"Are you sure we shouldn't go help them?" Iceshadow recognized the soft mew of Honeyfrost coming from the back. Iceshadow sighed.
"There's nothing we can do. If we go and help DuskClan, they will just think we're on their side, and then we will have to participate in this war. Let alone that we would also lose StellarClan as an ally." He saw Honeyfrost nod, deep in thought, but he doubted that he convinced her. Cloudstar won't be happy when he hears about this. I wonder how long this war will go on... And how much blood will be shed.
Stoneheart's meow broke his train of thought. "Hey, does anyone else smell that? I think there are cats nearby! Maybe their friendly and we can say hello!" He saw the tom scenting the air excitedly, not even daunted by the war going on. Curious, Iceshadow scented the air himself.
"Stoneheart's right... There are cats nearby..." He scented again, smelling the familiar smell of a nursing Queen's milk. "Kits!" He meowed, bewildered. "They're nearby. I wonder if their mother is here too... If you see a strange cat, don't attack them. It might be a Queen." The patrol murmured to show that they heard him, but Honeyfrost stepped forward.
"Um.. Iceshadow? Do you think I should look for the kits? I'm just afraid my scars will scare them and all..." The she-cat shuffled her paws nervously.
"What? No, your scars are -" His mew was cut off as a cat barreled into him, knocking him to the forest floor. What?! Who's attacking me?! His first instinct was to unsheathe his claws and battle his attacker, but he noticed a milky scent wafting around her, and he realized she was the Queen. Careful not the hurt her, he slowly heaved her off of him, though she was still hissing and spitting.
"I'm sorry if we surprised you." He said, blood welling on his shoulder. "We mean no harm to you or your kits." The calico she-cat nodded, wrapping her tail protectively around her three kits. "I am Iceshadow, and I belong to OakClan." The she-cat nodded, looking tired and defeated.
"I'm Shadowsplash. We're just passing through here... We should get going." Her tail had drooped, and Iceshadow could tell that she had been walking for long enough.
"Why don't you come back with us? The sky is darkening, and night can be dangerous. Our leader won't mind. Kits liven up the place." He added, joking. After a few heartbeats of silence, the Queen answered.
"I suppose. But I don't want to be a burden..." She looked down at the ground, shuffling her paws.
"Nonsense! Welcome to OakClan."
~*~
"Iceshadow! You know we can't afford to have more mouths to feed. You just put our Clan in more danger!" Cloudstar meowed, pacing around his den.
"Father, what was I supposed to do? Turn her away? The kits would be dead by now if it weren't for us." Iceshadow meowed, lashing his tail. Cloudstar nodded, sighing.
"I know. I would have done the same... Though this is the last thing I need to think about with the war going on.. But I suppose I should introduce her to the Clan." He flicked his tail to his son, signaling that he was dismissed. "Shadowsplash is her name, yes? Send her in please."
~*~
As the Queen entered the den, Cloudstar motioned her over with his tail. "Come and sit. I just want to chat." He reassured her. The calico she-cat nodded, sitting down about a tail-length away from him. "So. I see that you have a Clan name, along with your kits. Where were you before you came here?" The she-cat looked at him with narrowed eyes.
"If you think I'm a spy then you're wrong. Things just didn't work out in my old Clan, that's all." She turned her head away from him, a faraway look in her eyes. Cloudstar nodded, seeing that she didn't want to talk about that anymore.
"I would never suspect that. Now, if you wish to stay for a few sunrises or more, then feel free. You and your kits can share the nursery with Mistyfur, one of our other Queens. Her kits are -" His mew was cut off from Shadowsplash.
"Shouldn't I just return as a warrior? I can help out a lot here, and besides, my kits don't need taking care of. They're fine, Mistyfur can look after them for all I care." She meowed, her tail tip twitching.
Cloudstar was taken aback from her meow and outlook on her kits. "Well of course not. Your kits hardly know Mistyfur. She is very nice and sweet, but I'm sure they would love to have their mother nearby for comfort and support." Shadowsplash snorted, but said nothing more. "Now that that's settled, let's go introduce you to the Clan."
~*~
As he stepped out of his den and bounded up the Oak Branch, he saw that most of the Clan was already gathered around, with surprised murmurs coming from down below.
"Who's that she-cat that came in with Iceshadow?"
"Why was his shoulder bleeding?"
"Did he get into a fight? Did DuskClan attack?"
"Let all those cats old enough to catch their own prey join under the Oak Branch for a Clan meeting!" He yowled, getting his clanmate's attention as they looked up with curiosity. "I know that many of you are wondering who Iceshadow brought in today, so I will tell you. Her name is Shadowsplash, and her kits are Badgerkit, Clawkit, and Ravenkit." Suspicious meows rippled along the crowd.
"Why do they have Clan names?"
"How long will they be staying with us?" Cats yowled.
Cloudstar held up his tail for silence. "They used to belong to another Clan, but Shadowsplash decided to leave. I see no problem in that. And they will staying here for as long as they need."
"But what if she is a spy?" A cat challenged, and Shadowsplash lashed her tail in annoyance.
"And why would a Clan send a nursing Queen to us as a spy? OakClan has no quarrels with other Clans, we are perfectly safe." The Clan nodded, feeling reassured. "But now, onto another important matter. As you have probably already heard, StellarClan is attacking DuskClan." Outraged mews rang throughout the clearing.
"I knew StellarClan were just a bunch of fox-hearts!" Sparkfire meowed, lashing his tail.
"They had a right to attack! DuskClan refused to give them herbs!" Birdpaw argued, and the Clan continued to bicker.
"Stop! OakClan will not join in on this war, and that is final!" Cloudstar yowled, his eyes dark.
"But Cloudstar... How long can we keep up with no water?" Goldenbreeze meowed, voicing his fears.
Cloudstar shook his head. "Hopefully long enough, Goldenbreeze." Hopefully until StellarClan and DuskClan come to their senses...
Sparkfire muttered something unintelligible. What he wanted to do was send StellarClan yowling back with plenty of wounds to remember.
ReplyDeleteStoneheart, yet again, unphased by the war of the clans or the bickering of his clanmates, bounded over to the kits. "Hello! How are you liking OakClan so far?"
Goldenbreeze looked Cloudstar in the eyes, sensing his fear of the clan losing water. Her heart beat quickened at the thought of cats dying from dehydration, and her eyes started to grow with worry. "There has to be more water then just the water that StellarClan and DuskClan have," she meowed, half to herself, half to Cloudstar.
ReplyDelete--Goldenbreeze
Stormfang listened to each cat's thought about if they should team up with a clan, and who it would be. Stormfang didn't care, he would just do what Cloudstar would do.
--Stormfang
Dragonpaw sat motionless in the camp, watching cats argue to one another.
--Dragonpaw
Cloudstar nodded, a faraway look in his eyes. "Yes... But where?" His shoulders sagged. Great StarClan, please let OakClan survive... I can't bear to be the leader that watches this Clan's demise...
ReplyDeleteIceshadow padded up to Cloudstar. "Father, we can't go on like this for much longer... Are you sure we can't ask DuskClan for water? The stream near the border will dry up soon, leaving nothing for us." He knew that the look in Cloudstar's eyes already told him the answer, but he tried anyways.
"No. We mustn't get involved in their dispute. DuskClan will think we're on their side if we ask." Cloudstar meowed, his eyes dark.
"Yes, well..." Iceshadow searched for the right words to say. "Can't some warriors go in search of water somewhere else?"
Cloudstar shook his head. "That's mousebrain. How would they get the water back? Unless we plan on moving, that is not going to happen." He shot Iceshadow a look. "And I won't begin to think of us moving out of this territory. It's just under a dry-spell, that's all..."
Mistyfur smiled kindly at the new kits and looked at Stoneheart,her smile widening.It was nice to see a warrior interested in kits.She watched as her own two scampered ahead of her,tawards their new denmates.Her blue gaze wandered over to Shadowsplash and she frowned.
ReplyDeleteEchokit smiled and sat down near the new kits."Hi."she mewed politly.
Toadkit sat down beside his sister grinning.
"I..I could maybe search for water with Iceshadow. Maybe we can get two moss balls, soak them, and bring them back for the Elder's, Queens, and Kits?" Goldenbreeze suggested in a soft mew.
ReplyDelete--Goldenbreeze
Shadowsplash hardly noticed, or cared about the cheery cat. Her ears swiveled as she picked up conversations. War over herbs...drought... She flicked her tail tip. Intresting...
ReplyDeleteClawkit felt overwhelmed by the kit and overly happy tom. He couldnt help but feel a bit defensive. I havent been in a clan for so long... "I've only been here for a few heart beats..." He mumbled, too nervous to sit.
Ravenkit pricked his ears, and waved his tail in greeting. "Hi, its cool. I just want to be a Warrior." He tried to stand as tall as the Warrior.
Ravenkit blinked kindly at the two kits. "Hey, wanna fight?" He crouched and unsheathed tiny claws. New kits to play with!
Badgerkit scooted close to her mother, looking up at her. She saw her mother examining the clan and coped her exactly.
Stoneheart was a big kit himself. He chuckled softly as his gaze turned from Ravenkit to Clawkit. "It's a great Clan, really. I'm just glad we aren't fighting. Although I'm sure sooner or later OakClan will somehow get dragged in."
ReplyDelete"If you went searching for water, then the moss balls would be already dry by the time you got back. I say just collect the rest of the water from the DuskClan stream, and check if there is any moisture in the grass near there." Cloudstar meowed, his mouth parched.
ReplyDeleteMistyfur sat down and watched the kits and Stoneheart with a small smile.
ReplyDeleteToadkit looked at Ravenkit still grinning,"Sure,i will but Echokit won't.She's probably to afraid of getting her pelt dirty."He mewed teasingly.He chuckled when his sister turned to glare furiously at him.
Sparkfire lifted his head only to have it drop back down. He was exhausted and it was too hot to be comfortable. His mouth was parched and his head hurt. This sun isn't good for any cat!
ReplyDelete"Okay, sounds good. Iceshadow," she meowed addressing him, "let's go and come back to the camp as soon as we possibly can."
ReplyDelete--Goldenbreeze
Iceshadow nodded, looking at his father with worry. He hesitated while he was walking, but Cloudstar shooed him on. "Alright.." Iceshadow meowed, following Goldenbreeze out, flicking his tail tip with nervousness.
ReplyDeleteGoldenbreeze led Iceshadow into the forest, the trees giving the two at least some shade. "Lets gather a moss ball when we're closer to DuskClan's stream." As she walked, she made sure that she didn't see any signs of water or feel any in the grass.
ReplyDelete--Goldenbreeze
"Okay." He meowed, bending down to chew on the grass, but spit it out almost in an instant. "Quite dry..." He grumbled, narrowing his eyes in annoyance. I hope Cloudstar will be okay... He's been giving his share of water to the Queens and Elders...
ReplyDeleteFallenpaw fidgeted, thinking of Coldpaw. She wished that Oakclan could go to Duskclan's aid. For Starclan's sake, Duskclan is being flooded! Inside, she was shaken by her sister's support of Stellarclan. What would she say if she found out that Fallenpaw was talking to a Duskclan cat?
ReplyDelete~Fallenpaw
Birdpaw shut her eyes, trying to think. Water...water...where can we find water?
~Birdpaw
"Maybe it will get wet farther into the forest," Goldenbreeze thought. "There has to be more water.. StarClan wouldn't give us a drought, would they?!" Goldenbreeze murmured, half to herself. Even though I was a kittypet, I'm a true, loyal warrior and no one can tell me different. I believe in StarClan.
ReplyDelete--Goldenbreeze
Iceshadow shook his head. "We can go look... But I doubt there will be any. And there is more water... Just not...Here." He looked over on DuskClan's side of the border, envy prickling down his spine. He shook his head. "Let's try closer to the stream." He meowed.
ReplyDeleteRavenkit smiled waving his tail at the she-kit. "Dont worry, I wont be too rough." He looked at Toadkit, and growled playfully. "You on the other hand, wont get any slack from me!" The black tom pounced.
ReplyDeleteClawkit watched his brother with envy. How can he be so care free when he knows what Shadowsplash is planning?
"Okay," Goldenbreeze meowed. She padded along, getting closer and closer to the stream. She still noticed that the grass was dry.
ReplyDelete--Goldenbreeze
(I decided to let you comment about how the stream looks.. I don't want to ruin any plans or anything :P)
(That's okay ^^ Thanks!)
ReplyDeleteIceshadow padded down the small slop to the stream, mud sucking at his paws where water would normally be running. A small trickle of water lay in the middle, which looked hardly appetizing. "I suppose we can bring some back to camp, but it will be hard not getting the moss all muddy. We'll have to be careful." StarClan knows we don't want the Elders complaining! Some grass stems were poking out from the side of where the stream used to be. He gnawed on one, feeling the little trickle of water. "There is some on these stems but.." He spat out a mouthful of mud. "But I doubt any cat will try them..." Still, I should tell Cloudstar.
"I think we should get water from the stems, it's at least water. It's better then nothing," Goldenbreeze meowed. She looked for more stems. The mud won't be appetizing, but we'll at least get water from the stems and the remaining of the stream.
ReplyDelete--Goldenbreeze
Toadkit growled playfuly and dodged the pounce.He turned to face Ravenkit,his eyes shining at the challenge."You'll have to do more then pounce,if you want to get me!"he mewed confidently.
ReplyDeleteEchokit smiled and watched them fight for a few moments before looking at Clawkit."Something bothering you?"she asked kindly,noticing his expression.
Iceshadow nodded. "I suppose we should head back to camp. We won't be able to bring back all of the stems, so it would be easier if we all came in groups. I'm sure the Elders would like a quick stroll around here." They have been cooped up inside the camp because of the heat... I hope they are willing to make the small journey to the border.
ReplyDeleteGoldenbreeze nodded, smart. "We can have a few Apprentices go with them, just incase if they can't make it," she meows. She turns back to the way to camp, and pads back with Iceshadow.
ReplyDelete--Goldenbreeze
Ravenkit hissed, "If you can handle it!" He pounced again but tucked into a roll at the last moment. Shadowsplash's favorite attack.
ReplyDeleteClawkit looked at Evekit, his eyes narrowing cruely out of habit. "No. Why do you ask?" He growled.
"Good idea. Let's go tell Cloudstar." Feeling a tiny burst of hope in his chest, he trekked on through the familiar oak forest. Maybe there still is hope...
ReplyDelete(Echokit sorry :P)
ReplyDelete