━━━━ berrykestrel's injuries have finally healed. the elder can now rest within the elders den without being in any pain or discomfort.

⛰︎

━━━━ dustypaw abruptly awoke. he hobbled out of the den, quickly navigating across camp towards the medicine den where he beckoned for someone to help him. daisyknoll approached, and checked the young 'paw over.

❝ it feels like i'm being prickled by a cats claws! ❞ cried the young tom—cat as he shuffled left and right to alter his weight, and a strange numbness followed each prickled sensation.

daisyknoll huffed out a breath. ❝ looks like you've got frostbite. we'll have to keep you in the medicine den while we re—warm your paws, you'll be back to patrolling in no time, ❞

⛰︎

━━━━ daisyknoll found himself alone in the dark. his nose was pointed to the sky, and his eyes were shut firmly. a breeze brushed past the tom—cat and he inhaled slowly, expelling a shallow sigh, before allowing for a smile to creep on his maw.

the stars above him winked against the darkened sky. daisyknoll rose to his paws, and returned to camp.

starclan blessed mountainpaw. mountainpaw is given the name mountainfall: and welcomed into the clan as a full medicine cat.

⛰︎

━━━━ basslight embarked on a quick patrol, accompanied by daisyknoll. the ground under her paws was slippery, and the she—cat toppled over.

quick on his paws, daisyknoll scrambled to his peers aid and leaned his weight into hers, preventing her from falling into the grime and muck below.

❝ thanks— ❞ mewed basslight, shuddering lightly. it was a nice reminder that the responsibility of looking after the clan was a shared one.

both medicine cats returned with mullein and rosemary for their stocks.

⛰︎

━━━━ gorgestar stopped dead in her tracks and flicked her tail high above her head for the patrol behind her to stop. their conversation soon burned out, and rabbitneedle and swifthawk exchanged a concerned look at one another.

❝ what is it? ❞ whispered bushpaw, having emerged from behind the two warriors, a mouse shaking left and right from her jaw as she spoke.

❝ dog, ❞ gorgestar muttered under her breath. she jerked her nose forward. the canine had its nose to the floor, tail upright and wagging left and right as it sniffed.

it stopped and turned, then barked.

the patrol thrilled out their fur and pushed their claws out, ready for a fight.

the dog creeped closer, continuing to bark and yap, before retreating. gorgestar nimbly scrambled across the ground towards the canid, hissing as she ran.

the creature scampered, scared, and gorgestar returned to the patrol with a grin on her face. her stomach rippled with laughter as she returned to the patrol.

they returned back to camp, mocking the dog and recreating the scene of it fleeing from a feline.

━━━━ splitmimic confessed her feelings to loachpath, but was rejected. the medicine cat quickly retreated to the medicine den to sulk and lick her wounds on her own, glaring at anyone who asked her what got her whiskers in such a twist.

⛰︎

━━━━ the air was crisp with the promise of dawn as gorgestar and cragspark led their apprentices on a patrol through the valley. the scent of pine kindled with the earthy fragrance of the ground below them, creating a rich tapestry of scents.

dustypaw and bushpaw playfully bounded up ahead of their mentors, giggling and bubbling with joy as they zig—zagged left and right, pursuing one another. gorgestar watched from afar, her face bright with pride.

the two young dusty coloured felines vanished into a bush and out of sight. cragspark snorted, but continued on and followed their scent.

they were just young apprentices with a boundless amount of energy, what harm could they get into.

but the sense of contentment was shattered when a blood—curdling scream tore through the air, echoing off the peaks either side of them. gorgestar's heart stopped as she recognised the wail — it was bushpaw, her voice was filled with desperation.

gorgestar and cragspark quickly broke into a run, their paws pounding against the ground as they raced towards the source of the scream. fear clenched their hearts as the mentors prayed silently to starclan for the safety of their apprentices.

they bust into the clearing quickly, and the scene that greeted them was one of utter devestation. dustypaw lay motionless on the ground, his body torn and bloody, while bushpaw stood over him, her fur bristled with fear as she faced off against the monstrous creature that towered over them like a shadow.

it was a mountain lion, it's sleek body rippling with muscle as it bared its teeth in a silent snarl. it's eyes burned with a feral hunger as it advanced bushpaw, it's claws unsheathed and gleaming in the morning light.

gorgestar's eyes widened with horror as she realised the gravity of the situation. ❝ cragspark, we have to help her! ❞ she screamed, launching herself into the fray, her claws flashing as she lashed out at the behemoth of a feline.

cragspark followed suit. he leaned towards bushpaw's defence, but the she—cat had mustered up all the strength that she could protecting her brother, and collapsed into the ground. gorgestar pursued after the big cat as it howled and hissed. the leader bellowed out a ferocious and pained roar as she skittered across the ground, before she was satisfied with its distance.

gorgestar hurried to her apprentices side. her heart shattered as her eyes fell upon the apprentices again — two young lives cut short in the blink of an eye, their dreams and aspirations sniffed out before they even had a chance to flourish.

cragspark stared at dustypaw. he remained motionless, lifeless on the ground, his once bright eyes now dulled and vacant. his fur was drenched from nose to tail with crimson. the warrior pushed his nose into the tom—cats fur, desperately hoping for some sign of light. but there was nothing — only the cold stillness of death.

gorgestar approached slowly. she lowered herself beside her trembling apprentice, bushpaw's bodies way of clinging onto what little energy it had left. bushpaw's chest rose and fell with shallow gasps.

❝ hang on bushpaw, hang on, ❞ gorgestar sniffled, choking on the tears that dared to push from the sides of her eyes. she gently nuzzled the she—cats blood—stained body.

bushpaw's eyes flickered open at the sound of her mentor's voice, and a weakened smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. ❝ i'm sorry, ❞ she whispered hoarsely, ❝ we shouldn't have ran off... it's all my fault... ❞

gorgestar's stomach churned and her heart ached, knowing that there was nothing she could have done to prevent this. ❝ it's not your fault, bushpaw ❞ she reassured, her voice soft. ❝ you were just trying to be a good warrior. we're proud of you, ❞ the leader expelled, looking towards cragstep who leaned over his own apprentice, his face bearing a distraught, mournful expression.

bushpaw opened her maw to reply but a violent cough racked her body, and blood splattered the grass beneath her as her strength continued to wane. her eyes glazed over with a cold emptiness of death, and her last breath escaped her lips with a softened sigh.

gorgestar's heart shattered as she watched the light fade from her apprentices eyes, leaving behind the cruel reality of loss and despair.

cragspark stumbled to his paws and leaned down. he scooped dustypaw up off of the floor and rolled his body down his back. gorgestar did the same.

the two retreated to camp to break the news to the clan, and most importantly the apprentices' mother, loachpath, and their sister, willowpaw.

⛰︎

━━━━ willowpaw creeped out of camp. she wanted some time alone, to stare at the stars and see if she could see her brother and sister staring back at her.

the she—cat stumbled upon some catmint. she leaned down to take a bite, yowling out with pain as a sharp twinge prodded her nose.

she sprinted back to camp with a slightly swollen face, having been stung by a bee.

⛰︎

━━━━ loachpath found herself dwelling in the darkest corner of the warriors den, replaying memories of her son and daughter, wishing for one more moment with them.

━━━━ cragspark overexerted himself, having pushed himself too hard following the death of his apprentice. the tom—cat physically and mentally scolded himself, and limbered back into camp, after returning from a patrol, with a limp.

⛰︎

━━━━ geckokit was made an apprentice. and in her eagerness, she accidentally shoved her nose into locusttree's, that the warrior flinched back in surprise. sheepishly, the new apprentice apologised to her mentor — but it only sparks up some laughter as they part from the ceremony.

basslight pulled hawkkit away from the gathered crowd, despite his protesting and wailing, to give him a quick once over with her tongue. she wanted him to look presentable for his mentor. hawkkit is named hawkpaw, and cragspark is made his mentor.

excited to be an apprentice, stoatkit took some coaxing from his mother's nose. stoatkit was made stoatpaw, and given scrubstorm as a mentor. the tom—cat boasted to his siblings about having a better mentor than the rest of him.

rattlekit is named rattlepaw, and almondstripe is called upon to mentor him. the young 'paw vanished after the ceremony, and was found fluffing up his mentor's nest with fresh moss. he wanted to make a great first impression.

⛰︎

━━━━ coldbee's leg has finally healed. the she—cat is happy to finally be able to lend a paw and help around peakclan.

⛰︎

━━━━ splitmimic's ears prickled up. the she—cat leaned her head around, and she stared at the clans medicine cats that had accompanied her on a large herb patrol. ❝ wh—what's that? ❞ she whispered, tail flicking anxiously.

to her, it felt like a whisper from starclan, a call to follow and uncover what lay ahead.

without hesitation, splitmimic veered off the path, her paws carrying her quickly as she followed the sound. she stumbled over her footing when she rounded a bend. a queen lay sprawled on the ground beside a log, her fur matted with blood, her eyes closed in eternal slumber. beside her, a litter of tiny kits mewled pitifully, their small bodies pressed close to their mothers still form, seeking comfort and warmth that would never come.

splitmimic's heart constricted with sorrow as she approached the fallen mother, her eyes brimming with tears. the she—cats body was clearly unable to withstand the strain of bringing new lives into the world.

❝ g—guys! come quick! ❞ splitmimic yowled through her tears.

the rest of her patrol barrelled quickly into the clearing where she remained, and stared down at the kittens. daisyknoll heavily gulped and exchanged a concerned look with his peers.

mountainfall sighed softly. ❝ i'll run back to camp, get everything ready and notify gorgestar. bring them back quickly, ❞ she said softly, before parting from the patrol, racing across the open field of fallen trees, towards the peaks.

the three kits are rushed back to peakclan's camp, and named hazelkit, inkkit and mudkit.

━━━━ the morning sun etched peakclan's camp in a warm glow as willowpaw readied to head out on a patrol with doespots. the young apprentice's tail twitched with excitement as she eagerly strolled across the cam. following the death of her siblings, she had spend a number of days and nights tossing and turning in her nest, unable to sleep - but was finally ready to conquer her training once again.

her eyes caught onto something shifting the tufts of grass outside the nursery. her heart skipped a beat as she realised what it was - a snake, its sinuous body moving with deadly grace towards the nursery where the new arrivals remained.

willowpaw sprang into action. she darted across the clearing, towards the serpent with lightning speed. with a swift push, willowpaw pounced onto of the snake, her claws unsheathed, as she delivered a blow that sent the being writhing in pain. the snake hissed and thrashed about, but willowpaw held it firmly in her jaws, her gaze focused.

the snake grew limp. willowpaw dropped it by her paws, and took a moment to catch her breath, her heart hammering abasing her chest as she surveyed the scene before her. she rushed to the kittens within the den, to quickly check them over for any injuries. they were safe.

doespots's paws thundered abasing the dirt as he barrelled across the camp towards willowpaw. ❝ good job, willowpaw, ❞ her mentor congratulated, eyeing the limp string-like animal by her paws.

willowpaw's chest swelled with pride at the praise, her eyes shining with determination as she met her mentor's gaze. she had proven to be a true protector of the clan, willing to risk her own life for the lives of others. she knew she had done the right thing.

her mentor gave her a firm nod then flicked his tail for her to follow him out of camp, to begin their training.

⛰︎

━━━━ a cool evening air hung heavy over the camp as honeystream gingerly made her way towards the medicine den. it had been some time since she was injured while on a patrol, and the medicine cats of the clan had done all they could to help with the healing, but her leg refused to heal completely.

as she entered, the warrior found basslight hunched over a collection off herbs, her eyes focused intently on the task at paw. basslight looked up as the warrior entered and approached, and a flicker of concern crossed his features.

❝ how are you feeling, honeystream? ❞ cooed basslight softly, her voice gentle as she gestured for the she-cat to settle within one of the empty nests.

honeystream sighed out lowly, settling down on the bed of leaves and moss below her. ❝ just this darn leg of mine, ❞ she muttered, her voice tinged with a hint of frustration.

basslight nodded sympathetically, her gaze drifting down to honeystream's leg. ❝ i could break it again for you... to help with the healing process, ❞ she said hesitantly.

honeystream's heart skipped a beat at the suggestion and her blood ran cold at the thought of enduring the pain all over again. ❝ break it again? ❞ she repeated, her voice twitching with disbelief. ❝ won't that just make things worse? ❞

basslght shook her head, her expression grave. ❝ it's risky, but it would stimulate the healing process all over again. and it would fix its angular shape, ❞

honeystream's mind raced with fear and uncertainty as she weighed basslight's words. the thought of enduring the agony of a broken limb once more was almost too much to bear, but at the same time, she coudlnt shake the hope that maybe, just maybe, it could offer her the chance at having a normal leg again.

but as she looked at basslight's earnest gaze, she knew that she couldn't bring herself got take the risk. ❝ i'm sorry basslight, ❞ she said softly, ❝ i appreciate your concern, but i just can't do it. i can't go through the pain all over again. i'll live with my leg, even with it in its mangled state, ❞ she added, gawking down at her patchy, awkwardly positioned leg.

as slight nodded her head understandingly, her expression tinged with regret, and watched as honeystream rose to her paws and exited the medicine den.

⛰︎

━━━━ swifthawk trudged angrily away from the border, his tail lashing out behind him as he walked. he looked over his shoulder at the loner that retreated away. the young warrior stopped and his ears pricked up. a growl erupted from his throat, and he hissed at a pair of beady eyes that peered back at him.

someone was spying on hm, and just witnessed the very heated argument in which he had with a loner who had stole his hunt.

⛰︎

━━━━ the moons glimmering gaze cast a silvery hue over peakclan's camp.the air was still, filled only with the soft rustle of distant leaves, and the hoots and caws of fluttering night birds. ut, beneath the peaceful facade, danger lurked in the shadows, unseen and unheard.

nestled in the nursery, the kits mewled and wriggled in their slumber, their tiny forms clustered close to one another for warmth and comfort. their dreams were halted by a sudden noise - a low growl, followed by the sound of claws clacking the stone ground below.

inkkit loudly yowled out.

gorgestar jolted awake, startled by the sudden yowl for help. without a moments hesitation, she sprang to her paws, and she raced across camp towards the nursery.

she burst into the den and her eyes widened with horror. a coyote loomed over the kits, its easy eyes gleaming with hunger as it's jaws widened, head craning down to the defenceless kits.

gorgestar launched herself at the intruder, her claws protruding and sharp. with a fierce seal, she slashed at the coyotes muzzle, drawing blood with each cruel swipe she gave. it recoiled in surprise, its ears pushing against its skull, and it snapped its jaws towards the feline in retaliation. gorges tar yelped out at its fangs punctured her skin, drawing blood, yet she pursued with tooth and claw.

the coyote retreated following a desperate lunge from the feline. gorges tar watched as the canine reeled backwards, its tail tucked between its legs, and watched as the darkness swallowed it after it parted from the den and out of the camp.

breathless and fuelled with adrenaline, gorgestar turned back to the kits. despite the throwing pain and the wetness of her fur, she was satisfied. she rolled her tongue across the heads of the kit's before settling down beside them. she would wait and watch, just incase the cruel canine returned for round two.

⛰︎

━━━━ rain poured relentlessly from the darkened sky, drenching the land in a veil of mist and gloom. daisyknoll trudged through the undergrowth, his fur slick with moisture. beside him walked basslight and mountainfall.

daisyknoll's ears rotated and pricked upwards at a strange noise that cut through the steady drumming of raindrops. it was faint, barely audible over the roar of the storm they walked in, but it sent a shiver down his spine.

curiosity piqued the tom-cat and he veered off towards the sound, his paws carrying him quickly. his patrol partners exchanged a confused look, but followed him eagerly to investigate.

in a small clearing, a she-cat lay curled up in a tight ball, her body still and lifeless. beside her, two kittens huddled together, their fur matted and cold to the touch. daisyknoll's heart knotted and his stomach twisted as he approached the fallen cats. it was clear they had succumbed to the elements of the storm.

mountainfall and basslight sided by daisyknoll and silently dropped their heads, muttering words under their breath in a soft prayer for the mother and her kits. they gently gathered the kits and the she-cat and returned to camp to pay their respects, notify gorgestar, and then bury them together in the mountains.

━━━━ fiery rays cast a sweltering heat onto the valley. splitmimic plucked up flowers and scooped up bundles of webs, before retreating to the mountainous peaks to climb back up to camp. she felt a wave of nausea wash over her as she tirelessly clambered up the mountain slopes and trails.

with a shaky breath, splitmimic stumbled towards the medicine den after her arrival into camp, her stomach churning with discomfort. she knew somethigin wasn't right, but she couldn't but her paw on what. as she entered, she found daisyknoll and mountainfall hard at work, organising herbs and tending to geckopaw, after she toppled over while training, and cut her pads.

with a weakened mewl, splitmimic called out to the others in the den. ❝ mountainfall, daisyknoll. i need your help, ❞

the medicine cats turned their heads to face her, concern etched on their maws, worry shaking their whiskers as they took in splitmimic's weakened appearance.

❝ what's wrong? ❞ mountainfall asked, while approaching the fellow medicine feline.

splitmimic's head shook left and right. she swallowed hard and her throat felt dried up. ❝ i don't know, i feel sick, dizzy... ❞ she admitted and watched as daisyknoll stepped forward with a furrowed brow that was raised in concern.

❝ it seems you've overworked yourself in the sun - heatstroke, ❞ daisyknoll uttered, ❝ you should have been taking breaks, and keeping yourself hydrated, splitmimic, ❞ added daisyknoll with a softened sigh.

mountainfall and daisyknoll parted from splitmimic after helping her into a nest, and gathered up some leaves and soaked moss to alleviate their friends symptoms, urging her to rest within the medicine den for the remainder of the day to help bring down her temperature.

splitmimic lay in the cold darkness of the den, her body shivering with exhaustion and sickness.

⛰︎

━━━━ basslight sat at the entrance of the medicine den, her eyes scanning the bustling activity of the camp with a mixture of uuncertainty and weariness. around her, apprentices darted and played, their laughter echoing through the clearing, while their mentors conversed in hushed tones nearby. it was a delightful scene of unity and belonging, but basslight couldn't shake the nagging doubt that lingered in the depths of her mind.

she watched her classmates battle it out, tussling in the dirt and yowling at one another as they acted out a ferocious battle scene. she had always know that she was destined to be a medicine cat, to server her clanmates with her knowledge, but lately, she couldn't help but wonder if peakclan was truly where she belonged. the thoughts clouded her mind like a heavy fog.

basslight's gaze drifted towards the distant horizon, where the distant mountains loomed, and the valley sprawled out below, the winding rivers bending left and right. in the depths of her mind, she felt something, a a yearning, a pull towards the unknown.

but as she contemplated the path that lay ahead, a wave of guilt washed over her. her kits lived here... she couldn't just abandon them. to abandon them would be to forsake everything she had ever known, everything she had ever loved.

with a heavy, long winded sigh, basslight rose to her paws and pushed herself into the medicine den to occupy her mind elsewhere.

⛰︎

━━━━ the sun slowly crept along the horizon, casting a golden, ethereal glow onto the high peaks. gorgestar called out for.a clan meeting, and awaited for the clan to gather, their eyes bright with anticipation as they waited to hear their leaders announcement.

with a solemn expression, gorgestar craned her head lowly to stare down at her clan. ❝ cats of peakclan, i have called you here to honour one of our own, a cat who has proved herself to be brave, loyal and true, ❞ gorgestar began, her words carrying across the crowd of clan members.

a ripple of excitement swept through the gathered cats as gorgestar turned her gaze towards willowpaw.

❝ willowpaw, ❞ gorgestar declared, her voice brimming with pride. gorgestar spotted despots, her mentor, lower his head and slowly blink his eyes, as if to battle tears within his eyes. ❝ you have completed your training and proved yourself worthy of the title of warrior. from this moment forward, you shall be known as willowstripe, ❞

a chorus of cheering erupted from the assembled felines as willowpaw stepped forward to receive her new name. loachpath's voice carried in the wind, and the mother whooped the loudest for her daughter.

willowstripe joined her clanmates in celebrating her newfound name after she embraced gorgestar's touch. she was proud of herself and how far she had come. she was excited for her vigil later that night.

the moon peered from over the fluffed clouds that rolled in the sky. willowstripe took her place on the edge of the clearing, her eyes fixed on the star-stern sky above. in the quiet stillness of the night, she felt a sense of peace wash over her, a reminder that her siblings were watching over her. she blinked back a waterfall of tears that threatened to tickle her cheeks.

⛰︎

━━━━ coldbee and almondstripe sauntered under the moons glow, patrolling the border in silence. a bush up ahead, just across the border, twitched and the cats raised their heckles. a badger crept in the darkness, its nose shaveling at sticks and dirt, as it built up a den.

the patrol creeped away. it wasn't their issue to deal with, but they would make gorgestar aware of the situation.