━━━━ duskeyes and cragspark stumbled into camp, their fur raggedy. their training session in the sun had been a gruelling one, and they returned with weary limbs and heaving breaths.

duskeyes collapsed onto the cool stone in the clearing of camp with a heavy thud, his sides heaving with each ragged breath. a wave of nausea rushed over him, and he doubled over, retching as big poured from his throat and slapped onto the ground below him. his stomach churned with discomfort.

splitmimic broke from the confines of the medicine den, having heard a few startled gasps and muttered breaths from her clanmates. she darted towards the fallen warrior. her paws skidded to a halt beside duskeyes, her gaze sweeping over the tom-cats and their trembling forms.

❝ what happened? ❞ splitmimic frantically blurted out as she leaned beside duskeyes, touching her nose into his fur.

cragspark hovered nearby, his own breath coming in short gasps as he struggled to catch his breath. his eyes glazed with tiredness as he watched splitmimic quickly check over his sparring partner.

❝ we were just training, ❞ huffed cragspark, swallowing to push down a sickening feeling that bubbled in his gut.

splitmimic's expression darkened with understanding as she assessed the situation. it had been horrible and hot all day, and the innards of the dens felt sticky from the sun's powerful glare on the land. splitmimic brought in a breath and turned to cragspark.

❝ heat exhaustion. the both of you, ❞ splitmimic declared. ❝ lets get you both into the medicine den to cool you down. you'll have to stay there until you are better. its a good job i'm better and was around to help you blathering fools,❞

⛰︎

━━━━ the air in the medicine den hung heavy with the scent of herbs, a familiar fragrance that mingled with the musty aroma of damp earth and dried leaves. cragspark and duskeyes remained in separate nests, dazed and tired still from their escapades the other day. forced into bedrest, the toms hadn't much to do except to sleep and push their noses into the medicine cats' and their business.

gorgestar hobbled into the den, her movement slow and laboured, her fur bristling with discomfort as she sought solace from the throbbing ache that pulsed through her body.

basslight turned from the stock, having been counting the amounts, and her eyes narrowed at the sight of gorgestar's evident distress. with a quick flick of her tail, she motioned for her to settle upon an empty nest.

❝ what troubles you, gorgestar? ❞ basslight's words were a soft mumble, a soothing balm against the ache that gnawed at gorgestar's bones. ❝ you don't look too good, ❞

gorgestar's breath came out in shortened gasps as she struggled to find her voice, her chest tightened with the weight of her affliction. ❝ i feel sick, ❞ she admitted, her words a whispered confession that hung heavy in the air. gorgestar wasn't one to admit how she felt, or if she was truly hurt by a situation or something - she just pressed on and lived with it. but this pain was unbearable, and no amount of tossing or turning in her sleep could ease it. ❝ my leg, it hurts like crazy, ❞

basslight's eyes bore a sympathetic gaze and she approached her leader, her eyes scanning the wounded limb with a practiced eye. with a gentle paw, she probed the tender flesh, her touch delicate yet deliberate as she sought the source of gorgestar's discomfort.

as her claws grazed the surface of the wound, a foul smell assailed basslight's senses, the stench of infection mingling with the sharp tang of blood. basslight huffed out slowly then looked up at gorgestar.

❝ your wound is infected. have you been cleaning it like you have been told to do so? ❞ basslight asked. and by the silence in which that fell, basslight assumed her leaders answer was a 'no'. the medicine cat turned at splitmimic's arrival and meowed for the she-cat to come over and help tend to gorgestar's infected leg.

⛰︎

━━━━ the river beside locusttree and geckopaw softly murmured as they trailed along the embankment. the sun hung low in the sky, creating a canvas of colours on the grass underneath their paws.

geckopaw's eyes darted skyward and widened as she spotted a majestic looking bird soaring above the river, its wings outstretched like a living shadow abasing the expanse of orange and yellows in the sky. with a sharp intake of breath, she nudged her mentor.

❝ look locusttree! ❞ she exclaimed, her tail flicking with anticipation as she stared towards the flying bird. ❝ an eagle! ❞

locusttree's eyes followed his 'paws gaze, and his heart hammered at the sight of it. it was a beauty - swooping low over the glistening surface of the water, its talons poised to strike. with a swift motion, it dove towards the river, its wings slicing through the air like a blade as it grasped onto an impressively large fish.

a flicker of ambition sparked within locusttree as he watched the bird surface. with a determined glint in his eyes, he turned to his apprentice. ❝ lets steal the fish, ❞ he declared, ❝ we can outwit that silly bird and takes his meal for our own bellies, ❞

without waiting for a response from geckopaw, locusttree bounded towards the rivers edge. he plunged into the cool waters, the cold embrace of the river sending a shudder down his spine, as he propelled himself towards the eagle as its covered prey.

the bird let out a cry of warning, its grip tightening on its prize as it beat its wings in defiance. locusttre's claws scrabbled against the wet scales as he tried to pry the fish from its talons. the eagle lashed out, its feathers ruffling with irritation as it struck out its free foot towards the tom-cat. he recoiled backwards, veering away from the sharpened point that came his way. he grunted but retreated from the bird.

locusttree emerged from the water and shook out his pelt quickly once he was back on dry land. he cast a rueful glare at the sky as the bird fluttered off, squawking maniacally. he turned to geckopaw, who giggled quietly to herself.

❝ its laughing at you! ❞ geckopaw wailed, her giggle erupting into a loud jovial laugh.

❝ lets just continue hunting, ❞ locusttree murmured, ❝ we wasted enough time on fruitless pursuits as it is, ❞

━━━━ duskeyes and cragspark shuffled from the medicine den, having just had a lecture about why they should be responsible warriors and ensure they are resting and drinking enough while training. the two have finally recovered from their heat exhaustion after spending a number of days in and out of the medicine den.

⛰︎

━━━━ after regular visits to the medicine den, gorgestar's infection has subsided. the she-cat can now rest easy knowing that her broken leg will continue to heal normally.

⛰︎

━━━━ gorgestar stood at the entrance of her den, her amber gaze sweeping over the bustling activityy of the camp with a mixture of pride and satisfaction. the air was alive with the hum of voices and the rustle and shuffling go paws as her clan went about their daily tasks, each one contributing to the rhythm of clan life.

her attention was drawn to her deputy as he called out for the apprentice siblings, his voice carrying in the wind. ❝ is there any apprentice willing to lend a paw in tending to berrykestrel? ❞ he called out, his words a gentle invitation to the task.

hawkpaw and rattlepaw looked at one another before scampering off, leaving geckopaw and stoatpaw behind. stoatpaw stepped forward with a confident stride, and a wide grin. ❝ i can help, scrubstripe, ❞ he declared.

gorgestar's heart swelled with pride at the sight of stoatpaw's willingness and determination. he was going to make a great warrior, she was sure of it.

⛰︎

━━━━ the first light of dawn bled a coat of golden light upon the valley, painting the grass and trees with hues of amber and gold as scrubstorm and stoatpaw ventured on their patrol. they trailed the border of peakclan's territory, blabbering quietly to one another as they walked, when the gentle traipse of paw steps caused scrubstorm to slow down his pace. the deputy pricked his ears upright and jerked his tail for stoatpaw to approach with caution.

they advanced side by side towards the noise, their steps slow as they prepared for the possibility of an encounter with an intruder or an attacker. the undergrowth parted and revealed a small, white figure huddled amongst the shadows - a kittypet, their fur matted, and drenched with muck and grime.

the mentor and apprentice pair exchanged a concerned glance, their expressions mired with uncertainty as they regarded the unexpected visitor. ❝ who are you? and what are you doing on peakclan territory? ❞ scrubstorm questioned, his voice firm, yet somewhat soft, as he addressed the trembling cat.

the kittypet hesitated for a moment, their gaze flittering between the two cats before they plucked up the courage to reply. ❝ my twolegs abandoned me. have been walking for days... ❞ the kittypet choked out. ❝ but, but, i heard about your clans, where i used to live there was talk of wild cats... i'd like to join, if i'm allowed to? ❞

a ripple of surprise passed through scrub storm at the cats declaration. without hesitation, the deputy nodded in agreement. scrub storm twitched his tail for the cat to follow them back to their camp, while stoat paw introduced themselves, and rambled about the members within the clan - bombarding the poor, shaken feline with an abundance of information to digest.

dovesoar joined the clan, leaving behind the old life of a kittypet for a new, more exciting one.

━━━━ rabbitneedle rolled onto her back, her stomach absorbing the warmth of the sun that had peeked from behind the clouds. despite the season, the weather was great. her eyes were half-closed, her expression one of contentment as she allowed for the gentle hum of the clan to wash over her like water.

the tip-toeing of paws caused the she-cat to look up, and she watched as doespots creeped over cautiously. the tom-cat looked nervous.

doespots approached rabbitneedle, muttering under his breath. he had rehearsed what he wanted to say a thousand times in his mind. he cleared his throat to gain her attention, and watched as the she-cat rolled over.

❝ rabbitneedle, ❞ he began with a hesitant tone. he settled beside her. ❝ there's something i need to tell you, ❞

❝ yes? what is it? ❞ she asked.

doespots drew in a breath. ❝ i like you, ❞ he confessed, his paws quivering under his weight as he shuffled them nervously. ❝ i've admired you from afar for some time now, and i just couldn't keep it bottled up any longer. it was eating me alive! ❞ he expelled quickly.

for a moment, there was silence. a long pause that shrouded the air like a veil of uncertainty. rabbitneedle's expression remained inscrutable, her eyes fixed on the tom-cat with a blankness that sent a shiver down his back.

then, with a sigh, rabbitneedle shook her head. ❝ doespots, i don't see you that way, ❞ she said gently. the words seemed to hit him like a knife to the heart, and his face screwed up. ❝ you are a good friend, sorry, ❞

the weight of the rejection pressed down on him like a boulder, crushing him beneath its unforgiving weight. he felt a flush of embarrassment wash over his cheeks and ears, a burning shame that threatened to eat him alive as he struggled to process what she had said.

doespots rose to his paws and he turned. he felt the eye of the clan burn upon his pelt as he quickly scurried out of camp, their whispers of sympathy and pity echoing in his ears as he slunk away, his tail tucked between his legs, and his pride tattered.

⛰︎

━━━━ scrubstorm approached almondstripe, and coughed to announce his presence. the deputy looked the tom up and down, then sighed. ❝ word has got to me that you and a warrior from hemlockclan have been playing about like kits? ❞

gulping, almondstripe looked down at his paws, but nodded. ❝ yeah... it won't happen again, i promise. we both just said hello and then got a bit carried away. sorry scrubstripe... ❞

scrubstripe dipped his head lowly and gave almondstripe a warming smile, before turning to leave.

⛰︎

━━━━ mountainfall dragged duskeyes and splitmimic on a patrol to find some thyme, before they vanish due to the colder weather. the urgency of the situation tired out the patrol, as they walked the valley high and low to find it.

thyme was plucked in plentiful amounts, and a bundle of goldenrod was picked too.

━━━━ after the coyote attack moons ago, gorgestar has spent her time in and out the medicine cat for treatment on her leg - having been gravely injured by the canid that tried to snatch a kitten. finally, the leader's leg has healed, and the she-cat is pleased to be able to get back to work.

⛰︎

━━━━ berrykestrel staggered into camp. the elderly tom-cat looked drained, and he quivered when he walked. he collapsed at the entrance of the camp. thankfully, daisyknoll spotted the old tom and ran to his aid, pulling him into the medicine den to assess him.

stirring awake, berrykestrel gave the medicine cats' a confused stare. having been outside for too long, daisyknoll announced that he's got frostbite.

⛰︎

━━━━ rattlepaw stood at the front of the clearing, his heart pounding with nervousness and excitement as he waited for his name to be called out.

gorgestar stepped forward and jumped from the calling branch, landing heavily, just a mere whisker away from the 'paw. with a gentle nod, she rested her muzzle on his head, her touch a silent blessing that carried the weight of generations past.

❝ rattlepaw, you have shown courage, determination and unwavering loyal to peakclan. today, you take your place among the warriors, ❞ gorgestar loudly muttered out. she flicked her tail to silence the crowd, which had since erupted with a chorus of wailing and whooping. ❝ from this day forward, you shall be known as rattlefleck. starch honours your strategy, ❞ she continued.

rattlefleck gave his leader a solemn nod of gratitude before slithering into the crowd to greet his brothers and sister, who had not yet received their warrior names.

⛰︎

━━━━ mountainfall pushed through a bush forcefully. a sharp twang streaked across her side, and she emerged from the other end of the shrub. she veered her head around and stared at a small cut upon her pelt. the she-cat inwardly cursed and sighed, before continuing back to camp. she would sort herself out once she had returned.

⛰︎

━━━━ newly made apprentice inkpaw touched her nose firmly to her mentor, willowstripe's nose.

mudpaw was ecstatic. the tom-cat was so excited he tumbled over his own paws while he scampered up to the front to greet his mentor, loachpath.

doespots watched as hazelpaw swerved in and out of the crowd, running to find his siblings. the apprentice was embarrassed after being in front of the whole clan.

⛰︎

━━━━ in the crisp, cool air of leaf-bare morning, herbs would be easy to scent. splitmimic and daisyknoll embarked on a quick herb patrol, accompanied by loachpath and mudpaw. the patrol brings back bundles of mallow and garlic.

━━━━ a silvery glow bathed peak clan's camp. gorgestar trotted quietly out of her den, and towards the clearing where scrub storm sat, watching the stars.

scrubstorm turned to meet her gaze, his eyes shimmering with curiosity as e regarded his leader. ❝ is everything okay? ❞ he whispered softly.

drawing in a deep breath, gorgestar shook her head. ❝ there's something i want to talk to you about... ❞ she muttered, her voice quivering as she talked. she watched as the tom-cats brow furrowed with concern, but his head dipped for her to continue.

❝ scrubstorm, i think i'm in love with you, ❞ she blabbered. her stomach twisted with a strange feeling that fluttered within her gut as scrub storm shuffled himself closer towards her, and rested his paw on top of hers.

❝ i was waiting for you to pluck up the courage to say it, ❞ scrubstorm chimed. he leaned his head towards gorgestar's. ❝ will you be my mate? ❞ he questioned after pulling back slightly so he could watch her expression shift.

a wave of relief washed over gorgestar at scrubstorm's admission, and her heart swelled warmly. she feared he would reject her, and she would have to pretend as if none of this ever happened. the question bounced in her mind like a rubber ball, and gorgestar blinked slowly. she struggled to push the words from her tongue, and nodded her head.

gorgestar stood up and turned. she flicked her tail under the tom-cats chin before trailing towards her den. she lingered by the entrance, awaiting to see if he followed after her, before slipping into her den.

⛰︎

━━━━ gorgestar tip-toed into the medicine den. a strange feeling gnaw at her innards, and an unease gaze clouded her eyes. she settled upon the mossy bedding inside the medicine den, her body weary from the patrol she had just returned from.

splitmimic approach tentatively. her eyes narrowed with worry as she quickly assessed gorgestar, gently probing her stomach. a flicker of concern bubbled within splitmimic as she noticed a slight swelling around gorgestar's abdomen, and the prominence of her nipples. her brow furrowed with a confused arch.

❝ basslight, ❞ splitmimic called. the tabby she-cat trotted over, having been tending to the stores that diasyknoll had left a mess. ❝ what do you make of this? ❞ splitmimic asked, flicking her nose towards the leaders stomach.

gaslight approached. she prodded her paw gently onto her stomach, then turned to splitmimic with a small smile. the pieces quickly fell into place, and basslight then focused on gorgestar.

❝ gorgestar, ❞ basslight began softly, ❝ you're pregnant, ❞

a gasp of surprise echoed through the den as gorgestar absorbed what the medicine cat had just spelled out to her. she stared down at her stomach, then gulped.

it didn't take long for word to travel about gorgestar's pregnancy.

⛰︎

━━━━ with a sudden burst of speed, cragspark pounced on his unsuspecting quarry - a sleek crow that sat perched upon a low-hanging branch of a dead tree. the bird squawked in alarm as the cat seized it in its jaws, its feathers ruffling as it battered its wings in an attempt to escape.

cragspark stood with his prize in his maw, proud of his catch. he bounced across the open field, leaping onto one of the many logs that littered the ground. his paws slipped underneath him, sending him tumbling into the ground. agony laced through his body as he landed with a heavy thud, the breath knocked out of his lungs as he lay sprawled on the floor, the bird havingg dropped from his grasp.

with a grimace, he struggled to his feet, his body protesting with every movement as he hobbled back to camp, his injured limb dragging heavily behind him.

daisyknol was quick to rush to the tom's aid following his entranced back into camp. he shouldered cragspark into the medicine den, carefully pressing his paws not his body to assess what he had done.

❝ you just dislocated your leg, its an easy fix. but you'll need a few days of rest, ❞ daisyknoll explained. he swiftly manipulated the leg back into its proper position, which cragspark protested about with a flurry of hisses and snarls.

⛰︎

━━━━ geckopaw barely seems to be paying any attention. she was focused on a fluttering leaf, while gorgestar beckoned for her to come forward. embarrassed, geckopaw apologised for getting distracted. geckopaw becomes geckotooth and is honoured for her humour.

basslight and doespots sat side by side, their tails entwined with one another as they embraced one another. stoat paw stepped forward and received his warrior name: stoatclaw.

⛰︎

━━━━ mountainfall guided hawkpaw down the twisting mountain path, towards the open fields in the valley below, her voice a gentle hum as she talked about what herbs they were on the look out for. hawkpaw listened contently as she yapped on about yarrow, daisy and poppy seeds.

the peaceful journey was soon interrupted by a piercing cry of a hawk soaring above them, circling in the sky, its shadow falling like a dark omen upon the grass. mountainfall's mind flared with alarm as she recognised the danger overhead.

❝ quickly, take cover! ❞ screamed mountainfall as she scattered across the field to take shelter in a nearby thicket.

the hawk descended with lightning speed, its talons extended in a deadly arc as it swooped towards mountainfall. with a fierce cry of defiance, hawkpaw lunged forward, his claws pushed out, as he launched himself on top of the bird with all the ferocity of a warrior twice his age.

the bird screeched in surprise as the cats claws dug into its skin. the bird raked the tips of its claws across the tom-cats body, in an attempt to break free from the felines grasp. pain flared through hawkpaw as the bird fought back with all its might. he refused to yield as he fought to protect the medicine cat the bird had originally veered for.

with a final cry of defiance, hawkpaw drove his paw towards the birds face. his claws sliced across its eye, causing the bird to wail out loudly. the bird wheeled away into the sky, the cat still in its grasp. firmly puncturing his fangs into its legs, hawkpaw was released.

the tom barrelled through the sky, landing firmly on his feet when he made contact with the earth. he huffed loudly, his stomach pulling in quickly as he gasped for a breath.

❝ you... you saved me, ❞ mountainfall murmured, her eyes clouded with fear and shock. she gulped heavily and rushed to his side quickly. ❝ lets get you back to camp quickly, before it comes back for round two... ❞

⛰︎

━━━━ the valley lay cloaked in a pristine blanket of snow as coldbee and goldrain ventured down from the mountain, their breaths forming a misty cloud in the chilly air. the first flakes of snow drifted lazily from the grey sky above, their delicate dance a harbinger of a storm to come, but the two warriors pressed on.

the patrol stalked through the snowy landscape in search of some prey, determined to return with something. the snow began to fall in earnest. the valley livened up with the pitter patter of flakes that fell onto the ground, and the patrols' pelts. they paid no heed to the weather.

despite the biting cold, they refused to return back with nothing in their maws. success soon came,, as coldbee and goldrain stumble upon some songbirds pecking at the snow to reveal some bugs. the warriors circled the birds, stalking across the white before pouncing and killing what they could.

with their prey in their jaws, they turned back to camp - pleased with the days hunting. the snow rained down harder and heavier as the cats paced back up the mountain and into camp.