MOON 1
"Are you sure?"
"I got you, just jump towards me, Ripplepaw!" Petalstar called to her apprentice, currently three meters above her ears, perched on a wide, lower branch of a chestnut tree. She could see he was gathering his courage and WhisperClan's leader patiently waited until he suddenly leaped with a frightened yowl.
Petalstar had to shift a tail-length to the right to get beneath him. When she felt his paws touch her shoulders, she let her own legs fold to take the impact, rolling them both to the side so that her apprentice's energy diffused over the motion.
Ripplepaw immediately leapt to his paws and raced in quick circles. She shook the fallen leaves from her pelt and flicked a clump of moss from one ear, turning to the other two cats in the patrol, Goldspots and Ficklepuddle, who had been watching the maneuver closely. "Which one of you wants to try first?"
"I want to jump again!" Ripplepaw exclaimed, already scrambling up the tree, bark chips fluttering down like snowflakes from his claws.
"I'll go next," Ficklepuddle offered, the elegant cat taking Petalstar's place in the leaf pile. This time Ripplepaw barely waited until the white warrior was in position before he leaped. At least this time his jump was on target and both cats tumbled into the pile of leaves, laughing.
.
MOON 2
"Humans?" Petalstar asked.
"They're putting out cages," Cedarstripe mewed, her voice low and ears back. "We saw 'em on patrol."
Goldspots nodded, the deputy's tail flicking to the beat of his irritation. "I wouldn't have thought they'd notice us here. Humans are usually bad at noticing things going on right under their noses."
"The traps don't gotta be for cats. They might be studying... opossums or something," Cedarstripe added, trying to lighten the mood in the leader's den.
She sunk lower when Petalstar shook her head. "Either way, cages are dangerous. I have announcements to give at sunset anyways. The Clan should be cautious of human activity."
"Humans," Goldspots muttered, the tom's tone making the word an insult. "They already claim the entirety of the upper rings as their territory. Can't they leave a sector for everyone else?"
.
"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, meet below the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" Petalstar's voice was familiar and comforting, ringing over WhisperClan's camp. Even if he was slightly annoyed to be pulled away from his work sorting the juniper sprigs he'd collected earlier that day, Spidersnarl couldn't help the spring in his step as he joined the rest of the Clan in the clearing. The grey smoke healer found a spot next to Ficklepuddle and let his tail touch the white warrior's shoulder in greeting before settling in beside them to listen.
"Funny how important events tend to cluster together. First, let's get the bad news out of the way: Goldspots and Cedarstripe saw humans planting traps along the Blue Jay Ridge on patrol this morning. You all know what it's like in the upper rings--" Petalstar paused, her eyes scraping across the crowd, "so don't follow any weird smells, even if it smells like food.
"On a better note, Ripplepaw, come forward." Spidersnarl's ears flicked forward, sharing a look of surprise with Ficklepuddle beside him. There'd only be one reason for Petalstar to call forward the apprentice, but he hadn't even reached his first season-cycle yet.
"Did he somehow tame an eagle yesterday without anyone knowing about it?" Spidersnarl whispered to Ficklepuddle, whose whiskers twitched their amusement even as they shrugged.
"Ripplepaw, you might still be young, but you have learned everything a warrior should know. I have nothing more to teach you: your hunting technique is flawless and four days ago, you bested Cedarstripe in a spar four matches in a row. I see no reason to limit such a fine cat as an apprentice. Therefore, with StarClan's blessings, I name you Ripplebite and proclaim you a full warrior of WhisperClan!"
Cheers rang across the clearing and Spidersnarl added his own voice to the chorus. He still worries--he always worries about the safety of his Clanmates, that's part of being a healer--but he trusts Petalstar's judgement.
"Lastly, Waterkit," Petalstar called, silencing the fading cheers. The kitten peeled himself from between Thrushkit and Oakkit, racing forward to sit, quivering, beside the newly named Ripplebite. "You have reached your sixth month of life, and so are ready to be made an apprentice. Goldspots will be your mentor."
The deputy stiffened at Petalstar's words, holding his position at her shoulder for one heartbeat, two, an uncomfortably long pause before he bent to touch his nose to Waterpaw's. His eyes were narrowed as the grey tom slowly returned to his position at Petalstar's shoulder.
"Did she not talk to him about mentoring Waterpaw beforehand?" Ficklepuddle muttered in Spidersnarl's ear. "He looks like she just offered him a rotten sparrow."
Spidersnarl hummed his confusion. He knew Goldspots for a long time, the grey tomcat was usually over the moon when new kits were born, vying to be chosen as a mentor. He wasn't like Spidersnarl himself, who was dreading when Oakkit came of age, unsure of what to do with a young cat running around the healer's den. "I don't know, but I'm certainly going to get to the bottom of it."
Petalstar dismissed the meeting, cats milling around Ripplebite and Waterpaw, congratulating the two on their new names. Spidersnarl followed behind Ficklepuddle, glad the senior warrior was spending so much time laying praise onto Ripplebite so that he had more time to eye Goldspots. The deputy remained beside Petalstar, whispering something into her ear. Luckily, Waterpaw was too busy being tackled by Thrushkit to notice his mentor's absence, but none of the older warriors could miss the tension in the air.
A mystery, one that would keep Spidersnarl wondering for the rest of the afternoon as he sorted juniper.
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MOON 3
Last moon, after Waterpaw was named an apprentice, he finally got to see the impossibly tall wall that divided WhisperClan's territory from FloodClan's. He knew, logically, that he was on a ship--Ficklepuddle told the kits many stories of the other sectors and even the upper rings--but it still felt like a slap in the face to see that wall, know that there were three more around him and another far, far above the treetops and the clouds.
The idea of a huge plate of metal so far above him made the fawn-and-white apprentice shiver, despite the temperature being warmer than anything he'd ever remembered. He was born in autumn, but Waterpaw only remembered the snow. Now the snow was gone and a new color, green, was slowly replacing the whites and muddy browns. Waterpaw followed in his mentor's pawsteps, but his mind wasn't really on the patrol. He was too busy watching everything else!
So when Goldspots stopped suddenly, Waterpaw ran into him. Goldspots yowled, far louder than the collision warranted, and Waterpaw immediately leapt back, instead colliding with Ripplebite. "What--" the ginger tom mewed in surprise. Cedarstripe ran up from the rear, her fur raised, her eyes instantly on guard. Waterpaw tried to mirror her, looking around, but he saw nothing.
Waterpaw's attention was pulled back to his mentor when Goldspots hissed. "Human trap." Indeed, his right hind paw was caught between a set of metal fangs that bit into his flesh.
"What do we do? I can get Petalstar. Spidersnarl?" Cedarstripe mewed quickly, slowly moving away from the trap as if it would bite her too.
Goldspots took a few deep breaths. When he spoke, his voice was level. "No. Waterpaw--" He stepped towards his mentor, bending towards the metal jaws. "Look to the front, see that little twig? Pull that towards you. Carefully." Waterpaw did as he was instructed, hooking a claw under the bit of metal and slowly, carefully pulled away from the trap.
"Good," Goldspots encouraged, even if his ears were back and his voice tight with pain. This close, Waterpaw could taste the coppery tang of blood. "Keep going, it'll click--" The trap snapped open. Goldspots bit back a yowl and pulled his mangled paw free of the jaws. When Waterpaw let go of the little metal twig, the trap snapped shut, causing all four cats to jump a safe distance away.
Goldspots eyed the ground around them carefully as he led the patrol back the way they came. Finding a broken tree stump, he gathered the border patrol together and only then licked at his leg. "I didn't know you knew how human traps worked!" Ripplebite exclaimed.
"Now you know how to disarm one too," Goldspots mewed. "And you did good too, Waterpaw. Thank you." The fawn apprentice couldn't help but puff up under his mentor's praise.
"I knew humans put out cage traps, but jaw traps too?" Goldspots said, this time talking more to himself than the others. Still, the three younger cats listened carefully to the deputy; he had much more knowledge about the human traps than they did. "Watch for odd clumps of leaves or debris on the trail. That's how the humans hide the metal. Patrols will have to go much more slowly and carefully, at least for a while and we'll have to turn back, I need to let Spidersnarl look at this paw." He sighed. "Humans."
Goldspots kept his injured paw off the ground, so it was slow going as the patrol turned back to camp. Cedarstripe took the lead this time, leaving Ripplebite and Waterpaw to guard the rear. "Good work with the trap, Waterpaw. It's not easy staying calm when your mentor is in trouble," Ripplebite said.
"It wasn't hard," Waterpaw replied, shrugging off the compliment. "Goldspots just told me what to do." Waterpaw peered over at Ripplebite, waiting for a boast to follow--a "I could have done that at three moons old"--but it never did.
"Even so. You did well."
"Thanks," Waterpaw mewed, unsure of what to make of Ripplebite's kindness.
.
[[ AN: Waterpaw has two ticks of dislike for Ripplebite; I headcanon that Ripplebite, being a little bit of a prodigy child, often humblebragged to the younger kits not really realizing that he was being demeaning? but to Waterpaw, it felt like Ripplebite--who they all looked up to--didn't respect them at all and was both jealous of his easy skill and annoyed at how he treated them as kits. And then he was doubly annoyed when Ripplebite graduated early, as Waterpaw was expecting at least a few moons of training with Ripplebite and maybe having a rivalry/showing him up and proving he wasn't a kit to be talked down to... and now he feels cheated out of that. He thought being made a warrior early would make Ripplebite's ego unbearable and so is surprised and doesn't know how to react when Ripplebite complements him lmao ]]
.
MOON 4
Ripplebite is surprised when, one morning, Petalstar calls a Clan meeting and makes him a mentor. "I know you'll pass on your wisdom and compassion to Oakpaw."
Now said apprentice was practically vibrating at his side, peering this way and that, her paws and tail drumming against the ground as they waited for Goldspots and Waterpaw. "Can't they catch up? I just wanna go see--"
"You'll see everything on the border patrol," Ripplebite interrupts, firmly.
She fidgets, but ultimately does stay in one place until the others arrive. "Finally! I thought you like, died, Waterpaw," Oakpaw mewed, darting up to her denmate's side.
"Some of us have other duties in the morning," Waterpaw teased, his voice gentle. Ripplebite let Goldspots take the lead. The deputy's hind paw was wrapped in cobwebs from being caught in the jaw trap last moon, but he still put forth a quick pace, one Ripplebite struggled to keep up with while also wrangling Oakpaw, who stuck her nose into every fern and shrub on the path.
"What's this?" Oakpaw said, probably for the hundreth time in the last hour. Ripplebite sighed but turned to poke his nose into the shrubs to see what she had discovered this time. To his surprise, a rabbit was trapped in a similar jaw trap! But...
Something was off. "I don't think we should get closer," Ripplebite said. It took him a few moments to pinpoint what about the rabbit made his fur crawl. "Look at it's eyes? They are too red. And it has white around the mouth, patchy fur. It's sick." Perhaps the sick rabbits are what the humans were trying to catch with the traps? Hopefully, after catching this one, the humans will take the rest of the traps away.
"Let's show Goldspots. Good find, Oakpaw."
.
Rain.
Cedarstripe preferred the snow: her long fur made the rain abysmally heavy, like carrying the sky around with her. She tried to shake it out when the trio stopped beneath a dense bush, but no matter how hard she shook, her waterlogged fur remained heavy and cold. "Sorry, this is the only time the passage will be open for a while," Spidersnarl apologized. Cedarstripe knew that already, every warrior did.
It didn't make dealing with the rain any more pleasant.
The door was a small thing against the massive scale of the wall dividing sector 4.7 from sector 4.6, but the path to the border was well travelled and all three cats knew the way. They trudged across WhisperClan's territory in silence. It was a relief when they finally reached the door, crossing through the threshold and into the cavernous space between the walls.
It was loud, full of echos and dismally dark, but it was dry and that's all Cedarstripe cared about. She quickly set to licking the water from her fur while Spidersnarl and Ficklepuddle moved deeper into the space, peering through the second door to FloodClan's side.
The WhisperClan patrol arrived only minutes before their FloodClan counterparts. Spidersnarl exchanged a few words with FloodClan's healer--a black tabby molly called Ashdapple--and started bartering herbs. Ficklepuddle stayed close to his shoulder, the white senior warrior mirroring Ashdapple's escort's posture.
Another pair of cats--one a short ginger cat, another an apprentice-sized white tom--sat further back and closer to the door like she did. Cedarstripe flicked her ears in greeting and the apprentice waved his tail enthusiastically back. His mentor cuffed him over the ear and shook their head.
The bartering didn't take very long. Cedarstripe knew it was because WhisperClan didn't have much to trade; it had been a lean year, herb-wise. After it was over, Spidersnarl called her over and she picked up a bundle of rosemary. "Let's get back home," he muttered.
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MOON 5
Ripplebite waited at the door, pacing in the sunlight that pierced into the small clearing. "Pft. She's obviously not coming," Oakpaw said, trotting alongside him with her tail held high.
The moss the pair collected sat in tightly packed balls near the roots of a hazelnut: Ripplebite's round and soft, Oakpaw's less so with scraps of bark curling from the edges. He'd warned his apprentice that she'd have to spend the rest of the night separating the moss from the scrap, but she'd shrugged off the threat. He hadn't been able to tell her to redo her work right then and there--Ripplebite had a meeting to catch.
"It's against the Code to meet with other Clans without the leader's permission," Oakpaw said, though her voice was openly curious and she watched the portal just as intently as Ripplebite did. He didn't miss the irony of being coached on the Code by his own apprentice... though he guessed she had more experience with it than even he did, seeing how many times she'd managed to break the rules in the two short moons since she'd been made an apprentice.
Eventually, Oakpaw got bored of following his pacing circles and pranced off into the bushes. Ripplebite knew he should follow her, make sure she wouldn't get into trouble, but he bit his lip and decided to trust Oakpaw to take care of herself. Just this once.
"C'mon, Rosedrop," he said to the door, squinting to get a better look into FloodClan's side from the tiny gap in the wall. Heartbeats passed. Minutes. The hour turned, a tolling of a bell ringing dully from between the walls, and the door crunched closed.
Ripplebite sighed. He should have known his sister wouldn't show.
He watched the closed door for a few moments longer before putting his nose to the ground and following Oakpaw's trail, hoping his apprentice didn't go too far. They needed to get back to camp: Oakpaw still had a long punishment fixing her errors ahead of her, and they had to be done before dusk patrol.
.
[[TW blood, fighting, death]]
Because of the walls, other Clans rarely invaded WhisperClan's sector. No cat wanted to be trapped on the wrong side of a door once it closed, which deterred all but the most desperate invaders.
RisingClan was desperate.
"Attack! Leave no survivors!" Jaytrail, RisingClan's deputy, screeched. They didn't care that the WhisperClan "patrol" was a training one, with Petalstar and Goldspots watching their apprentices hunt in a mock assessment.
Petalstar hissed and leapt into the cluster of RisingClan warriors. "Find the apprentices!" she ordered her deputy, even as she raked her claws across a grey tom's muzzle. She had no way of knowing if Goldspots listened, too busy keeping the five warriors--five!--from surrounding her.
A grim snarl. Two of the RisingClan warriors broke from the formation, streaking into the forest behind her, presumably to follow Goldspots. He could handle two cats, she had to believe that as she turned to the remaining three.
Defense would get Petalstar nowhere with these odds, so she threw away the last scraps of fear, of worry for Thrushpaw, of any hesitation she could find in her soul. Excised. Empty of anything but rage, Petalstar expoded forward.
Her claws found the chest of the grey tom, bowling him backwards into the leaves. "Yeild!" she hissed, her fangs close to his ears. She gave him a pair of heartbeats, long enough to feel the other two warriors closing in, paws scattering leaves, before sinking her jaws into his shoulder.
He screeched. She let him go, turned to Jaytrail, his Clan's blood staining her jaws. "If you hurt either of our apprentices, I will make RisingClan regret it for the rest of all time," Petalstar growled. Jaytrail set his paws, his eyes narrowed and tail flicking. She mirrored his posture, the snarl settling again across her muzzle. "You've made a horrible mistake, Jaytrail."
And perhaps it was a mistake. Two of Jaytrail's warriors died, one at Petalstar's paws, another by Waterpaw's.
But he'd brought more than five cats.
At least eight, maybe up to ten. The sets of pawprints pressed into the ground around the door, breaking into smaller groups and spreading out across WhisperClan's forest.
Thrushpaw didn't stand a whisker of a chance. Petalstar found her under a mat of ivy, curled as if asleep, curled around a deep wound in her stomach.
Goldspots had found Waterpaw, but the scuffle that was mapped in the clawstrikes, the broken branches and tossed earth showed that it was almost entirely one-sided. Goldspots must have fallen quickly. Waterpaw held his ground longer, but the apprentice wasn't skilled enough, wasn't big enough, not like Petalstar. He couldn't manage three-on-one odds.
Oakpaw keened as the three bodies were laid out in the center of WhisperClan's camp. Spidersnarl, practiced in such things, arranged their fur so their wounds were no longer visible and masked the smell of blood with fragrant lavender and thyme.
Petalstar herself was numb, the battle-shock covering her mind in a dense sheet of fog. Her eyes glossed over Goldspots' pelt, slipping across like the tomcat was made of ice. "They fought bravely, but RisingClan brought too many warriors," she intoned, her voice stripped bare. "I-I couldn't do enough."
.
MOON 6
The loss of three of their Clanmates hit WhisperClan's cats hard. Petalstar named Ripplebite deputy: Petalstar had offered the position to Cedarstripe, who declined. While the careful molly would be good for the Clan, it would be cruel to force the responsibility upon her.
Ripplebite stepped up to the position, leaning heavily on Ficklepuddle's experience. It was easy to forget that Ripplebite, clever and wise, an old soul, was only fifteen moons old: some cats might still be apprentices yet at his age.
At least the senior warrior was around camp a lot now, taking fewer patrols after announcing they were expecting kittens. Only a small litter, they said, to which Spidersnarl agreed. "A good thing, too. You're too old to be chasing around four or five kittens," Spidersnarl teased them. At least Ficklepuddle was in good health. It was hard to believe the elegant white cat had passed their tenth year this moon.
.
"I bring gifts," Ficklepuddle said one bright summer afternoon. Perhaps it was only because their frame was tall and thin, but their pregancy was very obvious as they stepped into the leader's den.
Petalstar yawned and stood. She felt the need to close her eyes more often now--she hadn't realized how much weight Goldspots had carried on his shoulders until it had suddenly shifted to her's. Ripplebite would learn, she was confident of that, but for now Petalstar had more responsibilities than she knew what to do with. "Gifts?"
Ficklepuddle nodded. "First, I saw these and thought of you." They had hidden the crown of flowers behind them, hooked on their tail, and turned to offer it to Petalstar. "Purple asters, red cardinal flower, and white anemone. I can see how much you give to WhisperClan and I wanted to thank you."
Petalstar opened and closed her mouth a few times, enough that Ficklepuddle laughed, twitching their whiskers as they arranged the flower crown atop their leader's head. "You don't have to thank me, I'm thanking you. Just accept it."
"Then I'll accept it, athough you didn't need to go through the trouble of making such a fine gift."
"It wouldn't be a good gift if it wasn't some trouble," Ficklepuddle mewed with a smile. "Speaking of trouble... I suppose I have another gift."
"Oh?" Petalstar tipped her head, petals fluttering from the crown to land at her paws.
"A friend. Her name is Snapper, an upper ring cat. Her human passed last moon and instead of finding another, she'd like to join WhisperClan, if you'd allow it."
"Does she understand what joining a Clan would entail? If she joins, she'll need to pull her own weight. We are pressed for warriors, as you already understand," Petalstar warned.
Ficklepuddle hummed their agreement. "I talked to her often since I joined. She understands Clan life and the commitment she's offering."
"Then I see no reason to turn away willing paws."
"Thank you, Petalstar. I'll let her know."
.
"Would you like a warrior's name, Snapper?" Petalstar asked as the small group walked through the woods back to WhisperClan's camp. Three days after she and Ficklepuddle talked, the new molly arrived at the southern border wall, where an elevator connected ring one to the upper rings. Snapper was around Petalstar's age, but that made sense if she was a kithood friend of Ficklepuddle's from before the white cat ventured from the upper rings.
She was similarly surprised by Snapper's competence. Petalstar had asked Ficklepuddle to help assess their friend's skill before they brought her to WhisperClan in case Petalstar needed to assign her a mentor, but was blown away by the former housecat's ability. She'd bested Petalstar in a spar--not that the leader was trying her hardest, but still a formidable feat--and managed to catch more prey than Petalstar and Ficklepuddle combined.
When Petalstar confronted her about it, Snapper had laughed, shaking her head. "I was a barn cat, above. Forest hunting isn't that much different than hunting mice in the hay. And I guess fighting's the same everywhere."
The molly thought about the offer for a warrior's name longer than Petalstar expected, but finally nodded. "I think I would like a warrior's name, thank you."
"Then from now on, you'll be called Snapbush."
Snapbush fit right in. Oakpaw enthusiastically offered to show her around camp, with Cedarstripe answering any questions the molly had. Petalstar shared the results of Snapbush's assessment with Ripplebite and Spidersnarl, after which the healer immediately challenged her to a spar. Petalstar knew Spidersnarl, despite being the Clan's healer, was a formidable opponent and watched with excitement as the close match unfolded. It was only because Spidersnarl had more stamina that the healer came out on top, just barely.
"And you're WhisperClan's healer?" Snapbush exclaimed after the match.
"Here, let me help you find a nest," Petalstar offered.
.
MOON 7
Oakpaw was rearranging her nest when she heard the yowl. It was loud, close, from the nursery that shared a wall with the apprentice's den. "Ficklepuddle!" She poked her nose from her den, surprised to see only Cedarstripe and Snapbush remained in camp.
"Spidersnarl, Petalstar and Ripplebite are exchanging herbs with RisingClan!" Cedarstripe mewed, worry pitching her voice high and thin.
Snapbush tried to calm her, pressing against the ginger molly's side. "You must know some herblore--"
"Only Spidersnarl knows how to heal, he's our Healer."
Oakpaw's throat was dry, but she stepped forward all the same. "I can try-- I can-- I've helped Spidersnarl before. I-- I think I can-- remember..."
Snapbush leaned down, licking Oakpaw across the cheek. The act emboldened the young molly and she stood straighter. "I can help, but you must fetch Spidersnarl quickly." Snapbush nodded and raced across WhisperClan's camp, disappearing into the ferns. "I'll fetch some herbs, can you check on Ficklepuddle?" Oakpaw said, suddenly terrified that she, somehow, had been put in charge.
Nevermind that! Act! The grey and white apprentice didn't wait for Cedarstripe's reply, sprinting into the Healer's den. The scents of herbs were overwhelming, pungent and bitter. "Kitting herbs, c'mon remember-- raspberry! And-and-and- cobweb for bleeding!" It wasn't everything, but it was a start and those were two things she knew she could identify. Oakpaw grabbed a wad of cobweb, found the familiar raspberry near the front along with other herbs neatly packed into a bundle. Spidersnarl must have been prepared! Thank the Stars!
She rushed back to the nursery, herbs between her jaws. Ficklepuddle laid in a messy nest, moss kicked everywhere, panting heavily. Cedarstripe... wasn't helping, pacing the nursery. But Ficklepuddle took a deep breath out when Oakpaw arrived, managing a tired smile. "It's alright. I'm alright," they said. "You can do this, Oakpaw. I trust you."
. . . . .
By the time Spidersnarl arrived, it was already over. A single white-and-pale grey tomkit, a perfect copy of Ficklepuddle, lay nestled by their stomach. Oakpaw lay nearby, a mess of herbs scattered around her paws. She sat up when Spidersnarl entered, relief sagging her shoulders.
Spidersnarl took a moment to check over Ficklepuddle and the kit, but he was just double checking what he already knew. Everyone was safe and healthy.
"Let's let Ficklepuddle rest now," he said, nudging Oakpaw out of the nursery. He met Petalstar's gaze when they got outside, gave their leader a small nod and her face lit up from the good news. "Let us welcome a new life to WhisperClan!" Spidersnarl announced, prompting cheers from the other cats.
Petalstar approached Oakpaw, resting her muzzle against the apprentice's head. "You did well, Oakpaw. You could still choose to be a healer, if you wish."
"I-- I think I would like to be a warrior. But maybe I could learn some herbs too?" The question was turned towards Spidersnarl, who dipped his head.
"Having knowledge in many subjects is always a strength for a warrior," he agreed.
It was then that Snapbush arrived in camp, weary from her sprint to the border and slower pace back. "Are they alright?"
Petalstar nodded, her expression bright. "One perfectly healthy kit!"
The leader's mood was infectious and Snapbush brightened. "Can I see them?"
Petalstar looked to Spidersnarl, who shrugged. Ficklepuddle hadn't shared the other parent to their litter, but perhaps Snapbush, an old friend, would be comforting. "You may, as long as you are quiet."
"Of course," Snapbush agreed. She poked her nose into the nursery and couldn't help but sneeze from the strong smell of raspberry leaves in the small space. "Congratulations!" she mewed, touching Ficklepuddle's ear.
"I think I'll name him Icekit," they said softly.
"A good name. Icekit," Snapbush mewed. "Welcome to WhisperClan, Icekit."
.
MOON 8
Autumn settles in, painting the maples red, the hazelnuts gold, the birches yellow. Sycamore leaves, bigger than a cat's face, tumble across the forest floor. Spidersnarl has Oakpaw and Icekit catching the leaves that fall into WhisperClan's camp and the two quickly make a contest of it: whoever can bring Spidersnarl the biggest sycamore leaf wins.
Spidersnarl and Snapbush, meanwhile, rub the leaves against a block of beeswax and set them on a flat piece of slate, where they can later be pressed. The large leaves make good bundles for other herbs if treated properly: much of Spidersnarl's other stock can be found in cases of old sycamore leaves tied with dried grass.
Snapbush is pleasantly surprised by WhistleClan's sophisticated methods. The cats in the agricultural sector had no need for their own medicines as the humans' healing was much better than anything they could do. As they worked, she told Spidersnarl as much. "I almost wish the humans weren't quite so kind, perhaps then we would feel pressured to make discoveries of our own, like you have here. This? This is brilliant."
Spidersnarl flicked his tail. "Waxing leaves is also a human invention. We are not so proud that we wouldn't use their methods when they work."
"How did you learn this? From the humans?"
The grey smoke healer shrugged, laying another leaf atop the growing pile. "It was many generations ago. Perhaps not even a WhisperClan cat--the Clans shared knowledge more freely, then. It may have even came from a cat like you, from the upper rings, and the knowledge made its way down here. From there, it was merely trial and error."
Snapbush felt eyes on her pelt and looked up to see Ficklepuddle across the clearing, staring. She brightened and waved to her friend, but Ficklepuddle only turned back into the nursery. Snapbush frowned. They must have not see her wave in the shade of the healer's den.
.
MOON 9
[[TW blood, fighting, death]]
There was RisingClan scent in their sector. Again.
Petalstar kept Oakpaw close to her side, her eyes glued to the apprentice. She wanted desperately to run, hide the apprentice away, bring back a larger patrol--
"It's only two cats," Ripplebite announced, finding the pawprints at the door. Relief flooded Petalstar. The WhisperClan patrol was four strong, they could handle two invaders. Stars, she could handle two cats on her own if she had to. The tracks were easy to follow. Cedarstripe, with the keenest nose, took the front while Ripplebite watched for an ambush in the rear. Petalstar stuck close to Oakpaw.
She wouldn't let another apprentice die.
They found a RisingClan warrior in the bare branches of an oak, her calico pelt puffed to twice her size. "Careful there's--!" A coyote rounded the back of the tree, a massive male, easily three times the size of any of the cats. There was blood on its jaws, fur between the teeth.
"Oakpaw, stay back! WhisperClan, attack!"
Petalstar was the first to leap at the coyote, drawing its attention so her warriors could better flank it. Very quickly Petalstar realized this was a losing battle. Even if the RisingClan calico joined in--and it didn't look like she would--they simply did not have the strength to subdue or deter the massive canine. "Retreat!"
She waited a few moments to ensure the other two warriors had time to disengage, then gave one last swipe before darting to the bushes where Oakpaw hid. Thank the stars, the apprentice was already long gone, her white tail bobbing through the trees towards WhisperClan's camp. Relief flooded Petalstar. The RisingClan warrior was trapped, sure, but her warriors would be safe--
A screech, loud and sudden, pierced through Petalstar's pawsteps crunching leaves. "Cedarstripe!"
Petalstar glanced over her shoulder, saw the ginger warrior caught in the coyote's jaws. A firm shake, a sharp crack.
Ripplebite was the first to turn, the ginger tom snarling as he pounced towards the coyote's face. Its jaws full of Cedarstripe's fur, it had no way to defend itself from Ripplebite's claws as the deputy latched himself to its muzzle and raked his claws down its face.
Petalstar was there in a heartbeat, cushioning Cedarstripe's fall with her shoulders when the coyote inevitably dropped her to get at Ripplebite latched on its face. "Cedarstripe." But the molly was already dead, her scarred tail lying limp among the fallen maple leaves.
With a hiss Petalstar leapt back into the fight, fear and rage fueling her claws. The coyote, bleeding from many cuts above its eyes, snarled but turned, content with returning to its first prey--the RisingClan duo. Hopefully the calico molly managed to rescue her companion. Hopefully the cat was still alive.
Ripplebite dropped, keening, burying his nose in Cedarstripe's fur. They had sparred today. She had fought so well, her claws so precise it had put butterflies in Ripplebite's stomach. He hadn't been brave enough to tell Cedarstripe how he'd felt, hadn't been brave enough to ask if, maybe, one day, she'd feel the same.
He felt Petalstar's tail on his flank. "We have to go. Now. If the RisingClan cats aren't there, it'll come back."
Between the two of them, they managed to carry Cedarstripe back to WhisperClan's camp. Oakpaw whimpered when she saw the ginger striped fur. "I should have helped, I could have been there--"
Petalstar touched her nose to Oakpaw's shoulder. "No, you followed orders, as you were supposed to. You're safe and that's more important."
But in the moment, doubt wormed into Petalstar's stomach, foul as maggots. If Oakpaw had fought, would they had needed to flee? If Oakpaw had been there... And she knew that Oakpaw would blame herself in the moons to come. Petalstar knew how that felt. Was it right to force that upon her? What else could she have done?
She turned away from her grieving Clanmates.
.
Icekit couldn't understand why everyone moved so slowly. Even Spidersnarl, who
always put aside what he was doing for a game of mossball, refused to play. "Not now, Icekit," the grey smoke healer snapped, startling the kitten with his harsh tone, the curl of his spine, his pressed ears, a single bared fang. "Can't you see I'm too busy for a game right now?"
"But-"
"Later," Spidersnarl said. Icekit picked up the ball of moss and brings it to Petalstar instead. The big she-cat intimidated him, but he gathered his courage, puffed his fur and dropped it at her paws anyways. "Hello!" Icekit mewed brightly. "I was wonderin' if you has time for mossball? 'ts my favorite game." He noticed her tail tip twitch, her claws peeking out for only a moment against the ground as she turned her attention down.
"Sure, I can play for a little while," Petalstar allowed, forcing a smile onto her face that never quite brightened her hazel eyes. She hooked a claw into the moss and sent it sailing across camp, farther than any cat has ever thrown a mossball before!!
Icekit had to use all his speed to catch up with it, pouncing and tumbling with the scrap between his claws. His eyes sparkled as he returned to Petalstar, looking up to her in awe. "That was sooo cool! How didja throw it so far?"
Petalstar twitched an ear. "Why don't you play with Ficklepuddle?"
Icekit couldn't help but peep over to the nursery, where Ren sat with Snapbush. The two were arguing. Again. "They're busy."
"Okay, then I can throw it one more time. Would you like me to throw it even farther?" Petalstar mewed.
"You can throw it farther??" Icekit mewed, his melancholy forgotten as he leaped into the air. Petalstar purred hooking the mossball and flicking her paw. It moved so fast, he didn't even see where it went!!
He spent all afternoon searching every corner of camp for the mossball. He never once thought that Petalstar might not have thrown it at all and never noticed it resting beneath her paw.
.
MOON 10
The first snow came early this year, painting the forest in a blanket of white. It was easy to see the pawprints in the fresh snow, making a trail from RisingClan's door into the forest. Ripplebite spat at the sight, lashing his tail. Oakpaw had never seen her mentor so upset before--sure, his temper has been short since Cedarstripe's death, the usually calm deputy lashing out at his Clanmates more and more often, but she'd never see this gleam in his eye.
"RisingClan foxhearts," Ripplebite snarled, his words cold as the snow beneath her paws. "I don't care how many there are, we're going to fight them until the door closes. Then they'll know WhisperClan's fury."
Oakpaw flinched at his tone. "I don't think that's a good idea," she said, her voice soft. "There's at least four--"
"I said I don't care!" Ripplebite snapped. "I'm fighting them. Are you coming with me, or are you going to run back to camp like a coward?"
Oh, oh that was uncalled for! Oakpaw hissed, getting into her mentor's face, her tail lashing. "I am not a coward!"
They found the RisingClan patrol easy enough, they weren't trying to hide. Sneaking about would have been impossible with the fresh sheet of snow showing their tracks. There were four cats, like Oakpaw had guessed from the pawprints.
The two WhisperClan warriors didn't stand a whisker of a chance.
"So WhisperClan sends apprentices out on border patrols now?" one sneered.
"I think that one's their deputy," Jaytrail, RisingClan's deputy, noted, poking at Ripplebite's shoulder with a paw. The ginger tom was held down by a massive black and white patched cat. Ripplebite hissed and the others laughed.
"So desperate, they make apprentices deputy now. You should let us take over this sector, it'll be easier."
"Never!" Ripplebite snapped.
Oakpaw lay limp under a warrior's claws. They quickly gave up teasing Ripplebite and let the two WhisperClan cats go with minor scrapes. "I think RisingClan's gonna hunt here today."
.
MOON 11
"I didn't know where else to go," Ripplebite said. He couldn't meet Ficklepuddle's eyes, focusing instead on fixing some scattered moss around their nest. Words stuck in his throat, thick as mud. He swallowed once, twice.
Ficklepuddle didn't rush him. They never did. He could see their tail in the corner of his eye, flicking calmly. The milk-scent in the nursery was faint, but sweet. Ripplebite sat, put his head on his paws, and only then could push the words out, each one clipped, choked, painful: "I could have gotten Oakpaw killed."
The nursery was silent, buried under the snow. Snapbush had taken Icekit out to play and the long-furred kitten thrived in the cold; they'd be gone for hours still. He could hear each of Ficklepuddle's breaths, a soothing sound that calmed Ripplebite's heart. "I don't know what I'm doing," he said softly. "I don't think I can do this."
The moss crackled as Ficklepuddle moved. He didn't expect them to grab him by the scruff like a kitten, pulling him into the nest beside them. The nursery nest was plenty big enough for the both of them, especially since Ficklepuddle pulled him close, wrapping their long limbs around his flank and resting their head on his shoulder. A soft purr rumbled through their chest.
"I won't lie to you, dear. You've made plenty of mistakes these last few moons." When they spoke, their voice was barely louder than a whisper, meant only for his ears. Ripplebite leaned into their flank, a stuttering in his chest caught halfway between a purr and a sob. "But every cat makes mistakes. I know you're smart enough to learn from yours and kind enough to do better. Besides, I think your mistakes all have one common root."
"Anger." That was easy, he still felt it pulsing, a fire--
"No, not anger. Anger is only the result. You're afraid, dear."
That was harder to swallow, a lump in his throat. But it rang true. Of course it did, Ficklepuddle knew him better than he knew himself.
.
"RisingClan took Waterpaw, Thrushpaw, Goldspots. They took Cedarstripe from under my nose. They declared war on WhisperClan and I couldn't stop it. I'm deputy, I should be able to stop it, but I can't. I'm terrified."
Ficklepuddle's purr never stopped, rumbling through his flank and rattling his breath, shaking loose all the emotions that clung to his bones. "Many cats say hope is the opposite of fear, but I don't think that's true. I think trust is the opposite of fear. Do you trust Petalstar?"
"With my life. She'd do anything for WhisperClan," Ripplebite said immediately. She was his mentor, even still. He remembered so many afternoons on patrol, the large ginger molly always putting herself between him and danger. He remembered, vividly, that spring afternoon when she told him to jump from a tree and he was scared, but he trusted her. Trusted she would catch him safely. And she did. She always did.
"And you trust Oakpaw?"
"I do. She always does the right thing, even when it's hard--*especially* when it's hard. And she is determined to be a warrior who also knows herbs." He'd never said so many words about his apprentice, but he believed them. She... she really was ready to be a warrior, wasn't she?
Ficklepuddle hummed. "And you trust me? And Spidersnarl? And Snapbush?"
Ripplebite couldn't help a small laugh. "Okay, I get it." And he did. The fear constricting his chest loosened its grip. The fiery anger was still there, but it no longer flared up the moment he thought of it. "Thank you," he said, pushing his nose into Ficklepuddle's long white fur.
He could feel their whiskers twitch against his shoulder. "Being deputy comes with responsibilities, yes, but that doesn't mean you're personally responsible for every cat in WhisperClan. Put your trust in them."
Ripplebite wanted to stay curled in the warm nursery forever, but he had responsibilities. He was still deputy. "I think I need to arrange Oakpaw's assessments," he said.
"Mm. I think so too."
.
Oakpaw's assessment was in the middle of winter, when prey was most scarce and the cold chilled every cat through. Ripplebite worried that he was only setting his apprentice up for failure, announcing her assessments the day after he talked with Ficklepuddle, but he shouldn't have worried.
Oakpaw caught two sparrows, three mice and a crow that morning.
That was including the hour-long distraction when Snapbush--her partner for the duo hunting portion of the assessment--had a bush collapse on top of her, forcing Ripplebite to come out of hiding to help dig the cinnamon-and-white molly out of the sticks and snow. Despite the weight of the assessment looming, all three cats were giggling and throwing snow at each other, teasing the senior warrior for her misfortune.
"You'll be known as Oakcurrent. StarClan honors your cleverness and determination. And you humor," Petalstar had thrown in during the ceremony that night, having heard what happened during the assessment from Ripplebite. Every cat cheered loudly, especially Spidersnarl, who nearly tackled her in his excitement.
Ripplebite sympathized with Icekit, who grouched in the corner, complaining that he should get a ceremony too. "I'm practically the same age," the kitten pouted. It reminded him of Waterpaw.
And then, the morning after Oakcurrent was made a warrior, a miracle: RisingClan showed up for the herb exchange for the first time in six moons. Of course, WhisperClan didn't give them anything--they were still enemies at war, after all--but it was communication with RisingClan that didn't involve claws which was progress. Perhaps, soon, they could find a tentative peace.
.
MOON 12
Snapbush shook the snow from her paws as the patrol entered the narrow space inside the southern wall. FloodClan scent was heavy in the stale air--the other Clan must already have passed by on their way to the gathering space. An access tunnel like this one had no reason to be heated and so it was as cold inside as the air in the forest sectors, but at least here they could walk upon smooth metal flooring. Trudging through snow up to her shoulders--even with Petalstar to help carve a path through it--was exhausting.
"Did you often explore tunnels like these, up above?" Spidersnarl came up to Snapbush's shoulder, his question quiet so it wouldn't echo in the tall, empty corridor. The WhisperClan healer's gait was odd: bouncing, almost, like one would expect from a young apprentice. Spidersnarl didn't seem to notice he was doing it most of the time. Snapbush never brought it up. She found the habit endearing.
Once Spidersnarl realized she didn't mind talking about her time in the agricultural ring, he often sought her out to ask questions. Snapbush was happy to answer them. "Less than you might think. Between gatherings and herb trading, you likely have more time spent in the tunnels than I do. Mmmmm but it's different, in ring 4. Most of the tunnels are much bigger, big enough to drive tractors through--those are machines that gather plants--and the passages aren't dead like this," she waved a tail, encompassing the dim space. It was so quiet, she thought she could hear echoes of yowls from the gathering a sector away. "There are always humans in those tunnels. And farm animals. And even if there's nothing alive, machines zip up and down metal tracks in the ground, carrying things around. It's all very bright and busy."
Snapbush liked that Spidersnarl was attentive. The smoke tomcat hung onto every one of her words, nodding along. "If it's not dangerous, maybe I can see it one day."
"One day," she agreed. "I can show you."
.
"You've been to gatherings before," Ripplebite teased.
It didn't stop Oakcurrent from sprinting the last quarter of the journey, too excited to wait for the rest of the WhisperClan patrol. She'd been waiting, watching the cats in the pale orange glow of the tunnel's dim lights from a perch on a pile of boxes in the corridor. She couldn't enter the room itself until Petalstar arrived--it would be beyond bold to represent her Clan without her leader present!--but she could watch from there, fidgeting.
But as Ripplebite approached, she jumped down, practically stepping on the backs of the deputy's paws in her haste. Petalstar didn't make the new warrior wait, leading the WhisperClan cats into the room.
They were the last to arrive.
Oakcurrent's eyes were wide as she stared. Four other Clans' worth of cats stared back. It had been a supply room, once, though the boxes, bins, and other assorted shelves hadn't been touched for generations. Now each of the stacks of crates had a cluster of cats atop, quietly sharing tongues and gossip from the last month.
Oakcurrent spotted a familiar patchwork of pelts and darted over. "Chasingpaw! Gorgepaw!" A few other young cats mingled there too: Spottedpaw of RisingClan as well as two of the three white-furred siblings from SleetClan that she still couldn't tell apart.
"It's Chasingfoot now," the grey-and-silver tom mewed. He tried for a disinterested, offhand remark as he lounged, but she could feel the pride behind it, an echo of the joy she felt hidden in the BogClan apprentice's voice.
She beamed. "I'm a warrior now too! My name is Oakcurrent."
It was one thing to hear her Clanmates cheer her name, but it was another to hear it echoed on the tongues of her peers. She relaxed into their familiar company, finding it easy to tease Gorgepaw, poke at Chasingfoot, ignore Spottedpaw's barbed comments, try to remember which was Icypaw and which was Snowypaw.
"Cats of the upper fourth, I hope you had a good season-"
.
On the way back, Ficklepuddle tried not to stare. But it was hard, seeing Snapbush walking so close to Petalstar. Snapbush was their kithood friend, so why did it feel like they were the least important to her? They knew it wasn't their business to oversee Snapbush's choices. They tried to look away, finding Ripplebite in the crowd. Next moon it would be Icekit--Icepaw--in the tunnels with them.
Snapbush's familiar laugh forced their eyes back to the front. Petalstar's laugh was silent, but the ginger molly's wide shoulders shook and her tail twitched with amusement. What had Petalstar said? The tunnel wasn't so quiet on the return trip, with both WhisperClan and FloodClan's cats still intermingled, talking, as they walked home. It was impossible to eavesdrop at this distance, which is why they remained at the back of the group.
They shouldn't eavesdrop on their friend and their leader. It wasn't any of their business.
Still, they watched.
Petalstar walked even closer to Snapbush's side, her ginger fur brushing with Snapbush's cinnamon on each step. She leaned her head in, said something close to Snapbush's ear that had the both of them laughing again.
For a moment, Ficklepuddle thought they were laughing at them. Then they realized how silly that was and let it go. They shouldn't be watching, this wasn't their moment to see. But then Snapbush turned, and they saw the flash of bright yellow behind her ear, almost like a flower--no, a button. A button, like on a human coat.
Snapbush had left the gathering at Ficklepuddle's side and she didn't have the button then. There was only one cat that she'd talked to since. Ficklepuddle was glaring. They tried not to, but it was hard to find reason to look away when they knew the duo couldn't see them.
They were glad when Ripplebite struck up a conversation beside them, thanking them again for their advice. Ficklepuddle latched onto the distraction. Anything to keep them from thinking about Petalstar and Snapbush.
