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Post by embersight on Sept 8, 2022 21:03:10 GMT -5
Prologue
A silhouette was hurrying through the forest. It was scared, fast, sharp breaths coming from its mouth, whiskers twitching at every little rustle of leaves or whistling of the wind. With fast steps, it navigated through the narrow spaces between the trunks, wincing whenever its pelt got stuck in the undergrowth, but it didn't dare to stop.
From afar, shadows were watching, glowing eyes sticking to the cat who was a stranger to this place. Nervously ignoring the stares, the cat fled through the woods, fog making it hard to see more than a few tail lengths forward.
The figure stumbled a few times, it got tired, who knows how long it's been wandering already. Slowly, fear began to grasp the cat's heart. There was no end to this place and its paws couldn't carry the figure's body any longer. With a last effort and all of its strength, the cat dashed forward, trying to avoid undergrowth. A glimmer of hope sparked in its heart when the forest seemed to clear, showing a grassy opening. Paws aching, the cat stumbled onto the clearing, falling down in the grass. The shadows lurking between the tree trunks, not daring to set foot on the opening, stalked the stranger from their safe place.
As soon as hope appeared, it vanished. The cat raised its head to take a look at its beloved stars, only to see with horror, that there were none. Its claws punctured the dry grass it was lying on "why did you bring me to this starless place?" it screamed into the nothingness, the shadows flinching at the cat's sudden anger. The cat stood up, legs shaking as it didn't take its eyed off of the empty sky "What do you want to tell me? Why did you bring here?".
A light appeared, breaking through the darkness. it crashed onto the clearing right in front of the cat's paws, burning them. The cat jerked back, the burned fur on its paws turned black but confusion made it forget the pain. The light beam didn't seem to act normal, as it cast deep, long shadows where it hit the grass. Too scared to raise its voice, the cat had its stare glued to the light.
Suddenly, for the first time since the arrival in these strange woods, a voice appeared, so clear and pure that it almost matched the glow of the light. "Do not fear," it whispered, "do not fear when standing in the shadow of light". The cat looked down at its paws, realizing that it was standing directly in the mysterious shadow the light had cast. "How is this possible?" the cat shouted out, hoarse and broken. The voice did not seem to answer, only repeating the first part over and over in a hushed tone.
The cat became fed up "Why did you send me here Starcats? What am I supposed to do with this!" anger rushed through its body, "Aren't you supposed to help me? Shouldn't your prophecies help Sunclan? Why are you always so cryptic? Why did you send me this nightmare of a prophecy!" the cat couldn't stop its rant as it tried to vent its anger. The figures rant however was abruptly stopped, when the voice appeared again, now speaking directly into the cat's ears. "A storm is coming"
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Post by embersight on Sept 8, 2022 21:05:19 GMT -5
Sunclan
Leader
Cloudstar - older, tall, white she cat with blueish eyes
Deputy
Chestnutclaw - short, darkbrown tabby tom with yellow eyes
Healer
Saltface- old, grey white spotted tom with yellow eyes
Apprentice: Stormpaw
Warriors
Rainstripe - dark gray tom
Frostheart - white she cat with bright blue eyes
Apprentice: Silverpaw
Hazeshimmer - light gray she cat
Limestripe - small, brown tabby- she cat
Apprentice: Hailpaw
Ashfoot - older brown tom
Apprentice: Thunderpaw
Honeycloud - beautiful orange tabby- she cat with golden eyes
Redveil - tall, red tom
Goldsight - yellow tom with golden eyes
Apprentices
Stormpaw - short, silver tabby she cat with blue eyes
Thunderpaw - grey she cat with green eyes
Hailpaw - dark grey tabby tom
Silverpaw - silver she cat
Queens
Foxblood - beautiful red she cat
Mother of: Alderkit, Elderkit
Mintflower - light beige she cat with green eyes
Mother of: Needlekit, Deerkit
Elders
Droughtpelt - slim, grey tom
Birchwhisper - beautiful brown/white she cat
Rustclaw - old, red tom
Moonclan
Leader
Larkstar - brown/white tabby she cat with amber eyes
Deputy
Creekshine - beautiful, silver she cat
Healer
Lilyscent - young, beige she cat
Apprentice: Desertpaw
Warriors
Wolfdemise - grey, scarred tom with amber eyes
Apprentice: Steppenpaw
Kitewing - brown she cat
Owlsight - small black she cat with big blue eyes
Falconcall - brown tabby tom with yellow eyes
Apprentice: Swamppaw
Twigfall - brown/white tom
Cherrynose - brown she cat with yellow eyes
Apprentice: Sparrowpaw
Mallowtail - grey tom with blue eyes
Nightshine - black she cat
Apprentices
Steppenpaw - slim, sandy colored tabby tom
Swamppaw - lightbrowntom with green eyes
Sparrowpaw - small, brown she cat with blue eyes
Queens
Rosestripe - beige tabby she cat
Mother of: Leafkit, Blackberrykit
Riverheart - grey tabby she cat
Mother of: Mountainkit, Spikekit
Elders
Cranberryshine - old reddish she cat with long fur
Cats outside the clans
Bonny - tall, dark brown tom with green eyes
Dice - small, calico she cat
Meadow - tall, lanky she cat with white, grey spotted fur
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Post by embersight on Sept 8, 2022 21:06:31 GMT -5
Chapter 1 "I'm worried Mintflower, they're two weeks old already and haven't opened their eyes yet!" the clear, sweet voice of her mother reached Stormkit's ears. She used to eavesdrop quite often since she couldn't see yet. She had spent the entire past two weeks just listening to what the cats around her said and did, attentively following every single conversation. This has helped Stormkit quite a bit with learning some interesting details, that she was in a place called nursery, in the camp of SunClan. She also found out that she had two siblings, Hailkit and Thunderkit, those must be the warm little bodies next to her, squirming every now and then. The cat that was feeding her is called Honeycloud, she is her mother, and the tom that visits frequently must be her father, Rainstripe.
Honeycloud seemed to talk quite often with another she-cat, Mintflower. Mintflower didn't seem to have any kits, Stormkit knew that because she couldn't smell or hear any. However, Mintflower had sort of the same fragrance to her that her mother Honeycloud had, therefore Stormkit suspected that the she-cat would be having kittens soon.
Sometimes, other cats would stumble into the nursery and talk. There was another tom, not her father, that would visit frequently and talk to Mintflower in a hushed tone. Sometimes, a cat would come that was reeking quite strongly, the tom talked to both her mother and Mintflower about herbs and plants. Stormkit didn't like his visits, as he often would wake them up to take a look at them, turn her and her siblings around with his big paws. Stormkit hated disturbance, she mostly wanted to be left alone to listen.
The soft and motherly voice of Mintflower sounded through the nursery, making Stormkit listen up. "Oh Honeycloud, don't worry my first litter took some time as well!" she chatted, "and look how pretty they are, so strong and beautiful..." she took a small break "and then they are the firstborn of a firstborn as well!" the hushed voice of the she-cat seemed excited. "Ah yes, I'm so excited, my kit will be leader one day, what an honor!" her mother answered, matching the excitement of Mintflower. This was one of the many conversations that confused Stormkit, she had no idea what the two she-cats were talking about.
Stormkit was fed up, she hated it when she didn't understand something, after all, eavesdropping was the only form of entertainment she had. Out of spite, she turned around to face her mother's belly, then she squinted a few times before she looked up and slowly opened her eyes to look at the surprised face of her mother. She had beautiful golden eyes and soft orange tabby fur, her long, fluffy tail was wrapped around the three siblings, her mouth was slightly opened in shock. Stormkit squinted again >you didn't see that coming!< the kit thought before the excited squeal of her mother disrupted her thoughts. "She did it, she finally did it Mintflower, come look!" her mother excitedly proclaimed. Stormkit heard rustling in the corner of the nursery, then a pretty creme colored she-cat with a visibly huge belly made her way over. She took a long look at the squinting Stormkit, then she purred. "She really is a pretty kit, I hope her eyes stay blue, it would suit her." she warmly meowed. Both Honeycloud and Mintflowed purred loudly, Stormkit looked down to see two equally sized kittens lying next to her. >they must be my Siblings!< she thought. To her left was a dark grey little tom with stripes coming down all over his body, he seems to be Hailkit. Stormkit turned to her right to see another kit, dark grey as well but without the stripes, Thunderkit. They moved a bit at the loud noise and seemed disturbed, Stormkit wondered if they'll open their eyes soon like her. She looked around, finally seeing the world that she up to this point only was able to listen to was amazing, Stormkit hoped that her siblings could explore it with her soon.
Chapter 2 "Come on Stormkit, catch the ball!" the tiny voice of Thunderkit echoed through the camp. Stormkit grinned, catching the little moss ball with ease and redirecting it to her brother, who was standing right in front of the nursery. Some time had passed since the kit had first opened her eyes, two moons to be exact. Her siblings had opened their eyes not long after her, be it for the constant praise Stormkit received for it or them just acting in their own time. She was happy that she finally could play with Thunderkit and Hailkit, being stuck in the nursery at all times was getting quite boring.
A sudden impact to her head made Stormkit zone back into reality, she saw the moss ball lying at her paws that her sister must've thrown at her. "Stop being so distracted all the time!" the grey she-cat whined, "it's no fun if you never participate properly!". Hailkit looked between his two sisters, seeming intimidated by Thunderkit raising her voice. "and who gave you the right to launch a moss ball in my face mhm?" Stormkit shot back, angry at her sister's constant attitude. "That's part of the game, it's your fault if you don't pay attention." Thunderkit smugly said. "Oh then I'll make sure to fling it at your head next time!" Stormkit hissed, scratching the mossy ground of the clearing with her tiny claws. Thunderkit turned out to be a rather fitting name for her sister, her being annoyingly arrogant and snappy. "stop it please," Hailkit pleaded, upset by his siblings fighting "how about we do something else, maybe a little bit less competitive?" the tiny tom offered.
Hailkit was shy and rather submissive to Stormkits annoyance, she would've needed someone to hold her sister back when she was lashing out again. Her brother, however, being not confrontational would often give in to Thunderkits antics making Stormkit the one to get the nonsense out of her sister's head.
Thundekits grin widened to the horror of Stormkit, who at this point expected the absolute worst. "Isn't it a hot day? Honestly, I'm sweating under my pelt!" Thunderkit proclaimed theatrically, throwing her head back and opening her mouth as if she was overheating. She was right, it was in the midst of Greenleaf, and although it was well before sun high, the bright beams of light burned on Stormkits grey tabby pelt. Stormkit looked over to Hailkit, confused by what her sister was trying to say. Hailkit looked equally confused but then slowly nodded, "Yeah... I guess it is kinda hot." he meowed hesitatingly. Thunderkits grin widened even more, showing her small, white teeth. Now Stormkit got seriously worried, this was a sign that their sister was up to no good.
Quickly the small grey she cat had ushered her confused siblings to their hiding spot, a small gap between the hollow tree trunk that the nursery resides in and the shrub that surrounds Sunclans camp. Hailkit went in first, his short, smooth pelt gliding through the narrow space between tree and bush. His sisters followed with significantly more issues, Stromkits long, silver striped coat getting stuck on every little twig and thorn. Thunderkit behind her yelped audibly as a piece of her fluffy pelt got tangled on a branch and ripped straight off.
The bigger the trio got, the more issues they had fitting in their little hideout. The three siblings now sat huddled together, their sides pressed closely to the trunks bark as Thunderkit raised her voice again. "Okay so here's the plan" she started confidently, her little paws kneading the mossy ground in excitement. Stormkit suspected the worst but kept quiet as her sister continued, "You two remember our walk with Honeycloud to the little creek just outside the camp right?". Thunderkit definitley had mischief on her mind, the she cat grinned smugly as she made her proposition.
Hailkit nodded hesitantly, but it too seemed to dawn on him what his sister was suggesting. Stormkit had to put a stop to this "No!" she said determined, "outside of Sunclan camp is off limits for us until we're apprentices, you know that Thunderkit."
But to Stormkits dismay, Thunderkit only laughed. "Don't be such a scared little mouse," she taunted "we already went there, we know the way!"
As both she cats realized, they wouldn't come to a conclusion with arguing, they turned their faces to the third cat in the discussion, Hailkit. The little toms pelt was sticking out in all directions and his eyes widened with anxiety. "I- uhhh" he stammered, nervously scratching up moss with his paw, then he took a deep breath "I- think we should do it.."
This wasn't the answer Stormkit had anticipated or hoped for, >ohh Hailkit, what have you done?<
Next to her, Thunderkit was jumping up and down in celebration of her victory, well as much as the crammed space allowed it. "Then it's settled!" the grey she cat announced, "were going to the creek!"
The three kits had quietly slipped across the clearing, trying to seem as unsuspicious as possible. Luckily for them on this hot greenleaf noon, most warriors were on patrol or napping away in their den. Carefully they made their way over to the elders burrow, a deep hole in the ground, covered by a spacious bush, which Honeycloud told them was build by a fox a very long time ago. Stormkit had never seen a fox before, but she were told those were horrifying creatures, tall and red with sharp teeth and strong claws.
She shook the frightning image away as the siblings rounded the bush and hid away from the rest of the camp. This was a secret passage Silverpaw had shown them, a small dirt path led through vegetation to the top of the camps wall, where a small hole in the guardings shrubs was visible.
Stormkit had a bad feeling about this, she wasnt a scared little mouse, not at all! But there was a reason kits weren't allowed outside of camp, its dangerous out there! The image of the tall, red creature flooded back into Stormkits mind, but she shook at away. She had to follow her siblings and make sure they were okay, nothing was going to stop Thunderkit from going up to that creek so Stormkit had to look after them.
Determined, she followed her siblings up the trail, their tiny claws digging in the ground to keep from sliding back down again. Countless little twigs tugged at Stormkits fur and she winced, but the she cat didn't pull her eyes away from her brothes tail which was waving right in front of her eyes. Too great was her fear that she could loose sight of him in the undergrowth.
Just as Stormkit thought there was nothing worse than twigs pulling on her coat, she was met with hundreds of thorns that dug deep through her fur and scratched the small she cats delicate skin. She hissed in distress as she pulled the last bit of her tail out of the thorny agony. Thunderkit didn't seem to do any better, her fluffy, solid grey pelt was ruffled up and it looked like parts of it had been plugged out by the shrubs. >Oh Starclan I hope I don't look that bad< , but deep down Storm kit knew her thick, silver pelt probably looked worse.
The three siblings gathered under a brush near the path that loops around sunclan camp. Thunderkit and Stormkit were busy cleaning up their messed up pelts, while Hailkit was smelling the air. The tom seemed hesitant to make any calls, they barely practiced their noses and this was definitley a new situation. Suddenly, Hail kit tensed up in an anxious cower, his sisters turned towards him "what? whats happening?" Thunderkit asked with a glimmer of fear in her voice. "sshh-!" Hailkit shushed her "I think I can smell a patrol not far from here!" he whisper-yelled. Stormkit raised her nose in the air and concentrated. It was hard to distinguish the different sunclan smells, after all they were sitting right next to the camp, but there was a very fresh wave coming from down the little path that led right to the camps entrance >oh starclan we are so getting caught<. "I think they are coming our way," Stormkit tried to mask her fear with a calm voice "they can't be far, stay down and dont make any noise!" she commanded in a hushed tone. To her surprise, both Thunderkit and Hailkit immediatley followed her call, pressing their bellies close to the mossy underground.
It didn't take long before footsteps rustled through the undergrowth not far from them. Stormkit pressed her underside even closer to the ground and held her breath. Quietly she observed the paws quickly approaching on the path in front of the kits, >one.. two.. thee.. three cats< she realized.
"-and then I caught the biggest pigeon I've ever seen! Mintflower couldn't believe it when I showed her." a deep voice sounded from across the bush, the siblings tensed up in their hiding spot.
>...Mintflower? That was Chestnutclaw speaking, he was her mate< Stormkit discovered, her neck fur rising as she realized it was her clans deputy who led the patrol. "Quit the bragging Chestnutclaw, you know the squirrel I caught was bigger" a harsh voice responded to the tom in a joking manner. Stormkit knew this cat, it was Frostheart, one of the oldest and most respected warriors in Sunclan. She was also their fathers, Rainstripes sister, which would make the she cat their aunt. Lastly there was a red set of paws approaching their hiding spot, "then I'm gonna catch an even bigger prey than you two!" a voice called with excitement, it belonged to Redveil, the youngest warrior. He only got his name a little under a moon ago and has been beaming with motivation ever since. "Well, you just scared away all prey in a two tree length radius, keep it down a bit" Frostheart informed the young warrior who in response let his tail hang a bit.
Stormkit looked over to her siblings in their cowering state, Thunderkit had her ears laid flat, claws digging into the dirt, tiny muscles tense and ready to jump and run away at any second. Hailkit behind her however, was visibly shaking, the tiny toms pupils were blown wide from fear, the fur on his neck sticking away, his tail nervously twitching when suddenly rustling noise echoed under the bush. Stormkit froze, her eyes shooting over to Hailkits tail that had caught on a leaf and made an awfully loud noise. Hailkit froze too, realizing what he had done and Stormkit thought the poor tom would collapse from fear right there and then.
"What was that?" Frostheart interrupted the conversation, >oh no..<. Silence fell over the cats and Stormkits mind was racing, the patrols footsteps had stopped in their tracks right in front of the siblings hiding spot.
The white paws that belonged to Frostheart turned around to face the undergrowth, slowly approaching the source from the rustle, right where the trio was hiding. Stormkit had to dig her claws in the ground as hard as possible to not start running away, Thunderkit next to her had her mouth lightly agape, pupils fixated on the approaching legs. Hailkit was still frozen in his startled position, it was like the tom turned to stone. Hundreds of horrible scenarios started playing in stormkits mind >what are they gonna do if they find us? Are we not going to become apprentices ever? Are we getting banished from the clan? Maybe they will send us away right here and now, kits can't leave camp it's the most important rule!<
As the kits mind looped on the horrible thoughts, Chestnutclaws voice interrupted the tension "Calm down Frostheart, It was probably just a bird that Redveil startled with his shouting" the deputy said "let's not lose any time eith nonsense". Frostheart seemed to consider the toms order dor a heartbeat, then she turned around and followed the patrol further down the trail.
All three let out an audible sigh, all strain falling from Stormkits muscles. She didn't realize she had tensed up so much, her sight fell to her paws >This is so wrong, we should trun back<. But before she could urge Thunderkit to reconsider her plan and return to camp, the she cat had jumped up in excitment "This was so cool!" she said, her tail waving in the air "they didn't catch us! We are masters at hiding!". Stormkit wanted to remind her that they were literally right next to Sunclan camp, where it's incredibly hard to make out any unique Sunclan smells and if this had happened anywhere further out into the forest they would have smelled them immediatley, but she refrained from it. If there was anything worse that Thunderkit with mischief on her mind, it was an angry Thunderkit.
The solid grey she cat then turned around to nugde Hailkit, who slowly woke up from his petrified state. Although the little tom had made an effort to lay down his neck fur, Stormkit could see that he was still anxious.
The three slipped out from their hiding spot, over the trail and under a few shrubs. Thunderkit seemed unfazed by the encounter, but both Stormkit and Hailkit had the shock of almost getting caught still deep in their bones. Stormkits legs felt like wobbly sticks, almost giving out undr her with every single set she took.
It wasn't far until the three ducked under a bush and got a peek of the shimmery blue creek. It was a beautiful sight, the warm sun catching itself in the reflective surface of the clean water. green moss grew right along the waters edge and countless other plants gathered around the small clearing.
Stormkit remembered when they visited with their mother, Honeycloud. She had told them how this place wasn't only a water source for the clan, but also that many important herbs grew here that their healer, Saltface, gathered and used to cure disease. Stormkit was fascinated how there were cats who knew the use of every plant in the vast forest, who could heal with nothing but plants.
Her thoughs were interrupted by loud splashing sounds. It was Thunderkit who had lunged herself into the shallow, but moving water. Tiny drops were thrown into the air and landed on the ground before Stormkits paws. The kit seated herself next to the small stream, she had acompanied her siblings to keep an eye on them, but she wouldn't jump into the flowin water. "Are ya coming?" Thunderkit shouted from the creek, her paws splashing in the water, "no I don't think so, I'm good here" Stormkit replied.
Now Thunderkits eyes darted over to Hailkit, who stood a little further away. The tom looked unsure of the situation, his tiny claws digging into the lush grass beneath his paws, eyes glued to the ground. "And you?" Thunderkit adressed her brother, "are ya coming in or are you a scared little mouse?" she taunted him, a grin forming on her face when Hailkit started visibly fighting with himself. He was fumbling with his paws, eyes darting from his sister in the water back to the ground "I uhhh- I don't know I-" "Scared little mouse! I knew it!" Thunderkit interrupted him and laughed. Hailkits eyes shot up and he hesitantly began walking towards the edge of the stream. Stormkit stopped him with her tail "you don't have to do this" she whispered, but Hailkit shrugger her tail off, turned to her and faked a smile "I-I want to".
Stormkit just sat there and watched as Hailkit dipped one of his paws in the cold, reflective liquid and shuddered, visibly uncomfortable. Then he seemed to remind himself of his siters taunts, shook his head and stepped in, one paw after another until he was half sumberged in the flowing creek. Thunderkit cheered "yaaay, at least one of my siblings isn't boring!", she shot a side eye to Stormkit who just rolled her eyes.
She drifted away in thoughs as her siblings played in the water. Stormkit closed her eyes and enjoyed the cool breeze that drifted over her, bringing sweet scents of the various herbs that grew here. The air had a fresh aroma, unlike the nursery where it was almost suffocatingly warm all the time. That was the reason why Stormkit enjoyed to spend her time mostly outside, even if her siblings didn't want to play. She would find herself wandering through the Sunclan camp by herself, she even found herself helping Saltface carry moss to the elders or listened to the warriors talk about their recent patrols and encounters with Moonclan.
Moonclan was resident on the other side of the river, Honeycloud told her a river was like the creek but way bigger and more dangerous. Stormkit couldn't wait to see the river and Moonclan cats, she wondered if they looked like her? Honeycloud had explained that their territory was mostly open with no trees or undergrowth, but she couldn't imagine a cat living without trees. >wouldnt they feel.. exposed?< she thought.
A screech interrupted Stormkits thoughs and she was ready to tell Thunderkit to keep it down before she took in the scene infornt of her. Thunderkit was standing knee deep in the creek, frozen. Her sight was glued on a wet, kicking bundle of fur in the water that was letting out gurgled screems every time it managed to raise it's head above water. >Thats.. HAILKIT!< Suddenly Stormkit realized what had happened, she panicked, this couldn't happen, what would she do? "Thunderkit!" She screamed on top of her lungs, "get him out!". Thunderkit was only standing a tails length away from her brother, but she was frozen in shock, she didn't even react to Stormkits shouting. She wasn't going to help. He was going to drown.
Without a second thought Stormkit rushed to the edge of the stream and junped in. Cold. No, freezing. It was deeper than she thought, on the side of the waters she was able to stand confortably, but the closer she got to the middle the less her paws could reach the ground. Hailkit must've lost his grip and panicked. With all the strength she had, Stormkid paddled towards her brother who now only weakly flailed in the moving stream, gripping his neck with her teeth. Stormkit choked, water rushed in her mouth and airways. Her legs burned as they paddled desperatley, trying to reach solid ground again. Stormkid was never this afraid in her entire life, but she had to keep going. For Hailkit.
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