Eagletalon had only been a warrior for a short while, so it remained fresh in his mind how proud he had felt when his father, Hawkstar, announced his name to the clan. Despite the circumstances of his father's possession, he had remained Hawkstar's most loyal supporter. All the very young warrior wanted to do was make his father proud. But with the gap between himself and his clanmates only being pushed further apart, Eagletalon was lonely. As a new warrior he was still coming into his own, he felt out of place among the senior warriors, he felt disconnected from his mother and his siblings, and yet... he felt too awkward among the apprentices. Felt like he was too old to still be acting like one. Standing on his hindlegs, Eagletalon dug his claws into the bark of one of the towering oaks, clawing at the surface and shaking his head as flakes of bark fell toward him. Ever since the battle, he'd been even more isolated, simply providing for his clan and keeping himself as far away from trouble as possible.

It was somewhat windy today, the willows baying and swooshing with the breeze. Stormgrowl's long fur was more than enough insulation that it didn't really bother him too much, and with some predators deterred by the bad weather, it was the perfect time for a date with his mate, Nightwhisper. The pretty young she-cat was the love of his life, and now the two had finally admitted their feelings for each other despite the age difference, he couldn't be happier, nor wait to father kits once she was ready. The tom had told her to meet him at sunset, where he had set up a spot for them to share among the roots of a larger willow. Grasses had been patted down into a comfortable cushion, where he sat, waiting for his beloved to arrive. Her scent finally crossed his nostrils, over the scent of the prey at his paws awaiting them, and he stood to pad over and meet her. The big tom brushed his pelt along hers, winding himself around her, before licking the top of her head. "Hello, love..." His low voice rumbled, a purr in his chest. "Come, let's eat." He purred, the lightning bugs beginning to stir in the fading light of day.

"...Jayspirit...?" Sleetstorm called out to his littermate as his paws touched down on the island ground. His brother had asked him to come hunting, but now he was nowhere to be seen... Sleetstorm had tracked his brother's scent the entire way here, but as he put his paws onto the island, the trail ended abruptly. Sleetstorm's ears flicked in frustration as he padded inland further, seeing no indicators of Jayspirit's presence. Hmph... fine... Suppose Jayspirit didn't want to spend time with him after all. Turning tail, he started heading back toward the coast. As he broke from the trees and onto the more sandy ground, he spotted Frostflower stepping off the tree-bridge. It was then that he saw the log beginning to slip, and he broke out into a run. As much as he hated Frostflower, he couldn't watch her be swept away by the moving log. He sunk his teeth into her scruff, hauling her clear just in time as the log splintered a little and cracked as it broke away, instead lodging itself too far away from their side of the land to be functional. It would take a cat actively pushing it back over from the other side to work again... He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Frostflower, letting go of her scruff. "...Looks like we're stuck here." He muttered, lashing his tail. "Great." His voice dripped with sarcasm.

The moon hung high over the sky, casting beams of silver light between the towering pines. The cave twinkled in the blooming light, casting a shadow over a lone she-cat who sat at the mouth of the cave. Her gaze was trained on the sky, as if she were waiting for someone. The calico molly stood up when pawsteps began approaching, her melancholy shifting into frustration as her quarry passed on by. Waiting until he had padded by, she stepped from the shadowed mouth of the cave. "Nightstorm," She started, her voice tense. Having left her remaining kits in camp under the protection of the other queens, Mapledawn had to confront the large tom about his behaviour. "You have some explaining to do." Her stubby tail lashed irritably as she padded toward him, her shoulders bunched. Her kits had started noticing the way the two had become distant. Mapledawn was hurt, first two of her kits had been given to Thunderclan, and now Nightstorm had distanced himself without a word. The queen puffed out her chest, trying to hide the way her paws shook and her heart fluttered anxiously in her chest. "You haven't even looked at me since Lightkit and Owlkit were taken. Have I done something wrong? Are you blaming me for what happened?" Her eyes were shimmering with hurt, the moonlight making her tears glint. "You were always around the nursery, Acornkit and Squirrelkit need you. I need you. At least tell me if you aren't interested in us any more." Her eyes were pleading, "Please."

Dante Rogue Tom The black smoky tabby flicked his ears almost uneasily as he padded into the Skyclan camp, Laurelpaw following behind him. He looked back at her, and lowered his voice to speak. His ears flicked around with every small sound, and the rogue was aware of eyes turning to fix on him as cats stirred from their dens. He was definitely a sight, from his tabby tail tied with a bandana, to his sleek fur that looked more like a kittypet's than a clan cat's. "Where is he then...?" He whispered, clearly referring to Firestar. Not seeing the tom almost immediately made him impatient- "Are you sure this is the right place? There's an awful lot of cats here..." It made his skin crawl, in all honesty. The many pairs of eyes boring into him, the pelts beginning to bristle at the sight of the stranger in their territory. But Dante made himself as inconspicuous as possible, making a conscious effort to keep up his confident demeanour, puffing out his chest and keeping his head high. What did he have to be ashamed of? He had brought a pretty she-cat back to her home! And yet, why did his stomach feel like it was tied in knots?

The calico queen lounged outside of the nursery, her paws stretched out in front of her and her hind-legs equally stretched. It wasn't often that she felt comfortable enough to lounge around since Ospreyshadow's visit to the Shadowclan camp, but today was a rare exception. As her four foster-kits played in the shade beneath one of the towering trees leaning over the camp, Mapledawn didn't take her eyes from them for a second. Those kits exhausted her, but what kit didn't exhaust their mother? It didn't mean she loved them any less. She was sad her own kits had just left the nursery, but glad to have the extra space around. It always got stuffy when it came to having apprentice-sized kits in the nursery. With Hareflight's new kits in the nursery, the former medicine cat would need all the space she could get. Her eyes wandered from the kits for a moment until she spotted Juncostar. Sitting upright, she took this as an opportunity to question him about expanding the nursery and reinforcing it to help protect it from any more unwanted visitors. Padding over to him, she dipped her head- still keeping her ears fixed in the direction of the four half-clan kits. "Juncostar," She started, warmly. "I wanted to talk to you about the nursery. I think myself and the other queens would feel safer if we had more brambles and thorns woven into the walls of the den." It would make for good protection, as long as on the insides the thorns and pointy edges were padded with some other material. "Lightkit, Owlkit, Squirrelkit and Acornkit should feel welcome and protected in the nursery, and not like we want any Thunderclan intruders interfering with them again." Her stern, serious expression met his. Whilst they may feel safe today, it could take a second for them to all be put in danger once more.

Mapledawn | Shadowclan Queen Her kits were finally getting too big for the nursery. Fernkit spent more time pestering the apprentices than in the nursery with her mother and their foster siblings, Dustkit pestered warriors to be taken out on patrol, and Patchkit had taken a particular shine to waiting on the other queens much like apprentices had made a habit of doing. The three of them had even made nests outside- although still slept inside on cold nights. Her heart tugged as she watched her youngest daughter padding across the clearing, holding a bundle of moss in her jaws as Willowshade, one of the newest warriors, stepped aside to let her pad into the warriors den. As much as she was proud to see how responsible her daughter was, she missed their father dearly. But the persistent warmth at her belly reminded her that she had other kits to care for. Taking on the four motherless kits had been a no-brainer, with her kits almost apprentices, she had love to give to kits who desperately needed it, but even looking at them made her heart constrict in sorrow. With how Thunderclan seemed so determined to take them, or even separate the litter, Mapledawn felt powerless to stop them. If Juncostar let them take some of the kits, or even all of them, she didn't know how she would cope. The air in the den felt stuffy all of a sudden, her chest feeling heavy and her paws shaking. Standing up, she had to ignore a protest from Acornkit. Picking up the small bundles, she moved them over to Lightfeather and Adderfang- the latter had insisted on joining the queens in the nursery lately as his mate and kits slept. The tom seemed to be a lot more motherly than some of the queens, even. A complete turnaround from the problematic apprentice he had been. Mapledawn quickly asked if he could look after the four half-clan kits, before ducking her way from the nursery. Her breathing came in small gasps, followed by deep and anxious exhales. What would happen to those poor kits? Would Starclan frown upon her if she let Hawkstar lay his paws on them at all? They should remain in Shadowclan, but it seemed that other cats had different ideas. Paranoia of the Thunderclan cats had been getting to her- with every rustle of the leaves guarding the camp entrance, she felt nausea plaguing her. If they came back, she had no doubt that the kits would be going with them. The thought alone was enough to make her want to cry. Digging her claws into the ground, the bobtail queen tensed her muscles, looking down at the ground.

[Thymepaw] ˢᵏʸᶜˡᵃⁿ ᵃᵖᵖʳᵉⁿᵗᶦᶜᵉ With leaf-bare fast-approaching, cats from all clans were beginning to prepare themselves for the harsh weathers ahead. Extra prey was dug into the ground to freeze and preserve, medicine cats bustled around looking for the last traces of herbs that they could muster to provide for their clan through the harshest months of the year. This day was no different, Skyclan's camp had been bustling with activity all day, Firestar was preparing his clan as if it was going to be a tough leafbare, and every cat was doing what they could for the preparation. Every cat except one older apprentice. Thymepaw panted as his paws thumped against the rock-hard ground leading him through the territory and up toward the falls, a bundle of herbs was clenched in his jaws- scraps to most cats, but he carried them with a sense of pride and purpose, racing his way up the rocks with the expert navigation of a trained Skyclan cat. As he reached the base of the falls, the tom ducked his head as water spray over him, but he persevered, pushing his way behind the gushing water, dropping his precious bundle in the small cave behind. He sat slowly, catching his breath with rapid gulps, gaze anxiously flicking around the cave- he'd been careful not to be followed, rolling in some of the dead leaves littering the territory to rub off his scent, as well as taking the long and winding path that would lead him here instead of the easy way. Thymepaw knew that not every cat would see his actions as something normal, and something to be proud of. A small shred of guilt, like a small bone, wormed around in his stomach as he awaited his visitor. That guilt vanished in a moment when he heard familiar, heavy and ambling pawsteps approaching the cave. As a plump, matted young tom poked his head through the gap between the cave and the waterfall, Thymepaw rushed to meet him. He bumped noses with the cat clumsily, mumbling a hasty apology as he pressed his shoulder against the other tom, clearly weak from travelling all the way here. The loner wheezed, his chest crackling as he did so. He was barely older than Thymepaw, but he looked seasons older, with the way his pelt had matted together as the sickness had stopped him from grooming it. "Thank you for giving us your help..." The loner murmured, stooping his head to pick up the bundle of herbs. "Missy will be grateful...with her kits coming so soon, they'll need us all to be feeling better in no time..." Another cough shook the tom's body as he turned around, heading toward the exit. This was how fleeting their meetings always were- Thymepaw would bring the herbs to their meeting spot, Jack would come and collect them, and take them back to his group of sick cats. Thymepaw had offered to get them a medicine cat's help, but Jack had refused, claiming that they had a healer, and just needed herbs. Thymepaw had agreed, despite knowing that it was against the warrior code to be helping out an enemy so easily. But these cats didn't pose any harm or threat to his clan, so why shouldn't he offer them herbs? Sure, it was getting tougher through leaf-fall, but as long as they were better by leafbare, all would be fine. "Jack," The older apprentice started, and the older tom lifted his head, ears pricking. "Are you sure you don't need a medicine cat?" He mewed, his concern evident in his voice. The tom had padded away from him, but Thymepaw hurried back to his side, rubbing his face along the tom's cheek. "You need to eat some of those herbs yourself, you know..." He mewed, a gentleness to his voice. His heart thumped uncomfortably in his throat. Thymepaw knew that visiting the loner had let his heart give away to growing fond of him, but he knew Jack would never return those puppy-love feelings. It was a strong desire to care for him, and nurture him until he was better. Jack's head turned away as he flicked his ears. "They can manage without me, but I can't sit by and watch them die." He half-heartedly nudged Thymepaw's cheek with his nose, before padding away, and leaving Thymepaw listening to his footsteps slowly fading, eventually drowned out by the waterfall. Heaving a sigh, the smoky grey-and-white tom padded from behind the falls, casting his gaze anxiously around, before a scent that was all too familiar hit his nose. Skyclan scent-! Panic took over, and Thymepaw hurriedly skittered down from the rocks, slipping into a thick clump of bracken and holding his breath, hoping that whatever cat was there... that they hadn't noticed him, nor the weird scent now clinging to his fur. Starclan save me. He thought.

𝓢𝓪𝓰𝓮 riverclan. apprentice . 11 moons ─────────────────────── As the river gushed over the rocks, its silver light glittering in the bright sun. Sage jumped onto one of the bigger rocks that overlooked the river, before glancing back over his shoulder toward his companion, Palepaw. Every time he looked at her, he felt his heart jump into his throat. Her beautiful cream-white pelt looked so pretty in the daylight. He was persistently teased by the other apprentices, because his affections for her were so obvious...to every cat except him. Or, that was more accurate to say...they had been. Sage, in growing up, had managed to come to terms with his feelings and accept that ever since they had met, he'd been in love. Since they had first met, with him dangling uselessly from a tree by his collar, he had grown quite a bit. His frame had filled out with lean muscles, and he had gotten a lot taller, his legs able to easily churn water and swim just as well as any Riverclan-born cat. As he gazed at Palepaw, he realised that she had grown too. The pair had been close ever since she brought him back to the clan, but as they neared warrior age, he felt like things were getting more...romantic between them? Maybe that was his imagination. There was no way she would be interested in him like that, they were just friends, after all. And yet, his heart ached to tell her. Originally, Sage had decided that he would tell Palepaw how he felt once he finally received his clan name, but Snowstar hadn't given it to him yet, and since her disappearance, the clan was waiting for Copperstar to settle in fully... "Hey, Palepaw, hey..." Sage grinned at the she-cat, playfully. "Bet you can't catch a bigger carp than me! The one I caught the other day was the biggest in the fresh-kill pile!" Swishing his tail, he glanced down into the water, looking for the first fish to scoop out. Maybe he could tell her how he felt soon...

𝓑𝓾𝓷𝓷𝔂𝓹𝓪𝔀 thunderclan . apprentice . 8 moon ─────────────────────── "I'm not sure about this..." Bunnypaw mewed softly, glancing at Petalpaw. She leant into the older apprentice, staring down at the river. As much as she tried to show she wasn't afraid of much, the thought of being in the water was scary for the young she-cat. If it were any other cat but Petalpaw, Bunnypaw wouldn't be showing such weakness, but Petalpaw had been her best friend since she had been in the nursery. It always helped to have someone who was willing to play with you when you were stuck inside. But as most Thunderclan cats did, Bunnypaw's heart longed to be among the trees. Since becoming an apprentice, she'd been able to get out more often thanks to her friend, but it was still difficult. As much as she knew that she would never be a normal apprentice, she knew she had to try. Not just for her sake, but for her parents' sake. They wouldn't want a failure of a warrior as one of their kits, surely. Despite her overwhelming positivity toward others, her harshest emotions were kept for herself. Her tail drooped as she hid her face in her friend's shoulder, heaving a sigh. "I don't think I can do it..." She'd originally come up with the idea, she wanted to learn how to swim, because she thought it might be easier for her than running to catch prey... to be able to sit and flash her claws into fish that swam under the water like she'd seen the Riverclan cats do, but she worried that she'd only find something else that she just couldn't get right.

𝓑𝓾𝓷𝓷𝔂𝓹𝓪𝔀 thunderclan . apprentice . 8 moons ─────────────────────── The moon hung high over the sky, its soft light bringing with it a fine mist that flitted through the trees of Thunderclan's oak forest. Thick, strong trees standing tall gave way to the occasional puddle reflecting the brilliant silver of the moon. In the midst of a small glade stood a small she-cat, her mostly-white pelt illuminated by the moonlight. Staring down into the puddle at her paws, the she-cat's shoulders drooped. It was one of her good days, the young apprentice often felt confined to the camp, her heart condition making it difficult to train with her mentor at times. For the past few days, she had been stuck in, as much as her heart longed to run, and this was the first time she had managed to successfully creep out unnoticed. Turning her gaze to the sky, Bunnypaw heaved a sigh. She felt so useless- she couldn't hunt, and she couldn't fight... what use could she be to her clan? She was pretty certain she didn't have a connection to Starclan like her mother did either... Rising to her paws, Bunnypaw's ears flicked as she heard the scurrying of small paws across the forest floor. A mouse...! This could be her chance to prove to her clan that she could be useful... Turning around, her ears scanned to pinpoint the direction of the small creature... There! The mouse peered out from between some grass, and Bunnypaw dropped into an awkward crouch. She tried desperately to remember what her mentor had shown her, creeping toward the mouse, her stomach brushing lightly against the ground with each pawstep. The mouse, luckily, seemed oblivious, until Bunnypaw was just a couple of whisker-lengths away. Then, it bolted. Bunnypaw gave chase, her paws reaching out in front of her and trying to snag into the fur of the mouse, floundering uselessly as she felt the breath quickly leaving her lungs, until finally she managed to snag the mouse, the effort causing her to skid, and practically fall over her own paws as she leant forward to give it a killing bite. Her chest suddenly heaved as coughs wracked her small frame, but she stared proudly at her catch, fizzing with excitement head to tail. "I did it...!" She squeaked, before receeding into coughs again. "I caught my first prey...!"

Sunspark Thunderclan Warrior The she-cat blinked the sun from her eyes as she stared at a squirrel across from her. Glancing over to her younger sister, Applepaw, she flicked her tail to tell the distracted apprentice to circle around it. She often felt the need to take her sister out for one-on-one training, as she struggled a lot with keeping her mind on track when she wasn't with Sunspark. She wished she could be her sister's mentor more than anything, but she knew that she would be too nice to her. In all honesty, Sunspark was worried about her sister's future. Would she pass her warrior assessment when she constantly got into trouble for being so easily distracted? Shaking her head, the warrior focused back on the task at hand. The squirrel still sat at the base of the tree, chewing on a nut that had fallen early in the season, immature and unripe. Creeping closer, Sunspark glanced over at Applepaw, and saw her tail disappearing as she chased after something else. With an exasperated sigh, she pounced toward the squirrel, grunting as it slipped out of her way and started racing up the tree. But Sunspark was quicker, her paws slamming against the hard bark as she clawed up, snagging the squirrel a small distance from the ground. Taking her catch back to the ground, she noticed Applepaw waddling back, wide-eyed when she saw Sunspark carrying the squirrel. Anger bubbled up in the she-cat's stomach at how her sister could be so oblivious. "Applepaw, what did I tell you about focusing on hunting?!" She mewed as she dropped the squirrel to the ground. Applepaw looked distraught, scuffing a paw on the ground, but made no verbal apology. Sunspark's shoulders sagged and she shook her head forlornly. "...Look, just take this back. And say that you caught it." Flicking her tail at Applepaw's ears, she watched as the apprentice picked up the squirrel and bounced at her own leisurely pace toward the camp. Sunspark, on the other hand, sighed in frustration, laying down beneath the tree and putting her head on her paws. "When will she learn that she can't just rely on me all the time?" She muttered to herself. As much as Sunspark liked to show off, she wanted the best for her sister- without her sister taking after her risk-taking ways.

It was Alderpaw's first official battle training session with his mentor, Hazelface, and to say he was excited would be an understatement of a grand measure. As he raced on ahead of the she-cat, he stopped once they reached their destination, and sat with his paws kneading at the ground eagerly, whiskers twitching. He was already showing promise as a hunter, but his battle moves could use some work. "I'm so excited to start training!" The laid-back apprentice mewed. "I can't wait to learn all kinds of battle moves so I can protect Thunderclan!"