ThunderClan: Life Before 2020's Fire

[oats]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

A multicolored feline padded into the clearing, her amber eyes bright and alert. Amberflame was often alert at this time of the day - more so then in the afternoons, when everyone was up and more vigilant. In early morning, there were less cats up and the cats who were up needed to be on guard. Amberflame did not take being a warrior lightly - her responsibilities were always her first priority. The cold didn't bother her - a downy, soft pelt was her protection against it and so she was able to do more things more efficiently during the colder moons. Such as now. Leaf-bare was the worst season, to her, and it wasn't just the prey shortage or the snow, but how unwilling some of the other cats seemed. Greenleaf and leaf-fall were good times of year, when the weather wasn't scorching hot or bitter cold.

Spotting Milkweed in another corner of the clearing, Amberflame's expression changed. What was this cat doing? Padding over briskly, her eyes fell on the other cat and she settled down nearby, her tail wrapped around her paws. "Good morning." She mewed in a low, careful voice, although her expression was partly angry. It wasn't anything personal - that was just how the she cat normally looked. Angry and irritated at the world around her, her tail twitching with that anger at times. "Have you been hunting this morning?" She asked in an attempt to not only make conversation, but get a glimpse of what this feline was like.

For Amberflame there were two types of cats: those who were productive, got up early and did their duties, and those who lounged around, spreading their duties throughout the day or not doing them at all. Amberflame was the first of these cats. An icy wind blew through her coat - she shivered, but otherwise, her expression did not change. Milkweed's own pelt was quite thin and looked like it wouldn't protect her against anything - let alone the cold winds of leafbare.

A new scent drifted into camp-- not like it was much of a surprise. Cats were always making their way in and out of the clearing, and because of that, Milkweed had nothing to worry about, it seemed. The mornings, quiet as they were, yielded a surprising amount of variation between who exactly was moving around and why. It was harder to have a routine if you barely woke up, after all. Blinking slowly, Milkweed raised her head again as she heard the characteristic thud-thud of soft-furred paws’ approach.

Milkweed’s eyes narrowed instinctively, mind throwing itself into gear as Amberflame drew ever nearer. What could she possibly want? It was a cold, bitter leafbare, as every one of them was. She had things to do, didn’t she? Why was Milkweed relevant to her in any way? The black-and-white molly never had love for talking to cats she didn’t know, and this was no different. Searching her face for any trace of a glare and finding one, she relaxed ever so slightly. This would be easier to deal with.

Tail thudding loudly on the ground, eyes meeting Amberflame’s with a strange sort of confidence she didn’t have, she cooly replied, “Good morning.” As the brighter-coloured molly settled to the ground, Milkweed arranged her paws, playing her discomfort off as simple dislike. It was partially that, but that fact didn’t matter-- it applied to everyone.

Listen out for the winds and brace for impact.
And it came-- of course it did. She just wanted to snoop, like everyone else, it seemed. Not even turning to face her, Milkweed croaked, “Have you been guarding camp this morning-- or have you just been sticking your nose into someone else’s business?”

[BTS.official.__]

Ravenconspiracy sat down in the clearing, her dark blue eyes looked around at the other cats in camp. Her eyes narrowed as she watched them. Looking away she turned her gaze down at the bird at her feet, growling she pushed it away with her paw.

[wren]

Originally Posted by starfall

@Celestial

The young tom padded out of the nursery and into the clearing, his light grey paws kicking up dust with every step he took. He was devastated, he couldn't believe that uncle Wheat was gone, everything seemed to be going downhill. First he finds out that his mother hates his guts, next the only family member that actually seemed to like him has died, it made him want to cry. He wouldn't though, he had to save his tears for when they were really important, not that loosing his uncle wasn't horrible...but with the way his life was going he had a feeling that it was only going to get worse from here. The white, grey dusted feline stopped walking and looked down, a rather sad looking mouse lay limp between his paws. His tail drooped and his ears folded back, a sorrowful look melted onto his maw. He was sad, so deeply saddened that words could not describe, not even his tears could do the horrible, thrumming sadness any justice. Stonekit pushed the mouse away and turned, making his way towards a shaded area in the clearing. Once he reached the said shaded area the tom hid his grey dusted face behind his little paws, his glossy blue irises hidden from any passerby's.

[ Stonekit would be Stonepaw around now because alabaster just got her mentor. I've forgotton how to roleplay... ;-; ]


A slender and shaky figure entered the clearing. Tail dragging lazily in the dirt and eyes following the dusty trail back into camp. Alabasterpaw had been excused from training today due to the fact she could barely raise a paw for battle practice and had been psyched and shoved and beaten without even a response. It wasn't her fault she had taken a vow to never raise a paw again. As she found herself driven towardds the apprentice den her eyes fallen towards her chest she tripped right over a furry body and face planted into the dirt with a wail of suprise. Than alabaster barrel rolled and once she stopped turned baring her teeth in anoyance. When she saw her brother stonepaw instead of someone else her eyes softened and she recoiled at the sight of him. "Stonepaw" she wheezed in anoyance

[lone]

Originally Posted by Okapi

Ivypaw could feel something being pressed onto her. She heard the meow of a cat, she attempted to speak, but all that came out was blood so she closed her mouth, she struggled to open her amber eyes, but nothing opened, she risked opening her mouth,” Mama.” She whispered as blood gushed out of her mouth. She whimpered in pain, she’d be recovering soon, ofcourse, right?
@PeaFlower (She RPs the mother of Ivypaw)

Originally Posted by PeaFlower

Cedarflower practically barged into the the medicine den, her usual light steps giving way to a desperate trample of sorts. Her long fur was more messed up than usual and anyone who didn't know her well would think she had lost it, which wasn't far from the truth, really.
Her green eyes were wide and filled with panic, her tail lashing left and right and her heart beating loud and fast as the brown she-cat looked around the den for her daughter, her little kitten.
When her gaze settled on Ivypaw's body, covered in cobwebs and blood, she let out a muffled wail, taking hasty steps in her daughter's direction.
She would have just up and went right next to her, had it not been for her distressed mind finally registering what was going on, and that she wasn't alone in the den.
She looked at Caliapaw, her eyes scanning the ThunderClan medicine cat's features, trying to see if she was allowed a little bit of hope, or if there was really nothing to do for her daughter. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to decipher the other cat's expression. Her gaze went back to Ivypaw, her panic finally starting to fade away, letting a sorrowful void settle inside the mother's mind.
Tears started to well up inside her eyes, and her stomach was filled with dread. She tried to ignore it all, ignore her emotions. She closed her eyes shut and took a deep breath, though she struggled doing so, and managed to regain a little bit of composure, but her frantic breathing and flattened ears threatened her real state of mind.
She opened her eyes again, and, not looking away from her daughter, she tried to speak up, her voice trembling ever so slightly.
"I ... when I heard that her mentor had dropped her off here I- " She took a sharp intake of breath. "I'm sorry I came in so suddenly I just-" She tore her gaze off from her daughter's bloodied form, and finally looked Caliapaw in the eyes. "Tell me. Be honest. Be harshly honest. Please ... do you think she's gonna make it ?" The last bit of her sentence came out as a broken sob, as Cedarflower looked pleadingly at the medicine cat.

@Lonestar23

(Is this alright, or is it too much ? I'm really tired at the moment so I don't know if I went a bit overboard with it ... )

The medicine cat looked up, her tail twitching anxiously as Cedarflower entered the medicine cat's den. It was getting too crowded for her. The den now had four cats in it - Caliapaw, Ivypaw, Cedarflower and Foxpaw. The feline was uncomfortable with the space she was being given. "No." She answered, before she could think the word through. Horrified at her own answer, the she cat's eyes widened some and she looked back down at Ivypaw's body just in time to see the blood come out of her mouth. Caliapaw had never been squeamish about these things, and it was good that she wasn't - being the medicine cat and all. "I'm sorry. She lost a lot of blood." She looked down at Ivypaw's body, desperate to think of something - anything that she could do. Caliapaw grabbed some poppy seeds along with aspen tree bark, shoving them towards the young apprentice. "Eat them." She ordered, before looking over at Cedarflower.

At this point? The chances of Ivypaw making it were very, very slim. Yet Cedarflower had asked for the whole truth and the harsh truth, so Caliapaw had given it to her. She was scared. Yes, she was scared. This was the first time she would lose a patient, and her faith in herself was fading. She was convinced now that Wheatfur had made the wrong choice. Yet there was a nagging thought pushing at her, telling her that it wasn't her fault, that this apprentice had taken on a fox on her own. It wasn't Caliapaw's fault. But she couldn't save Ivypaw, and that just might be the medicine cat's fault. Stepping away from the cat, and praying to StarClan that she would eat the herbs that had been offered (if she could keep them down, Caliapaw was worried that Ivypaw might just cough them back up) she moved closer to Cedarflower.

"There's... something I can do for her. I can make her journey to StarClan less painful and more peaceful." Wheatfur had taught her about this. She knew most of the easy herbs by heart now, and this was one of the ones that he had taught her first. Just in case. Maybe he had known he was going to die, maybe StarClan had shown him - Caliapaw only wished she could have saved her mentor's life. If only she'd gone to the Gathering! She hadn't been there, and now her mentor was dead! She wondered if Cedarflower would agree to let Ivypaw go more peacefully or if she would want Caliapaw to do more.

There wasn't anything more she could do - except for stick more cobwebs on to stop the bleeding. She wasn't sure how to fix the blood that was coming from Ivypaw's mouth, she couldn't think what was wrong - she hadn't learned this. And that was something that was making her lose the shreds of confidence she had gained here and there.

Originally Posted by RedHead

{Sorry for the delay!}

Rest? Are you kidding me? Foxpaw hated resting. Her energy level was too high all the time, she didn't have time to... Rest. Sure, the ginger feline slept and all, but she was in her nest late every night and up at dawn every morning. She'd probably attended more dawn patrols than any other apprentice her age. But she was only about two or three moons away from being a warrior. "Alright, alright, sounds good." Foxpaw meowed, although she knew in her head that she would do the exact opposite of resting. My shoulder will be able to heal without rest, right? It might just take a bit longer.

Prone to not really listening to anyone's advice, Foxpaw had gotten herself in a lot of sticky situations. Like the time that her grandmother had told her when she was a new apprentice to stay away from the stream because it was nesting season for the mosquitoes. And what did the ginger she-cat do? She waltzed right up to that stream, determined to prove her grandmother wrong. She didn't, but she did get enough mosquito bites to last her the entire green-leaf.

For a moment, Foxpaw didn't realize that Caliapaw had continued to speak. She had been getting up and ready to walk out just then, but then the medicine cat had told her something. It took Foxpaw's brain a few more seconds than usual to process this information. "Woah woah woah... What do you mean staying here? In this stuffy den? I don't think so!" But something did hurt Foxpaw about that sentence. The fact that Caliapaw couldn't trust her. Foxpaw knew it wasn't aimed directly at her, but it still hurt. Foxpaw hadn't been getting trusted a lot lately. By anyone. The extroverted ginger she-cat needed others to trust her, and be her friend. But most of the time, her spirit is too bright for them to handle, and her supposed "friends" wander off. So as she took those words in, Foxpaw simply flattened her ears against her head, and turned away from Caliapaw, curling her fluffy tail over her paws. "I-I understand." She mumbled, keeping her orange gaze focused on the ground. All of the energy had seemed to drain out of the small feline, but she had been through a lot. So it was time for her to take a rest and calm down.

Caliapaw had almost forgotten about Foxpaw in the scuffle that had followed, with Ivypaw and all, but once she had talked to Cedarflower, she realized she still had another patient. How had Wheatfur juggled patients, and yet still kept his cool? How had he managed to deal with the stress of everyday life, but be so surprisingly... calm about it? Or maybe calm wasn't the right word, but to Caliapaw, Wheatfur was like a hero. He had more work to do then any other cat in the Clan, and she had witnessed it first-hand. Now she was supposed to take on that work? StarClan help me... she thought with a sigh, before turning back to the ginger female. "Settle down somewhere for now. I'll let your family and mentor know you'll be staying here." She mewed briskly, then turned away. The medicine cat was biting her lip in an attempt not to scream with the pressure of it all. Yes... the most surprising thing her mentor had done was keeping up with all of this. And knowing the herbs? How had he done it? Caliapaw had been planning on having a nice, restful time after all of this drama was over, but now she would have company. Oh well - it wasn't like she had to entertain Foxpaw. She didn't owe the she cat any form of entertainment, it was her own fault she was in here. Once she's been in here for a few days she'll go, anyways. It's not a big deal. The feline tried to tell herself with a sigh. If only she believed the words she was thinking. If only none of this had happened. If only Wheatfur was still alive... he would know what to do in this situation. He would fix all of this, and then she would be much more confident in her abilities. Yes. If only.

[lone]

Originally Posted by Suspiciousmindz

Her green eyes widened at his laughing response before she gave him a scowl. "Laugh all you want, I'll get you back, don't you worry about it at all," she replied. The black and white she-cat scoffed before his question made her think for a split second. Of course, her smart mouth always had something to say. "You have enough fur to drown kits in it, fluff-butt," she replied, her tone filled with amusement. "And with my fur, at least I don't look like a blob of fluff everywhere I walk. You can at least see where my body starts and stops!" she gave a small laugh this time, rolling away from the moist pile of fur she had spat out. Her paws flailed slightly in the air before they thumped onto the ground beside her, between Ottertail and her. "But it's okay, your ability to drown cats in your fur will be useful one day!" she purred a little, her green hues bright with mischief.

"Oh, I have no doubt." The brown tom stifled another laugh, and kept from rolling his eyes - both of which would only have recieved a cuff to his ears, no doubt. And Ottertail would have taken it... because, after all, it was nothing but a game. The tom rolled over with a 'hmph' at her next words, getting to his paws and smirking at her. "Well, at least we know who's going to save us all if the kits turn against us." He retorted with an entertained purr. It was already almost sunhigh, and Ottertail was thankful for the colder weather - at this point, he was quite comfortable. A thick, fluffy pelt made it easy for him to deal with leafbare and the later moons of leaf-fall/early moons of greenleaf. Thank goodness it actually did get cool, because otherwise Ottertail would be miserable. "You, on the other hand, will be utterly defenseless against the kit army, Minty-boo. I'll have to come save your tail!" He mrrowed in amusement, green eyes sparkling before he pounced like a kit, landing just a fraction of an inch from on top of her.

Originally Posted by goose

A new scent drifted into camp-- not like it was much of a surprise. Cats were always making their way in and out of the clearing, and because of that, Milkweed had nothing to worry about, it seemed. The mornings, quiet as they were, yielded a surprising amount of variation between who exactly was moving around and why. It was harder to have a routine if you barely woke up, after all. Blinking slowly, Milkweed raised her head again as she heard the characteristic thud-thud of soft-furred paws’ approach.

Milkweed’s eyes narrowed instinctively, mind throwing itself into gear as Amberflame drew ever nearer. What could she possibly want? It was a cold, bitter leafbare, as every one of them was. She had things to do, didn’t she? Why was Milkweed relevant to her in any way? The black-and-white molly never had love for talking to cats she didn’t know, and this was no different. Searching her face for any trace of a glare and finding one, she relaxed ever so slightly. This would be easier to deal with.

Tail thudding loudly on the ground, eyes meeting Amberflame’s with a strange sort of confidence she didn’t have, she cooly replied, “Good morning.” As the brighter-coloured molly settled to the ground, Milkweed arranged her paws, playing her discomfort off as simple dislike. It was partially that, but that fact didn’t matter-- it applied to everyone.

Listen out for the winds and brace for impact.
And it came-- of course it did. She just wanted to snoop, like everyone else, it seemed. Not even turning to face her, Milkweed croaked, “Have you been guarding camp this morning-- or have you just been sticking your nose into someone else’s business?”

Amber hues narrowed as the she cat's lips pulled back in a snarl. Right now, she was furious. If this is what she was going to get for being friendly, then she definitely wouldn't bother anymore. No, the only thing she would bother with now was making sure that Milkweed never spoke to her like that again. For a minute she was so blinded by rage that she couldn't even think of a comeback, her tail lashing on the ground in hatred, pure and simple.

"I've been hunting to provide for my Clan. Which is more then you can say, mousefodder." Amberflame snapped, throwing the insult in for good measure. In her eyes, that was true at the moment - she's about as much use as a dead fox. The she cat snorted softly, her amber eyes flashing with anger. Right now? She really, really disliked Milkweed.

And it was hard for her to change her mind about the she cat when all she could feel was this burning anger at her friendly remark having been so harshly rejected. Yes, that had been Amberflame being friendly. That was just about as friendly as she got as a matter of fact. And yet this black and white feline, this useless pile of dung (Amberflame's thoughts were getting harsher by the second) was just sitting here and had the nerve to tell her that she was "sticking her nose into someone else's business," while at the same time questioning whether she had been guarding the camp this morning.

She wondered if Milkweed was of kittypet roots. That would explain the laziness - Amberflame herself had been clanborn, and her parents, and her grandparents.

Her family went back as far as she could remember, being Clanborn or wild cats... no one in her family would dare become a kittypet or associate with one. She was no different. At least, she wouldn't associate with one where someone could see her. That would simply end in too much embarrassment. Especially because everyone knew how strongly she disliked kittypets. She had made that VERY clear.

[Undercover]

@meraki

Coyotecry's half-blind gaze blinked balefully out at the cat's in the camp. It was sun-high, the hottest time of the day despite the sharp coolness of the leaf-bare chill in the air. The brown and cream tip of his tail flicked lazily back and forth as the tom cat nibbled on a mouse placed neatly between his paws. As he chewed, the tom let his mind wander around. Despite his rather harsh temper, even Coyotecry yearned for the company of other felines when things got to quiet.

[Mango]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

The medicine cat looked up, her tail twitching anxiously as Cedarflower entered the medicine cat's den. It was getting too crowded for her. The den now had four cats in it - Caliapaw, Ivypaw, Cedarflower and Foxpaw. The feline was uncomfortable with the space she was being given. "No." She answered, before she could think the word through. Horrified at her own answer, the she cat's eyes widened some and she looked back down at Ivypaw's body just in time to see the blood come out of her mouth. Caliapaw had never been squeamish about these things, and it was good that she wasn't - being the medicine cat and all. "I'm sorry. She lost a lot of blood." She looked down at Ivypaw's body, desperate to think of something - anything that she could do. Caliapaw grabbed some poppy seeds along with aspen tree bark, shoving them towards the young apprentice. "Eat them." She ordered, before looking over at Cedarflower.

At this point? The chances of Ivypaw making it were very, very slim. Yet Cedarflower had asked for the whole truth and the harsh truth, so Caliapaw had given it to her. She was scared. Yes, she was scared. This was the first time she would lose a patient, and her faith in herself was fading. She was convinced now that Wheatfur had made the wrong choice. Yet there was a nagging thought pushing at her, telling her that it wasn't her fault, that this apprentice had taken on a fox on her own. It wasn't Caliapaw's fault. But she couldn't save Ivypaw, and that just might be the medicine cat's fault. Stepping away from the cat, and praying to StarClan that she would eat the herbs that had been offered (if she could keep them down, Caliapaw was worried that Ivypaw might just cough them back up) she moved closer to Cedarflower.

"There's... something I can do for her. I can make her journey to StarClan less painful and more peaceful." Wheatfur had taught her about this. She knew most of the easy herbs by heart now, and this was one of the ones that he had taught her first. Just in case. Maybe he had known he was going to die, maybe StarClan had shown him - Caliapaw only wished she could have saved her mentor's life. If only she'd gone to the Gathering! She hadn't been there, and now her mentor was dead! She wondered if Cedarflower would agree to let Ivypaw go more peacefully or if she would want Caliapaw to do more.

There wasn't anything more she could do - except for stick more cobwebs on to stop the bleeding. She wasn't sure how to fix the blood that was coming from Ivypaw's mouth, she couldn't think what was wrong - she hadn't learned this. And that was something that was making her lose the shreds of confidence she had gained here and there.

Ivypaw swallowed, she closed her eyes as sleep covered her eyes, she could see in her dreams misty meadows she shook off the sleep weakly,” I love my ma.” She gapsed as blood poured out her mouth she closed her mouth. She was asleep to a point their was no waking up. She wandering in the meadow of her dreams, it was all quiet and still. In the clan, her breathing grew more, and more shallow until finally it was almost one breathe per minute. Ivypaw felt like the meadow was disappearing underneathe her slowly. She finally gave a loud exail and the meadow disappeared completely. She dared open her eyes, expecting to see Caliapaw pleased she survived the wounds and awoke,Dreams are faster than- she stared around she was in the medicine cat’s den as she expected, but standing Huh. her eyes fell to Caliapaw who clearly looked stressed out she meowed softly,” I’m fine. I’m here. I’ve recovered!” Thoug Caliapaw didn’t answer her. She saw her mother sobbing on the floor,” Ma!” Tears filled her chest, Whats wrong with everyone? I’m here and I’m fine! she yowled loudly,” Ma! I’m fine!” No response, she slowly took her eyes to the patient who was dead, Who’s that? They clearly are- No!No! I can’t be dead! No! tears pooled in her eyes she nuzzled her mother despite the fact her mother couldn’t sense her. She smiled softly to Caliapaw,” I don’t know if Medicine Cats can sense my presence, but if you can...I don’t blame you for my death...” she blinked her tears away and turned stepping out of the medicine cats den and looked to the stars,” Beam me up, Starclan.” She disappeared from her clan and found herself in the starry sky.

[Bracken12]

Originally Posted by Tigress

Stoneheart watched from afar as Minnowkit chatted with a young she-cat around the age of an apprentice. It was nice to see she was making friends. Perhaps she would be apprenticed soon enough that they could train together. He let out a sigh. It only seemed like the other day that he and Crowsong decided that they wanted to have kits of their own. But he loved his kits nonetheless, they were ever so precious to him, ever so valuable to his heart. Stoneheart turned around making sure Adderkit was near by and made himself comfortable on the ground.

@Silentshade @little-life-light @SamCats

Adderkit turned his small brown and white head to make sure his father was around. Silently, the little tom stalked forward, until he was about a mouse length from his target: his father's tail. "Take that you evil fox!" he shouted, leaping. He landed off balance, and had misjudged the distance, so he ended up skidding a little ways in front of his 'enemy'. Nonetheless he put a paw on top of his Father's tail and then flipped up on his back, batted at it with his paws.
i can't wait to be an Apprentice, I wonder who will be my mentor. I hope they're fun, and nice. I don't want a mean mentor. Who was dad's mentor? Who was Mom's?

[SuspiciousMindz]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

"Oh, I have no doubt." The brown tom stifled another laugh, and kept from rolling his eyes - both of which would only have recieved a cuff to his ears, no doubt. And Ottertail would have taken it... because, after all, it was nothing but a game. The tom rolled over with a 'hmph' at her next words, getting to his paws and smirking at her. "Well, at least we know who's going to save us all if the kits turn against us." He retorted with an entertained purr. It was already almost sunhigh, and Ottertail was thankful for the colder weather - at this point, he was quite comfortable. A thick, fluffy pelt made it easy for him to deal with leafbare and the later moons of leaf-fall/early moons of greenleaf. Thank goodness it actually did get cool, because otherwise Ottertail would be miserable. "You, on the other hand, will be utterly defenseless against the kit army, Minty-boo. I'll have to come save your tail!" He mrrowed in amusement, green eyes sparkling before he pounced like a kit, landing just a fraction of an inch from on top of her.

Mintberry's eyes narrowed once more and as Ottertail rose to his paws, she felt the need to too. So she rolled over until she was standing on her paws, she gave herself a shake sending dust from her pelt everywhere. She hadn't realized that with the grass dying, the dirt was showing beneath their paws much more making her pelt much more dirty than normal when she rolled around like that. She coughed twice before looking at Ottertail playfully. "Well here's the thing, fluff-butt," the black and white she-cat crouched down, appearing ready to pounce at the large feline, but those weren't her intentions. To be honest, she was just trying to appear more threatening -- well as threatening as a feline like she could be. "I wouldn't have to worry about that kit army because I would be the one leading it against you!" she half-yowled triumphantly. Although, the issue with those words was, if anyone knew Mintberry, they would know that she didn't like kits. So leading that army was practically impossible because she'd probably blow up on them from the beginning. "My army and I are planning on shaving your fluffy pelt off and selling it," she half laughed, her green eyes twinkling in amusement.

[PeaFlower]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

The medicine cat looked up, her tail twitching anxiously as Cedarflower entered the medicine cat's den. It was getting too crowded for her. The den now had four cats in it - Caliapaw, Ivypaw, Cedarflower and Foxpaw. The feline was uncomfortable with the space she was being given. "No." She answered, before she could think the word through. Horrified at her own answer, the she cat's eyes widened some and she looked back down at Ivypaw's body just in time to see the blood come out of her mouth. Caliapaw had never been squeamish about these things, and it was good that she wasn't - being the medicine cat and all. "I'm sorry. She lost a lot of blood." She looked down at Ivypaw's body, desperate to think of something - anything that she could do. Caliapaw grabbed some poppy seeds along with aspen tree bark, shoving them towards the young apprentice. "Eat them." She ordered, before looking over at Cedarflower.

At this point? The chances of Ivypaw making it were very, very slim. Yet Cedarflower had asked for the whole truth and the harsh truth, so Caliapaw had given it to her. She was scared. Yes, she was scared. This was the first time she would lose a patient, and her faith in herself was fading. She was convinced now that Wheatfur had made the wrong choice. Yet there was a nagging thought pushing at her, telling her that it wasn't her fault, that this apprentice had taken on a fox on her own. It wasn't Caliapaw's fault. But she couldn't save Ivypaw, and that just might be the medicine cat's fault. Stepping away from the cat, and praying to StarClan that she would eat the herbs that had been offered (if she could keep them down, Caliapaw was worried that Ivypaw might just cough them back up) she moved closer to Cedarflower.

"There's... something I can do for her. I can make her journey to StarClan less painful and more peaceful." Wheatfur had taught her about this. She knew most of the easy herbs by heart now, and this was one of the ones that he had taught her first. Just in case. Maybe he had known he was going to die, maybe StarClan had shown him - Caliapaw only wished she could have saved her mentor's life. If only she'd gone to the Gathering! She hadn't been there, and now her mentor was dead! She wondered if Cedarflower would agree to let Ivypaw go more peacefully or if she would want Caliapaw to do more.

There wasn't anything more she could do - except for stick more cobwebs on to stop the bleeding. She wasn't sure how to fix the blood that was coming from Ivypaw's mouth, she couldn't think what was wrong - she hadn't learned this. And that was something that was making her lose the shreds of confidence she had gained here and there.

Cedarflower had recoiled slightly at Caliapaw's words, tears now falling freely on the she-cat's face, her body trembling and her claws digging into the ground, as she tried to suppress her sobs.
She was thankful that Caliapaw didn't hold back, it was painful, yes, but less than being led on to a possible spark of hope, however small it could be, and then let down a few moments after.

She barely registered what Caliapaw was doing with her daughter, too busy trying to calm herself down, and failing at it. Her little kitten was going to die, there was nothing she could do about it. She didn't have any kind of knowlegde in that field, she was useless. A useless mother. That's what she was. Where did she go wrong ? What pushed her daughter to put her life at risk ?
Now isn't the time to blame yourself. Cedarflower managed to think. You shouldn't be breaking down crying, you should be strong.

She looked up just as Caliapaw went closer to her. At her suggestion, the she-cat slowly nodded."If ... "She suppressed yet another sob. "If this will make her death come faster ... and if she doesn't die before you do ...then, please do." The mother meowed, her voice trembling. "I can't imagine how much pain she's in. I'd rather have her die now than suffer any longer." She started weeping again, but did her best not to show it, trying to distance herself from everything and everyone around her.
She could feel Caliapaw's distress. She knew what had happened to Wheatfur, like everyone else in the Clan, and even though she didn't know her well, or at all, she was still willing to spare her any more stress.
"It's not your fault ..." She muttered for both herself and Caliapaw. "It's not your ... fault ..." She kept on saying those words over and over, her gaze fixed on everything and nothing. She was feeling lost and helpless, and she hated that feeling.

Originally Posted by Okapi

Ivypaw swallowed, she closed her eyes as sleep covered her eyes, she could see in her dreams misty meadows she shook off the sleep weakly,” I love my ma.” She gapsed as blood poured out her mouth she closed her mouth. She was asleep to a point their was no waking up. She wandering in the meadow of her dreams, it was all quiet and still. In the clan, her breathing grew more, and more shallow until finally it was almost one breathe per minute. Ivypaw felt like the meadow was disappearing underneathe her slowly. She finally gave a loud exail and the meadow disappeared completely. She dared open her eyes, expecting to see Caliapaw pleased she survived the wounds and awoke,Dreams are faster than- she stared around she was in the medicine cat’s den as she expected, but standing Huh. her eyes fell to Caliapaw who clearly looked stressed out she meowed softly,” I’m fine. I’m here. I’ve recovered!” Thoug Caliapaw didn’t answer her. She saw her mother sobbing on the floor,” Ma!” Tears filled her chest, Whats wrong with everyone? I’m here and I’m fine! she yowled loudly,” Ma! I’m fine!” No response, she slowly took her eyes to the patient who was dead, Who’s that? They clearly are- No!No! I can’t be dead! No! tears pooled in her eyes she nuzzled her mother despite the fact her mother couldn’t sense her. She smiled softly to Caliapaw,” I don’t know if Medicine Cats can sense my presence, but if you can...I don’t blame you for my death...” she blinked her tears away and turned stepping out of the medicine cats den and looked to the stars,” Beam me up, Starclan.” She disappeared from her clan and found herself in the starry sky.

Cedarflower's incessant muttering came to an abrupt stop when she heard Ivypaw speak. The tears came back full force at her daughter's words, and she panicked at the sight of the blood coming out of Ivypaw's mouth, getting closer to the apprentice's body.

She watched as her daughter's breathing started to slow down, not daring to touch her should she still be able to feel pain. "You'll be okay ... you'll be alright, my little kitten ... everything will be fine ..." She whispered as she kept on weeping, closing her eyes as the sight was too much for the mother to bear.

Then she heard her daughter take her final breath, and she couldn't take it anymore. She collapsed on the floor as sobs wracked through her body, forgetting any kind of manners she had learned to display and keep throughout her life. That was it. Ivypaw was gone. Her kitten was no more. She had left and gone to Starclan.