━━━━ daisyknoll probed gorgestar's stomach gently, his brow arching as he carefully applied pressure to her belly. ❝ your litter seems small, ❞ he mumbled as he met his leaders gaze.

gorgestar nodded her head. she had a feeling it was going to be small: it was her first litter, and that was a common thing. gorgestar wasn't concerned.

she smiled warmly down at her swollen stomach and breathed out calmly. ❝ the nursery will be my temporary den until my kits arrive, ❞ she purred.

daisyknoll's head bobbed as he took in what she declared. ❝ you'll have one of us four checking on you regularly, so prepare to be poked and prodded by our paws, ❞ he mused playfully with a small smile, ❝ i will send basslight over to the nursery, to ensure a nest is made up for you, ❞

gorgestar stood up slowly and hobbled out of the medicine den, towards the nursery, scrubstorm brushed by. she gave the tom a purr before pushing her head into his neck.

❝ how are you and the kits? ❞

❝ we are fine, don't worry. i'll be moving into the nursery. can you take care of the clan while i have our kits? ❞ gorgestar pleaded with worried and tired eyes.

scrubstorm curled his tail into hers and nodded his head slowly. ❝ worry not, my love. the clan will be fine in my paws, ❞ he murmured, ❝ you just focus on bringing our kits into this world, okay? ❞ he added before escorting gorgestar towards the nursery, where basslight waited outside.

scrubstorm licked his tongue across gorgestar's cheek, bidding her a farewell for the day.

he had a buys few weeks ahead of him, and a lot to worry about.

⛰︎

━━━━ goldrain's paws sank deeply into the soft white powder beneath him, the chill of snow seeping through his fur and settling onto his skin. but he paid no mind to it, his focus fixed on helping basslight find some herbs to help gorgestar with a stomach ache she had complained of.

their efforts were soon thwarted by a sudden misstep. goldrain tumbled forward into the snow, crying out as he tried to regain his footing in the slippery, slush of snow below.

basslight rushed to his side, her concern evident in the worried arch of her brows. ❝ you just sprained your paw, you should be okay to walk back to camp. you can lean on me, ❞ she uttered as she leaned down and helped him to his paws.

pain flared through goldrain's paw as he tested his weight on it, am aching throb plaguing his limb.

he hobbled back to camp slowly and retreated to the medicine den so the medicine cats could treat his sprain.

⛰︎

━━━━ berrykestrel's bout of frostbite has passed.

⛰︎

━━━━ with steady paws, doespots guided hazelpaw through the twisting path of the river that ran beside them. the young apprentice listened with rapt attention as doespots rambled about the pairs plans for the days lesson.

as they neared the border of hemlockclan's territory, doespots halted in his tracks. with a flick of his tail, he looked towards his apprentice. ❝ i'm going to run up ahead, the medicine cats asked for a few things. see if you can hunt anything while i'm gone, ❞

hazelpaw nodded. a solo hunt — how thrilling! the young tom—cat set to work, nose to the ground as he sniffed for a scent.

doespots returned a number of moments later with a small bunch of herbs in his jaw. his eyes settled on hazelpaw's low crouched body. the tom'a stomach churned with unease as he realised what hazelpaw had done.

❝ hazelpaw! ❞ doespots hissed as he bounded over to the river. ❝ what do you think you're doing? ❞

hazelpaw turned. he held a mouse in his jaw that he had just stalked and killed moments before. he just grunted. ❝ hunting, like you asked? ❞ he snorted, glaring towards his mentor, who did the same in return.

the young 'paw looked down at where he stood then gasped. he hadn't noticed he has jumped over the river in pursuit of the rodent. his ears folded and he quickly bounded back onto the unclaimed side of the river.

❝ i'm sorry... ❞ hazelpaw uttered.

doespots's gaze softened. ❝ you should know the code by now, hazelpaw, ❞ he reminded him, his tone wet with disappointment. ❝ you should know to respect the borders of other clans. breaking the code puts not only yourself in danger, but the whole clan. you don't want that, do you? ❞

hazelpaw bowed her head in shame, as he accepted his mentor's reminder. a twitch of doespots tail then announced their departure back to camp.

hazelpaw was punished for breaking the warrior code, being relieved of his apprentice duties for the rest of the moon, while he attended the elders' den daily to be re—told the warrior code by berrykestrel.

⛰︎

━━━━ it was one of the worst snow—storms of the seasons, and it put daisyknoll in a foul, sour mood. herbs fluttered about in the wind, ruined by the snow that fell from the sky and squashed them into the ground below. prey tucked away in their dens, fearing for their safety as the snow bellowed on.

doespots figured he'd attempt to cheer up daisyknoll. he hooked his paw and cupped some snow into his pad, flicking it towards daisyknoll.

the medicine cat stopped and turned. his expression was evident that he was furious, and the hiss he spat out was just the icing on top. ❝ we don't have time for any kit games! ❞ the tom—cat snarled before storming off up ahead.

daisyknoll's mood distracts the patrol from finding any useable herbs.

━━━━ in the quiet confines of the nursery, gorgestar lay nestled among the soft bedding, her eyes glowing with a mixture of exhaustion and pride as she cradled her newborn kits against her warm belly. with a contented sigh, gorgestar nuzzled her tiny bundles of fur.

outside, scrubstorm paced anxiously, his gaze fixed upon the entrance to the nursery as he awaited news of his mate and their newborn kits. his thoughts were consumed by the prospect of meeting his kits for the first time.

splitmimic emerged from the nursery with a warm smile, her eyes shining with delight as she beckoned scrubstorm forward. ❝ you can come in now, scrubstorm, ❞ she mumbled softly, ❝ gorgestar and the kits are doing well, ❞

with a quick mod, he stepped into the nursery, his heart pounding as he caught sight of gorgestar and the small furry forms beside her. gorgestar greeted him with a tired, yet loving, gaze, her fur unkempt from the exertion of birth as she cradled their tiny sons against her side.

scrubstorm's eyes filled with tears of joy at the sight of his family. he approached them with soft, hesitant steps. ❝ they're... they're beautiful, ❞ he whispered, his voice choking with emotion as he leaned down and softly pushed his nose into his kits fur.

❝ i named them webkit and spiderkit, ❞ she purred, her eyes shifting towards his, ❝ i hope that's ok? ❞

scrubstorm drew closer and the two kits stirred. they wriggled and writhed with curiosity as they sought out the touch and warmth of their father. scrubstorm nodded his head at gorgestar's comment. ❝ they're perfect, love. absolutely perfect, ❞

with a gentle purr, gorgestar nuzzled her kits closer to scrubstorm after he settled down beside her.

⛰︎

━━━━ cragspark's leg feels a little weakened since his dislocation, but the tom—cat is pleased to be able to return to his duties once again. daisyknoll told him that his leg would feel normal within a number of days.

⛰︎

━━━━ the warriors' den filled with the steady, soft rhythm of sleeping breaths as night settled over the clan. a disturbance toppled through the darkness as duskeyes spluttered in his sleep.

cragspark's ears pricked with concern at the sound, his heart sinking with worry for his old mentor. without hesitation, he sprang to his feet, his muscles tense with urgency and tiredness as he darted to the entrance of the den and out into the clearing.

❝ splitmimic! daisyknoll! bass— ❞ cragspark choked out as he scrambled towards the medicine den.

basslight emerged from the darkness of the den, her brow arched lightly. ❝ what is it? ❞ she quietly said to the worried tom—cat. fear plastered the tom's gaze, and basslight could feel her stomach knotting.

❝ it's duskeyes, ❞ cragspark spewed, ❝ he's coughing and spluttering. i think he's sick! ❞

basslight followed cragspark back to the warriors' den. they entered the den.

duskeyes curled up in his nest, his breathing ragged and laboured as he struggled to draw in each breath.

basslight wasted no time in assessing the older warrior, and she quickly examined him. ❝ i'm afraid to say he's got whitecough, ❞ she murmured, ❝ but it's nothing we can't handle, ❞

❝ i'll move him to the medicine den in the morning, but i'll keep him warm and give him a mixture of herbs to help ease the crackling in his chest, and any pain he may have from his coughing, ❞ basslight added, flashing a look towards cragspark.

❝ he'll be alright, don't you worry. try and get some rest. duskeyes will need you to be strong, ❞

⛰︎

━━━━ splitmimic and mountainfall walked silently along the mountain slope, almondstripe following close behind them. the tom—cat chimed up with a dream he had, and questioned whether it was a vision from starclan.

both the medicine cats are confused by his dream, but are appreciative of the fact that he shared it with them.

they return back to camp with marigold.

━━━━ almondstripe marveled at the beauty of the world around him. newleaf was truly a beautiful season. flowers bloomed and exploded with colours and smells. the land was alive with the hum of new life yet again, and the soft mumble of birdsong travelled in the wind.

divulged in the beauty of his surroundings, almondpaw failed to catch a glimpse of a wet rock underfoot, his attention consumed by the riot of purples and yellows from the flowers that enveloped around him. his paw caught on the rock, and the tom—cat tumbled forwards.

his balance was thrown off and he teetered left and right, trying to gain his footing once again on the uneven terrain. a sharp pain flared through his paw, causing him to wince and shift his weight onto his other legs. the tom—cat inwardly cursed, realising he'd have to retreat to camp and cease his walk here.

almondstripe hobbled back to camp with his sprained paw. he was thankful it wasn't broken or dislocated — he could work with a sprain.

⛰︎

━━━━ goldrain's sprained limb has finally eased up, and the pain has passed. he'd spent some time on a few simple patrols, where he needn't put too much strain on his body.

goldrain's glad to be able to strut about without wincing in pain.

⛰︎

━━━━ after spending a moon in and out of the medicine den, ingesting herbs and having his peers listen to his chest and breathing, duskeyes has finally recovered from his whitecough.

⛰︎

━━━━ hawkpaw's laceration from the bird attack has healed. the tom—cat exited the medicine den to see gorgestar standing upon the calling branch, and she beckoned for the clan to gather.

the clan closed in on the clearing and all settled, their heads turning with confusion.

gorgestar called for hawkpaw to come forward. she rested her muzzle on his head. ❝ hawkpaw, you have finally reached the age to become a warrior. having spent a number of moons in the medicine den for your courageous acts, you are fit enough to receive your warrior name, ❞ she began.

❝ from this moment on, you will now be known as hawkfern. starclan honours your bravery and your flexibility, ❞

the clan whooped loudly for hawkfern as he dipped his head in thanks to gorgestar, before joining his siblings who bounced about in the crowd, joyous that their brother had finally joined the ranks.

⛰︎

━━━━ inkpaw and mudpaw barrelled across the camp, their paws carrying them quickly from one end to the other. the she—cat waited for her sibling to vanish from sight before crouching low, stalking after his scent.

❝ i'm gonna find you, mudpaw! ❞ she triumphantly said with a small snarl bubbling in her throat. she dragged herself lowly against the ground then rocked her hips, and pounced.

inkpaw collided with a rock and yelped loudly. she slumped down into a tight ball, holding back the tears that threatened to pour from her eyes.

mudpaw emerged from his hiding spot and gently pushed his paw into his sister. ❝ well, that's gonna hurt for a while, ❞

⛰︎

━━━━ dovesoar entered the medicine den. the tom cat sniffled as he approached a medicine cat. he had been nosing at some flowers all morning, and now, as a result of it, had a runny nose.

basslight lightly laughed at the tom—cats antics, but pushed some herbs towards him to help ease his snotty nose.

━━━━ berrykestrel stretched out his legs as he left the elders den. he paused outside the warriors' den and peered in, watching as the felines within slept peacefully.

the elderly tom—cat needed to stretch his legs. he'd been confined to the elders den for a number of days now, the warriors having been too busy to cater to his needs to walk with him in the valley.

the moon poured an ethereal glow down onto the valley that berrykestrel walked into. the air was cool, the crisp scent of wildflowers and earth tingling is senses. the tom closed his eyes and drew in a relaxed breath, marvelling in his solitary march across the territory.

the earth vanished from under his paws and berrykestrel plummeted into darkness. confused and disorientated, he blinked and turned his head to regain his senses and bearings as he landed with a heavy thud. the air's scent shifted and the thick scent of damp earth and decay lingered in his nostrils. the darkness pressed in around him like a suffocating cloud.

a low growl sounded behind the tom-cat, masked by the shadows around him. a shiver of fear sliced down his spine, and berrykestrel fluffed out his pelt as he prepared to face whatever danger lurked in the darkness.

a behemoth of a creature lurched from the darkness, its claws cutting though the air. with a cry of pain, berrykestrel felt a searing pain tear across his right eye, and blood seeped from the deep slice as it blinded him with its fiery agony.

he stumbled backwards, the world spinning around him. he was confused and in pain.

the black and white creature lunged again, its jaws clamping around his neck. the pain that hit him was sharp, but faded quickly. berrykestrel gasped out and pushed his eyes shut.

loccusttree ventured across camp, a fresh catch of prey dangling from his jaws. he made his way towards the elders' den and his face shifted with confusion as he noticed berrykestrel missing. the elderly tom always greeted him with a warm smile and a conversation every morning.

worry gnawed at locusttree as he surveyed the camp, his gaze sweeping over the familiar faces of his clanmates in search of any sign of the missing elder. locusttree sought out scrubstorm, his voice tight with concern as he relayed the news of the elders disappearance. ❝ he never misses a meal. something is wrong, ❞

the deputy's brow furrowed with worry as he listened to the warriors words, and without hesitation, he nodded in agreement.

the two set out from camp. the elders' scent trail was faint, but they followed it diligently.

they neared a dense thicket of bushes, the scent of tangy blood and damp earth filled the air, sending a chill down scrubstorm's spine. with a sinking feeling in his heart, he pushed through the undergrowth, his eyes widening in horror at the sight that greeted him.

there, lying motionless at the bottom of a deep hole, was berrykestrel's lifeless body, his fur matted with blood and dirt. scrubstorm's stomach churned with sickness at the sight, his heart stinging with grief for the elder who had been a stalwart presence in the clan for so many seasons.

without a word, scrubstorm and locusttree leaped down into the hole and lifted berrykestrel from the darkness, and back to camp. it was tiring work to shoulder such dead weight, but they knew they had to honour their fallen friend by allowing the others to say their goodbye's to him, and to allow him to rest among his clanmates once more.

scrubstorm and locusttree entered camp. a hush fell over the gathered cats.

gorgestar emerged from the nursery, her eyes widening in shock at the sight of berrykestrel's mangled body being carried by her clanmates. for a moment, she stood frozen in place.

the pair gently laid berrykestrel's body in the center of camp and gorgestar approached slowly. her legs wobbled as she dropped beside the fallen elder, her eyes brimming with tears. with a trembling paw, gorgestar reached out to touch berrykestrel's fur.

memories flooded her mind, each one a painful reminder of the void that berrykestrel's passing had now left behind.

unable to hold back her grief any longer, gorgestar plummeted her head into the tom—cats body. her sobs echoed through the silenced crowd.

⛰︎

━━━━ dovesoar's running nose has passed. he's now mucus and sniffle free.

⛰︎

━━━━ honeystream was rumoured to have been touching noses with a loner. her mother scolded her for her scandalous behaviour.

⛰︎

━━━━ amidst the hustle and bustle of morning, almondstripe found himself lost in thought. his paw was still a little sore since his fall, but was doing a lot better, and he was still enjoying his patrols.

scrubstorm coughed to announce his arrival and he looked down at almondstripe. ❝ morning, can i ask a favour of you? ❞ he began.

almondstripe turned. ❝ sure, what is it? ❞

scrubstorm hesitated for a moment. ❝ can you look after spiderkit and webkit for a little while? ❞ asked scrubstripe, ❝ gorgestar is having a hard time since berrykestrel's death. i need to take her out of camp for a little while, to help her clear her head, ❞

almondstripe nodded. he enjoyed kits, plus it gave him something to do. he could work up a few stories to keep them entertained, or let them play with his tail. ❝ of course, i'd love to! ❞ he purred, ❝ i'll look after them as if they were my own, ❞

with a grateful nod and a huff, scrubstorm turned to leave, his sons sauntering towards almondstripe as they blabbered and chattered away to him. his gaze lingered on almondstripe before he crossed camp towards gorgestar's den.

━━━━ doespots slipped on a rock while showing off the spiderkit and webkit. the kittens found his fall awefully entertaining.

doespots hobbled to the medicine den and was told he had twisted it. he'd be fine in a day or two.

⛰︎

━━━━ gorgestar finally healed from the strain of having her kits. basslight is happy for her to return to her duties properly.

⛰︎

━━━━ honeystream stumbled upon two kittens on her way out of camp for a patrol. a strange scent lingered in the air, from a cat who didn't belong to a clan.

honeystream hurries the kits to the medicine den and decides to adopt them.

whitekit and brownkit are welcomed into peakclan.

⛰︎

━━━━ cragspark heaved heavily as he clambered up the trail that lead to peakclan's camp. he jumped up onto a ledge before entering camp.

wincing while he walked, he approached daisyknoll, who was assessing the new arrivals. the medicine cat turned and stared, shocked at the sight of cragspark.

the tom—cat wore a bleeding wound and explained he had his prey stolen off of him by an eagle.

⛰︎

━━━━ mountainfall hopped down a stepping stone of rocks, her eyes scanning for cobwebs. the she—cats paw zig—zagged on a rock, and she fell down.

mountainfall stood up quickly, checking to see if anyone witnessed her foolish fall, before returning to camp with a small limp.

⛰︎

━━━━ loachpath sits with her chest fluffed proudly as mudpaw receives his warrior name. she is proud of how far he has come. she considered herself a very lucky cat to have trained such an amazing young cat, and she's excited to see him excel as a warrior.

mudpaw is named mudhare, and honoured for his tenacity.

⛰︎

━━━━ loachpath, mudhare and geckotooth strolled near the tangled river, their mouth's full of prey. they sniffed the air to catch wind of anymore prey that they could return to camp with, but the wind carried a strange scent.

mudhare pushed himself through a bush, gasping at the sight of a deceased cat. they wore a collar around their neck, and he sighed.

the poor kittypet must've been abandoned by its twolegs. the patrol whispers a silent prayer for the fallen feline.