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Post by Brownie on Apr 6, 2024 21:15:18 GMT -5
ABOUT Hello, and welcome to the DawnClan and DuskClan revival! I had a really cool Clangen worldbuilding project that I was working on last summer, but the files ended up corrupting (along with my FlameClan file. RIP). I wanted to work on it again, so.... here we are! This will take place maybe 20 years after that Dawn and Dusk? Same camps, same Sun, same Caverns, new cats!
DawnClan and DuskClan live entirely underground. There's a bunch of cool fantasy things happening there, which are detailed in this first post. I basically copy and pasted my entire worldbuilding bible here for reference; don't worry about memorizing all the terms and ideas, they'll be introduced slowly through the moon scenes! The information is there mostly for me, and to anyone who is super curious about the world. That said, I worked really hard on it, so hopefully yall enjoy the ideas!!
Below the worldbuilding dump is the actual story! It will go slowly, as I'm writing a full scene for each patrol + one or two extra scenes for each Clan's camp. I really enjoyed the in-depth format during my first Caverns playthrough, and the characters really felt alive when I was able to spend so much time with them!
Also ignore the kinda ugly layout, its uh. A work in progress. GLOSSARY the CAVERNS - the name of this world, given to it by the Clan cats.
the SUN - a large, golden, crystal stalactite that illuminates the Caverns with constant, bright light.
the HORIZON/HORIZON LINE - the border between east and west that splits DuskClan and DawnClanโs territory. This border is stable in the far north and south, in the twilight zone, but is hotly contested in the Daylands.
DAYLANDS - a roughly circular zone in the center of the Caverns, where the sun is brightest and it is eternally daytime. The Daylands are covered in thick forest.
DAWNLANDS - a twilight zone on the eastern side of the Caverns, where DawnClan lives. The Dawnlands are filled with crystalline structures and are the most cavern-like, with fissures, cliffsides, and tunnels.
DUSKLANDS - a twilight zone on the western side of the Caverns, where DuskClan lives. Filled with mossy stones, cold water streams, and vines.
NIGHTLANDS - the area furthest from the sun, where no light shines and it is eternally dark. Avoided by the Clan cats.
TWILIGHT - a general name for the areas between the Daylands and Nightlands.
DIMREACHES - the further half of the Twilight, where the Sunglow is very dim. Like the world on a moonless night.
NIGHTBEASTS - mutated creatures that lurk outside of the sunโs light. They are usually large, predatory, and hunt Clan cats.
SUNGLOW - another name for the light emitted by the Sun crystal.
STARS - smaller crystals scattered around the Caverns that emit small amounts of light.
STARSHINE - light emitted by the Stars.
STARCYCLE - the Star crystals go through a cycle each day, where they grow dimmer and brighter like the rising and setting of the sun. One full cycle = one day.
STARHIGH - noon, when the Starshine is brightest
STARFALL - midnight, when the Starshine is dimmest
SUNCYCLE - the Sun crystal goes through a cycle each month, where it grows dimmer and brighter like the phases of the moon. One full cycle = one moon = one month.
SHADOWSUN - the day in which the Sunโs glow is weakest. This is when DuskClan healers visit MoonClan.
ZENITH - the day in which the Sunโs glow is strongest. This is when DawnClanโs healers visit StarClan.
GEMSHARD - small bits of gemstone that hold energy. Coveted by both Clans, but particularly desired by DuskClan.
SUNROOST - aka โthe roostโ. Around the Sun crystal, above the Daylands, are ledges and platforms where the seasonal birds flock en masse each season. The reason for the birdsโ migration and flocking behavior is unknown, as they have nests and reproduce in the Nightlands. Each bird roosts for three suncycles (moons) which creates the four seasons for the Clan cats.
WATERWINGS - โSpringโ. These birds have drooping feathers and extremely long tails made entirely of water. They shed water drops from their wings, creating a fine mist that settles over the Caverns during the spring and a constant drizzle of rain over the Daylands.
SUNBIRDS - โSummerโ. Fiery birds that warm the caverns with plenty of light. These birds are by far the most intelligent and are universally revered as sacred beings of life itself.
GALEWINGS - โAutumnโ. Nearly incorporeal, these birdsโ wings are made up of air itself. These birds are far larger than the others and there are fewer of them. The flapping of their wings creates storms and heavy winds, circulating air throughout the entire Cavern system.
SNOWBIRDS - โWinterโ. Icy birds whose wings are made up of crystal. They have frozen cores and water condenses to ice on their bodies. They shed snow from their wings and their presence chills the Caverns.
STARCLAN - patrons of DawnClan. They live inside the Star crystals; the brightest spirits shine in the Sun.
MOONCLAN - patrons of DuskClan. Their spirits reside deep in the stone beneath the Clansโ feet and their prophecies can be heard in the rumblings of the earth. Their spirits coax plants to grow from stone.
OVERVIEW The Caverns. An underground world, sprawling, surrounded by cold stone and even colder darkness. Much is inhospitable, barren of food, warmth, or life.
But in some places, there is light. Life. A tenuous hope.
These sanctuaries are known as Sunroosts, where large crystals of pure light erupt from the stone, defying the cold and darkness and bathing the world in light. Here, plants grow. Here, prey shelters, and life thrives.
DuskClan and DawnClan reside near one of these Sunroosts, sustaining their Clans in the echoes of Sunglow.
In the center of the Caverns is the Sun, basking the Daylands in light. The Sun never stops shining, making the areas closest to it neverending daytime. Where the sun is brightest, plants thrive and a thick, dense forest covers the center of the Daylands.
Around the Sun crystal is the Sunroost: a collection of ledges, pillars, platforms and tunnels where the seasonal birds flock. These great migrations happen each season, bringing with them a different seasonal bird every three Suncycles. Hundreds of birds flock to the Sunroost; the areas closest to the Sun crystal experience huge shifts in climate and weather based on the temperament of the flock. Some days are calm. Other times, when the birds are more active, the Daylands are impossible to traverse due to storms, heat, or blizzards.
The seasons of the birdsโ flocks do affect the entire Caverns system, but the intensity is mostly limited to the Daylands. The Dusklands and Dawnlands themselves rarely experience rain or snow, and the Galewingsโ winds dissipate as one moves further from the Sunโs epicenter. Because of this, the Clans rely on the Twilight zones as their primary hunting grounds; the Daylands are lush and valuable, but only accessible when the season permits it.
Nearest the Daylands, where light is plentiful, plants grow in biomes much like their aboveground counterparts. Full forests, plains, and marshes can be found here, thriving in eternal daylight.
Further from the Sun crystal, in the Twilight, shade tolerant plants and mosses are the dominant life across the stony, craggy landscape. Some shrubs and stubborn trees might take root here, guided by the spirits of MoonClan to draw nutrients from stone.
The Dawnlands and Dusklands are somewhat illuminated by Star crystals in the floor, walls, and ceiling of the Caverns. These crystals give off less light than the massive Sun crystal, but plants tend to grow more thickly around Starshine than in the Twilight. Some of these Stars can be rather large, their light illuminating more than the faint glow of the Sun in the far reaches.
The Nightlands are the places in the Caverns where no light shines. Very little life shelters in these dark niches, preferring the Sunglow. The Nightlands are where Nightbeasts come from: predatory mutations that threaten the cats of the Caverns. The Clan cats do not know much about what lies beyond the Caverns, as no cat is allowed to venture into the Nightlands for any reason. It is simply too dangerous.
MAP The Biome key: Olive green - Dense, diverse forest. Light green - Deciduous forest Dark green - Coniferous forest Pale green - Prairie Yellow-green - Swamp/Marsh Brown - Scrub? Transitional zone between forest and stone. Clumps of dirt with some scattered plants, interspersed with stony plains Light blue - Stone plain. Some hardy plants might grow here, but mostly mosses and grasses if there are plants at all. Dark blue - Mountain or cliff terrain. Pink - Low stone floodplains. Think minecraft lush caves but darker: pools of water, slippery moss and lichen covered stone. Yellow - The same as above, but slightly less wet. Scattered holes of floodplain, but mostly higher stone plainland. Grotto vibes. DAWNCLAN The stoic. DawnClan lives in the Dawnlands on the east half of the Caverns. Their territory mostly consists of stone plain, cliffs and fissures, crystal fields, and tunnels.
Camp: DawnClanโs camp is Clangen Mountain camp 3, the crystal cave. DawnClan chose to live within a dense cluster of Star crystals, which suffuse the camp with multi-colored light. Many dens are sheltered beneath the crystals themselves.
Dawnlands Landmarks: The Waterfall: to the north, an extremely tall but narrow waterfall descends the side of the Cavern wall into a pool. It doesnโt trickle into a stream, but instead flows underground into underwater caverns.
The Spring: to the south of camp, an underwater spring bubbles from the ground, feeding a crystal clear lake. It connects with a stream that crosses the Horizon to the Dusklands.
Shattered Maw: a large cluster of stones that project oddly from the cliff walls to the northeast of DawnClanโs camp. A common place for apprentices to train.
Ruby Raindrops: an oblong circle of bright Star crystals emerging from the ground. They are all oddly smoothed and round, brighter than many other Stars in the area and can be seen from most of the Dimreaches.
DUSKCLAN The cunning. DuskClan lives in the Dusklands on the western half of the Caverns. Their territory is low-lying and crossed with rivers, streams and stony pools.
Camp: DuskClanโs camp is the Clangen forest camp 3: grotto. They reside in the fork of two streams, where a tumble of tall, mossy rocks at the point of the peninsula breaks the water around their camp, tumbling in two gentle waterfalls to either side of the clearing. The ceiling is rather low and scattered with Star crystals that shine light upon DuskClanโs camp.
Duskland Landmarks: The River - running along the entire western arc of the Dusklands, the river splits the Dusklandโs Twilight from the Dimreaches. It is deep but slow moving.
Stonepools - In the southern half of the Dusklands are the Stonepools: a large swath of land coated in slippery lichens and mosses. Many tumbles of broken rocks create some solid footing, but the rest is scattered with small ponds and a layer of slime.
OUTSIDERS The Sun might be the only such crystal in the Caverns, but itโs not the only Sun in the world. Other groups may live around other Suns, though it would be a dangerous journey to wander through the dark Nightlands to find another.
Other, smaller groups may form cloysters around Sunbird nests. For three entire seasons of the year, when the other elemental birds are roosting, the Sunbirds will remain at their nests, giving warmth and heat to the surrounding area like a small Sun. These nests tend to create small pockets of life to them: plants and animals alike are drawn to the warmth of the Sunbird pair, creating a fragile ecosystem that can support a small group of cats.
However a life like this is still fraught with danger. Each summer, the Sunbirds will migrate to a Sunroost, leaving the nest empty for three entire moons. During this time, while itโs summer in the Caverns, the nest communities are experiencing a cold, dark winter where no light shines at all. This is a time of hardship, with no light and scarce prey as the entire ecosystem hibernates, awaiting the return of the Sunbirds and their fire.
Some cats may be loners in the truest nature: scraping together a living in the Nightlands, dark and alone.
And now another, foreign land: the mysterious โbaseโ where Mudstripe claims to have been born. She speaks of many odd mysteries, like dark stones that speak foreign languages, lights of many colors that turn on and off, and even two-legged creatures that tend to cats like mothers and form their own colonies.
TIME Time is measured a little differently in the Caverns. Because there is no sky, no sun that disappears, the Clan cats do not differentiate between โdayโ and โnightโ, nor do they tend to put emphasis on denominations of time less than a month. Cats sleep when they are tired and work when they are not.
The smallest denomination of time in the Caverns is a Starcycle, which is equivalent to a day. The smaller Star crystals fade and brighten in a fairly regular period. Many cats choose to sleep when the Stars are dim, as the dim stars make the Dimreaches too dark to hunt in comfortably. Instead, they spend their active time when the Stars are brighter. However, the cats donโt always align their sleep schedules to the Starshine and itโs not uncommon for half the Clan to be awake while the other half sleeps.
Suncycles are months/moons. The Sun crystal goes through phases, like our moon, which marks the month denomination in the Caverns. The time when the Sun is brightest is known as Zenith, while the dim period is known as Shadowsun. These phases are fairly obvious to the Cavern cats, who are attuned to the variations in brightness, but the phases are not significant reductions in the luminosity of the Sunglow. The most significant effect of Shadowsun is that the Dimreaches become nearly entirely absent of Sunglow, relying entirely on Starshine to illuminate them.
Seasons are marked by the migrations of the seasonal birds. Every three Suncycles, a different elemental bird migrates to the Sunroost, heralding a new season for the Caverns. The Season of Waterwings (spring), Sunbirds (summer), Galewings (autumn) and Snowbirds (winter) are equivalent to their earthly counterparts.
Years are simply years: a complete cycle of the seasons. Cats in the Caverns are more likely to mark their age in years than Suncycles, as they are more memorable; Suncycles as a unit of time are used, but not very significant in the day-to-day function of the Clan. Instead, seasons and years are used as the standard measure of time in most circumstances.
NIGHTBEASTIARY None encountered
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Post by Brownie on Apr 6, 2024 21:16:15 GMT -5
ALLEIGIANCES LEADER: CAVESTAR - a long fur pale grey tabby molly with hazel eyes. Faithful, excellent teacher, good climber. 106 Moons. A steady, wise cat that is proud of DawnClan's strong connection to StarClan. Despite DawnClan's historic stoic nature, Cavestar often initiates skirmishes against DuskClan--she knows StarClan's power is behind their paws, and that they cannot lose to those that can't see StarClan's light. DEPUTY: WISPFANG - a long-furred dark grey tom with cobalt eyes. Grumpy, great mediator. 86 moons. Wispfang finds himself as the voice of reason in DawnClan and though he is fluent in sarcasm and dry humor, is a calm cat that knows how to strike a compromise between even the angriest of rivals. HEALER: PANSYPOPPY - a dorsal-striped silver tom with bronze eyes. Insecure, good healer. 80 moons. After Birdspots' recent retirement, he's starting to have doubts about his own ability. He's spent his entire life in the healer's den with the older molly, and waking up without her there is hard for him to come to terms with, even if Birdspots is still around the den more often than not, even in retirement. WARRIORS: REDSTEM - a medium-furred dorsal-striped dark ginger tom with grey eyes. Shameless, formidable fighter, great storyteller. 73 moons. Redstem doesn't really care what he's assigned to do and isn't one to make a fuss out of anything. He likes to think he's a smooth talker and a flirt, and his inability to be embarrassed by his own behavior helps, but he isn't half as clever as he thinks he is. LAVENDERDEW - a white molly with one pale grey paw and green eyes. Fierce, somewhat clairvoyant. 52 moons. Fluffypaw is her first apprentice and she's determined to do well by the young cat. Lavenderdew is fiercely protective and won't hesitate to draw her claws if any cat dares threaten the cats she loves. She sees herself as deputy one day, having Seen hints of her future--or at least a possible future. APPRENTICE: FLUFFYPAW WOODFERN - a medium-furred silver rosetted tabby molly with yellow eyes. Bloodthirsty, formidable fighter, good storyteller. 47 moons. Woodfern has a natural talent for fighting and her skills gave her confidence as a young warrior. She doesn't know the meaning of fear--or at least pretends not to--and is a reckless warrior, jumping into danger headfirst without a thought of the consequences. RIDGESHADOW - a dark grey and cream tortoiseshell molly with emerald eyes. Sneaky, ghost sense. 20 moons. DawnClan's youngest warrior, Ridgeshadow has always been a little... odd. She refuses to sleep in the warrior's den and instead found a small cavern by the Shattered Maw without any Stars inside, where she spends much of her time when not on patrol. She doesn't like being around other cats much at all, though she is close with her grandmother, Birdspots. APPRENTICES: FLUFFYPAW - a long-furred light grey classic tabby molly with amber eyes. She has a white chest and face, and one white sock. Troublesome, avid play fighter, quick to help. 7 moons. Even if she's the Clan's only apprentice, one might think DawnClan has a whole horde of them for all the trouble she manages to make on her own. Sneaking off, pranking the warriors, and even having a secret best friend in DuskClan (Foggypaw)... Fluffypaw requires Lavenderdew's full attention at all times. She has a strong sense of duty and honor, however, and will always help a cat in need. KITS: BOULDERKIT - a medium-furred, very pale grey tom with white points and amber eyes. Unruly, quick witted. 3 moons. A young cat with far too much energy and the only surviving member of his litter ELDERS: BIRDSPOTS - a grey and cream tortoiseshell molly with ricked tabby markings and violet eyes. Daring, good healer, good fighter. 120 moons. Birdspots only recently retired, having served as DawnClan's medicine cat for many long moons. She also has skills in battle, as every cat needed to be able to fight during the war with DuskClan in her youth. She's a feisty cat that speaks her mind and isn't afraid to do what she wants. STARCLAN GUIDE: MORNINGSTAR - A ginger smoke tom with golden eyes. Calm, den builder. Cavestar's brother. He died at only 35 moons old, having only led the Clan for four moons during a horrific war with DuskClan. The war also took DawnClan's deputy, and so Morningstar's sister, Cavearch at the time, was nominated leader in his place. She finished the war, avenging her brother's memory. ALLEGIANCES LEADER: FURLEDSTAR - A silver tabby tom with a white dapple on his back and yellow-green eyes. Troublesome, clever, natural intuition. 54 moons. Troublesome Furledstar. The rest of the Clan would have preferred his sister, Boragebud, to take the position, but they needed Furledstar's clever battle strategies and ruthless nature to overcome the focused Nightbeast attacks that decimated the Clan and killed their old leader, Sneezestar. In times of peace, Furledstar's boredom prompts him to make rash choices. The only cat that can talk sense into him is Boragebud, which is why he made her deputy. He has a massive crush on Gingerstorm, and has since they were apprentices. APPRENTICE: TULIPPAW DEPUTY: BORAGEBUD - A medium-furred cinnamon classic tabby molly with yellow-green eyes. Wise, good speaker. 54 moons. Her brother has the strategic intellect and the ruthless nature to follow through, but no cat denies that it's Boragebud who runs DuskClan. Her steady insight can be seen in the Clan's minutia and she thrives on managing patrols, inter-Clan disputes, and ensuring DuskClan runs smoothly. HEALER: MOTHPUDDLE - A long-furred golden agouti tabby molly with dark blue eyes. Strict, fantastic healer. 112 moons. A snappish molly who rules over the healer's den with an iron paw. She is the best healer the Caverns have seen in generations and she knows it. No one can question her cures without a cuff over the ear. For a long time, she's refused to take an apprentice, not wanting to sully her kingdom with clumsy paws, but now that her counterpart in DuskClan retired, she's almost regretting not forcing Foggypaw into the position (being the only one of the two she could tolerate). WARRIORS: FIREGLIDE - A medium-furred ginger and black spotted torbie molly with copper eyes. Daring, steady paws. 90 moons. A thrill seeker through and through, Fireglide is a free spirit who struggles with taking responsibility for her own actions. She does what she wants, when she wants, and it's hard to direct her towards a task. However, when she puts her mind to something she will do it to obsession. She has a habit of occupying her paws with fiddly tasks to keep them busy. PLUMSTRIPE - A medium-furred dark ginger sokoke tabby tom with pale yellow eyes. Bold, great hunter. 89 moons. A quiet but steady tom, Plumstripe is the only real dependable warrior in DuskClan and he carries that responsibility with a tired humor. He often wears himself thin on patrols, picking up after other cats' slack, and will cover for them and make excuses even if he probably shouldn't. GINGERSTORM - A long-furred dorsal striped dark ginger molly with faded white points and green eyes. Gloomy, talented swimmer, great storyteller. 59 moons. Gingerstorm is a cat that's nearly always in a bad mood. She carries pessimism around her like a shroud and always gripes that she's not a good warrior and that she shouldn't be trusted. She resents Furledstar for forcing her to be responsible for an apprentice, and resents Foggypaw even more for being so damn likable. APPRENTICE: FOGGYPAW APPRENTICES FOGGYPAW - A long-furred grey ticked tabby tom with heavy white spotting and sage eyes. Charismatic, lover of stories, oddly observant. 7 moons. Foggypaw is smarter than he looks. He seems playful and easily excitable and he is those things, but he plays it up because he knows other cats talk more around him if they think he's a brainless young cat. He has a secret friendship with Fluffypaw of DawnClan, teasing her that their mothers were only a whisker away from picking the same name. He knows his mentor, Gingerstorm, doesn't like being chained to an apprentice and is trying desperately to get her approval. TULIPPAW - A black tabby tom with white stomach and paws and grey eyes. Childish, splashes in puddles and constantly climbing. 7 moons. He's quieter than his brother, but causes much more trouble. Tulippaw is rather impulsive and Furledstar does nothing to curb his reckless behavior, even goes so far to encourage his habit of climbing trees and jumping into the river without checking for Nightbeasts first. Tulippaw thinks himself invincible and no cat can tell him any different. He looks up to Foggypaw and hangs onto his brother's every word. ELDERS CLOUDHEART - A pale grey rosetted tabby molly with yellow eyes. Troublesome, great hunter, talented swimmer. 143 moons. Cloudheart might have retired a few seasons ago, but she refuses to stay in camp, wandering the Twilight and hunting as much as she pleases. She figures that if she feeds herself, then the other cats don't have to work so hard and she gets a chance to quell her boredom. Everyone wins. She loves putting her paws into the stream by the waterfall and is always trying to convince some warriors to take her on a patrol to the lake. MAPLESONG - A medium-furred dark grey sokoke tabby molly with crow feathers and yellow-green eyes. Confident, good mediator, natural intuition. 122 moons. Mother of Furledstar and Boragebud. A sharp-minded molly, she imparted her eye for strategy to Furledstar and her confident, people-reading skills to Boragebud. She's very close to both her kits and can be a bit smothering at times. She has a beautiful voice and loves finding small nooks and crannies near DuskClan's Rockfall in camp that have the best acoustics.
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Post by Brownie on Apr 6, 2024 21:16:27 GMT -5
MOON 0 -.- HERB -.- It was the Season of Waterwings and that meant the Daylands were shrouded in clouds of grey mist. Mothpuddle hated it: hated how the humidity frizzed her long fur, hated the splattering of chilled droplets drooling from heavy leaves, she even hated that she had no one to keep her company, no cat to order around. But it needs to be done and so Mothpuddle goes. She was alone. There were some trips she could trust warriors to help accomplish, not without the risk of hurting themselves--or a greater risk than usual, a risk, that Mothpuddle wasn't willing to tolerate. Even if the mist-filled groves made her bones ache, she pressed forward, furrowing her brow when mist-drenched leaves tipped water across her ears as she shouldered her way through the dense underbrush of the Daylands. Mothpuddle was on the hunt for deathberries. Yes, those deathberries. They did have some medicinal use--in the right doses, like any other herb in her stock. Because in a way, all herbs were poisons and so all poisons could, potentially, be cures. She also liked to have some around, just in case, hidden far back in the far reaches of her herb stores, behind a boulder that was horrible to remove or replace, but that ensured that the more dangerous substances she kept weren't in reach of curious kits, or warriors, or any other cat stupid enough to poke around where their nose didn't belong. She scowled. Another clearing, bare of anything she could use. The fog pushed down on her like a physical force, growing heavier and heavier the further into the Daylands Mothpuddle ventured. She shook her golden fur of the wet, but it did little to help. It would be good for the plants--even this early in the season, the deciduous trees glittered with dewy buds, nearly blinding in the bright Sunglow, and many of the lower bushes were already flush with soft, green leaves. Supple sedges cushioned her paws, keeping them blessedly free of mud. She was getting close to the Horizon, to DawnClan's side of the Caverns. It was impossible to scent anything in this weather, not only did the wet fog muffle smells, but the overwhelming perfume of rich, wet soil ached on her tongue, so bitter she could taste it. But she did keep her eyes towards the east, scanning the undergrowth for movement each time she found a vantage to do so. She shouldn't go further, not without an escort. If Boragebud knew how close she'd gotten, she'd never hear the end of it as it was. With a defeated rumble, Mothpuddle gave one last look for the late winter berries, then started the trip back home, a scowl etched across her muzzle. She could have plotted a new path back, slightly north, in hopes of covering new ground and potentially coming across the berries she sought. But she opted to follow her own paw-prints to DuskClan's camp, as she'd mentally mapped a few minor herbs she could bring back. It was a consolation prize at best to gather a few shoots of tansy near the edge of the forest, but if that was all MoonClan deigned to offer her, then that's what Mothpuddle would take. At least the golden molly could leave the heavy fog behind in the Daylands, only a few stubborn tendrils of mist and a scattering of heavier rain drops from solitary Waterwings made it into the Dusklands, where the earth grew thinner and thinner, unable to support the deep roots of trees, then shrubs, and then even grasses as her paws transitioned to smooth stone and occasional drifts of moss of the Twilight. Home. -'- HUNTING -'- "We should hunt in the Dawnlands today," Redstem said. "By the waterfall?" Woodfern put her paws up on a boulder, looking over the cluster of stones towards the Daylands with an awed glint in her eye. For his part, Redstem eyed the Daylands with a wrinkled nose. Sheets of water poured from above, hiding the green of the trees entirely behind a swirling curtain of grey. It was almost pretty, the way the Sun cast each droplet in light, a dance of a million stars. But even from just outside DawnClan's camp, far from the Daylands, they could hear the dull roar of wind and rain, the localized storm under the Sunroost growling and fierce. A cold wind poured outward from the storm, weak here, but it would grow stronger and icier the closer they ventured to the Daylands. Depressingly, the thick sheets of rain shuttered the Sun crystal's light and once the pair of hunters left DawnClan's camp and the cluster of bright Star crystals it contained, the Twilight would be nearly as dark as the Dimreaches at Shadowsun: stones and cliff faces a smudge of darker grey in the darkness, the only illumination cast by individual Star crystals in puddles of color-hued Starshine. "No, that's too close," Redstem decided. Woodfern's tail-tip twitched, the only signal of the younger molly's disappointment. Redstem chose the spot for them to hunt: a crevasse between two tall cliff faces in the mountainous south, where there were plenty of Star crystals for light and tumbles of vine-covered stones supported a population of mice, lizards, and occasionally snakes. The older tom curled his lip at that, hating the idea of eating reptiles, cold, scaly, and bitter, but DawnClan needed to eat. He gritted his teeth and set to it. Woodfern stayed silent as Redstem led the hunting patrol to the gorge but didn't hesitate to leave the red tomcat behind as soon as they arrived, plunging deep into the narrowest crevasse she could find, letting her paws carry her far away from where he hunted. Her ears were pinned back, frustration clawing a growl from her throat. She wasn't dumb enough to suggest going to the Daylands--she wasn't an idiot, they couldn't withstand a Waterwing storm and even if they could, any prey there would be deep in its burrows--but they could have gone far closer! This far into the Twilight, they might find a few straggling mice or small creatures that skittered in the shadows, but there certainly wouldn't be a fat hare or a bird or-- She slapped a stone with her paw, relishing in the awesome crack! as it hit the stone wall, the sound amplified and echoing in the crevasse. Movement flashed to her right and the silver spotted molly grinned, shooting across the stone to pin a lizard to the wall with her paw. She curled her claws into its neck, the thrill of the chase replaced by sinking disappointment. The creature was so small, barely a mouthful, and she'd need dozens--no, hundreds--of the things to feed even a single cat. Woodfern growled and stalked off, leaving the small lizard where it fell. If it was still there when she came back, she'd pick it up. If not, well, it wasn't much of a loss. Certainly not worth the time to find a spot to cache it. An indeterminate, frustrating time later, she heard Redstem's call. Her stomach rumbled. She should have eaten that small lizard to take the edge off. Woodfern picked up the singular mouse she'd managed to find since, her tail lashing as she navigated the twisting canyons back to where she left her Clanmate earlier, following her own trail of scent back. She eyed the small lizard with disgust but picked it up as she went, her tail lashing behind her. Redstem hadn't had any better luck and she narrowed her eyes at his pitiful pair of lizards, not much bigger than her own. "We've wasted enough time here," the red tom muttered, atypically quiet, and she would have snapped something back but she was too tired to find the words. -.- TRAINING -.- Furledstar tried to keep his frustration from showing, stilling his twitching tail-tip, forcing his words calm and slow. But he knew Tulippaw wasn't hearing a word his said, the apprentice's grey eyes dull stones. Furledstar snapped his jaw shut, biting back the next part of his lecture on how to find crawfish burrows, and his sudden silence was what finally caused Tulippaw to blink to attention, his ears twitching. "Would you rather be picking burrs from Cloudheart's pelt?" Tulippaw shook his head quickly, as if ridding it of bees. "Uh, no. No." A pause. Furledstar's eyes narrowed Tulippaw wilted under his gaze. Boragebud was better at reading cats, but Furledstar was a fair dab at it himself and if he looked closely, he could swear Tulippaw was nervous. His breaths were uneven, his ears pinned back, his white tipped paws flashing with curling claws, as if he was unsure whether to run, fight or flee. Unusual, as the young cat rarely was hesitant about anything. Furledstar padded away from the muddy stream bank, finding a dry, moss-covered ledge to sit on, and curled his tail over his paws. Tulippaw looked downright meek as he followed and Furledstar's anger quickly flipped to concern. "Tulippaw?" Another slight hesitation before he replied. "Yes?" Furledstar slowly lowered himself onto the moss and stretched on his side, trying to look relaxed, approachable. He took his eyes off Tulippaw, looking into a lilac-hued Star crystal over the apprentice's shoulder instead. Of course, he was actually watching Tulippaw out of the corner of his eye. How could he comfort, if he didn't know what was wrong? He decided to take the Nightbeast by the horns: "something is bothering you. Is it something I can help fix?" Tulippaw's grey eyes went wide at that, his tail suddenly going still. For a heartbeat, Furledstar thought his apprentice might flee. He didn't let his own muscles tense at the thought of having to chase him down, keeping his posture relaxed. The silver tabby took a deep breath, prompting Tulippaw to subconsciously follow his lead, and when he let it out, Tulippaw melted. "Ivebeenhavingnightmaresand-" "Tulippaw," Furledstar interrupted, his voice soft. MoonClan bless, he wished Boragebud was here to deal with this. But Tulippaw was his apprentice. "It's alright," the leader soothed. "Deep breaths, and we'll figure this out, alright?" The dark tabby tom nodded, followed Furledstar in another deep breath. "Sorry," he mumbled, but Furledstar waved his apology away, asking him to continue, slower this time. "I've just... I haven't won any spars yet and--" he paused, closed his eyes. Furledstar didn't mind, if it helped him draw his courage. "I've been having nightmares. I--I'm on patrol, and a Nightbeast is there." Tulippaw opened his eyes wide, searching for Furledstar, who gave him a slow blink and a small nod. "Nightmares of Nightbeasts are common," he reassured the young cat. "It's good to have a healthy dose of fear for them." "Yes but..." Tulippaw hesitated again, but at least the fear was mostly gone from his eyes and posture, replaced by a more nervous embarrassment as he licked at his shoulder. Furledstar gave his apprentice time to collect his thoughts, grooming his own silver tabby fur while he waited. "It's not the Nightbeasts that make me afraid, I don't think. It's... I'm there with Foggypaw, or with Mothpuddle or... Yarrowflight. And the Nightbeast is there and I jump forward and it just--it hits me away and I'm stunned and I have to watch--" Tulippaw choked up, a sob or panic trapped in his throat. Furledstar's paws moved before he made any conscious choice, wrapping around the young tomcat and licking over his head with long strokes of his tongue. Silent comfort, a communal urge to defend a member of his Clan. "I haven't won a single spar yet," Tulippaw said, his voice softened by Furledstar's shoulder, muffled a bit by the leader's purr. "I don't feel ready.""That's something we can fix," Furledstar mewed, resting his chin on the apprentice's head. "Though learning to fight, it takes time, Tulippaw. You've only been training for one moon." "But Foggypaw can do it! He beat Gingerstorm yesterday!" Furledstar knew the molly was going easy on him, they all did when training with new apprentices, but he felt that information wouldn't help Tulippaw feel any better right now so he kept it to himself. "And you caught twice as much prey the day before," he said instead, and was pleased when the black tabby's purr joined his own. "Yeah, I did," Tulippaw said, sounding much more like himself. Furledstar gave one more lick over the apprentice's ear before unwinding, stretching, his claws popping through the carpet of moss in the most satisfying way. "We can do more battle training, if you'd like. I don't want you to push yourself too hard, but practicing the move Gingerstorm taught yesterday a little more wouldn't hurt." Tulippaw lit up, hopping to his paws, his anxiety forgotten as the prospect of battle training eclipsed his fear. "Really?" "Yeah. Though I'm going to test you on the crawfish hunting method after." He was teasing, and twitched his whiskers as Tulippaw's face went bright with shock. "Uh, I--" Furledstar turned and started towards the training grotto, grinning once his face was hidden from Tulippaw's sight. He'd let him stew in that fear a little, distract him from his anxieties, while "accidentally" allowing their training session to go too long and graciously extending the test until tomorrow. After all, he was still a little upset Tulippaw hadn't paid any attention to his carefully crafted lesson. Furledstar had spent all night outlining it! -'- HERB -'- Pansypoppy made the short trip to Ridgeshadow's den just after he woke and was glad to find that the eccentric young molly was there. He'd invited her to join him on an expedition closer to the Daylands to gather herbs. After the powerful storm the day before, the Waterwings would certainly be resting and it looked to be a wonderful day. He gave the invitation and quickly excused himself, knowing Ridgeshadow hated any cat to intrude upon her space. Pansypoppy also knew that the young tortoiseshell didn't appreciate orders and so his invitation was only that: an invitation she could refuse if she didn't want to attend. The healer hoped she did. Not only was she the best escort for herb gathering missions with her sharp eyes and attention to detail, but he also wanted to coax a conversation out of her. Because ever since he'd learned Ridgeshadow could see ghosts, he'd been curious about... well about everything regarding her ability. What cats did she see? Were they DawnClan ancestors, or did she somehow see into DuskClan's MoonClan? Birdspots had pushed her as an apprentice, naming a few Dark spirits passed down from healer to healer, ensuring that Ridgeshadow wasn't being led astray by their malicious schemes, as unlikely as that was. But Ridgeshadow's ghosts didn't match any of their descriptions and, according to her, couldn't speak at all. His invitation open, he settled into sorting through his herb stock to wait. "You repacked the marigold yesterday," Birdspots commented, the retired healer lounging in one of his (blessedly empty) patient nests. "Counting stems won't make more magically appear." He knew that, she knew that, but Birdspots complained about every little choice he made. Usually he'd accede to her wisdom and experience, but he also knew that she was only complaining because she was bored. "Wispfang asked me to ask you if you could watch Boulderkit today," Pansypoppy said instead, a complete lie, but one the deputy would certainly play along with. "He has a border patrol with Cavestar and the other warriors will be busy." Birdspots watched him with sharp eyes, and he knew she knew he was lying through his teeth. She's known him longer than his mother did and probably knew every one of his tells. But she snorted and shook the moss from her dappled pelt. "Fine, fine. You're lucky he's so cute." Birdspots' violet eyes twinkled and she brushed against him before she left the den, limping slightly. Pansypoppy smiled and pulled one marigold stem from the pack he was "counting", which had actually been for the elder molly all along. Except she walked in after he pulled the bundle from the shelf, and he knew she would argue that she didn't need it if he'd added it to her daily herb packet right in front of her. Pansypoppy shook his head and repacked the rest of the marigold, slipping the folded herbs back into their place. He spent a few more moments on odd tasks: tidying the nest Birdspots had squished, chasing crushed, dried leaves from crevasses, laying a few new packets out for the herbs he intended to bring back. Pansypoppy was dragging his paws, waiting for Ridgeshadow, but after a while of making up new chores to keep him there for a few moments longer watching the entrance, he had to admit to himself that she wasn't coming along. "Well, I tried," he said to himself with a sigh, turning to leave without her. A pair of emerald eyes flashed in the shadows beside the den entrance. "Hey!" Pansypoppy exclaimed, startled. "How long have you been waiting?" Because it was Ridgeshadow, of course it was. The young molly had a knack for being invisible in plain sight, much like the ghosts she could see, and this wasn't the first time she'd lurked in the den without Pansypoppy seeing her come in. "Since before Birdspots left," Ridgeshadow admitted, stepping into the light of the amber Star crystal that rose in the center of the Healer's den. The colored light painted her pale mottling a startling red. "I didn't want to interrupt." Pansypoppy twitched his whiskers. He was a little annoyed--exasperated, might be the better word--that he'd lost so much herb gathering time. But it was alright. He wouldn't have spent more time waiting than he was comfortable with, and they had plenty of time before he needed to eat and sleep again. "I was only busying myself to wait for you," he explained. "I'm ready to go whenever you are. You are joining me, yes?" Ridgeshadow nodded her head and the two set off. Pansypoppy didn't try to push her into conversation, though he didn't leave the patrol to silence either. Instead, he kept up a running commentary of what he was looking for, the herb's uses, their identification. Things that she wasn't pressured to reply to, though he was surprised that she did contribute on several occasions, asking questions or adding comments that were invariably short, but well thought out. While they worked to collect moss, a repetitive and boring task, Pansypoppy even vented a little bit about how afraid he was for any cat to be injured, as this next time he wouldn't have Birdspots and would have to make his own calls. "I know what I'm doing, of course," he said, clawing a pile of moss together into a bundle. Ridgeshadow worked beside him, silent, but he could tell she was listening by the tilt of her ears. "But I'm still scared I'll do something wrong. It's silly." "It's not silly," Ridgeshadow said, surprising him. "Birdspots won't stay away though." He left a little silence, in case she had more to say, and only when she went back to her work did Pansypoppy respond. "Yeah, she won't be able to help herself, will she?" As much as he was reassured that Birdspots was still around to help, he also knew that he wouldn't be able to rely on her experience forever. He was DawnClan's healer. He needed to act like it. The two continued their work, adding the piles of moss to the bundles of elder and oak leaves they'd collected earlier. Unlike some of the older warriors, Ridgeshadow never complained or tried to pull the patrol back early with excuses about later hunting or border patrols, and Pansypoppy didn't feel rushed to get his collecting done. "Thank you for your help, Ridgeshadow," he said, once they had the herbs in his den, ready to be counted and put away. Tomorrow, though. It was a long day and Pansypoppy wanted nothing more than a quick bite and a long nap. "I always collect the most herbs when you're around." The praise was making her a little uncomfortable, he thought, as she backed into the shadows. He wouldn't keep her there. "But next time, let me know when you arrive, yeah?" He softened the words with a broad smile and was glad when Ridgeshadow returned it, a flash of teeth in the amber Starshine before she was suddenly gone. He didn't see her leave. -.- HUNTING -.- For the first time in maybe four Suncycles, Boragebud felt warm. Raindrops sparkled across the grasslands and the Sun painted the landscape with stripes of harsh highlights and deep shadows. It felt more real, more alive, than in a long while and Boragebud felt like she could run forever. Indeed, neither of her companions showed any signs of needing rest as they raced across the pale scrublands, scaring off a flock of partridges but no one cared, there would be plenty of prey wherever they stopped. She could feel the life singing in her blood, she could feel MoonClan's laughter every time her paws kissed the ground, a joyous purr that lent speed to her paws and clarity to her thoughts. Fireglide reached the gnarled willow at the edge of the marshes first, but Boragebud was surprised that she wasn't far behind the nimble warrior. Boragebud collapsed in the shade of the tree beside Fireglide, sprawling out against the sedges that caressed them. A few moments later Plumstripe arrived, his steady pace effortless, and he was hardly breathing heavy as he sat more calmly beside the two mollies, looking over the marshes. "I'd really love some duck," Fireglide mewed, rolling over to face her with a long stretch that made her ginger legs quiver at the apex. "Maybe a muskrat." Plumstripe tapped his darker tail against her flank. "Careful, muskrats fight back." "Sure, sure. That's why I'll have Boragebud to help me with it, right?" The cinnamon molly rolled to her paws, shaking the grass from her pelt. "No! Muskrats taste awful, if you want one, fight it yourself," Boragebud argued, wrinkling her nose. She thought the foul creatures tasted like dried pond muck smelled. "But I will help you with the duck, if you help me fish some crawfish." Fireglide grinned. "Deal!" Plumstripe sighed. "I'll be over here then, catching whatever I can and making sure DuskClan actually has enough food." He sounded put upon, but Boragebud knew that was only his idea of a joke. She did, however, meet his pale eyes with a slow blink, a silent ask if he really needed the help, but he only shook his head minutely with a smile and, confident Plumstripe was okay with the arrangement, the deputy turned back to Fireglide. "Alright, let's find our duck." It took several hours and many tumbles into the water before the two mollies secured their prize: a fat, oily bird they brought back to the willow and stashed it inside a hollow between the roots, carved out by DuskClan cats many years ago for that exact purpose. Already there were plenty of shrews and mice and water voles piled in the burrow, and Boragebud was glad that Plumstripe's hunt was going better than their goose--or duck--chase had. It was too nice of a day to take seriously, and so after snagging a set of crawfish from their muddy burrows, Boragebud and Fireglide threw themselves into the pond below the willow, paddling about in the open water to get the muck off their fur. It felt good to let down her guard and play, and both mollies were grinning ear to ear by the time they grew tired and dragged themselves back to the shore. Plumstripe was already waiting for them, an easy smile on his own face. Unlike them, his dark ginger fur was dry and well-groomed. "I thought if I caught any more, we wouldn't be able to bring everything back in one trip," he called out as they approached. He flinched and fled the spray of water as Fireglide shook out her fur, and while the two mollies worked to get their pelts tolerably dry, he pulled their stash of prey out from the burrow, splitting it into piles for each of them to take. His catch was certainly impressive, with no less than seven rodent tails between his jaws. Fireglide carried another two mice, plus their pair of crawfish, while Boragebud was stuck wrangling the duck, whose oily feathers slipped between her teeth and whose wings constantly threatened to trip her paws when her neck grew tired and she allowed it to drift too close to the ground. Still, having so much prey was hardly something to complain about and though Boragebud was tired from the long day, the warmth of the Sunglow on her back made her flush with contentment. -'- TRAINING -'- It was never easy to keep Fluffypaw focused during training, but today it was impossible. "Stop!" Lavenderdew shouted, and had to grab Fluffypaw by the scruff so she wouldn't tumble down the edge of the gorge. The near miss hardly phased the young molly, who wriggled in her mentor's grasp until she was set down a safe distance from the cliffside. "Honestly, Fluffypaw, what's gotten into you?" The grey tabby molly's amber eyes danced, slipping away from Lavenderdew's pressing glare. "I'm bored." The white molly typically had patience--it was why she was chosen to train the troublesome Fluffypaw, who everyone knew would be a pawful even as a kitten--but she drew the line at her apprentice's actions endangering herself or others. She stepped closer, using her height to loom over her, which usually forced Fluffypaw to take her seriously. "No, that's not it at all. Don't lie to me." Fluffypaw rolled her eyes! Lavenderdew couldn't suppress the snarl and her paw ached to cuff the young cat over the ear for her insolence but she bit the urge back and settled for a low growl. "Fluffypaw," she warned, giving her apprentice one last opportunity to come clean. Of course she didn't take it. Fluffypaw snorted, ignoring Lavenderdew's posturing and staring up defiantly with those amber eyes. "It's not my fault you're so boring." "Okay then," Lavenderdew said, because at least she was an adult and could control her emotions. Even if anger surged through her, hot and sparking, she kept her voice even and cool. "If I'm so boring, perhaps you'll find camp chores more entertaining. All the moss in the elder's den and nursery needs replacing." Now Fluffypaw's eyes went wide in shock, as if there was going to be any other outcome for her blatant misbehavior than punishment tasks. "And after that, Cavestar needed a cat to help bring water to camp to shine the Star crystals. You've never done that job before, so it must be new and exciting, yes?" Fluffypaw muttered something under her breath, and when Lavenderdew challenged her to speak up, she only hissed and spun on her paw, racing off into the distance. At least she was headed back towards camp, but the white molly followed her apprentice back with a sigh to make sure she got there safely. Fluffypaw hardly had enough common sense to stay away from cliff edges, let alone check for Nightbeasts. She wondered what it could be this time that had Fluffypaw acting out. If she could find the source, she might be able to fix the grey apprentice's behavior. Lavenderdew sighed. She wished punishments would stick, but Fluffypaw wasn't cowed by the prospect of even the worst camp chores Lavenderdew could reasonably assign a young apprentice, and her warrior ceremony felt so far away for the young cat that threatening to delay it was completely ineffective. She couldn't refuse to train her either, because... that was Lavenderdew's job. And if Fluffypaw was going to be sneaking off and making trouble, the best thing Lavenderdew could do is give her the tools to protect herself. She sighed again, watching Fluffypaw disappear into the apprentice's den, probably to sulk. Comforted that her apprentice was safe in camp and was at least smart enough to find a safe place to vent her feelings, Lavenderdew set off to the leader's den. She hated having to tell Cavestar that they'd had another incident in training, but the leader had to know, especially if Fluffypaw was expected to serve punishment in camp with the extra chores. "At least I can have a few days to patrol," Lavenderdew muttered as she stepped into the leader's den. Cavestar took one look at her and sighed, though her whiskers twitched. "What happened this time?" the DawnClan leader prompted and Lavenderdew settled in to explain. -.- TRAINING -.- Unlike his DawnClan counterpart, Foggypaw could separate his training from his excitement, at least enough to pay attention to Gingerstorm's lecture. Or he would have, if Gingerstorm was actually teaching. "Or maybe it was like this?" The ginger molly curled her paw in a convoluted and frankly uncomfortable looking position that even Foggypaw could tell was more likely to hurt the user than the recipient in battle. "I think it was right yesterday," Foggypaw said, mimicking the move Furledstar had shown him and Tulippaw the day before. The swipe was a cool concept, made specifically for younger cats that wouldn't have enough strength for a true blow, but Foggypaw could already see the applications in which an adult cat could use the technique. Like if they were making a quick move after a tackle, or if they were pinned and didn't have enough leverage for something stronger. He practiced on his own while Gingerstorm tried several permutations of the move, twisting both her body and thought process into knots. At least she'd managed to teach him something before she'd lost track of the lesson, enough for him to practice. It did, however, give him plenty of time to dwell on what he'd planned with Fluffypaw later that evening. It wasn't the time for such thoughts, but Gingerstorm wasn't paying much attention, so Foggypaw let his mind pick at it, just a little bit. They were set to meet at the southern border--where the small stream connecting DuskClan's river crossed the Horizon to DawnClan's spring--at Starhigh, when the Star crystals shined the brightest. Neither apprentice wanted to be that far from camp, that close to the Dimreaches, at Starfall. That was just asking to be eaten by a Nightbeast. Besides, if he was having a secret meeting with a friend, he'd like to actually be able to see her! Excitement flushed his pelt. There was something compelling about doing something forbidden and Fluffypaw's blatant disregard for the rules, so unlike his instinct to follow them, was fascinating. She also brought stories of DawnClan, of the land past the Horizon, a world so close yet so different from his own. Fluffypaw said she'd talk about the waterfall today, which was apparently much bigger and louder than the ones in DuskClan's camp, and he couldn't wait to let her words paint a picture-- "Foggypaw!" He blinked, shocked out of his wandering thoughts, recognizing his brother's voice in an instant. Tulippaw was grinning ear to ear, Furledstar following behind him. The black apprentice ran up and tackled him and Foggypaw was too embarrassed that he'd let his thoughts get away from him to defend himself, letting Tulippaw tumble him over into the soft, mossy carpet that covered the training cove. "Did Gingerstorm teach you anything new? Show me!" It was so like Tulippaw that Foggypaw snorted. "No, nothing new. Just practicing yesterday's lessons." Tulippaw's grey eyes glowed. "That's what we came here to do! Let's practice together!" But from the way Gingerstorm and Furledstar were talking quietly, Foggypaw picked up that they'd be leaving the hollow so Furledstar could work with Tulippaw privately. "Sorry, I have a hunting patrol after this. Maybe tomorrow?" It would be good for Tulippaw to have some lessons on his own. Foggypaw loved his brother and as kits they were inseparable, but he'd always assumed they'd find their independence as apprentices. It wasn't that he didn't want to be close to Tulippaw, but he also wanted to be his own cat, figure out what he wanted and who he could be. Tulippaw still wanted to do everything together. It was hard to say no, and Foggypaw often used Gingerstorm as an excuse to put a little distance between them. But it still hurt to see Tulippaw's crestfallen face, the disappointment dulling his eyes. "Hey, maybe Furledstar will teach you something new too, then you'll have something to show me!" Foggypaw said, poking his brother's shoulder, and was glad when the excited glow reappeared. Guilt prickled Foggypaw as he followed Gingerstorm from the clearing, leaving Tulippaw behind. He didn't tell Tulippaw about his meetings with Fluffypaw and never intended to. It was weird, keeping a secret from his brother, but... Fluffypaw was his and his alone, something he didn't share with Tulippaw and he liked it that way. He needed it to be that way. For once, he didn't try to spark a conversation with the gloomy Gingerstorm, trying to befriend his mentor who seemed intent on despising his existence. Foggypaw let the awkward silence take hold instead, too full of other thoughts to spare any on his mentor's mood. He didn't think she noticed he was atypically mellow anyways. -'- BORDER -'- Wispfang was on a border patrol with Cavestar again. It wasn't that he didn't trust the other warriors, it was just... easier this way. Cavestar was apt to start skirmishes all on her own she didn't need Woodfern egging her on, and Redstem was too passive to convince her not to fight. Lavenderdew had her paws full with Fluffypaw and Ridgeshadow wasn't a candidate for border patrols which left... him. Just him. If he didn't want another patrol to come back with blood on their claws, sending tensions fizzing along the Horizon again, which he didn't. Wispfang liked the calm. It was for the best, really. And he didn't mind it; Cavestar was a good friend, even if she could be overzealous, and she certainly was thorough. "There's DuskClan scent pooled here," she said softly, as the pair finished marking the border near the stream. "Recent too." Wispfang sniffed around and agreed. "They had to have just missed us. But none of the border markers are fresh..." The dark grey tom let his eyes roam over the stone. The caverns this far south and this far from the Daylands were open, empty, and grey. Rather featureless, besides the single stream that cut a small furrow through the stone, trickling towards the spring in the Dawnlands. So once they started looking for the shape of a cat, they found him easily, crouched behind a stone too small to hide his form. "We know you're there!" Cavestar called, her voice echoing across the stone. The cat hesitated a moment, then stood. It was one of DuskClan's apprentices, Wispfang picked at his memory until it provided him with a name: Foggypaw, son of Yarrowflight. He was Fluffypaw's age or slightly younger. He frowned. "I didn't cross the border," Foggypaw defended, though Wispfang was quick to see the apprentice didn't come any closer, keeping his distance from the two DawnClan cats. "You got awfully close." "Yeah, but I didn't cross it, so I didn't do anything wrong." Beside him Cavestar growled. "If we hop on over and take that territory, then you'd have crossed it." Wispfang resisted the urge to sigh. Sure, DawnClan could take a few tree-lengths of territory on DuskClan's side of the Horizon, but they wouldn't bother holding it. There was obviously no prey here--there was nothing here, besides the shallow stream, the three cats, and a scattering of less-than-apprentice-sized boulders--and the only reason the borders here were patrolled at all was to check for signs Nightbeasts were creeping around the Dimreaches before they got too close to valuable hunting grounds. That was all. So Cavestar's threat was empty, but the apprentice perhaps didn't know that, taking a shaky step backwards. As if held together by a spider's thread, Cavestar advanced for every step Foggypaw retreated until the apprentice broke and turned, fleeing the scene. The two DawnClan cats didn't bother giving chase. He wasn't worth the effort. "What was he even doing here?" Cavestar asked, returning back to the pooled scent. For all her hard words about simply hopping over the Horizon, she was careful to stay behind the border line as she investigated. "Dunno," Wispfang replied, casting his cobalt gaze across the open cavern. "Maybe he was sick of looking at all the slime, mold and mud." It was nearly Starhigh, the Starshine casting the space in bright, multi-colored light, chasing away shadows and illuminating both the Dusklands and Dawnlands clearly. There was nothing of interest, nothing to draw a single apprentice so far from camp. He must be missing something... he gazed deeper into the Dusklands, trying to find another cat, a hidden ambush, but there was nothing but stone. He shrugged. "He was telling the truth, though, he didn't cross the border," Wispfang said. "If DuskClan's apprentices want to tempt the Nightbeasts to eat them by coming out here alone, I say let them." Cavestar chuckled darkly, but pulled her nose from the border. The two continued their patrol without incident, finding nothing else out of place. Neither of them looked backwards towards the Dawnlands and so neither of them spotted Fluffypaw lurking in the boulders behind them, seething as the leader and deputy ruined her meeting with Foggypaw, thrilled that Foggypaw kept their secret, relieved that Cavestar didn't act on her threats and let him go. When it was clear Foggypaw wasn't coming back, Fluffypaw snuck back to DawnClan's camp before she would be missed. She didn't want any cat investigating and following her scent trail. It would bring up uncomfortable questions about why she was heading to the same patch of empty cave at the same time the border patrol caught Foggypaw there. MOON 1 -.- BORDER -.- It was hard to miss Nightbeast scent. Each Nightbeast smelled different, but in a way, they were all the same: so sour it curled his lip and made Plumstripe sneeze, buzzing with ozone and with a hint of carrion, of something long dead and rotted. This Nightbeast also carried the musk of a reptile and an earthy scent Plumstripe couldn't identify. "Peat moss?" he suggested. "Pond earth?" Furledstar added. DuskClan's leader crouched beside the drop of dark ichor, his nose wrinkled, either from concentration or distaste. It was Tulippaw that had the most insight, the young tom's grey eyes going wide as he checked the scent beside his mentor. "It's willow bark," Tulippaw said, licking the scent from his lip. He looked surprised to have recognized it. "Mothpuddle gave me some for headaches, it smelled just like that." "Nice, Tulippaw," Plumstripe praised the black tabby tom, who ducked beneath the praise, bashful. "Have none of you ever had headaches before?" Tulippaw mumbled. Furledstar flicked his tail, calling Fireglide back from where she'd been watching on a nearby Star jutting from the ground while the others investigated. "Let's see if we can't get eyes on it. We don't know how big it is, so I'll leave it up to you, Plumstripe. But don't take unnecessary risks." "Sounds good." The Nightbeast's trail ran parallel to the Nightlands, so Furledstar took Tulippaw south, back towards DuskClan's camp, leaving Plumstripe and Fireglide to take the northbound tracks. "It got far too close to camp," Fireglide said softly, once the two were on their way. The scent was thick and impossible to lose, the trail following the path of least resistance through tumbles of rocks and pools of water. "That's why we're here," Plumstripe noted. "Furledstar and Tulippaw scented it earlier, when they were training, but didn't risk investigating further since it was far into the Dimreaches." It was always disturbing to find one, though. Usually the Nightbeasts were hesitant to venture into the Twilight, and finding one brave enough to stay on their borders for so long meant it was certainly dangerous. The trail led into a tunnel, where the cavern walls pinched close together. It would open back up on the other side, Plumstripe knew, but the narrow tunnel was long and dark, Stars absent, and they couldn't see more than a few paces into it. The idea of being trapped inside made his hackles prickle. "Wait here," he said to Fireglide, gathering his courage. "I'll scout it out first. If it's clear, I'll call you." And he wanted someone to protect the entrance on this side, so he'd have somewhere to retreat to if things went sour. The last thing he wanted was to run from a Nightbeast on that side, only to be boxed in by another threat on this one. "Yeah, totally, sure," Fireglide said, looking relieved that he'd offered to go into the darkness. Plumstripe knew Fireglide was faster than he was, but the tom couldn't bear putting her in harm's way, especially when Furledstar had left him in charge. Plumstripe didn't give himself a chance to second guess himself, pushing into the darkness. It wasn't actually that narrow, plenty wide enough for two cats to walk shoulder-to-shoulder and tall above besides, but it certainly wasn't open like the rest of the Caverns, and the absence of Starglow was stark, the darkness absolute after only a few moments. But while he didn't like being in the dark, he certainly had been in plenty of dark tunnels before--it was hard to avoid them, really--and so he was confident relying on his other senses--touch and scent, mostly, but also the air pressure on his fur and whiskers--to navigate the space. It was also how he realized that the Nightbeast was here, in the tunnel with him. Its rasping breath echoed, a warmth pressing into his fur. It was close. Plumstripe didn't hesitate, he ran. And not a moment too soon, as he heard jaws snap behind his tail, a sudden wind pressing against the backs of his paws as something large displaced the air. He pushed his paws faster. From the feel of it, the Nightbeast would struggle to push its mass through the narrow tunnel, but that didn't stop Plumstripe from running as fast as he could towards the smudge of light at the end of the tunnel. He burst free. He didn't need to warn Fireglide, who was already at his flank as they left the tunnel behind and climbed a short hill. Only once they had a vantage did Plumstripe look behind him, skidding to a stop when he knew the Nightbeast wasn't close on their heels, collapsing against the moss-covered stone when he didn't see it erupt out of the tunnel's mouth behind them. Fireglide sounded the alarm, a high-pitched yowl that would echo through the Twilight, alerting Furledstar and Tulippaw that they'd encountered the beast and needed backup. She kept on her toes, watching the tunnel entrance so Plumstripe could gather his breath and his thoughts. It was only now, sitting, that his paws began to sting and he stifled a hiss of pain as he licked the blood from the scrapes. "How big was it?" Fireglide asked, once his breathing was even. The Nightbeast still hadn't appeared, and by this point, Plumstripe doubted it would. It had struck fast as a snake, but perhaps it was slow at walking. That would explain why the scent trail was as thick as it was. "I couldn't tell, I was still in the tunnel when I ran into it. Has to be small enough to fit in there, though," he said, flicking his tail towards the dark mouth. "And either it got to the other side and was coming back through, for some reason, or it was small enough to turn around in there because it certainly snapped at me." There were only a few places in the Nightlands that bigger Nightbeasts could come through, and it hadn't been spotted at any of those, so it was likely that the creature wasn't more than double the size of a cat. Still, with the potential of venom or other dangerous weapons, even a small Nightbeast was deadly. "We should try and trap it there," Plumstripe decided. "It would be hard, but if we kept watch on both sides of the tunnel..." It was then that Fireglide saw Furledstar approach, standing and hailing the leader with a wave of her tail. Plumstripe waited until the patrol was together before continuing. "It smelled aquatic," he said. Now that the danger was past, he couldn't help but yawn, exhaustion tugging on his limbs. His paws still stung and would probably need Mothpuddle's attention when he got back to camp too. "We should trap it in the tunnel," he put forth again. "It's headed for the marshes, and I fear it will be impossible to drive out once it reaches water." Furledstar looked about to argue, but then tipped his head, regarding the tunnel beyond. "I don't think we should fight it. Maybe it will dry out." "DuskClan doesn't have the resources to guard the tunnel for more than a day, maybe two," Furledstar said, but Plumstripe could see thoughts turning behind the cunning tabby's yellow-green eyes. "But if it is truly aquatic, perhaps that long away from water will weaken it enough that we could kill it there. The terrain certainly works to our advantage, if we have enough cats." In the end, they left Fireglide to watch the tunnel with Tulippaw to serve as messenger, while the two other toms returned to camp. "You've done enough today, Plumstripe. Have Mothpuddle look at those paws," Furledstar had said, helping the ginger tabby to his paws and back to camp. They talked strategy the entire way back--Furledstar did most of the planning, using Plumstripe as a sounding board to smooth out some wrinkles--and by the time they heard the twin waterfalls of DuskClan's camp, they had a solid plan for dealing with the Nightbeast. Plumstripe wasn't chosen for the battle patrol, as he was ordered by Mothpuddle to rest his scraped feet until they healed. But he worried the entire time, at least until Tulippaw and Foggypaw raced into camp, matching grins on their faces, eager to tell everyone that hadn't been there--only Plumstripe and Mothpuddle in the healer's den, and Cloudheart and Maplesong in the elder's--how successful the fight was. "Furledstar thought of everything!" Foggypaw gushed. "He even let us fight!" -'- HERB -'- Wispfang was on a border patrol with Cavestar again. It wasn't that he didn't trust the other warriors, it was just... easier this way. Cavestar was apt to start skirmishes all on her own she didn't need Woodfern egging her on, and Redstem was too passive to convince her not to fight. Lavender -.- HUNTING -.- It was the Season of Waterwings and that meant the Daylands were shrouded in clouds of grey mist. Mothpuddle hated it: hated how the humidity frizzed her long fur, hated the splattering of chilled droplets drooling from heavy leaves, she even hated that she had no one to keep her company, no cat to order around. -'- HUNTING -'- Wispfang was on a border patrol with Cavestar again. It wasn't that he didn't trust the other warriors, it was just... easier this way. Cavestar was apt to start skirmishes all on her own she didn't need Woodfern egging her on, and Redstem was too passive to convince her not to fight. Lavender -.- HERB -.- It was the Season of Waterwings and that meant the Daylands were shrouded in clouds of grey mist. Mothpuddle hated it: hated how the humidity frizzed her long fur, hated the splattering of chilled droplets drooling from heavy leaves, she even hated that she had no one to keep her company, no cat to order around. -'- BORDER -'- Wispfang was on a border patrol with Cavestar again. It wasn't that he didn't trust the other warriors, it was just... easier this way. Cavestar was apt to start skirmishes all on her own she didn't need Woodfern egging her on, and Redstem was too passive to convince her not to fight. Lavender CYPRUSPAW - A ginger mackerel tabby molly with blue eyes and a cyan leather collar. Sincere, careful listener. 8 moons. Sick with redcough. Found half dead in the Nightlands by Ridgeshadow, who was led there by Cyprus's own pale ghost. She is very weak and both Pansypoppy and Birdspots agree that she is unlikely to survive what they believe to be a lethal poison. -.- CAMP -.- It was the Season of Waterwings and that meant the Daylands were shrouded in clouds of grey mist. Mothpuddle hated it: hated how the humidity frizzed her long fur, hated the splattering of chilled droplets drooling from heavy leaves, she even hated that she had no one to keep her company, no cat to order around.
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