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Post by berryjuice on Jan 8, 2021 0:36:31 GMT -5
Quickbird stayed silent as Fernkit brought up Tornkit. He exchanged a look with his mate; they seemed to have the same understanding about who Tornkit probably was. The probable fate of the kits that Fernkit had known was disturbing to think of, but both cats avoided thinking about it so that they wouldn’t seem agitated to the kits.
Thornkit was aware that Fernkit had a different smell than he was used to, but he was too young to know what WindClan smelled like. He seemed delighted that Fernkit had responded to him and was about to climb towards her when Autumneyes entered. He stared at her silently, seeming concerned about why the medicine cat was there.
Quickbird felt similarly that Fernkit taking an interest in the other kits was a good thing that shouldn’t be interrupted. He nodded to the medicine cat silently before going back to watching the kits. Thornkit waited until Autumneyes had left before approaching Fernkit again; he was fairly shy, especially with adult cats. “Do you like to play?” ~ Brightfrost peeked back out of the medicine cat’s den. It seemed like there weren’t a lot of cats in camp besides those who had just returned with Goldenspots’ hunting patrol, so she assumed that another patrol had left to check out the borders and look for more WindClan survivors. She looked back to Jasminefur and nodded. “I think they already left; they probably won’t be back for a while.”
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Shadowstartheleader
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Post by Shadowstartheleader on Jan 8, 2021 1:25:03 GMT -5
Fernkit's curiosity betrayed her as she sniffed the particular Thunderclanner scent that came from Thornkit as he approached. She fully realized that Thornkit was somewhat smaller than her, and she seemed to relax just a little bit, seeing this as he approached. Even if they had been the same size, she seemed to recognize his intentions were completely benign when he asked her a simple question.
She thought back to just the day before, playing with Tornkit and Bramblekit. I should have let them catch the moss, She silently sulked in a slight recognition of what had likely happened to them. She was four moons--old enough to know what followed that many dogs.
¨Yes,¨ She mewed quietly, though her voice betrayed, to a more adult ear, the sulking she was still stuck in. As much as it calmed her to Thornkit in particular, she certainly couldn't drop what had happened enough to engage in a game, despite the distraction that Quickbird and Fogfoot were offering her. Still, in another clan's nursery, it was scary to say she didn't want to play right now to such a nice question.
¨Urgghh...¨ He groaned, initially, seeming to lament what Brightfrost had informed him about regarding the patrol--but on second look, he had lifted a paw to the left side of his head where the bruising was central, and a pained grimace had written itself onto his face.
He tried shoving it back down where it came from, but traces of discomfort remained, as his fully spent adrenaline gave way to more pain than he had been ready for. Though he was ready to lament having to wait for so long for the patrol, it seemed to be forgotten immediately as he realized the dog had hurt him more than he had thought.
¨I'm sorry...¨ He murmured quietly. ¨I didn't mean to...interrupt...¨ He quietly sighed, a sustained, light throbbing building up on that side of his head, having started as a barely noticeable prickling and having grown into what he first thought was simply falling from the adrenaline rush, to a throbbing pain as Brightfrost finished speaking. ¨A-are you sure we can't...help them?¨ He bit his lip, hissing quietly as he recognized the hypocrisy of his sudden head pain and asking to go out and search themselves.
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Post by berryjuice on Jan 8, 2021 1:40:38 GMT -5
Fogfoot seemed to understand that Fernkit was not in the mood to play. She gently picked Thornkit up and put him back beside his littermates. “Fernkit has been through a long journey; she’s not well enough to play right now.”
“I’m sorry.” Thornkit looked guilty, as if he had been the cause of Fernkit’s problems. He nodded quickly. “Is she going to sleep?”
“If she wants to- I think it’s about that time,” said Quickbird gently. He looked to Fernkit. “You’re welcome to sleep in the nursery for as long as you’d like. Or I can bring you back to the medicine cat den and you can stay with Jasminefur.” ~ Brightfrost looked concerned as Jasminefur seemed to be in pain. Obviously he wasn’t in a good enough condition to do much of anything. “I’m pretty sure they don’t want our help.” She was sure her Clanmates would not want to be on a patrol with a WindClan warrior, and she assumed many of them were not too happy with her at the moment either.
She looked out of the medicine cat den and was glad to see Autumneyes returning. It was hard to be alone with Jasminefur, and she was pretty sure he would benefit from more healing expertise. “Jasminefur’s having some pains.”
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Shadowstartheleader
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Post by Shadowstartheleader on Jan 8, 2021 2:15:25 GMT -5
Fernkit was suddenly reminded that Jasminefur was still on the other side of the camp, and her distraction away from that side of things was suddenly pulled away from her.
She was surprised, though, as Thornkit asked if she was going to sleep, and even more surprised when Quickbird said it might be. Fernkit knew they had fled here for help, but it hadn't directly occurred to her that they were going to be here awhile, and that she would be sleeping amongst strangers.
As kind as the warriors were being, and despite Thornkit's curiosity, realizing this made Fernkit want nothing more than to be near and protected by the only other WindClan warrior here. Not looking at Quickbird, Fogfoot, or Thornkit, she mumbled ¨I want Jasminefur,¨ down towards her paws.
It wasn't the answer Jasminefur was expecting; something more normal would have been 'we need to stay here for now, I have to watch you,' or 'I can't set you loose on the territory' but instead she grouped them together like they would both be suffering the consequences of whatever happened. Stepping out of the view of the leader and medicine cat probably wouldn't bode well for them, him especially.
Autumneyes stopped at the entrance when Brightfrost called to her, dropping a vole at her paws, and giving a quiet sigh as she glanced at Jasminefur. She shoved the vole ungraciously into the corner and padded immediately towards the WindClan warrior. ¨Pains? Where?¨
Jasminefur indicated where he was hurting, and Autumneyes bit her lip subconsciously and turned to her herb supply. ¨That blow does look like it hurt,¨ She murmured quietly, referring to his head-bruise. At least it wasn't a deep, blackish-purple, a grave bruise that could indicate serious issues. But head pains weren't good either.
¨I can give you a poppy seed for the pain, but you need to stay awake, at least for a little bit, so I know if your headache keeps getting worse.¨ She turned back to him, blinking for a couple moments before pulling two poppy seeds from her supply. You´ve had a horrid day.
¨Brightfrost, you´re responsible for him, so...¨ She set the poppy seeds in front of them and tapped her paw lightly in front of them to indicate for him to lap them up. ¨Good.¨ She mewed quietly when Jasminefur had done so, then Autumneyes finally turned to Brightfrost to meet her gaze. ¨Keep him awake. Tell him cat´s names, or describe the forest.¨ She needed to pick up more cobwebs now, but she was concerned about leaving the den and leaving the two of them open to whoever wanted to speak their mind. Oh StarClan, what I'd give to just be the apprentice again.
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Post by berryjuice on Jan 8, 2021 2:49:29 GMT -5
Quickbird seemed to understand. “Then we’ll find Jasminefur.” He gently began guiding Fernkit back to Autumneyes, since she had seemed to be looking for her anyway. Fogfoot groomed Thornkit, trying to get him back to sleep. ~ Brightfrost wondered how serious Jasminefur’s injuries were. She supposed it was serious enough if she needed to watch him. Some warriors would be rather irritated at the idea of spending so much time babysitting a patient, but Brightfrost didn’t mind much. She liked helping Autumneyes, and she was willing to do pretty much anything that seemed like it would help in her mission.
She decided to take the suggestion of describing cats. Jasminefur was going to have to be dealing with them and their various tempers now- it would be good for him to know what he was dealing with. “Well, you know Autumneyes; she’s the best medicine cat. Specklestar is the leader, Robinpatch is the deputy- I think he’s leading the patrol that just left. And there’s Stoneheart- she used to be my mentor and she still acts like it. You should probably just avoid her if you can. Goldenspots is the one who’s been watching this den from across the clearing since he got back- he’s okay, but he hates WindClan.” She realized that this description applied to most of her Clanmates, but decided to move on without mentioning that. “Him and Stoneheart really don’t get along, but Fogfoot told me once that they were buddies when they were apprentices. There must be a story, but Stoneheart won’t tell me. Oh, Fogfoot- she’s in the nursery with Quickbird’s kits; those two are really close. And-”
She paused as Quickbird approached with Fernkit. Brightfrost had always had trouble building real relationships with most of her Clanmates on account of her attitude- she was normally focused on other things. Still, it seemed like she had a lot to say about her peers. It did occur to her that maybe there was some information that she shouldn’t be sharing with an enemy warrior; Stoneheart had emphasized that when she had been brought to her first Gathering.
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Shadowstartheleader
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Post by Shadowstartheleader on Jan 14, 2021 3:18:39 GMT -5
If he was going to be here for some time, it would be good for Jasminefur to get a grasp on the cats in this clan--but he was pretty out of the present moment, and as his head turned slowly towards her, one eye seemed to focus on her and one at the space past her, probably signifying how much of his attention was really going to learning these cats.
He pulled himself more out of his thoughts as she mentioned Goldenspots hating WindClan. He had to wonder if that was worth mentioning--it was probably true of most, if not all of the other WindClan cats, so it either was redundant, or extra true for this particular cat, and Jasminefur was going to have to be particularly careful.
His ears perked up as she mentioned Fogfoot and Quickbird's kits, and he realized he hadn't asked after Fernkit yet. Almost like StarClan responded to his thought, Fernkit entered with Quickbird nearby, the kit looking equal parts nervous and exhausted.
The gap of moons between the WindClan cats didn't stop both of them showing immense relief at seeing the other, Fernkit rushing forward to meet Jasminefur while the warrior jumped up from his spot and stepped forward to meet her, setting Autumneyes' fur on edge in the process. Fernkit fell into Jasminefur as soon as he lowered himself back to the ground of the den, burying her face in his lower chest as a quiet and subdued purr started vibrating from her chest.
Jasminefur too starting emitting a quiet purr, starting to lick the kit's fur down in an attempt to comfort her. She seemed to forget to give thanks to Quickbird as she reunited with her clanmate, but Jasminefur paused his licking to look up at the warrior and silently mouth a 'thank you,' before continuing.
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Post by berryjuice on Jan 14, 2021 11:36:55 GMT -5
Brightfrost didn’t really think that Jasminefur was listening to her, but wasn’t all that bothered. Even if she wasn’t always consciously aware of it, she was used to her own Clanmates just sort of tolerating her without really trying to listen. And of course, why would a WindClan warrior care at all about what she had to say? At the end of the day, he was just here because he needed help. But it didn’t matter because according to Autumneyes, she basically just needed to annoy him into staying awake. She was relieved when Fernkit returned as a nice distraction.
Quickbird just seemed glad that Fernkit was happy enough with Jasminefur. He smiled and dipped his head in acknowledgement of Jasminefur. He stayed by the entrance of the den for a moment to make sure everything was okay before moving away to give them some space.
She thought it was sweet that Fernkit and Jasminefur seemed so close- she supposed it made sense after all they had been through together. It wasn’t really a type of closeness that she related to; she sort of remembered cuddling with her mother like that, but those memories were faint at this point. When she thought about it more, she thought there was a memory of nuzzling into her mother’s chest in a search for safety and comfort, just like Fernkit- but her mother was cold, and there was an overwhelming smell of blood and WindClan...
She felt her claws sliding out and quickly stopped her train of thought. This wasn’t the time for that. She tried to think of her dream instead. Whatever StarClan wanted her to do was much more important than anything else- and Jasminefur and Fernkit were part of that mission.
She looked to Autumneyes. “Is he allowed to sleep now?” she asked, wondering if she needed to keep talking to him. She felt like it would be difficult to keep going, at least for now. “Fernkit should probably be resting, right?”
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Shadowstartheleader
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Post by Shadowstartheleader on Jan 14, 2021 12:27:28 GMT -5
Jasminefur was lost trying to figure out what to do or say to Fernkit, or if he should say anything at all. The kit obviously needed a sort of comfort that was impossible to give now, and yet he had to be there for her anyways. ¨Come on,¨ He whispered, guiding the kit back to his nest and finally putting Autumneyes at ease as she could stop thinking of his wounds being torn and cascading into violent fatal tears.
Maybe I'm being a little bit dramatic, the medicine cat sighed quietly as she watched Jasminefur guide the kit to the nest where, he settled on his side with the least wounds and watched as Fernkit curled with her back against his stomach, looking out at the two WindClan cats and the entrance to the den, like any moment a threat could pop through the entrance.
She took in Brightfrost's question, but didn't look over to her immediately as she considered the options. Fernkit definitely needed to rest; even as she settled in to vigilantly watch over the den, Autumneyes could see the kits eyes weren't fully open and the exhaustion from the short, terrible day had sapped the strength from her little figure.
But it hadn't been close to long enough for Jasminefur, and if she set him to sleep and he couldn't tell her his pain was getting worse, they could have serious issues. ¨I need Jasminefur to stay awake for now,¨ Her voice was hesitant, like she didn't like saying it. The tom sure looked like he could use some rest too, but with the half-gone look in his eyes, she wasn't even sure he would be resting very much. She wasn't going to say much more, now that Fernkit was here.
There was a bit of silence between them, as Autumneyes was debating whether she could let Jasminefur settle in anyways. It was a risk, and as a medicine cat, her duty was to assess his wounds the best she could--but her empathetic side was making it a little bit difficult to do so. As the thought churned in her head, Fernkit squeaked and interrupted her thoughts.
"I met a cat named Thornkit," She mewed, craning her neck to look up at Jasminefur. "He asked me if I like to play."
Jasminefur had to repeat what she had said in his head to fully process it. Always thinking about skirmishes and the next swipe for more territory, it was hard to remember that this clan had kits too, needing just as much love and care apart from the bloody side they often showed in battles. He slowly took in a breath, looking down towards her. "What did you say?"
"Yes." Fernkit blinked up at him. "But we didn't play. Quickbird said it was about time for me to sleep."
"Well..." Jasminefur glanced over at Brightfrost, not sure what he should assume was okay. "We are going to be here for...a few days, so...maybe you can ask to play with Thornkit tomorrow."
Jasminefur looked back at Fernkit when she didn't say anything for a long few seconds. The kit was looking at the ground, and he realized it must be very strange for the kit to hear they weren't going home, even if, to a warrior, it was obvious it wasn't safe. Fox-dung. You're such a mouse-brain. Can't you think before you say something, for once?
"H-how many kits..." Jasminefur blurted out, trying to find something to fill the space and maybe give Fernkit something else to think about. "How many litters are there?" He glanced back over at Brightfrost. "It's been a couple moons since I was at a Gathering." At least, with Fernkit moping there, Jasminefur seemed to focus in with a purpose--trying to distract the kit.
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Post by berryjuice on Jan 14, 2021 12:54:51 GMT -5
Brightfrost tried not to feel impatient as Autumneyess again decided that Jasminefur needed to stay awake. She supposed she would just have to keep going a little longer. This was the responsibility she had taken on, after all; she knew that she shouldn’t complain.
Brightfrost listened to Fernkit talk about her experience with Thornkit. She wondered if she would be able to get along in ThunderClan camp easier than Jasminefur would. It seemed more likely for a ThunderClan kit to accept a WindClan kit than it was for a ThunderClan warrior to accept a WindClan warrior. She supposed that kits were easier in that way. They didn’t understand how much the Clan had struggled against WindClan, or how many cats had been lost to WindClan claws before they were born.
When Jasminefur asked about the kits, she wondered if this fell under the category of ‘things she was not supposed to tell outsiders.’ She remembered Stoneheart scolding her at a Gathering for telling a fellow apprentice from RiverClan about how she had climbed a tall tree to chase a squirrel. But Jasminefur was in their camp and Fernkit had been to the nursery, so surely he would know everything about the cats of the Clan sooner or later.
“Two litters. Rockleap has two kits and Fogfoot has three. They’re all really cute,” said Brightfrot warmly. Though, this was mostly just an assumption since she herself never really visited the nursery- she had only seen the kits during the few occasions where she had been in camp while they were allowed to play outside the nursery for a bit. But she knew they were immensely valuable to ThunderClan; they would grow into fine new warriors. “I’m sure they’ll make great apprentices in a few moons.”
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Shadowstartheleader
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Post by Shadowstartheleader on Jan 17, 2021 9:04:14 GMT -5
So the clan had five kits right now. If they were going to be here for awhile, that was something of a relief, right? Knowing Fernkit would have some company, if she was brave enough to get to know the strange faces. It certainly wasn't going to be easy for her to forget Tornkit and Thrushkit.
"That's great," he murmured quietly, giving a slight look towards Fernkit to gauge if she was still paying attention. "If it doesn't bother Specklestar, I think Fernkit should introduce me to Thornkit, and we can meet the other kits too." It would be nice to get the chance to formally thank Quickbird-all three ThunderClan cats had saved the two of them, but Quickbird was the one who took Fernkit directly out of danger, and that meant something to Jasminefur. More than he could explain, as he shoved the image of his mother in the back of his mind.
"Maybe you can introduce me to your family as well, if they won't, err...claw my ears off..."
Autumneyes flinched as the warrior stepped onto thin ice without knowing it. Of course, the warrior didn't know the intracicies of ThunderClan family enough in order to know she didn't have parents, but Autumneyes couldn't help but look right to Brightfrost, trying to gauge if Jasminefur's words had stirred up any negative emotions in the young she-cat. The last thing she wanted was the warrior feeling awfully alone; Autumneyes had spent her youth trying to give Brightfrost someone to rely on. But there wasn't much she could say in earshot of the WindClan cats.
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Post by berryjuice on Jan 17, 2021 18:03:48 GMT -5
Brightfrost smiled and nodded at Jasminefur’s suggestion. She also thought it might be a good idea for Fernkit to get to know all the other kits; it might give the poor kit something else to do other than think about what had happened. And Fernkit might find meeting strangers easier if Jasminefur was around with her; she seemed to trust him. “I’m sure Specklestar wouldn’t mind.” She wasn’t really certain about that; she knew some of her Clanmates might object to a WindClan warrior being near the kits. But she was confident she could convince the leader.
She flicked her ears as if getting something unpleasant off. Jasminefur suggested meeting her family. First, she was surprised he suggested it; she supposed it was good that he wanted to meet her Clanmates. It would be useful if there were more ThunderClan cats that didn’t actively hate him and want him gone.
But…that wouldn’t work.
She thought about Icestorm’s cold body, dragged unceremoniously into camp by Stoneheart after a battle with WindClan over hunting grounds. She thought about the nursery queen that had looked after her as much as she was required, but was much more concerned with her own kits- who weren’t too fond of Brightkit. She thought about watching the older toms in camp and trying to tell if any of them looked at her with any special care. She often told herself that her Clan was her family. But when faced with Jasminefur’s question, she was forced to acknowledge that she didn’t really have what most would consider a family.
She decided to be honest; she wanted to believe that she could talk about it without caring, but Autumneyes could tell it was hard on some level. “Sorry, but I don’t really have anyone to introduce you to. My mother’s in StarClan and I don’t have any littermates.” She decided not to mention what had sent her to StarClan, but she was definitely thinking about it. She wondered what Icestorm would think of all this. She smiled, trying not to seem awkward. “But there are plenty of other cats to meet when you’re feeling better.”
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Shadowstartheleader
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Post by Shadowstartheleader on Jan 26, 2021 18:07:52 GMT -5
Jasminefur's thought, that it was a great idea to give Fernkit some amount of cats to meet and socialize with seemed fruitful when Brightfrost signaled that it shouldn't be much of an issue. Hopefully they would be able to do this nearly-first thing tomorrow-The young adult tom was running through the events in camp every other second, and he couldn't imagine what was going through Fernkit's head anytime she thought back to camp. Though he knew absolutely nothing of parental instincts, his own deeply buried sense of empathy led him to want to cover up whatever Fernkit was having to remember.
So he felt good when Brightfrost confirmed the plan. It was fleeting and the feeling past quickly though, as he picked up on a shift in her demeanor following his later statement. Her ear flick alone wasn't enough to make him think he had stepped in the lake quite yet, but as a silence stood between them for a few moments while she seemed to consider what he said, he started wondering if he might have treaded into some deep water that he hadn't meant to.
He wished he could carve his mouth shut when Brightfrost told him she didn't have any family to speak of which he would be able to meet. It was said in a delicate way which didn't provide unnecessary details, and that was certainly for the better, given that Fernkit was here, and that Jasminefur hadn't been prepared for the territory he had strode upon.
There was something of a smile that crossed Brightfrost's face, and as Jasminefur saw it he felt chills of guilt run down his spine. She didn't seem to be showing it, but he had touched so insensitively on a sore subject, and he struggled to believe it hadn't affected her, at least a little bit. Without really thinking about it, his facial expression must have shown his dismay, until he turned away to look at Fernkit. ¨Right. Umm...tomorrow, we can meet some more cats,¨ He mewed, his voice tinging with a trickle of nervousness. Sure, it was a little nerve-wracking which until the day before had been considered a mortal enemy; but he brought up Brightfrost's dead family without meaning to. She was the only cat who treated him okay, and that felt much more grave at the moment.
He would have been lying if he said a dark thought didn't pass through his own head, though.
He thought about Robinswipe's cold body, chomped unceromoniously and left to rot in camp by the dogs during their battle. He thought about his own guilt, the fact that his choice to jump away had cost his mother his life, much more concerned with his own life, when the dog wasn't even going for him. He thought about Fernkit trembling at his paws, and the dead stare of his mother as her mouth, half-parted, seemed to have been trying to say something. Looking at him.
And finally, he realized that, just like her, he didn't have a mother with him anymore--and he was losing any hope that was left that his father would have made it out either. He almost wanted to empathize with her, to express that maybe he was starting the very first stages of whatever she felt after so long without a mother-but the fact he had treaded on this so unceremoniously shut him up, as he felt he didn't even deserve to empathize with her.
And she didn't even mention her father. After how much of a mouse-brain he had been to stumble into this, he wasn't about to even try to approach the subject. He tried moving on from how terrible he had made this conversation, hooking on to the last thing she had said. ¨Right. Tomorrow, I'll just...be at your heels, I suppose, to meet anyone who won't, uhh...you know.¨ He looked down at his paws, feeling that maybe he ought to just stop talking. Yeah, that sounded good. Never talking again.
He settled down more closely around Fernkit, who seemed half attentive to their conversation and half in her own head. He couldn't blame her, and he wished there were something, literally anything, he could do which would help her get her mind off of today. But it was never going to leave either of them. He was certain of that.
Sighing quietly, he nudged the kit closer, and as she settled down, curling close into him, he rested his head above and against her's, what little protective instincts a sad cat like him had kicking in. His eyes drifted over to Brightfrost, though he didn't say anything. He needed to rely on this cat, that she would protect them while they stayed here. He couldn't be vigilantly watching every ThunderClan cat everyday. Brightfrost...I hope I can rely on you. I really need someone to rely on.
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Post by berryjuice on Jan 26, 2021 18:28:20 GMT -5
Brightfrost wished that she had something else to say. She wished that she did have someone to introduce him and Fernkit to- if anything, just so that there wouldn’t be this strange quiet in the air. She told herself that was the only reason she felt so uncomfortable. It was just awkward, that was all. It wasn’t because she was thinking about how she was trying to have a friendly conversation with...one of them. A part of the Clan that had been responsible for the strange quiet that had lingered throughout her life.
“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” She was glad for the slight change in conversation. Though it barely needed to be stated; it was clear that they would have to remain close together for some time. If Jasminefur did try to wander around camp unsupervised and try to meet cats, it obviously wouldn’t end well for him. “Hopefully it’ll go okay.”
The rest of the day was very quiet relative to the earlier excitement. The patrol eventually returned without much news. No dogs and no WindClan cats: both of these pieces of information were a relief to much of ThunderClan. There was a buzz of gossip throughout the camp still about what had happened to WindClan and what they might be able to do with the territory if they acted quickly enough. And what of this refugee? Leaf-bare would be upon them sooner or later; were they really willing to sacrifice valuable prey to give to an enemy warrior?
But Brightfrost didn’t hear very much of it. She stayed in the medicine cat den as she was supposed to and helped Autumneyes as best as she could. She tried to avoid feeling tired- there was so much to do and think about, after all- but she could only stay awake for so long. Eventually, the exhaustion caused by the events of the day overtook her. She fell into a deep sleep beside Jasminefur.
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Shadowstartheleader
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Post by Shadowstartheleader on Jan 26, 2021 19:04:36 GMT -5
The Windclanners were out before Brightfrost; Jasminefur managed to pull through until the patrol got back, but Fernkit was out like a light soon after she was surrounded by the warmth of her clanmate. Jasminefur was incredibly dismayed at the news brought by the patrol; no new, in this situation, just wasn't good news. And while he wasn't the recipient of much gossip in the clan, it wasn't hard to imagine what the clear murmurings of many cats outside of the den were about, at least vaguely.
Jasminefur drifted off without meaning to, undisturbed by Autumneyes, who was either comfortable with him sleeping, or not strong enough to keep him awake now that he was drifting off. As his eyes shut, the only thing he could focus on besides horrid images were the pawsteps sounding at times in the medicine den, and he counted every step until, losing count, he drifted into a light sleep with dreams of padding alongside WindClan cats, actually glad to have Jasminefur along; a dream he wouldn't remember when he awoke, because it was far distant from reality.
Autumneyes had been loosely counting the time, and while she wasn't completely certain Jasminefur wouldn't need more treatment, he seemed genuinely okay despite his wounds-he was talking okay, he didn't seem out of it or confused. When he seemed to finally be drifting off, Autumneyes was unable and unwilling to stir him back awake. She got back to work, taking care to sort her herbs quietly, and to step with a special dainty lightness. She would hate to awake Fernkit or Jasminefur again.
---
It was darkness that surrounded Brightfrost, a stark contrast to the usual misty and strange, yet pleasant feeling that usually surrounded the warrior when she was brought to hear of her destiny, to hear of the ways she was special. The darkness was accompanied by a cold chill; but not like wind or a cold frost. It felt like cold paws were reaching for her, grabbing at her all over, tugging at her and infusing cold into her self. The darkness persisted for far longer than it should of--where were the StarClan cats, who usually spoke with some degree of reverance for what she would do?
After an uncomfortable long stretch of this cold that would have left her almost freezing, the darkness started to melt away, replaced by a cold that was very similar, but far more natural. Beneath her paws, snow started to morph into being and stretch out from beneath her in every direction until it formed a natural shape which eventually looked recognisable as the moors of WindClan territory.
There was little time to wonder where she was or what was happening, because conversation sounded close by.
"And what are we going to do when the other clans declare that we have trampled upon the Warrior Code for taking the whole of ThunderClan's territory?"
The voice sounded from nearby; in fact, just a few tail-lengths behind where Brightfrost was looking over the snow-covered moors. Only a few moments later, two cats passed directly into her field of vision, encompassing it completely for a couple moments, before padding forwards and slowly drawing away from Brightfrost. Despite being able to feel her own form, to see her own paws, these cats had seemed to phase right through her.
What she saw was two cats, both white as the snow surrounding them, with not a single unique marking to distinguish them, padding side by side. The left cat was craning their head to the right side to stare at the other cat, and his mouth opened as his eyebrows narrowed. "I don't think either RiverClan or ShadowClan is going to pretend that ThunderClan hasn't become...well, bloodthirsty for anything they can get their paws on. They would cut our throats and grind us into the dirt if they could--they have no honor left anymore, Wrenflight. You can't treat them like the other clans."
The cat addressed as Wrenflight turned to the other, a noticable grimace crossing her face. "Do you think we are not flawed? What will StarClan think when we arrive to their holy borders and say we had 'no choice' but to take the whole of ThunderClan? No, we can't." It seemed like she wanted to say more, but the other cat stopped padding along and turned to fully face Wrenflight, a look of disgust crossing his face.
"StarClan must understand that ThunderClan is a long ways from what it once was! Once, it was the clan that hosted those who wished to leave a softer life, the clan which extended its paw to help other clans more than the others. But today, it is a menace! Cragstar thinks to take all our territory for himself, and you think we can play a soft, diplomatic game with the other clans? They will invade, and they will exploit our own territory for themselves! We can't live in a fantasy where they...-"
The unnamed cat's voice faded, and slowly the land around Brightfrost began to give in, the snow literally falling beneath the ground, starting from its farthest point and beginning to cave in towards Brightfrost. As it was just about to fall beneath her paws, a tugging sensation pulled at her pelt and lifted her up above the snow that fell beneath her, and in a flash of brilliant light, her surroundings were replaced by that familiar mist which was curious and strange to a clan cat.
"Why are there four clans?" A dark brown cat appeared behind Brightfrost, her dark brown eyes staring with a piercing, almost judgemental stare into the ThunderClan warrior before her. Her position forced the young warrior to turn about in order to see where the feminine voice had come from. It was one filled with lament, her words dripping with sadness that didn't seem normal of the usually prophetic and above-emotion cats of StarClan--or so it seemed to the clan cats.
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Post by berryjuice on Jan 26, 2021 19:49:41 GMT -5
Brightfrost tried to ignore her feeling of dread and focus on peering through the darkness as the dream began. She hadn’t had a dream like this before; this strange cold felt alien to her as well. She told herself that this was good. It was different, but maybe this change represented something good. Progress, maybe- maybe she was getting closer to whatever she had been seeking for so long. Still, she was glad when the odd cold sensation gave way to the sort of chill expected in leaf-bare.
She tried to take in every word that the two cats said. She stayed silent, as if afraid of them noticing her despite it being clear that she wasn’t exactly there. She didn’t want to do anything that might disturb the scene in front of her. This became difficult when the subject turned to ThunderClan. Bloodthirsty- as if they were bloodthirsty for desperately fighting for what was theirs. Brightfrost didn’t love fighting and sometimes she felt like her leader made the wrong choices- an opinion she had gotten in trouble for voicing in the past- but there was always a reason for it beyond just a lust for the blood of their enemies. They needed more areas to hunt so that they could feed their kits, or other Clans were threatening to overtake their territory, or a dozen other things. This vision seemed to confirm what she had always been told- that WindClan would take any opportunity to eliminate them. That ThunderClan always needed to be one step ahead of the other Clans, or else they would be doomed.
She was so caught up in her feelings that she almost didn’t notice what was happening to the snow beneath her. She stepped back quickly, ready to leap to safety when the snow crumbled- but where was there to go?
And then she was being held by something; she was safe. She was in the StarClan that she was familiar with. To some it might be a relief, but she desperately wished to return to the two white cats- to know what else might be said.
She turned around at the voice. She paused for a moment, searching her mind for an answer that was evading her. Her mind was scattered now as she thought of the two white cats and the way that those around her talked hatefully about other Clans. She said that first coherent thing that came to mind, “It is StarClan’s will that there be four Clans in the forest.”
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