━━━━ the night air was sharp. the bitter scent of ice and snow travelled across the camp, a sign of leaf—bares grip on the clan tightening. a thick layer of snow blanketed the camp, and a cold wind howled as it seared through cracks and crevices in the rocks.

the russet coloured pelt of a large being stepped into camp silently. it's eyes flashed in the darkness, as it pushed its nose upwards and sniffed the air. it's nose led it towards the nursery, where the soft scent of warm kits promised a feast.

returning from a late—night patrol, rabbitneedle's gaze caught movement at the camp's entrance. her heart jittered after realising the shape and stature of the intruder, and she charged forwards. she leaped atop the back of the fox, her jaw outstretched as she expelled a fierce growl.

startled, the fox turned. it winced and growled upon the feline's impact, rabbitneedle's claws digging into its flank, her fangs lacerating the nape of its neck.

rabbitneedle fought with every ounce of power to distract the fox from the nursery.

the fox twisted and bucked in an attempt to dislodge rabbitneedle.

scrubstorm's ears flicked. the tom—cat's eyes opened quickly, and panic settled within his stomach. he scrambled to his paws quickly and skittered out of the den, racing across the snow—covered clearing.

the deputy reached the nursery, his eyes falling upon rabbitneedle's body, as she clung to the red fur of the fox. with a fierce, guttural hiss, scrubstorm jumped at the fox — a paw arched backwards. he narrowed his arm towards the fox's face, his claws digging into the fox's fur, and tracing along its skin.

the fox was dazed, it's attention divided between the two attackers.

❝ hang on, rabbitneedle, ❞ scrubstorm shouted, his voice steady, despite the challenging opponent.

rabbitneedle's grip on the creatures fur loosened, and she slipped, dropping into the snow. she rose to her paws and arched her back. rabbitneedle lurched forwards and struck the fox with a firm, clawed paw.

retaliating, the fox snapped its jaw, and pushed out a paw, catching rabbitneedle off guard. with a yelp, she was uplifted from the floor and thrown to the ground, skidding across the snow. a sharp pain burst from her leg, but she pushed on and staggered to her paws.

scrubstorm watched as rabbitneedle travelled across the ground. he gritted his teeth, kicking his hind legs into the fox's side.

the fox seemed relentless and powerful. scrubstorm could feel his paws slipping under its pelt with every twist and jerk. scrubstorm fell heavily to the ground and a sharp crack bounced around his head as his leg twisted beneath him. a searing pain shot up his limb, and he hissed in agony, but forced himself to stand, the weight upon his leg sending waves of pain across his body.

ignorant to the throbbing sensation, he hated his teeth and let out a feral hiss, rallying what remained of his strength. he pushed off carefully and allowed for his claws to meet with the fox's muzzle.

the fox backed up slowly, it's darkened eyes shifting between the two injured cats, and beyond, as more eyes emerged from their dens.

scrubstorm's legs bucked out beneath him as the fox turned tail and darted out of camp, jumping off the ledge, and snaking down the slope. panting heavily, the tom—cat allowed for the pain to settle in.

rabbitneedle, aching from the fight, limped over to her deputy slowly. she looked down at him. ❝ are you okay? ❞ she asked, her voice trembling from the shock of what had happened.

scrubstorm nodded weakly, his chest pushing out harshly with each ragged gasp. ❝ i'll be fine, ❞ he said, though the pain in his leg was excruciating.

rabbitneedle nudged his nose towards scrubstorm to help him stand slowly. she watched as his face came together in a wrinkle as he winced.

❝ let's go to the medicine den, ❞ rabbitneedle quietly uttered as the pair limped around camp.

rabbitneedle and scrubstorm saved the kits from a fox, but both sustained broken limbs from it.

⛰︎

━━━━ goldrain has served the clan for countless moons now. he is looking forward to his times of rest as an elder. he happily retires.

⛰︎

━━━━ dovesoar has fallen sick with yellowcough, an unfortunate downside to the cold weather.

⛰︎

━━━━ spiderfur returned to camp with numbed paws, having ventured out in the cold. the tom was told he now has frostbite because of his adventures.

⛰︎

━━━━ browndash's broken bone has healed.

⛰︎

━━━━ robinpetal remains in the medicine den. a rockfall left the tom—cat injured after they toppled down the peaks, entrapping his tail.

⛰︎

━━━━ oriolelaurel's break has healed, but he will be marked with a scar. the tom was unsettled by the scarring for a number of days, but has since come to terms with it.

⛰︎

━━━━ a constant itch seems to tickle burnetgale. the warrior wishes for his wound to heal, so he can stop chattering his teeth over his skin to soothe the uncomfortable feeling. instead, the wound seems to be worsening.

⛰︎

━━━━ blackear leaped from a rock while out on a hunt, and landed awkwardly. thankfully, his paw was only twisted.

⛰︎

━━━━ there was a silence over basslight and the warrior who walked behind her, except for the soft crunching of snow under their paws.

loachpath's eyes stared at the burial grounds before her, and she drew in a shaky, sad breath. it had been some time since she had wandered up here.

a small bunch of flowers dangled in her mouth and she slowly walked towards splitmimic's grave. she carefully placed them down and pushed her paw on top of the flowers.

turning, she watched as basslight picked at some storks of rosemary that had sprouted from between the mounds and graves.

❝ it's beautiful up here... ❞ uttered loachpath after she quietly whispered a prayer into the flowers she'd brought for her beloved ex—mate.

basslight's head nodded slowly. it truly was a sight to see. small, rounded rocks marked each grave, and all were decorated neatly with trinkets from loved ones who still walked the earth.

❝ we'll head back now, before we get caught in some storm, ❞ basslight commented, her nose drifting up towards a gloomy, grey cloud overhead.

⛰︎

━━━━ valleypaw practically jumped out of his own skin as the body of a rabbit whizzed past. with a flick of his head, he cocked his skull towards the two warriors who walked behind him. with a confirming nod from his mentor, geckotooth, valleypaw took off after the rabbit.

geckotooth was pleased with her apprentices' work, after he managed to tired it out, and catch it.

⛰︎

━━━━ burrpaw darted away from gorgestar after he misplaced a paw during his training session.

worried for her apprentice, gorgestar followed after the upset tom—cat, and found him settled behind a tree, kicking a rock under his paws.

❝ care to explain why you stormed off? ❞

gorgestar's booming voice spooked the white tom—cat and he jolted upright. his ears pushed back and he struggled to find his word.

❝ i don't think i'll be a good warrior... ❞ he muttered.

❝ with that attitude? you're right, ❞ snapped the she—cat, her tail lashing. ❝ if you want something, then you believe in it. believe in the fact that you can be a good warrior, ❞ she softened her tone and shuffled her paws slowly. ❝ focus on that, burrpaw, okay? ❞

burrpaw stood, silent. he took in what she had said and looked over his shoulder at where the two had been training. he had made one small mistake, and got upset over it. he had come so far already, he had no reason to just give up.

the apprentice drummed a paw into the snow and he nodded. he quickly turned tail, and bounded back to the small clearing of snow where they had been for most of the morning practicing battle techniques.

❝ okay, i'm ready to continue, gorgestar, ❞

⛰︎

━━━━ due to not being able to take his apprentice out of camp, roarclaw asked for squirreldusk to help him, and take raccoonpaw on a hunting patrol, just to get her out of camp.

squirreldusk allowed for raccoonpaw to take the lead when it came to the patrol, and the young she—cat caught sight of a squirrel that sat nibbling on a small seed.

raccoonpaw dropped lowly and dragged herself through the snow, trailing towards it, before leaping and catching it in her paws. the squirrel wriggled in her grasp but raccoonpaw was quick to kill it.

squirreldusk reported the outcome of the hunt to her mentor — who was incredibly greatful, and proud of raccoonpaw for her progress so far.

━━━━ a strange smell lingered at the border, and so gorgestar ordered for a patrol to investigate. the patrol, consisting of almondstripe and greatstorm, came face to face with a rogue.

❝ you're close to peakclan territory, ❞ growled the tabby tom—cat, his tail quivering left and right.

the rogue leaned down, bowing, showing no harm was to come out of this interaction. once he was then satisfied that the two warrior tom's wouldn't tear out his fur, he sat down.

❝ my name is minnow, ❞ they purred with a warm smile upon their blank coloured muzzle. ❝ i've seen a few of you pass by. i live nearby, but badgers gone 'n taken over my den, ❞

greatstorm eyed his patrol member, noticing that almondstripe remained slightly tense. he turned his attention to minnow and nodded. ❝ is there anything you need? ❞ he questioned.

minnow's ear twitched. ❝ would it be a bother if i was to tag along? come join your clan? ❞

almondstripe's paws flexed but greatstorm cleared his throat and trailed his tail over his flank. the tom needed to ease up.

❝ look, i said i won't harm you. okay? i'm just a cat in need of a home. this weather... its too cold to be out in an open field, ❞ chirped minnow. ❝ i can hunt too. and fight, ❞

standing, greatstorm dipped his head. ❝ we'll take you back to camp, and gorgestar and scrubstorm will then deal with you, ❞ he strode off towards the way he and almondstripe had walked.

minnow was warmly welcomed into peakclan, and was named minnowtrail.

⛰︎

━━━━ brightstrike pushed the last bit of bramble into the nursery. a sharp pain stretched through his paw, and he stumbled backwards.

looking down at his paw, and at a trickle of blood, he stared at a thorn that stuck out from his skin. with a muttered curse under his breath, he hopped towards the medicine den, for it to be removed safely.

⛰︎

━━━━ eyes trailed from the darkness of her den as gorgestar watched hazeneedle travel slowly across camp. the leader drew in a breath and shifted her head left and right. this was going to be difficult.

gorgestar stretched herself as she walked. ❝ may i have a word, hazeneedle? ❞ mumbled gorgestar as she trotted closer to the warrior.

hazeneedle turned her head. a frustrated expression was slapped across her sandy coloured face, and she bobbed her head.

❝ i've noticed you've been struggling these past few moons. if you wish to retire, nobody will think any less of you, ❞ gorgestar began. this was a sensitive topic to touch on, given hazeneedle's condition, but gorgestar was worried for her clanmate.

hazeneedle didn't say a word for a second, as she thought on what was said to her. she had to admit, it was proving to be difficult with her paralysis, and the snow didn't aid the matter either.

❝ i've been having a tough time... yeah, ❞ the she—cat muttered sorrowfully. ❝ i've been pushing myself too hard i think... i just wanted to fit in, like everyone else... ❞ she added.

gorgestar shuffled closer towards hazeneedle and let her tail drape around her body, for comfort.

❝ you've served peakclan well, and have defied the odds. you've proven to be a great member of the clan and everyone commends you for that, ❞ gorgestar's voice was warming, and hazeneedle felt heard, and appreciated.

hazeneedle looked over her shoulder as warriors' moved about camp with prey and herbs in their jaws, and her eyes closed as she grinned.

❝ yeah, i'll take you up on that offer, gorgestar. i've done all i can, ❞

hazeneedle retires, having her elder ceremony later that night. it feels as if some weight has lifted from her shoulders since settling in the elders' den.

⛰︎

━━━━ roarclaw's sprain healed in time. he and his apprentice, raccoonpaw, managed to get some more training sessions in, and roarclaw briefly mentioned to gorgestar about her progress.

raccoonpaw is named raccoonleaf, and is honoured for her efficiency.

her brother, vallepaw, is also made a warrior. he's named valleyraven, and is honoured for his risk—taking.

⛰︎

━━━━ cracklekit and snapkit darted towards the gathering of cats. today was the day, they thought. it had finally come. they were going to be given their mentor, and made an apprentice.

cracklekit is named cracklepaw. dirtmoor becomes his mentor.

snapkit is named snappaw, and is given clayhowl as his mentor.

⛰︎

━━━━ days after his ceremony, and having spent too much time outside, cracklepaw falls sick with a running nose. he hopes it passes quickly, so he can get back to filling the prey pile.

⛰︎

━━━━ the sun was slowly beginning to set, and a soothing silence hugged the camp. ❝ let's go, ❞ spoke squirreldusk, her tone flirtatious, as she trailed the tip of her tail under her mates chin.

they had been longing for this time alone, and they navigated their way down the craggy slope and into the valley, searching for a place to settle.

❝ there, ❞ geckotooth buzzed, point her nose toward a large, somewhat flat rock that seemed inviting. the two she—cats bounded over and shuffled down.

despite the snow, the stone was relatively warm. they curled close together, and silence fell over them once again.

❝ i've missed this, ❞ purred geckotooth. squirreldusk pushed her nose to geckotooth's ear, and allowed for her tongue to drop from her mouth as she licked at geckotooth's fur.

a sharp snap roared. both cats sprang to their paws, eyes widened and fur prickling.

❝ who's there? ❞ geckotooth commanded.

a cat emerged. it was a cat that they had never seen before. she had a thick, orange pelt. the stranger kept their distance.

❝ peace, ❞ the strange cat said, her voice smooth and calm. ❝ i mean the two of you no harm, ❞

squirreldusk exchanged a glance with her mate and then stepped forward. ❝ who are you? ❞ she asked, her tone wary, but not unkind.

❝ my name's ant, ❞ the cat replied, ❝ i'm a loner, just wandering, in search of a place to... belong, ❞ she hesitated, but then continued, ❝ i heard you two, and figured maybe you could help me? could i join you on your journey back to your camp? ❞

geckotooth and squirreldusk shared another glance. the stranger seemed sincere.

❝ you can come with us, ❞ geckotooth said. ❝ but know that our clan will be wary of you. you'll have to prove your intentions, ❞

ant nodded her head. her features softened. ❝ thank you, both of you. i understand, ❞

with ant in tow, the trio walked back towards the peaks where the camp remained. the journey was filled with cautious conversation, and ant spoke little of her past, but what she did share painted a picture of a cat who had known hardship.

they stepped into camp, and the nattering voices of peakclan cats seemed to hush as heads turned to the newcomer that followed the couple.

gorgestar padded out of her den with arched brows.

❝ gorgestar, this is ant. she seeks shelter, and a place among us, ❞ squirreldusk spoke clearly to her leader after she bowed respectfully.

with a flick of her tail, gorgestar led ant towards her den, leading her inside to discuss why ant wished to join the ranks of peakclan.

ant is welcomed into peakclan after telling tales of her life as a loner — and is named antglint.

⛰︎

━━━━ dirtmoor's fur ruffled in the light breeze as he led cracklepaw through the snow. the sun sat high in the sky, and beamed down a pleasant warmth on the both of them. cracklepaw's eyes were wide with excitement as he trotted ahead of his mentor.

❝ slow down a little, ❞ dirtmoor chuckled, ❝ there's plenty of time to see everything, ❞

cracklepaw nodded, but his steps remained brisk.

his apprentice was eager to learn, and dirtmoor was pleased to see it. it meant he would be a great cat to teach numerous things. cracklepaw was sharp too, qualities that would serve him well as a warrior.

❝ this hollow here, ❞ dirtmoor said, gesturing with his tail, ❝ is a great hiding spot for all sorts of mice and squirrels, ❞

cracklepaw sniffed the air. ❝ i think i can smell some sweet berries too, ❞ he said, nose wriggling.

dirtmoor nodded. ❝ you sure have got a good nose on you, kid ❞ he purred.

dirtmoor halted, his ears moving forward. the young tom—cat beside him stopped, following his mentor's gaze.

❝ there... ❞ dirtmoor whispered, lowering down to the floor. he stared at a small thrush that pecked at the snow a few tail—lengths away. ❝ an opportunity to test your skills, ❞

cracklepaw blinked, looking towards his mentor with a hint of anxiety in his stare. dirtmoor settled back, to give his apprentice time to think and act.

❝ what's the best strategy here? ❞ asked dirtmoor quietly, watching as cracklepaw's mind worked through the problem.

cracklepaw crouched low, his eyes not shifting from the bird. he lifted his nose slightly, testing which way the wind blew. after a moment, he turned to the tom beside him, and whispered. ❝ the wind is blowing towards us. if i approach from the front, the thrush'll catch my scent... and be gone, ❞

cracklepaw paused to think. ❝ i need to come at it from the side, ❞

dirtmoor purred with approval. ❝ excellent. go on, show me how it's done, ❞

cracklepaw nodded his head and stepped slowly. he circled around, using a few bushes to mask his body.

dirtmoor watched. he noted his 'paws careful steps, and steady breathing. he smiled.

cracklepaw neared the bird. he paused, his muscles coiled like a stiffening spring as he waited for the right moment.

he leaped.

the thrush expelled a startled chirp. cracklepaw kept a secure grasp on the bird. he turned to dirtmoor, his eyes shining with triumph.

❝ haha! i did it! ❞ bubbled cracklepaw.

dirtmoor padded over. ❝ yeah you did, ❞ he said warmly, a grin on his muzzle. ❝ that was a perfect catch. maybe even better than some of the seasoned warriors... but don't tell them that, ❞

cracklepaw beamed. his tail wagged with happiness, and he let the bird go from his paws. they had more than enough prey back at camp, so killing the thrush would be a waste.

❝ i can't wait to tell snappaw about this when we get back to camp! he's gonna be so excited! ❞ called the tom—cat as he followed after dirtmoor yet again, to traipse the territory some more.

⛰︎

━━━━ browndash shifted in his nest, sitting up in his bed of leaves. he looked around the den, his face bearing a confused expression. the tom—cat felt as if someone was watching him while he slept.

but the other warriors' in the den idled in their own nests, twitching and mumbling as she dreamt and slept. browndash slunk back into his nest and huffed out a low sigh, closing his eyes once again.

a soft glow beamed through his lids. browndash rose to his paws in an instant, fearfully pushing out his claws as he stood and stared at the ethereal figure of his sister whitepelt.

❝ wh—whitepelt? ❞ the brown tom—cat spluttered.

whitepelt gave her littermate a toothy grin, and her head nodded. ❝ i visit you regularly, brother. i didn't mean to wake you, or startle you, ❞ she purred, and allowed for her brother to step a little closer.

browndash was confused, and intrigued. his sister seemed to glow, and her pelt was faded. she blinked at him slowly, allowing for him to take in the fact that she was standing before him once again.

❝ i just wanted to say that i'm so proud of how far you've come as a warrior, ❞ mumbled whitepelt.

browndash's eyes watered, and he swallowed to push down the lump that bounced in his throat. he leaned forwards, allowing for whitepelt to outstretch an arm around his body.

❝ i've missed you so much, ❞ sobbed browndash. he pulled away from whitepelt, watching as he features softened and shifted. she nodded her head. she too missed the company of her brother, and wished she could witness the life of a warrior alongside him. but
her fate was sealed, and she now walked the stars, watching over him.

❝ you should get some rest, browndash, ❞ whitepelt cooed quietly, licking his forehead before standing, moving back. ❝ i'll see you around, i promise, ❞

━━━━ despite the enforced nest rest, and how the wound has been treated thus far, scrubstorm's injury is beginning to look concerning to grouseshatter. she has begun planning what may happen should the infection progress further.

⛰︎

━━━━ honeystream has fallen sick with greencough.

⛰︎

━━━━ basslight will always love daisyknoll. she has decided to move on. she will see him when she is to join the ranks of starclan, but moving on will aid her in the process of getting over her grief.

⛰︎

━━━━ despite the fact that spiderfur healed from his frostbite, he continued to linger in the medicine den and rumours began circulating that he and one of the medicine cats had been seen spending a lot of time together.

so, it wasn't a surprise when he and mountainfall declared that the two had become mates.

he healed from his frostbite, but returned later to the medicine den in the coming days, and was diagnosed with whitecough.

⛰︎

━━━━ after working in and around the medicine den, near the sick felines, heronwhisper has fallen ill with greencough.

⛰︎

━━━━ burnetgale's wound expelled a foul, sour smell: a sign of infection. the tom—cat just couldn't shake it, or the constant sweats and shakes, and he sadly died.

⛰︎

━━━━ after tireless weeks of tender care, both butterflytuft and avalancheseed have healed from their wounds.

butterflytuft's managled leg has healed, and left no scar behind.

⛰︎

━━━━ frostclover is overjoyed to be on her paws again. her broken back has finally healed. to her, it feels peculiar to be moving again.

⛰︎

━━━━ proud of how far her apprentice has come, gorgestar declared burrpaw as a warrior. he's named burrbat, and he is honoured being intriguing.

⛰︎

━━━━ a silver glow beamed down on the snowy landscape below, shifting shadows of three felines that walked the territory. rattlefleck, pinebone and roarclaw moved quietly, their breaths misting in the cold, nighttime air.

their whispers were carried by the gentle wind, their focus on pinebone's recent dream.

❝ it was strange... one of the trees in the valley, right, it got struck by lightning! ❞ he mumbled, ❝ and then it split in two. but, from the split, or sprouted some green, vibrant leaves... ❞

roarclaw's ear twitched. it was an odd dream, but it probably meant nothing. dreams could just be wierd at times. he opened his maw, to speak, but slammed his jaw shut after the distant crunch of snow caused the patrol to pause.

instantly alert, the warriors dropped into a defensive crouch. rattlefleck's tail jerked, and he creeped over towards the sound, his peers following.

the rustling grew louder, and a shape moved within the darkness. rattlefleck's narrowed his eyes, and he stepped a little closer. a howl of surprise split the air as a cat leaped up, their fur fluffed out in fears, claws unsheathed.

❝ ahhh! stay back! ❞ the cat hissed, eyed wide with a tint of panic. but, seeing the three felines staring at them, they cat quickly dropped their stance and their ears flattened, embarrassed. ❝ oh, crud. i'm sorry, i didn't mean to start you... well, you startled me, but, yeah, i'm sorry, ❞

pinebone relaxed his posture and stood up. he kept his gaze wary. ❝ who are you? what are you doing on our territory? ❞

the stranger was a slender greyish tabby tom—cat, with pale blue eyes. ❝ my name is stone, i've been travelling alone for moons, just trying to find some place i can call home, ❞ he began, smiling weakly at the warriors before him. ❝ i didn't mean to intrude, i just... don't know where else to go, ❞

roarclaw and pinebone exchanged a quick glance, and pinebone nodded slightly. ❝ do you wish to join our clan? ❞ he asked.

stone looked up. ❝ yes, if you'll have me. i can hunt, and i can tight. i just want to find a home, a family, ❞

rattlefleck's eyes drifted over the tom for a moment, before he turned to his companions. ❝ what do you think? ❞

pinebone's eyes softened. ❝ he seems sincere. we can at least take him back, see what gorgestar has to say about it, ❞

roarclaw shifted around to face stone. ❝ alright, you can come with us. but our leader has the final say, ❞

stone huffed a relieved sigh and dipped his head. he followed behind the three tom's as they directed him towards the mountains.

stone joined peakclan, and is named stoneskitter.

━━━━ both rabbitneedle and scrubstorm's broken legs are no longer infected. they're both still resting in the medicine den while their bones mend.

⛰︎

━━━━ mudhare's mangled leg has started to feel a little feverish, and has doubled in size. the swelling is a cause for concern for the medicine cats.

⛰︎

━━━━ dovesoar's yellowcough is gone, as well as spiderfur's whitecough.

⛰︎

━━━━ the smell of grass, budding flowers and the humid scent of rain filled brightstrike's nose. all of the smells mixed with the metallic tang of blood. in his jaws, hung a bird. he savoured his small victory: a plump sparrow he'd caught with a swift strike. it would make a fine addition to the pile.

he trotted along the familiar trail, his mind half on the successful hunt, and half on the path ahead. the sun filtered through some greyed clouds that rolled by in the blue sky above him, and the blades of grass danced left and right in the relatively gentle breeze. 

brightstrike's ears perked as he picked up the faint rustle of movement ahead. he slowed, narrowing his brown eyes as he spotted a shape moving. 

a cat, sleek and focused, crouched, eyes fixed on prey just a few lengths away from them.

with a twitch of his nose, brightstrike sniffed. this cat did not smell of peakclan. his hackles rose quickly, a low growl formed in his throat, and he dropped the sparrow.

with a powerful leap, brightstrike galloped towards the intruder. as he closed the distance, the scent was unmistakable — pine trees. it was hemlockclan. his heart thundered, and a flood of memories pooled in his mind.

the cat turned at the sound of his approach.

❝ traitor! ❞ spat the hemlockclan warriors, his voice a venomous hiss.

brightstrike skidded to a halt. his eyes widened as he recognised the face before him. it was his brother.

❝ blazeshadow... ❞ brightstrike lowly rumbled. there was a mixture of surprise, and sadness, in his tone.

❝ don't you dare speak my name, ❞ blazeshadow snarled. ❝ you abandoned us. you turned your back on hemlockclan, ❞

brightstrike's ears warmed at the comment, but he pushed it aside. ❝ i did what i had to, blazeshadow. you don't understand— ❞

❝ understand? i understand perfectly, ❞ the tom—cat interrupted. blazeshadow leaped forward with an outstretched, clawed paw, colliding with his brother.

brightstrike felt a sharp pain as his brother's claws raked across his flank, and he retaliated with a swipe across blazeshadow's muzzle. the hemlockclan feline yowled in pain, but continued on.

a storm of snarls and yowls echoed in the field that the two fought within. brightstrike felt a sharp sting as blazeshadow's claws lacerated his ear, tearing into the flesh, the pain blinding him for a moment. with a fierce, guttural growl, brightstrike struck a firm blow to blazeshadow's side, which sent him stumbling over.

panting, brightstrike stood over blazeshadow, chest heaving. blood trickled from the tear in his ear but he ignored it. blazeshadow wriggled underneath him with ragged breaths, and hatred in his stare.

❝ this isn't over... ❞ spat the hemlockclan cat, his voice hoarse. ❝ you'll pay for betraying us, ❞. with a final, hate—filled stare, blazeshadow turned and fled back into hemlockclan territory.

brightstrike stood there a moment. he shook his head and winced at the feeling of his wound, before trotting back to where he left his prey. he picked up the sparrow and, with one last glance towards where his brother scurried off too, turned back to camp.

⛰︎

━━━━ robinpetal's tail has healed, but scarred.

⛰︎

━━━━ bighowl's broken jaw has healed, and there is no sign of any permanent damage.

⛰︎

━━━━ cats milled about camp, sharing tongues and basking in the warmth of the sun. nectarnip got up from lounging on the stone, stretched himself out and lazily padded across camp.

❝ heading out for a hunt, won't be long, ❞ the tom—cat announced, vanishing out of camp.

gorgestar's head nodded, and she bid her warrior a safe journey.

hours had passed. the sun had since shifted in the sky and lowered along the horizon. gorgestar stood at the entrance of camp, his eyes fixed on the land before her. worry gnawed at her, as the sky darkened and nectarnip had not yet returned. 

finally, gorgestar called for rowansmoke and bighowl to her den. ❝ nectarnip hasn't come back, ❞ said the elderly she—cat, her tone grave. ❝ please see about finding him, both of you, ❞

rowansmoke turned towards bighowl, then back at gorgestar. ❝ we'll find him, ❞ rowansmoke uttered.

the two warriors swiftly exited camp, following after the scent of nectarnip. the scent led them deep into the valley. rowansmoke halted suddenly, staring up ahead at a fallen tree.

❝ the scent is strong here... ❞ bighowl mumbled, his voice low. he stepped forward. ❝ nectarnip! ❞ called out the long—haired blue—ish tom. there was no response, only a repressive silence.

the pair approached the fallen tree, and bighowl's breath hitched as he saw a flash of ginger fur under the heavy trunk.

nectarnip lay motionless, his body crushed under the trunk. his eyes were opened, and expressionless, but he looked somewhat peaceful. rowansmoke felt a sob rising in his throat, and bighowl turned his head to the side, glancing elsewhere.

❝ we should take him back, ❞ bighowl said softly, his voice breaking, after a moment of silence.

together, they carefully worked nectarnip's body free from under the bark, and draped his limp body over their backs. they carried him back to camp, and the clan silenced upon their return.

gorgestar stepped forward, and sighed sorrowfully.

❝ we lost a brave warrior today, ❞ she trembled, and her eyes scanned the gathering crowd. ❝ nectarnip's spirit will forever hunt among the stars, ❞

rowansmoke and bighowl lowered nectarnip's body gently on the ground, allowing for the cats to gather and share tongues with their fallen friend.

⛰︎

━━━━ minnowtrail moved quietly, flanked by two felines: cragspark and butterflytuft.

❝ we could head towards the tansies river? ❞ chimed cragspark softly. ❝ we could have a dip in the water, to cook off, and see what prey is hiding up there, ❞

butterflytuft nodded her head. the heat was just about bearable: slightly warm, and a little sticky and humid, but the patrol trudged on.

minnowtrail flicked an ear. his mouth watered at the thought of prey, and cool water he could lap up and dive into. he moved ahead of his patrol mates, when his eyes flashed after a scurrying creature. a warm and nutty scent filled his nostrils, and the tom took off after the russet coloured mammal.

it darted up a nearby tree, and the warrior pursued. his claws dug into the bark as he clambered up after it, licking his lips eagerly as he imagined the taste of its meat, and blood.

high and higher he went, the thrill of a meal urging him on. his paws slipped and he lost traction. in a panicked flurry, he scrambled his claws to regain the footing he'd just lost. he plummeted down, through the twigs and branches of the towering tree, twisting in the air as he fell.

he hit the ground with a heavy thwomp and a sharp pain burst in his leg. a pop echoed upon impact and the tom let out a pained cry.

cragspark and butterflytuft sided by him instantly.

❝ what happened? ❞ the coloured she—cat uttered as she looked him up and down. around him, a pile of leaves had formed, with a few broken sticks.

❝ i fell, ❞ he gasped, embarrassed. ❝ my leg hurts, ❞

cragspark leaned down and helped the warrior to his paws. ❝ let's get you back to camp. we can go for a swim some other time, ❞

the trio finally stumbled into camp. grouseshatter entered the clearing, having heard a collection of gasps and splutters from clanmates who'd gathered in the cleaning.

❝ dislocated, ❞ she muttered. she flicked her tail and turned. ❝ i'll sort it out, this way, ❞ she purred.

butterflytuft and cragspark aided minnowtrail in hopping towards the medicine den and plopped him down into a nest, before scurrying outside to allow for grouseshatter to work.

❝ i need to set it into place, okay? ❞ spoke the she—cat softly with a small smile. ❝ it'll feel strange, ❞

minnowtrail braced himself. grouseshatter's paws were sure and strong on his leg as she held it down. with a swift, brief moment, she pushed the leg back into place. a muffled yowl escaped minnowtrail's jaws and he cursed inwardly.

❝ holy starclan! ❞ minnowtrail shouted, but he soon eased after the pain subsided, and a faint throb just lingered.

❝ all done. now, you'll need to rest for a few days but you'll be fine afterwards, ❞ grouseshatter spoke with her back turned as she fumbled about the stockpile of herbs before her.

minnowtrail huffed out a relieved sigh. ❝ thanks, ❞

⛰︎

━━━━ riverchaser's broken bone has healed. he is pleased to be able to return back to work. the first thing he did was venture into the valley and hunt for the medicine cats — as a thank you for all their hard work.

⛰︎

━━━━ an amber colouring glowed over the valley as the sun creeped over the horizon. roarclaw moved silently, relishing in the peace, where the world was still and all he could hear was the twittering of birds and the sound of his pawsteps.

his paws treaded lightly on the grass. the scents of the territory were familiar and reassuring. he paused near a patch of ferns and inhaled deeply, whiffing the crisp scent of pine mixed with the distant tang of a nearby water source. roarclaw could feel his mind drifting like a fluffed cloud.

a scent he didn't recognised pricked his nose. foreign and foul. roarclaw's fur bristled and he tensed up his body, scanning his surroundings. he was no longer alone, and the smell of fear wafted from his pelt.

without warning, a blur leaped from the shadows, crashing forcefully into him. roarclaw toppled to the ground and heaved out a forced breath.

the rogue was a thin, wirey, scarred tom with a snarl twisted across his face.

roarclaw reacted instinctively and struck out a paw. his claws graced along the felines cheek, leaving a deep, bloody gash upon its face.

the rogue hissed in pain for a second before lashing out with a clawed paw. the rogues limb made contact with roarclaw's face, deeply dragging down his eye. roarclaw howled in agony and staggered back as a flood of red seeped into his eye and blurred his sight, turning the world into a hazy red.

before the could regain his footing, the rogue spat a final snarl out and leaped over roarclaw, bounding across the field and vanishing into a thick gathering of pine trees on the opposite side.

roarclaw panted and blinked, trying to ignore the pain that flared with each wink. he felt the warmth of his blood trickle down his cheek, a reminder of the rogues unprovoked parting gift.

❝ what a— ❞ the tom muttered, blinking crazily to try and clear his vision. he turned, stalking towards the slope that led to peakclan's camp.

the familiar paths blurred around him, the world a haze of green, brown, grey and crimson. he stumbled more than one, toppling over almost.

he broke through the entrance of camp and tumbled to the floor, exhausted. he saw a flash of bright, fiery orange fur, and the urgent calls of a clan mate that begged for a medicine cat to come quickly.

a pale ginger she—cat approached, and beside them strode a pale grey, spotted female.

❝ easy now, ❞ spoke basslight. she leaned down for the wounded warrior to lean on her for guidance and trod lightly towards the medicine den, mountainfall toeing close behind.

roarclaw dropped into the nest after arriving in the medicine den. it was dim and cooler than it was out in the clearing, so roarclaw knew where he was. his head swam with exhaustion and pain. mountainfall swabbed his eye with a strange smelling poultice, and it stung sharply.

❝ you've got a nasty cut here, ❞ basslight muttered as she stood to the side allowing for mountainfall to work on the tom.

❝ the claw cut deep, but it should be okay. i'll clean it up the best i can. you'll need to rest, ❞ mountainfall spoke, her voice melodic and calming.

roarclaw dropped his head into a weak nod and he turned to the medicine den, eyeing the spying felines who nosied at what had happened.

❝ rest now, i'll tell them all to clear off, ❞ grumbled basslight, storming off towards the entrance of the medicine den, her tail lashing.

⛰︎

━━━━ lurking at the back of the nursery, like a shadow, wolverinpaw's stomach knitted with nerves. it was time for him to receive his apprentice name and a mentor. he was dreading it.

the brown cat gulped shallowly before stepping out of the nursery, travelling across the camp, towards the congregation of clan cats who sat in the clearing.

wolverinekit was named wolverinepaw. locusttree was named as his mentor.

wolverinepaw scurried away after the ceremony. a thought lingered in his mind. he wasn't sure that this was the right path for him.

⛰︎

━━━━ rain gently poured from a thick cluster of darkened clouds that rolled in the sky overhead, and with it came the groggy smell of dampness. pawsteps carefully plodded along. 

❝ i caught the biggest rabbit the other day, ❞ choked out dovesoar with a prideful flick of his fluffed tail, as he turned to almondstripe and willowstripe with a gleeful grin on his maw. ❝ it was a real struggle, but it was so worth it. it tasted delicious! ❞ he purred.

❝ rabbits are... tricky, ❞ willowstripe chimes in, her tail cheeked thoughtfully as she talked. ❝ i prefer the thrill of catching birds. there's something about the way they take to the sky when you pounce that gets my blood pumping, ❞

almondstripe purred in amusement and shook his head. ❝ see, squirrels is where it's at for me. they're fast and clever, but once you got them, they make for a good meal, ❞

their chatter mingled with the chorus of birds that fluttered to and from the soggy trees to avoid the droplets of rain. the patrol wound it's way across the border, having wandered away from the rockfall field moments ago.

a sudden, strange sound cut through their talking. it was faint at first: a rustling and a series of muffled thuds that set almondstripe's ears twitching. his tail jerked upright, signalling for silence. the patrol was quick to halt, immediately alert.

❝ i heard it too... ❞ dovesoar whispered.

❝ somethings up ahead. stay close... ❞ almondstripe ordered, softly, yet firmly.

moving together, the trio creeped forward.

the noises grew louder, more distinct, accompanied by the scent of an unfamiliar cat. almondstripe's fur bristled with unease.

who could be trespassing on their territory?

they pushed through a dense thicket, and there, nose deep into the ground, rummaging through leaves, was a cat. it's fur was sleek and well—groomed, the telltale signs of a kittypet. the cat looked up, it's eyes wide with fear, and in a flash, it lunged forwards at  willowstripe, claws outstretched.

stumbling back, willowstripe yelped out. a flash of brown tabby flung forward. almondstripe positioned himself between the panicked feline and his patrol partner. he arched his back, his fur thrilled, and he let out a fierce hiss, his eyes ablaze with warning.

the kittypet froze, territory evident in its state. for a moment, it seemed to waver, then turned tail and it bolted, disappearing into a row of bushes with a final wail of panic.

dovesoar bounded towards the two. ❝ woah! are you guys okay? ❞

willowstripe shook herself out, her fur still upright. she huffed out a sigh and watched as the cat turned into a pale speck in the distance. ❝ i'm fine. it just startled me. what was that all about? ❞

almondstripe's body eased up. he shook himself too and turned to the two. ❝ he was just scared. probably got lost or something, then freaked out when he saw the lot of us, ❞

dovesoar frowned. ❝ it's a bit... far for a kittypet to be all the way out here? ❞

willowstripe nodded. ❝ do you think he'll come back? ❞

almondstripe's shoulders rolled. ❝ who knows, it's happened before. so maybe. but for now, we should focus on finishing up here and get back, ❞ he huffed.

relations with outsiders have worsened, considering the fact that the clan didn't initiate.

the patrol briefly met barley. 

━━━━ hazelrise hopped into the medicine den on three legs, his injure foreleg raised. he scanned the den for one of the medicine cats.

amberburr approached the pacing tom—cat with her brows raised. ❝ what's wrong? ❞

hazelrise let's out a relieved me exasperated huff and hobbles closer. ❝ it feels like my leg is going to just collapse under me. it hurts, bad, ❞ he whined.

amberburr stepped closer and took the paw into her own, eyeing his leg up and down, while prodding at it lightly, examining it further. she breaths in before standing and turning to the herb storage.

❝ i'll give you some herbs, for the joint pain. if it's still hurting tomorrow, come and see us again, ❞ she purred, crushing up a concoction of herbs into a thickly looking poultice for hazelrise to lap up.

⛰︎

━━━━ honeystream and heronwhisper have both recovered from their greencough.

⛰︎

━━━━ with her eyes trailing after browndash as he exited the warriors' den at slowly, mountainfall entered the medicine den and gathered up a bundle of herbs. gliding across camp, she beckoned for the warrior to wait up.

mountainfall offered up the herbs to browndash, to ease the pain in his twisted leg.

⛰︎

━━━━ brightstrike's torn ear has healed up, but it has scarred up, leaving behind a number of slashes striking through it.

⛰︎

━━━━ valleyraven was attached by a group of rats while out hunting. he managed to fight them off, but was injured in the process.

⛰︎

━━━━ bighowl returned to camp with a puncture wound in his leg. he described a sharp and painful jolt that travelled up his paw after his leg slipped into an animal burrow.

the wound was checked out, and said to be from a snake. he was rushed into the medicine den to have it treated, and was monitored over the night.

bighowl survived the night.

⛰︎

━━━━ dirtmoor stood in a small clearing, his eyes focused on his apprentice as he shifted his paws left and right nervously. ❝ hey, buddy? ❞ soothed the older warrior, lowering his head. ❝ it's okay, you just have to focus, ❞ his tone was patient.

cracklepaw nodded. ❝ okay... i'm ready, ❞ he said, dropping into a defensive stance.

dirtmoor mirrored his position. ❝ alright, let's see what you've got, eh? ❞ he challenged, and in a quick second, cracklepaw leaped forward and swiped his paw at his mentor.

the two cats danced around one another in the field, exchanging swipes with one another. cracklepaw was quick with his footing, but stumbled every so often, his eagerness was causing him to fumble. dirtmoor was patient however.

cracklepaw saw an opening and took it. he lunged forwards. his paw struck dirtmoor squarely across his muzzle with a resounding whack. the force of the blow took dirtmoor aback, and his eyes were wide with surprise.

there was a long pause of stunned silence. terrified he had crossed the line, cracklepaw's stomach drew in as he heaved a panicked breath. but, dirtmoor began to chuckle.

❝ now that was a good hit! ❞ dirtmoor said between his laughs. he leaned over as he howled, before he shook his head to compose himself.

cracklepaw let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding, his tail swishing with relief. ❝ sorry, dirtmoor. i didn't mean to hit you so hard, ❞

❝ it's fine, ❞ dirtmoor assured, still grinning. ❝ if you hit like that in a real battle? yeeesh... all cats will be running for the hills, ❞

a distant cry, filled with distress and sharp, drowned out the laughter from the mentor and apprentice.

both cats' ears shifted upright. dirtmoor turned to the sound, his playfulness evaporating in an instant.

❝ what— what was that? ❞ cracklepaw gasped.

dirtmoor turned to cracklepaw. ❝ stay close, ❞ he instructed, leading cracklepaw forwards. he moved swiftly and cautiously, cracklepaw copying his paw steps as he followed behind.

the crying grew louder, interspersed with the harsh sounds of growling and hissing. the two pair reached the edge of the border and crossed, entering an open field just on the outskirts of hemlockclan territory.

dirtmoor halted and blended into a bush. he peered through the leaves and watched what unfolded up ahead.

a cat clambered desperately up a tree. below, a larger cat stood on its hind legs, swiping at the trunk while snarling. the aggressor's fur was unkept. a rogue, the warrior realised. and not a friendly one.

without hesitation, dirtmoor barrelled forwards. he propelled across the field and crashed into the rogue, sending it sprawling. the rogue scrambled to its paws  and hissed furiously, but one look at dirtmoor's bared teeth, it turned tail.

cracklepaw emerged after the rogue darts's off, his eyes wide. ❝ woah! that was awesome! ❞

❝ are you alright up there? ❞ dirtmoor called up to the cat in the tree. he looked over he is shoulder at the fleeing rogue. ❝ it's safe to come down now, ❞

slowly, cautiously, the cat staggered down. he was a young tom, his fur a sleek brown, marred by a few scratches and some dirt. he touched the ground and gave the two wary eyes.

❝ thank you, ❞ he shakily said, ❝ i honestly thought i was done for, ❞

❝ my names dirtmoor. and this is cracklepaw, he's my apprentice, ❞ dirtmoor said as he flicked his nose towards the young tom cowering next to him. ❝ what is your name? ❞

❝ duck, ❞ the brown tom replied. ❝ that cat chased me off my old territory. i've been wandering ever since, and he keeps finding me, ❞ he huffed.

dirtmoor looked to cracklepaw the back towards the loner. ❝ we have a big group of cats, just near here. we are called peakclan, you're more than welcome to join us? we could use a cat with your spirit, ❞

duck's eyes widened. ❝ woah?! really? you'd take me in? ❞

❝ duh! ❞ cracklepaw bleated. ❝ you'll be safe with us. and we can teach you the warrior code. and you get to hunt too, and learn how to fight and— ❞

❝ cracklepaw we don't want to deter him, ❞ dirtmoor laughed while his head shook. ❝ let's take you back to camp. i'll introduce you to our leader, ❞

duck was taken back to peakclan and welcomed into the clan. he gained his warrior name: duckblur.

⛰︎

━━━━ ❝ and that's how i managed to outsmart a fox. took every bit of cunning i had, but by starclan it  sure was worth it, ❞ blackear mused, looking toward goldrain and rowansmoke, who sat close by with a piece of prey in their paws.

❝ sounds thrilling, ❞ muttered goldrain through a mouthful of his food.

blackear rolled his eyes. ❝ it has its moments. but i much prefer this life here, ❞

rowansmoke listened quietly. his eyes were distant, lost in thought. blackear noticed his silence and he nudged the tom gently. ❝ what about you? we know you were a loner. what was your life like before you joined peakclan? ❞

rowansmoke stiffened. his muscles coiled under his pelt. his mind flooded with the unbidden and painful memories. the image of towering flames, the scent of smoke that scorched his nostrils. he could hear the terrified cries for help of his peers, their desperate, panicked scramble to escape the fire. his brother's face flashed before him, eyes wide before being swallowed by hungry flames.

❝ rowansmoke? ❞ coughed the elder. ❝ you good? ❞

for a moment, rowansmoke remained silent, his gaze fixed on some distant point. then, without a word, he stood abruptly, tail lashing behind him. he turned and stalked away. he moved through camp, barely registering the distant calls from both goldrain and blackear as they ushered him to come back, or from the curious looks of his clanmates as he stormed by.

he slipped out of camp, travelling down the slope. he found a secluded little outcropping and sat down heavily. his sides heaved as he held back the rage and grief that threatened to wash over him.

rowansmoke closed his eyes and tried to push aside the visions that played. he could see the flames, hear the screams. his brother, ash, had been his closest companion.

he took a deep, shuddering breath and opened his eyes. he couldn't bear to return back to camp yet. he wished he could forget all of what happened.

⛰︎

━━━━ grouseshatter stalked thunderously across the open field. her eyes searched left and right for a specific herb: lungwort. the warrior she brought with her stood like a statue behind her, unsure as to what to do, or what to look for.

❝ speckled leaves... speckled leaves, ❞ chanted the brown she—cat as she tirelessly walked up and down the field of flowers.

it took the patrol all day, but eventually, she and springspeckle managed to find lungwort.

⛰︎

━━━━ the midday sun blazed. cragspark sided to the left, grinning as he avoided a swipe from his warrior opponent. ❝ nearly got me there, ❞ teased the tabby.

❝ how about you hide behind a rock over there, and practice ambushing? ❞ cragspark gleamed with a flick of his nose.

condorcave nodded. ❝ yeah, sure ❞ he said, scanning the field, selected a large rock near the edge. quickly, he sauntered over and positioned himself behind it so he was out of cragspark's view.

condorcave crouched behind the rock and pressed a paw down on a small stone. it shifted slightly and it revealed something in the crevice. he froze, his eyes widening in surprise as he saw a tiny, motionless kit, no more than a few moons old, hiding among the rocks.

condor she glanced around. he tried to pick up the scent of the kits parents, but the only scent that hit him was the smell of death.

❝ cragspark! ❞ called condorcave.

cragspark's ears prickled and he rushed over, his eyes widening as he stared at the kitten. ❝ starclan above! what happened? ❞ he whispered.

condorcave leaned down his nose barely brushed the kit's fur, and the scent of death was strong. ❝ i don't think it's been here long, but it's definitely gone... ❞

cragspark sorrowfully sighed. ❝ poor kit, ❞ muttered the tom. ❝ we should bury it, ❞ he added.

the two found a secluded area on the edge of their border, under a pine tree. condorcave looked down at the small grave before them and he gently picked up the kitten, placing them softly into the hole they had made, before silently whispering a prayer. his paws kicked at the mud, covering the kits body. they covered the grave and patted the earth gently until it smoothed over.

cragspark placard a small stone at the head of the grave, a marker for the tiny life.

❝ come on... let's get back, ❞ condorcave huffed.

⛰︎

━━━━ chasmpoppy ordered for burrbat and spiderfur to follow her, for some training. the session was enjoyable.

burrbat was glad he attended, as he learned a new technique from chasmpoppy.

⛰︎

━━━━ after being ordered by basslight to find herbs, mountainfall and heronwhsiper scurry out of camp and into the valley.

the weather is pleasant, and they find a nice spot to sun themselves, and enjoy one another's company as they talk about how their day has gone.

before the sun sets, the cats busy themselves to find some herbs.