winced. He had been unfair too, so caught up in the confrontations that he had barely acknowledged the apprentice's ceremony, however brief it had been.

Absorbed in his thoughts, he jumped a little when Creekpaw bopped him on the shoulder, and took a little playful swipe at her tail in revenge as she passed him before following them both over to Olivepaw.
"You became an apprentice at just the right time." He said lightly, sitting down by the tortoiseshell. "There will be an excess of free space, you can have your pick of where you want to sleep."

Sunstar | 29 Moons | Co-Leader | 40/40 | [Thunderpath] | Mentions: Willowstar, Earthquake

Closing his eyes and not responding to Willowstar, Sunstar tried to make himself breathe. His claws kept unsheathing and then sheathing again, as he tore up some of the grass right beside the Thunderpath.
Earthquake arrived not long after, and he felt comfort from the special kind of hug that they did growing up. It made him feel like an apprentice again, when he had next to no worries and almost no drama in his life. The thought of him being younger triggered a memory moments later.
I wouldn't have lost most of my friends had I been careful and defended them. This is all my fault. I shouldn't even be the leader anymore. I should just end it all."
Falling into the river when he was an apprentice.. it was all his fault. If only he hadn't asked Ravenheart to practice sneaking up on Shadeclaw. Then he wouldn't have faced rogues.. wouldn't have died and gone to Starclan.. wouldn't have lost Shadeclaw.
Who knows where he would be today if none of that happened. Perhaps he would be happy. Perhaps he would be a warrior right now, still with Daisyheart. Maybe some kits too..
In a second, memories flooded back to him, and he forgot Willowstar and Sunstar were even there anymore.

---
After his naming ceremony in Starclan, Sunflare looked down at the shining ground, "tears" flowing from his eyes. The tears sunk into the ground, going where he did not know.
A fellow starry Riverclan cat came over to sit by him, trying to cheer him up. He would not accept it. "Let me go back!" He yelled into the lush forest. "I don't belong here yet! Let me go!"
"Quiet." A mysterious cat came up to him. His pelt was gray, and he was ever so slightly transparent. He must be an old Starclan cat.
"Who are you?" Sunflare asked.
"You need not know. You have been granted a second chance. We'll see you again." The mysterious cat dipped his head.
Sunflare felt a pang in his chest. His vision started to turn black. He tried to yowl but nothing came out. He finally gave up and went unconscious.
Moments later, he opened his eyes. A second chance..
---
Shadeclaw sees the Thunderpath back to where the forest is, and he runs to the edge of the black hard ground.
The metal monsters passed by, and through them, he gasped, seeing his best friend.. his apprentice.
He looked both ways, then bolted for the other side.
Just as he reached the third lane, Shadeclaw looked up to see Sunflare's face, and smiled.
Then white light suddenly clouded his vision. He winced, not able to see the ground any more as it became too shiny to lead the way across.
He slipped on his paw, and with one last glance at the other side of the road, making eye contact with Sunflare.. the lights went black.
---
Once the cars were gone, Sunflare scrambled over to Shadeclaw. "No, no no!"
He saw the blood, and a lump grew in his throat. He couldn't breathe.
"No..."
Sunflare licked the toms cheek, but knew his eyes would never again open.
Dragging Shadeclaw's body to the side of the road, he shoved his nose into the already cold fur, yowling.
"No, you have to come back! See, I made it, you can too! Come on Shadeclaw! Come on!"
He laid there, crying for hours as the other cats from the rescue team gathered around him.
---

Sunstar moaned into Earthquake's neck, the sudden memories burning a hole in his chest. "Earth.. you remember Shadeclaw.. my mentor died. And now my brother.. why did they deserve it? Did I bring them bad luck? Why does everyone hate me?"
A small voice entered to the back of his head, one that never spoke anymore. one that he had shoved away ever since bad things started happening. He let the voice speak, even though he knew in his soul that it was himself.
It isn't your fault that all of them died. You can't protect everyone, even at your best. Clanmates are going to keep dying and that is part of life. One day you are going to die, and someone else is going to be thinking the same thing about trying to protect you from your death.
But that isn't what life is about.. It's about making it something, even when you've lost everything. You need to allow your loved ones to lift you up, and care for you. Stormberry, you know he loves you and you know he'll move a boulder to save you. Earthquake would do the same.
Appreciate them and appreciate your life. You only get one.. well, a long long one.. so make the most of it. And most of all? Love yourself, Sunstar. Or else you'll never be happy.

He felt a small wave of peace wash over him, even with all the hurt in his heart and his soul. He felt a warm presence surrounding him, and it oddly gave him comfort. Sunstar kept his neck tucked around Earthquake. "Thank you for being there for me. I'm sorry I left without
telling you goodbye. I wouldn't have left without saying anything. I'm just.. broken now. I don't remember where I went, just that I woke up in the elders den. And I had a dream that felt like it was real when I was standing on the High rock."

Sunstar turned his head toward Willowstar. "I saw a battlefield. I saw fighting, everywhere. I heard cats screaming and darkness pouring over Starclan. I don't remember anything else.. But.. did my brother die in Starclan or on the ground? I need to find out where he's buried so
I can visit him. It's the least I can do.. especially when I left him."
The gunk pouring out of his nose had turned to ice, but he ignored it. The winter breeze was starting to chill him to the bone, so he was greatful for the close comfort of Earthquake. He thought of asking Willowstar to join the little hug.. but though that would be weird for her.
"Thank you both for coming after me."

This is some of Sunstar's background from the WCU RP before this one. Find more here and here.

Horsetail|Co Medicine Cat|24 Moons Old|Health: 30/30|Mentions Directly: Mumblepaw|Mentions Indirectly: Pebblesplash, Snowecho/storm|Location: camp

With narrowed eyes, the tom watched the she-cat move off. She seemed to have calmed down a bit or at least had enough respect for him to back off. As his heart beat slowed, the tom took a shaky breath. Feeling someone tap his shoulder, Horsetail looked over. "Sorry, Mumblepaw", the medicine cat said, feeling a bit sheepish that the apprentice had, had to tell him so. "I'm alright now", he added, the red glow fading from his eyes. Sitting down with a plop in the snow, the sand colored tabby tom shook his head, "This has just gone way too far. I understand that tensions are running high, with the leaders just coming back and all, but still..", Horsetail shook his head again, "They're warriors, so by Starclan they should act like it, not like their kits squabeling over who's going to play leader in warriors and apprentices", the medicine cat proclaimed.
Letting out a sigh, Horsetail paused and looked over the clan, as the meeting was ended. "I think I need to cool my head a bit", the medicine cat told Mumblepaw. Reaching over, he gave the apprentice a nuzzle in the neck. "Thank you again, I guess you do care", there was a teasing smile on Horsetail's face, as he spoke. "Think you should probably head over", Horsetail said, nodding his head to where Snowecho was waiting for the medicine cat apprentice. "Happy hunting", he said, as he stood up. Horsetail really needed to get aways for a bit, he also needed to get some bedding for Mumblepaw's new nest.

Stormberry - 33 moons - Co-Deputy - 30/30 health - Clan territory (Burial site) - Mentions: Maplekit, Lionkit (ID), Glade

Stormberry was too focused on his mission to bring Maplekit back away from Glade to notice that Lionkit had followed him out of camp - and honestly, he didn't truly understand the possible consequences of such a thing. He knew that Glade was bad; he felt it himself, and he had been told about it briefly, but he had been stuck in StarClan during the siamese tom's reign of terror.

When he saw Glade's ears flatten as he approached, he got a boost of confidence. Was the outsider scared of him? He should be, the deputy thought. If there was anything the tabby tom could do well, it was fight. Still, he didn't really want it to come to that, at least not while there were kits around. Maybe he would be able to convince Glade to hand Maplekit over peacefully? His confidence was knocked slightly, however, when Glade suggested that Maplekit was his daughter. Surely he would have heard about that if such a thing was really true. Either way, everyone was supposed to be at the big ceremony today, and Maplekit was only 3 moons old, far too young to be out of camp and training.

"I was just thinking actually, I don't care why you've brought Maplekit out here. She's only a kit and too young to be out here in the cold, and definitely too young to be training. I'm just saying, but if she was my daughter, I think I would take much better care of her, Glade." He sneered, his fur puffing up at Glade's evil grin. He was easily lured in and riled up by the other tom's taunting, and he took a step towards him.

In that moment, however, he felt Glade whispering in his ear, and it made him want to recoil. The deputy took a quivering breath of the cold air as he listened, his eyes then drawn to the two mounds of earth, that with the circumstances, looked very much like graves. He suddenly felt very uneasy, like he had stumbled upon something no cat was ever supposed to see. He shot a look at Maplekit, as if to warn her to back away. It made him angry. This outsider thought he could meddle with the Clan in such a way, threaten its deputy, and if all was as it seemed...even murder its members.

Stormberry was no stranger to murder, though. He'd done it before. It was an experience he wanted to forget..but simultaneously felt a thrill for, in the very depths of his heart. It seemed clear that Glade wasn't going to give Maplekit up without a bit of 'persuasion', as he put it, and the large tom wasn't afraid to make the first move. Tensing his muscles for a moment, he unsheathed his claws and swiped one of his massive paws at Glade's face. If he had to throw his weight around to get what he wanted, then so be it.



Aldershade - 16 moons - Warrior - 30/30 health - Camp - Mentions: Olivepaw, Honeyfrost (ID), Softsong, open!

Aldershade curled his tail in distress at how badly the meeting was unfolding - things had seemed so calm just a few moments ago, and now his Clanmates and the leaders were screeching at each other. He already knew which side he was on, but it was a matter to be discussed after the ceremony was over. What were all these cats doing, yowling about what they thought while these poor kits were being made apprentices? It soured his view of his Clan, and made him feel glad that he was selective about who he let himself get close to. Clearly, there were quite a few cats that were not as trustworthy as was first thought.

The lanky tom almost didn't hear that he had been assigned as Olivepaw's mentor, and it made his fur stand on end. His very first apprentice, it was actually happening! It was bad, considering the circumstances. Not many cats seemed to be paying attention now, for obvious reasons - but he didn't want to be a bad mentor. If Olivepaw was his apprentice now, it meant that it was his job to make sure that she was safe and taken care of. Trying to block out the drama surrounding Honeyfrost's exile and Sunstar's anguish over Hollowfall, he made his way through the crowd and over to Olivepaw. He found the whole thing so uncomfortable and awkward, as if social interaction wasn't hard enough. This wasn't how he wanted this moment to play out, but he couldn't really change what was going on. He leaned down and touched his nose to hers, curling his long tail up off the ground.

"Olivepaw, I'm Aldershade, your mentor." He introduced himself, giving her an apologetic look as the drama continued around them. He was able to block it out for the most part, but then he heard Softsong's voice rise above the noise in defence of the leaders.

He did agree with the black and white tom - his loyalty was first and foremost to the Clan and the warrior code, as much as was possible. But still, he knew what was coming as soon as the words had left Softsong's mouth. It was far too easy for other cats to use Softsong's cowardice and his flight in the moons of Glade's rule against him. There was still part of Aldershade's heart that resented the other warrior for that time too. Softsong, you just should have kept your mouth shut, he thought. And that was what he wanted to do, until things had calmed down. After all, he didn't need to yowl at the top of his lungs to let the Clan know how he felt. The way Honeyfrost spoke to Softsong made his stomach twist, but he was no confrontational cat. He gave Softsong a look, urging him to calm his temper and come ride out the drama together, as they had done with many dramas they had faced in their lives before.

Turning back to Olivepaw, he gave his apprentice an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry the ceremony had to be like this. Some cats don't have any respect for their Clanmates, or the warrior code." He mewed quietly, his ears flattening slightly as he spoke.

GLADE | OUTSIDE CAMP | MENTIONS: Maplekit, Stormberry, Lionkit

Glade let a wicked grin go across his face, and moments later, a rush of blood goes to his head as he's hit by Stormberry's paw. He hissed in return, but the rush of adrenaline made it feel fantastic. He pounced on Stormberry, cratching down his shoulder blade and causing damage. He took another hit, but miss stepped and ended up barely touching the other big tom. Glade finally realized that he hated this cat, and need to take him off the board for good. After jumping back from another swing from Stormberry, he slapped the deputy back on the face, almost in the exact spot that he where he hit Glade.
"You think you're protecting everyone here, by letting them do whatever they want? Eat until their bellies are full, living like kings? The world doesn't work like that, and they need to suffer before getting rewards!"
The siamese noticed a pair of eyes in the underbrush, noticing how tiny they were. He looked closed and saw that it was Lionkit, and he sneered. "You train your kits after half of their adolescence is over. You wonder why they never learn. They have to start earlier, or they'll just be weaker and weaker throughout your future generations.. if I led you, you'd be the fiercest warriors in the entire world."
Glade reared up for a last hit, ready to rake his claws right into Stormberry's neck. As he swung, the siamese cat didn't react fast enough, and Stormberry was out of reach when his memory just went blank.

Maplekit/Starlingkit | 3 Moons | Kit | Injured | [Burial Site] | Mentions: Glade, Stormberry

Maplekit was terrified of what was happening before her eyes. Glade and Stormberry were fighting! She had to get away, and find Lionkit.. but it was too dangerous to be out here alone. Even Starlingkit didn't have to tell her that.
Go get in between them. They need to stop fighting, and we're the only ones who can stop them. We'll be fine, okay? Just go stand in between them and yell at them to stop."
Maplekit listened to the other voice in her head. This one time, she will stand up for her clanmates, and be the role model for them. She stood in between them. "Hey! Stop fighting! Please, stop it!"
But only moments later, after she was trying to stop them from fighting, she got smashed back into reality when Glade took one more swing at Stormberry, and it ended up "grazing" her whole body. At least he had barely the time to sheathe his claws.
She flopped to the side, and it took her a few moments to realize what had happened. She lay there, not wanting to move. Her little pelt heaved up and down, and she started whining in pain. "How could you.." She directed at Glade.
She felt something inside her, a rage, something that couldn't be quenched. But it didn't make it's way out. Starling buried that feeling deep inside, and vowed that one day, she would end that miserable Glade all by herself.. when she was big enough.
Her head felt a little fuzzy, but she shakily tried getting to her feet. Maybe they'll stop now..

Lionkit|Kit|3 Moons Old|Health: 5/5|Mentions Directly: Maplekit/Starlingkit, Glade, Stormberry|Mentions Indirectly: |Location: Burial Site

Lionkit watched, as Stormberry and Glade spoke. He couldn't really hear what they were saying, but they were definitely angry. Lionkit was scared, he knew better than to get between two fighting adult cats. Especially Stormberry, was at least 3 or 4 times the kit's size. Lionkit had scooted forward a bit, he wanted to get to Maplekit, get her out of there. Lionkit shrank back into the cover of the bushes, as Glade looked over to him. Would he attack, no he wouldn't, right?
What seemed to the kit like only the blink of an eye, suddenly passed. In this short time, the two toms has started to fight. "Stop it!", Lionkit called, his small voice drowned by the large cats fighting. He needed to.... Lionkit could not finish his thoughts, as his eyes landed on his littermate. There, Maplekit was tying. Why? had she been hit? Lionkit's small legs started to shake. Digging his claws into the ground, the kit gritted his teeth. He needed to protect Maplekit or at least see if she was hurt and how badly. Finely making up his mind, Lionkit jumped forward. Skirting the two fighting toms, Lionkit reached his sister's side. "Maplekit.... Maplekit, are you alright?, Lionkit said, worry in both his voice and eyes. Looking his sister oer, he could not see any blood. Maybe, just maybe, she'd just gotten a smack and was stund. "Maple, don't get up", Lionkit said, quickly moving forward and leaning himself against his sister's side. The kit nudged his sister's cheek with his nose, trying to comfort her. His blue eyes turned back to Glade and Stormberry, they needed to call help. Maybe one of the other warriors could stop them.
Anger started to fill Lionkit, why were Glade and Stormberry fighting like this. If they fought, Lionkit could not ask Glade if he was really their father or if he'd just made it up. "St...Sto..", the kit stuttered. Clenching his jaws together, Lionkit's first ever growl of anger filled his chest. "Stop it!!", he called, "Can't you see what you did?! Stop fighting!", there was rage in the young tom's voice. Although his words were meant for both cats, his blue eyes were trained on Glade. He'd been the one to hurt his sister after all.

Hawkstrike|14 Moons|Warrior|30/30 Health|Camp|Mentions: Finchpaw

Hawkstrike's gaze wandered over to a hole in the apprentice's den that started becoming smaller and smaller. He looked at the group of talking cats in front of him and stepped back his curiosity taking over. He may not sleep in the apprentice's den anymore but he was bored. He needed to do something. The tom poked is head in to see an apprentice trying to fix the hole. Finchpaw was it? The apprentice then stumbled down getting a mouthful of moss. Hawkstrike let out a small laugh. "Are you okay?" He asked walking into the den. "And do you need some help?"

Softsong | 16 Moons | Warrior | 30/30 | Camp | Mentions: Honeyfrost, Quietshadow, Aldershade(ID), Mosspaw, Olivepaw(ID), Snowstorm/echoOpen!

Softsong stood his ground as Honeyfrost tore back at him. He noticed that she avoided mentioning anything about the apprentices and deputy that were named, perhaps she realised she had been disrespectful. His pelt bristled as she latched onto his admission of being a coward and spoke about that, and only that. He bit his tongue and stayed silent, his tail betrayed him though and lashed behind him with anger. He stepped back as she stepped closer, looking around until his eyes met with Aldershade. He regretted speaking his mind to Honeyfrost, why had he not been smart like his friend? He flattened his ears and looked away from the she-cat as she whispered to him. He knew it was true, and could not protest. He took a breath and internally shook the thoughts off and tried to calm himself down. "Still seems like you don't care about anyone else but your small selected group." He muttered, almost under his breath. Why did she not just leave with the cats she actually cared about and start her own Clan?

What annoyed him the most about her little attack back at him was how she tried to paint him as not realising he had done something wrong. He was well aware he had done something bad. He was trying his best to make up for his mistake, and she was playing it like he denied it. Truly, the 'frost' in her name was just. He glanced back to Aldershade, seeing him speak to his new apprentice. His attention was soon snatched by Quietshadow speaking to him. Regardless of her tone, he could not help but feel like a kit being scolded for doing something wrong. But he was not in the wrong. Pebblesplash and several other cats had been acting disrespectful during the ceremonies that day. "I will leave them alone, but they owe several apprentices and a certain deputy an apology." He replied simply, deciding to not torture himself by staying in their presence any longer.

The small tom left in a huff, heading straight for Snowstorm, who was waiting by the camp entrance for Mumblepaw. He gave the older tom one look, and was immediately pulled closer. He buried his face into his half-brother's fluffy fur, Deciding to hide away and calm down like this probably seemed weird to other cats, but it soothed him greatly. Close to his brother, like this, he was almost dwarfed. Snowstorm was more than double his size, which made sense. His mother, Ivytuft(Formerly Ivystar when the clans were split), had been extremely small. She had told him several times that they would both make excellent tunnellers. He was always reminded of his size when close to his brother like this, and that again made him think of his mother.

He heard Snowstorm tell him to breathe slowly, felt the bigger tom's chest rise and sink slowly. Without thinking, he started adjusting his breathing to match his brother's. "Thank you." He whispered softly. While he would have gone to Aldershade for comfort, he had not wanted to disrupt his time with Olivepaw. He should probably go back to Mosspaw, but after a few more moments. He managed to slow his breathing enough and gave the medicine cat a grateful and affectionate headbump. With that he padded back toward his apprentice.

He had seen his apprentice talking to Olivepaw not long ago, and hoped that the two were on friendly terms. If he knew himself right, he would want to spend as much time as possible mentoring the younger tom with Aldershade. "Sorry about that, all's good now." He said, not sitting down. "We'll be going out soon, have a feeling Swallowfall might want us on a patrol." He mentioned. His gaze drifted to his best friend and his apprentice, hoping that Swallowfall would send them out together.