Fandom Deluge: A Warrior Cats 1x1

[Epilogue]

This is a 1x1 between myself and Silent Howling . c:

 

[Silent Howling]

FeatherClan
Bailey​

A sudden yowl startled Bailey out of herb sorting and he raced to the entrance of his den, just as Goosepaw raced in and the two collided. The medicine felt his breath get knocked out of him as the young apprentice bowled him over and he was quick to scramble to his paws while also questioning, "Goosepaw! What's the matter?" "It's Softpaw, we were practicing our rock climbing and she slipped and she's not moving and Redjaw told me to come back and-" the apprentice was cut off when a fluffy tail whacked against his mouth. "Hush Goosepaw, let me grab some herbs and then take me there." The blue-gray apprentice was jittery as Bailey took his time gathering herbs he could need. The medicine cats main concern was that Softpaw wasn't moving. Satisfied that he had the correct herbs, he followed Goosepaw out of the den and out of camp, the two racing towards the training area that FeatherClan used to teach cats how to scale rocks. The area in question was a series of different sized cliffs that apprentices were taught to safely scale in preparation for their warriorship. It didn't take all that long for Bailey and Goosepaw to arrive at the area, the apprentice heading over to stand by his sister and Blossompaw, who he had sent out with the warriors to practice her own rock climbng, while the medicine cat headed over to the limp form that was Softpaw and pushed his way to stand beside Redjaw, Bluefrost and Dawnrunner while meowing, "Tell me what happened."

​

 

[Epilogue]

FeatherClan
Dawnrunner and Bluefrost
​

If there was one part of Clan life that never changed, it was the mousebrained shenanigans of apprentices. Though it'd been some seasons now since Dawnrunner was an apprentice, she remembered her and her denmates' antics as if it'd only been moons ago when she stood in FeatherClan's training grounds and attempted to outpace her companions up the cliffside with their mentors voicing their irritation from below. She never won those races--her name wasn't Dawnclimber, after all; she was speedier on the ground than with climbing, but she always tried, and her mentor always scolded her for it afterwards. She could still picture the fire in Blizzardfall's eyes and the bush of his tail as he condemned her for her careless actions. They were training, not playing, he always reminded her. There was no room for mishaps out on the grounds; someone could get hurt.

Blizzardfall was right, naturally (wasn't he always?), but it hadn't been Dawnrunner or her denmates lying unconscious on the dusty floor below the cliff that confirmed his words. The crumpled heap before her pulled her from the past back into the present where Softpaw lay frighteningly still, her breaths coming and going at a depth far too shallow for Dawnrunner's liking. Blizzardfall had been right to scold her, just as she'd been right to scold Goosepaw, her own apprentice. Bluefrost had sent him off for Bailey when Softpaw failed to answer their calls--that felt like ages ago, now. Time had a habit of pausing and starting at all the worst moments.

Dawnrunner cast a glance at her friend. FeatherClan's deputy stood before the remaining apprentices, her already thick fur puffed out to twice its normal size and her ears flat against her head as she snarled at them. She almost felt sorry for the young cats. Bluefrost wasn't known for her gentleness, and when she was mad, her words felt like frostbite right down to the bone. Softpaw was her apprentice. As a fellow mentor, Dawnrunner felt her pain, and she imagined Redjaw--the mentor of Moonpaw who was standing beside her--knew it too.

Bluefrost had just about finished her rant by the time Goosepaw returned, Bailey in tow. Dawnrunner held back a sigh of relief. That would come later when they knew Softpaw was going to be alright. She opened her mouth to answer his query, but Bluefrost beat her to it.

"They--" Bluefrost gestured to the apprentices with a lash of her tail. "--were racing to see who could reach the top of the cliff first despite our warnings, and Softpaw lost her grip and fell." She cast a glare back at the apprentices and then at Goosepaw, who'd yet to receive his share of her fury--though Dawnrunner suspected he'd seen it plenty of times before. Bluefrost was his mother, she recalled. He (and Moonpaw) would have to deal with a mother's rage on top of an angry mentor. Brutal.

"She hasn't moved since she fell," Dawnrunner piped up, turning her attention to Bailey. "I'm hopeful she hasn't any internal damage--she hasn't been bleeding out the mouth or anywhere I can see--but I'm no medicine cat." She dipped her head to him, and out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Bluefrost finally deflate, her fur falling back on her as she stared at her apprentice.

"Will she be okay?" she asked the medicine cat, not taking her eyes off Softpaw. Dawnrunner ran her tail down the blue-gray she-cat's spine comfortingly.

 

[Silent Howling]

FeatherClan
Bailey and Redjaw​

As Bluefrost told the medicine cat what happened and then asked the inevitable 'will she be okay' question, Bailey rounded on his own apprentice and snarled, "You mousebrain of an apprentice! You should no better than to race up the cliff!" Seeing Blossompaw flinch at the anger was enough for now and Bailey turned back to his patient, gently feeling along Softpaw's legs and back for any lumps that would indicate a break and was relieved up until the the apprentice's left hindleg which was starting to radiate a bit of heat. I'm just glad that she's unconscious for this.

The medicine cat pushed down a little harder on the leg which was when he could feel the bump that indicated a not fully broken bone, but a partial one which he grew worried for. Honestly, I would suggest taking her to Twoleg's to help with this but I think I'd get my ears clawed for it. But it shouldn't be any harder than that of a broken bone. "Her leg is fractured. Which means the bone hasn't fully broken, but partially. I'll bind it together and then we can get her back to my den. If she can sit still once she wakes up, she should heal up just fine." Bailey explained to the cats and then turned to his son, "Redjaw, I want you to head back to camp with Dawnrunner and tell Duckstar what happened. Now doubt he heard Goosepaw's yowling. Oh and take the apprentices with you. I'm sure Duckstar will have a nice, fun punishment."

"What about her unconsciousness?" Redjaw meowed, concerned when Softpaw didn't even protest at the rough treatment of her leg.

"She would've hit her head and I can't treat that until she wakes up so I can see how severe it is. Bluefrost can help me carry her back to camp, but I need you to go now Redjaw."

Redjaw gave a nod before he called the three apprentices together and ran off with Dawnrunner running beside him. Bailey watched them all leave before he turned back to Softpaw, binding her leg together carefully with plenty of cobwebs, small sticks and bindweed to keep the splint together while meowing to Bluefrost, "I want you to take her front and be careful with her head. I'll take her back to make sure her leg doesn't jostle around too much."

----------

Redjaw ran carefully along the path, making sure that the apprentices were keeping up and not deciding to do anymore games. I would be angry if they even thought about it. Let's hope they've learned their lesson from all this.

"I'm certainly going to leave your mother to you two" He hissed at Goosepaw and Moonpaw, pleased when they looked scared since Bluefrost wasn't the typical mother that everyone expected she-cats to be, and he turned to hiss at Blossompaw next, "and I'm sure Bailey will have a field day with you Blossompaw. You're lucky you weren't the one injured!"

After his little spiel at the apprentices he turned to Dawnrunner, "I swear young cats are losing their common sense these days. I used to play games with Leopardbelly, but we knew to be safe around the cliffs at least."

 

[Epilogue]

FeatherClan
Bluefrost
​

It had taken all of Bluefrost's restraint not to bat off the ears of those stupid apprentices, and as Bailey assessed Softpaw's injuries and gave a diagnosis, she found her anger threatening to boil over once more. She expected more out of them--her own sons especially. She lashed her tail. Just like their father! she thought, forcing herself to stifle a growl. Her late mate, bless his spirit, had about as much sense as a badger. Her sons seemed to have inherited that trait from him, and if they hadn't received his eyes as well, she swore she would have taken off their tails by now. She watched them now as they left with Dawnrunner and Redjaw, glaring after their retreating figures. She would be having words with their leader about what to do with them once she got back to camp, she decided. There would be a suitable punishment in store for them in the very near future--she would make sure of it.

Bluefrost merely nodded when Bailey addressed her before bending down to pick her own apprentice up off the ground. A fresh pang hit her heart as she aided the medicine cat in (carefully) carrying Softpaw back to camp. The young she-cat had been so excited to start her training for the day. Bluefrost had promised to take her hunting once they finished practicing climbing, but that would be impossible now and for moons after if she recovered. The blue-gray she-cat inwardly shook her head and sighed.

One day at a time, she reminded herself. Let's just get Softpaw back to Bailey's den first, and then we'll go from there. You know, after pulling Goosepaw and Moonpaw's whiskers off!

*****
Dawnrunner and Duckstar
​

Dawnrunner ran alongside Redjaw, not bothering to glance back at the apprentices as she knew they would keep up. Considering the amount of trouble they were in, they would be foolish not to, and Softpaw's accident seemed to have subdued their usual high spirits. Fracturing a bone wasn't something to be taken lightly. They knew that--everyone who lived in the wild did. The reality was Softpaw could still die despite Bailey's treatment, and if she survived, there was a possibility she would never be made a warrior if her leg didn't heal properly. Recovery would be rough road to travel for the young cat, that much was certain.

The pale ginger she-cat nodded when Redjaw spoke, though she knew with a touch of embarrassment that the same wasn't exactly true for herself. What could she say? Young Dawnrunner liked to live life on the edge. It was a phase every apprentice went through, she told herself. Just as freshly named warriors flaunted their new status around and new mates made their clanmates roll their eyes with their constant doting on one-another, apprentices always found a way to land themselves in hot water.

"They'll grow out of it eventually," she answered. "Hopefully this experience will have taught them all a lesson."

It wasn't long before they reached camp. It was still relatively early--midday at most--and the majority of the Clan hadn't yet returned from their duties. Quickbreeze stood on guard, his ears perked with interest and his eyes following them as they headed on in. Blizzardfall was sunning himself just outside the elders den, eyes half-open as he kept an eye on Silvershadow's kits, who were currently keeping themselves busy by stalking his long, fluffy tail. Duckstar himself was nowhere to be seen, but just as Dawnrunner made the motion to cross over to his den, the pure white tom's head poked out of the nursery, his body following shortly after. She called out a greeting to him as he approached.

"Hailkit told me she saw Bailey taking off after Goosepaw out of camp," he meowed, yellow eyes wary. "What's this all about?"

As Dawnrunner explained the situation, the expression on her leader's face turned grim.Once she was finished, he turned to face the apprentices, eyes narrowed.

"Well?" he asked. "What do you have to say for yourselves?"

 

[Silent Howling]

FeatherClan
Bailey
​

The medicine cat padded along behind Bluefrost as the two made their way slowly back to camp so that Softpaw wasn't jostled too much. Something that was rather hard to do when you lived on a mountainous territory that had several cliffs and jagged ledges. But the two cats managed to do quite well as camp was now visible and they now carefully scaled the small ledge, making sure that Softpaw was safe the whole way up and as they entered camp, Bailey's attention was drawn to Duckstar standing over the terrified apprentices. Good. Let's hope that they certainly learnt their lesson. It could be much worse than just a fractured leg.

Bailey and Bluefrost headed into the medicine cat den and Bailey gently let down the part of Softpaw he was carrying and without speaking he went to one of the little dips in the ground that he used as nests and pulled out the old moss that was there, rolling it into a ball before leaving it to go and get fresh moss. Once the nest was ready, Bailey motioned for Bluefrost to place Softpaw there as he turned around and walked into his herb store, grabbing the necessary herbs to treat Softpaw's injuries and returning, "You should go Bluefrost. I'm sure the apprentices need an ear lashing from you as well. But send Blossompaw to me before you do. I want to have my own words with her."

Goosepaw, Moonpaw & Blossompaw
​

"We thought we were getting the hang of cliff climbing really well Duckstar so I proposed that we raced up to see who was better, "Blossompaw meowed whilst hanging her head, "We never thought that Softpaw would get hurt because of it."

"We knew that racing up was dangerous, but we only assumed that was when it rained, not when it was bone dry, but now we know better..." Goosepaw added in, not quite looking into Duckstar's angry gaze as he did so.

"We were mousebrained and we don't really have anything else to say other than we're sorry about it." Moonpaw finished up, glancing at his mentor's disappointed face with flattened ears.

The three apprentices all stared at the ground now, shuffling their paws as they awaited to hear what their leader would do to them.

 

[Epilogue]

FeatherClan
Bluefrost​

At Bailey's signal, Bluefrost slowly set her apprentice down on the moss bedding, positioning her in a way she assumed would be least likely to further aggravate her injured leg. She stood by and watched as Bailey collected his herbs, and then nodded when he spoke. He didn't have to tell her twice. Being in the medicine cat's den always made her anxious. She supposed it had to do with her comings and goings being whenever she was either sick or injured from battle. The last time she'd been admitted to Bailey's den had been last Leaf-bare when a nasty spat of greencough had overtaken her. She'd felt like death for a solid quarter-moon. It was a miracle she survived at all, frankly. Thank StarClan for catmint.

"I will," she responded, then added, "Thank you for your efficiency, Bailey. I know Softpaw is in good paws with you." With a dip of her head, Bluefrost glanced at Softpaw and rested her tail lightly on her shoulder for a brief moment before she turned away and stepped out of Bailey's den, mentally letting out a breath of relief once she was outside again.

Alright, time to deal with those kits of mine, she thought, narrowing her eyes at said pair as she padded across the clearing.

*****
Duckstar​

Duckstar listened as the apprentices offered their explanation, stifling back a sigh. Oh, of course they hadn't thought about the consequences of their actions. Young cats never did. It usually took a few horrible incidents like this before they grew up, though the leader knew that wasn't always the case. Some cats seemed to be doomed to repeat the same bad mistakes their entire lifetime. He just hoped none of the apprentices before him would suffer such a fate.

"The cliffs are never a safe place for games, no matter how dry the rock is," he meowed, frowning at the apprentices. "I would expect warriors in training and our future medicine cat would know better. I'm disappointed in all of you."

"As am I." Duckstar lifted his head and flicked his tail in greeting to his deputy when she spoke. The blue-gray she-cat took a seat beside him, fixing her children with a glare sharp enough to cut through stone. "I swear, you must have bees in your brains if you thought those cliffs were safe enough!" she hissed at them.

"So what are we going to do with this lot?" Dawnrunner spoke up. Out of all of them, she seemed the most sympathetic towards the younger cats, he noticed. He tipped his head to the side and mulled over her question in his head for a couple moments before answering.

"Since they behaved like kits, I think they should spend a few days confined in camp with Silvershadow and Blizzardfall keeping an eye on them," he decided. "Afterwards, I'm assuming Blossompaw will be responsible for dealing with Softpaw's needs in addition to whatever else Bailey tasks her with, but as for Goosepaw and Moonpaw, in addition to hunting for the elders as well as the queens, you'll have to hunt for Softpaw and Bailey as well before taking prey for yourselves. And all three of you are banned from attending the next two Gatherings."

He looked at the mentors to see if they were all in agreement. Dawnrunner nodded, as did Bluefrost, though she seemed a tad disappointed with his decision. He supposed with a hint of amusement that she would have picked a more severe punishment had she been in his place.

"If that's all, then you three are all dismissed," he ordered with a sweep of his tail.

"Bailey wants you in his den, Blossompaw," Bluefrost added.

 

[Silent Howling]

Other
Gingertuft
​

It was moonlight as a large figure slunk their way through the shadows, the almost full moon providing just enough light for them to easily see the path they were trekking, even if it was the middle of the night. As the figure crossed a patch of moonlight, the light revealed a large she-cat with tufty ears and a lack of a tail. The cat knew she was different looking from the others, but after many moons of teasing, she had gotten used to it, as sad as that was. As the she-cat padded along a slowly sloping path, she stopped as the familiar scents began to mix with scents she had been taught to fight as a young cat. Letting out a quiet purr, she gazed into the darkness and seeing a familiar shape moving towards her, she bounded across the border and shoved her face in the soft ginger fur of her best friend and mate, simply breathing in his comforting scent after having a bad day.

"I've missed you so much Jaggedface!" the she-cat whimpered, not removing her face from the toms fur, "I didn't have such a good day today..."

 

[Epilogue]

Other
Jaggedface
​

A lone owl hooted into the darkness, nearly causing the ginger tom who was skulking through the undergrowth to jump out of his fur at the sound. The tom's muscles tensed as a shadow fell over him, temporarily blocking out what little moonlight shown through the canopy of leaves above. He kept still until the shadow passed and then remained where he was for an additional minute before he trekked on, keeping his body low to the ground. The grass beneath his paws was wet from a recent spat of rain, and occasionally, droplets of water fell down from the trees and splattered his pelt. The tom flattened his ears and resisted the urge to shake out his fur in irritation. If he wasn't going to see her, he swore he wouldn't have set one toe outside of his nest.

But there she was. The tom's green eyes lit up and he stood up straight, purring as a large ginger she-cat--even larger than himself--streaked towards him. He stumbled a little when she butted into him and then pressed against her in turn, giving the top of her head a lick when his mate buried her face into his fur.

"Gingertuft," Jaggedface greeted her happily, though the warmth in his voice wavered a little at her words. Looking around, he spotted a rock that looked dry enough and padded over in its direction, gesturing for his mate to follow him before leaping up onto it and settling himself down on the cool stone.

"Tell me everything," he simply meowed.

 

[Silent Howling]

Other
Gingertuft
​

"Reedstar wants me to mentor one of his and Forester's kits, but they are so small I have to watch myself around them otherwise I'd crush them and the warriors are all making fun of me for it. I can't change his mind either, he's having the ceremony at Sunhigh." Gingertuft began, leaning against Jaggedface's side and resting her head on her large paws, "I know I shouldn't let it get to me, but after all the moons of it, I'm just sick of it. I hate not looking normal and I hate being the largest cat in all the Clans!" The ginger she-cat gave a loving lick to her mates cheek and let out a purr.

"You make it so much better though. You've always been there for me ever since we were apprentices and I love you so much for it." Gingertuft turned away and took a deep breath before meowing, "Jaggedface... you're going to be a father. I'm expecting kits."

Gingertuft tensed as she waited for Jaggedface's response. She'd gone to see Yellowsky earlier that day after waking up sick and the medicine cat had told her the news. Her immediate thought was excitement that she was going to have kits of her own before she was overcome with feelings of guilt and worry that the father of her kits was from another Clan.

"What will we do?"

 

[Epilogue]

Other
Jaggedface
​

Jaggedface stroked his tail down Gingertuft's back, nodding along as she spoke. "I think you'll make a good mentor to that kit," he disagreed lightly. "You had to learn early not to trample your smaller clanmates throughout your apprenticeship, didn't you? You won't hurt them--they'll probably learn more from having you as a mentor, anyway. You're one of the most dangerous opponents on the battlefield." He blinked at her fondly.

However, he understood what she meant about not fitting in. She knew that. Cats tended to cringe when they looked at his face, though it hadn't always been that way. He'd been known as Foxpaw up until midway through his apprenticeship when he ran into a young cougar during an assessment. Had it been a full-fledged adult, he was sure that his savior, Echostar, wouldn't have been able to shove him off the side of the cliff with a powerful lunge. He'd fallen with the cougar in the effort, but thankfully, the tom had been caught on a ledge below. He lost one of his lives that day, but he saved Jaggedface's. He was grateful to him for that; always would be.

"I love you too," he murmured. He leaned over to press his muzzle against hers, but just at that moment, she turned away. Confused, he opened his mouth to ask her what was wrong, but as he soon discovered, that was unnecessary. His mouth remained open, however, as her words were enough to unhinge his jaws.

A father. Gingertuft was pregnant. He was going to be a father.

Great StarClan, what should he do? He wanted to purr and cry out simultaneously. He remained speechless for a long moment, his emotions bouncing back and forth from ecstasy to terror--two ends of the opposite spectrum--before it settled somewhere in the middle. He swallowed, gathering his words, and then turned to his mate and licked her between her ears.

"I'm happy, of course," he purred. "You're going to be a wonderful mother." He hesitated briefly, then meowed, "We'll figure something out. Together. We just need to think about it." He closed his eyes.

 

[Silent Howling]

Other
Gingertuft
​

Gingertuft nodded and closed her eyes, pressing her muzzle against Jaggedface's and she gave it a lick, "I suppose I can talk to Lionleap. He was my apprentice so he can pose as a father if I asked. Not that he'd be happy about it. I just can't leave my Clan. As much as I would love to in order to raise a family with you, I can't. With this next apprentice, I can prove so much." She paused and gained a humorous glint in her eyes, "That and I don't think Monarchwing would appreciate anymore stress right now. How's he doing anyway?"

The she-cat turned to look at the almost full moon and leaned against Jaggedface before leaping to her paws and bowling her mate over, pinning him to the ground quickly before purring and touching her nose to his, "Jaggedface, you are the most important cat to me and have been since we became friends. I won't ask you to leave your own Clan for me, but it would make me the happiest she-cat if you could consider it. To be a real father to these kits without the lies to our Clanmates." Turning away, Gingertuft frowned, "I'm asking too much from you. We can think some more and talk at the Gathering if we get to go, let's have some fun before we need to go back to our Clans."

Giving a loving lick to the scar that gave her mate his name before standing up, Gingertuft bounded away and waved her lack of a tail while purring; crouching down afterwards.

 

[Epilogue]

Other
Jaggedface
​

Jaggedface nodded. "I understand." His fur prickled a bit, however, at the idea of another tom raising his kits. He wouldn't be replacing him as Gingertuft's mate, he knew, but his kin would know Lionleap as their father, not him. Jaggedface resisted growling at the thought and forced his pelt to settle. Now wasn't the time to be jealous.

A purr of amusement worked its way through Jaggedface at his mate's question. Poor, poor Monarchwing. He could never catch a break, could he? The tom always seemed to be stressing over one thing or another, or in some cases, everything all at once. He was about to tell her the latest story of Monarchwing's many woes when the she-cat leaped on him, knocking them both off the rock. He grunted as he hit the ground and looked up at her, his green eyes sparkling with mirth.

"You big furball," he purred. His ears pricked as she spoke and he fell silent, pondering her words. Could he leave his Clan behind for her and their kits? He'd have to leave the territory he knew like the back of his paw behind, and the clanmates he cherished would become his enemies the next time they met in battle. Not to mention he would have to live beneath the trees. He hated the forest, truthfully speaking. The woodland was suffocating compared to the open air of the mountains.

He loved Gingertuft, though, and he loved their unborn kits. He could do it. For them, he could leave his Clan.

Couldn't he?

She released him and he purred, leaping up to his paws and giving chase. "I'm going to get you!" he boasted as he pounced at her.

 

[Silent Howling]

GlacierClan
Monarchwing
​

The moment that Monarchwing woke up, he knew that it was a bad idea and that things would go wrong. The ginger and black tom sat on the perch that the leader called for Clan Meetings from and sighed, looking up at the rising sun, noting that the dawn patrol would be back soon. Hearing some paw steps coming towards him, the deputy turned his head to see Frostnose approaching and he let out a sigh, causing the medicine cat to chuckle in amusement,

"Relax Monarchwing, nothing's wrong. I just came to see how you were doing."

"Outside of the normal stress?"

"Of course."

"Well then I'd say I'm doing just fine. The terrible five are still sleeping in the nursery, Crowface's kits haven't been born and the elderly duo have not harassed me so far. Couldn't be better." Monarchwing meowed, flattening his ears as he thought of previous day where Icegaze's kits had managed to sneak out of camp and climb the highest point of the territory, not only managing to make their mother panic, but make the deputy climb up and rescue them. One at a time.

"Well I'll leave you be then. You know where to find me."

Giving a nod and watching the medicine cat disappear, Monarchwing was pleased to see the dawn patrol return, but at Wildfur's anxious look he bounded over to the patrol and questioned them,

"What's the matter? Has something happened?"

"We caught the strong scent of CypressClan close to the border. More cats than a normal border patrol. I think they are planning something, but since they haven't trespassed, we can't do anything about it. Just thought you should know though."

Monarchwing gave a doubtful nod, something he knew he shouldn't be doubting, but being apprenticed to Smokespirit had left the tom with many habits that made his Clanmates frustrated with him. The deputy would swear on StarClan though that Smokespirit enjoyed it. Not that the elderly tom would ever make it known he did. Just like his brother. I'm going to die from stress at this point, a first for any cat I think.

Wildfur purred in amusement, familiar with his leaders antics and meowed, "Take a patrol and check it out yourself."

The deputy nodded and walked over to the warriors den, poking his head in and after seeing the cats that were still sleeping, he gained a mischievous look, the warriors that were awake gaining an understanding look and silently getting up to leave the den.

"Jaggedface! Heronleg! Freckle! Time for patrol!" He screeched, watching as Heronleg immediately shot into the air with his fur fluffed out and frightened eyes before spotting the deputy and groaning, but wordlessly padding out of the den and going to the camp entrance to wait. Monarchwing soon joined him with the other two warriors beside him and he explained.

"Wildfur says that CypressClan could be planning something. We're just going to sweep by the border and see what's there."

 

[Epilogue]

GlacierClan
Freckle and Jaggedface
​

Freckle's eyes popped open and he scrambled to sit up, he heart leaping into his throat before falling back down once he realized he wasn't in any danger. He shot his deputy a scowl before rapidly running his tongue over his enlarged pelt. It was days like this where he wished he was still residing at the barn he was born in with his late sister, Honey. Back then, he could emerge from his warm hay nest whenever he pleased and hunt whenever he felt hungry. There'd been no waking up at dawn to patrol borders or getting into brawls with rival Clans over something as petty as a single scrap of prey, and, most importantly, there'd been no Monarchwing around to rip him out of his dreams with one of his shenanigans.

He must have gotten that from Smokespirit, he thought as he smoothed his ruffled fur. I heard he was his mentor back in the day. Poor fella. Snorting, he stood up and padded across the den, pausing to give Jaggedface--who liked like he was about to fall asleep again--a jab in his side. The tom grunted and glared up at him, green eyes bleary.

"I'm awake," he mumbled, jaws parting into an enormous yawn.

"Hardly," Freckle meowed, whiskers twitching with amusement. "What's up with you? Couldn't sleep through Longear's snoring?"

"I heard that." The black and white tom's head poked up from his nest. "I was hardly snoring at all last night, thank you very much," he grumbled before setting his head back down. Freckle flicked an ear at him.

"I just had trouble sleeping is all." Jaggedface stood up slowly and arched his back. "Everything's fine now," he added after a moment.

"Let's go, then." Freckle padded across the mossy floor of the den and pushed his head through the entrance, squinting at the sunlight. It was still early--not yet sunhigh--but the rays felt strong for Newleaf morning. Looking around, he spotted his niece and nephew practicing battle moves just outside the apprentice den. He let out a fond purr at the scene before he turned his attention to Monarchwing and Heronleg, twitching his tail in greeting as he approached. Not a moment later, Jaggedface appeared at his side, looking only slightly livelier than he had minutes ago back in the warriors den. The ginger tom, however, seem to start as though dropped in freezing water when Monarchwing explained the situation.

"Planning something?" he echoed. "What could CypressClan be planning? I doubt we have anything they'd want. It might have just been a regular patrol and a hunting patrol Wildfur smelled."

"Maybe," Freckle responded carefully, "but we ought to check anyway. Better safe than sorry, yeah?"

"Are you going out?"

A new voice entered the conversation, cutting through Jaggedface's response. Doepaw's scent drifted through Freckle's nostrils and the brown tom craned his neck to spot her. She was standing a little ways away from her mentor, her amber eyes trained on him as she spoke.

"Can I come with you?" she asked him. "Sandpaw already hunted for Smokespirit--he caught him the biggest rabbit I've ever seen!" The she-cat let out a small purr. Freckle felt a flicker of pride in his chest.

Just like his mother, he thought to himself. My sister was the best hunter that barn ever saw.

 

[Silent Howling]

GlacierClan
Monarchwing Wildfur & Frostnose
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"CypressClan! Attack!" Before Heronleg or Monarchwing could answer the young apprentice, a sudden loud yowl echoed throughout GlacierClan's camp and Monarchwing froze as he watched cats pour into the camp and launch themselves at his Clanmates. The ginger and black tom spun around and leapt towards a small she-cat that he distinctly remembered was an apprentice. Despite the small amount of guilt the deputy felt for the small she-cat, it quickly disappeared as she was joined by an extremely large she-cat that was always recognizable at gatherings.

"Gingertuft. How nice of your Clan to attack us when we haven't done anything."

"That's what you think, but our dawn patrol caught GlacierClan scents and not for the first time!"

Monarchwing growled when the smaller apprentice attacked him first and dodged, only to find himself in the claws of Gingertuft. This is not the matchup I would have dreamed of. Gingertuft is certainly an advantage in battle! Monarchwing fought hard against the warrior and apprentice, turning to give a sharp bite to the apprentice when he felt a horrible pain in his hind leg as it was tugged. The deputy was dragged to the ground and before he could turn to fight off his attacker, he felt large paws pin him to the ground before the apprentice swiped at his face. Monarchwing hissed before stretching his neck to grab the apprentices leg and bit down hard, causing the apprentice to squeal with pain, although it didn't last long as Gingertuft ran her claws down his shoulders, still keeping his leg in a firm grip between her jaws. Monarchwing managed to twist around as the apprentice ran away and brought his paws up to claw Gingertuft over the muzzle, the giant she-cat leaping backwards, accidentally dragging the deputy backwards in an awkward way and when he felt the crack and pop of the leg, screeched in pain.

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The moment that CypressClan cats began to pour into his camp, Wildfur ran over to the elders den and stood guard at the entrance, his curly fur fluffed up, making him look for like a bush than a cat. His amber eyes narrowed as he watched his Clanmates fight off the intruders and he was pleased to see Heronleg racing over to join him and Dovefeather going over to the nursery with a couple of other Clanmates. While he had no doubt that Icegaze could send a cat running just by glaring at them, it wasn't a risk he wanted her to take with Crowface so close to giving birth.

"Smokespirit and I can deal with any cat that comes near us, you need to help your Clanmates." Braveheart's gruff meow startled the ginger tom and he glanced at the ancient tom with widened eyes.

"No offence Braveheart, but your probably just a bit too old to be fighting off spirited young warriors."

A grunt and pawsteps walking away indicated that Braveheart had gone back to his nest. Probably to sleep through the battle. Actually that's Smokespirit's thing. Didn't Braveheart mentor Smokespirit though back in the day? His thoughts were broken by Heronleg skidding up beside him, his sides heaving, but the young tom didn't have time to catch his breath as he was bowled over by CypressClan's deputy, Fawnheart, the she-cat viciously clawing his back. Wildfur made to help him, but changed course as he spotted Reedstar sneaking around, and attacked the enemy leader by leaping onto his back and clawing it.

"Get out of our camp!"

"Not until we teach you a lesson for tresspassing!"

Reedstar flipped onto his back, squashing Wildfur beneath him and when the warriors grip loosened, he rolled away and then pounced on the warrior, digging his claws in deep, knowing from past experience that Wildfur's fur often snagged and tore claws, something that was very painful. Wildfur yowled in pain before he kicked out at the leader, only to be bowled over by an enemy cat and he growled, recognizing Acornmask standing above him.

Dammit, there's a lot of them!

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Frostnose cowered in the nursery as the sounds of battle echoed around him, having been in the nursery checking on Crowface when CypressClan had launched their attack. As a warrior forced their way into the den, Icegaze spat and hissed as she clawed at them, sending them squealing out of the den. The ginger she-cat turned to her nest to look at her kits before she was leapt on by a large apprentice. Frostnose ran over to Icegaze's nest and nudged the five kits that caused the Clan so many problems out of the nest and over to Crowface.

He may have been a medicine cat, but if Frostnose had to fight, then he would fight. Not that he would look forward to it. But any warrior who went after a queen and her kits didn't deserve to be called a honorable warrior. A yelp of pain caused him to look up and he saw Icegaze had managed to grab the apprentices scruff and was dragging them out of the den and after a harsh bite to the scruff, sent them running.

"That'll teach that Darkpaw to not come after a queen with kits in her next battle. Thanks for keeping my kits company Frostnose. And don't worry, I'll protect you all."

It was then that Frostnose heard it. The screech of pain that he could tell came from Monarchwing and judging from the loudness of it, the deputy of GlacierClan had been seriously injured. Bracing himself, Frostnose took a deep breath before racing out of the nursery and towards his own den, carefully dodging warriors and after looking around, he spotted Monarchwing lying underneath the body of Gingertuft, the one cat that everyone knew, but he was surprised to see the look of horror on her face as she kept her own Clanmates away from the surprisingly still form of the deputy and the medicine cat grew concerned when Monarchwing didn't move. Not waiting another heartbeat, he raced into his den and grabbed the necessary herbs he would need to treat his Clanmates.

Then the second screech happened. And this time it was coming from the nursery. No! Not now! We can't have kits born during a battle!