Ravenstar
Shadowclan Leader
“Shadowclan.” Ravenstar leaped ontop of a branch, his golden gaze scanned the crowd for a moment. The other leaders had sent out their patrols in search of the new territories.. It was certainly time for Shadowclan to find theirs, as it wasn’t the easiest journey to begin with.. Saying goodbye to those that chose to stay behind in the old territories because they weren’t strong enough for the travel or the ones that had been buried there had certainly taken a bit of an emotional toll on Ravenstar.
Ravenstar’s eyes had remained focused on the grave of Mercuryrose, the former Shadowclan leader and his mother. It was midnight, while everyone else had retired to their nests for the night.. Ravenstar had slipped away from camp to spend one last time with his mother. A part of him had wanted to be selfish, not wanting to leave the territories in order to stay with those that were buried or chose to not travel to find new land.. But he had to think of those that were counting on him for survival. The black leader had been quietly having conversation with Mercuryrose’s grave the entire night, voicing his thoughts.. His fears and dreams.
Another feline had joined him.
Juncostar’s grave was next to Mercuryrose, so it made sense for both of them to be buried together.. The era of Juncostar and Mercuryrose had ended so tragically but.. The legacy that both of them had left behind was unforgettable. Aspenwood had slowly made his way towards the two graves and Ravenstar and soon sat in front of Juncostar’s grave, his orange gaze remained forward. Ravenstar had looked at Aspenwood with a surprised expression before looking forward towards the grave as well. Ever since both felines had been born, there had been an intense rivalry.. But their brotherhood was stronger and the bond they shared would never be broken.
The both of them had sat at the graves until the sun came up, both of them silent the entire time.. Speaking to their deceased parents about their hopes and dreams, about to tell Mercuryrose and Juncostar.. Goodbye.
Ravenstar snapped out of his thoughts when looking down at the feines, he needed to compose himself. Clearing his throat, he glanced over at Silkweb, his younger sister. “Silkweb, you will lead a patrol to go through the la-” “WHAT DO YOU MEAN?” Silkweb said, her dark ember eyes were narrowed as the black and gray molly looked up at her brother. Ravenstar’s golden gaze narrowed slightly. Silkweb always had a mouth, which got her in so much trouble.. He would send Aspenwood, but the dark gray tabby was sulking in the back. If the Shadowclan patrol had encountered others, he knew Silkweb wouldn’t back down.
“I would rather search for the land myself instead of having these losers start slowing me down.” Silkweb huffed, to which Ravenstar glared at his sister. She had Mercuryrose’s temper, which he needed.. But had a different attitude in which he wasn’t sure where that came from. “You’re leading a patrol Silkweb, find some felines to join you.” Ravenstar said calmly before jumping off the branch and going towards Lilyfall and Mintstrike.
Silkweb let out a huff before looking at the group “Which one of you wants to join?”
Soulpaw- shadowclan apprentice
A thick fog swirled over Soulpaw’s mind as she curled her tail over her paws, sitting near the other apprentices but not close enough to hear their little whispers to each other. She kept her eyes fixed on Ravenstar, though she couldn’t really focus on what he was saying. She was thinking about her camp and her territory, the place she’d spent her whole life-- at least, from what she could remember. Her earlier days were a mystery to her, but her earliest memory was opening her eyes to tall trees surrounding her, with the familiar scent of her birth mother fading into the distance. That was here, in this territory, and now all these moons later moving day was upon them. Soulpaw was scared, but she didn’t know what there was to be scared of. It almost felt like she was leaving a part of herself behind. It’s not like she wanted to find a way to explore her past, but now she’d never be able to. The thought of losing that choice made her deeply uncomfortable. As Ravenstar wrapped up his speech, Soulpaw glanced over her shoulder towards Tenderpine, who of course was already watching her and met her gaze with one of her signature sweet smiles. It was almost impossible not to warm up when she saw one of those, and she gave a little purr in return.
Silverscreech’s voice caught Soulpaw’s attention, her ears twitching towards the sound before she turned her head to look at her mentor. She got to her feet as she tried to remember what Silkweb’s patrol was meant to do. She should have been paying more attention, but she guessed she would figure it out.
“Coming!” She called, looking once more towards Tenderpine who gave her a nod of encouragement. She felt like a kit as she fought the urge to run up and nuzzle her mother on the nose, instead turning back around and finally padding over to her mentor. She stood next to Zinniapaw and brushed her fluffy black pelt briefly against the orange she-cat's soft fur. Zinniapaw was the closest thing Soulpaw had to a friend at this point. Soulpaw gave a polite nod to Silkweb and the other warriors who had gathered around; she respected them immensely, but sometimes she felt silence was a more respectful response when she didn’t know what to say. Soulpaw was a quiet little molly, and although she was not nearly as meek as she seemed, it was easy to perceive her that way based on her small stature and quiet nature.
Tenderpine- Shadowclan warrior
Tenderpine often tried to hang back from her daughter during meetings and ceremonies--she wanted the young apprentice to socialize with her denmates and get well acquainted with her Clanmates. Soulpaw tended to usually stay close to Silverscreech, though, and rarely branched out to the rest of the clan. She didn’t want to smother her daughter, so she maintained her distance during meetings and usually didn’t attend patrols with little Soulpaw unless she asked. Tenderpine wanted with all her heart to keep babying Soulpaw like she had for their entire time together in the nursery. She had to remember that her responsibility as a mother was not only to look after her young one, but to also make sure she could properly look after herself. During Soulpaw’s earlier days as an apprentice, Tenderpine would try and stick her nose into the training sometimes-- she couldn’t help it. But nowadays, she hung back. She watched with a patient smile as Soulpaw slowly made her way over to her mentor, trying to give her most encouraging look to push her daughter’s spirits.