Awaken

[Cai]

It was dark. Night was nearly falling, but nobody slept. Whitestar felt hazy, walking in a world where the colours were just a little bit off. One moment he was in camp... Yes, that was ThunderClan's camp. But then he turned around, and suddenly he ended up out by the border. How did that happen? And then the yowls of battle suddenly rang out, breaking the silence of the eerily still air and causing Whitestar to jump. He wheeled around to face the danger which was upon him, his green eyes flaring wide.

Now he was engulfed by cats, to his left, to his right, on top of him. It was like he was drowning in enemy scents and ghostly paws, unable to get away. The scents were familiar, far too familiar. Everything felt familiar, yet somehow distorted. He felt as helpless as a kit again, but this shouldn't happen to him... where was his Clan? Where was ThunderClan? Something wasn't right... Somehow the pain of the claws didn't feel right; didn't hurt as much as it should. Whitestar scrabbled, trying to get free...

"Whitekit? Hey, Whitekit, there you are..." Sweet laughter floated into the battle, breaking through the wall of oddly insubstantial, sneering warriors. It hurt to hear that sweet voice, dragging out a long-buried memory, always banished to the deep corners of his mind. He didn't want to hear that voice...

"Don't come now, it's not safe!" Whitestar tried to warn the owner of that voice away, and turned wide eyes to try and see through the swarm of cats upon him. Instead his gaze fell upon a fallen cat, but it wasn't an enemy. He thrust a faceless warrior off his chest and scrambled towards the limp form. Unseeing eyes stared back at him. Eyes belonging to his old mentor.

Whitestar blinked, and when his eyes opened again, the form changed. Now it was a little she-cat with the kindest eyes he'd ever known, gasping her last breaths. And Whitestar felt the scene start to shake, and suddenly this cruel world became a blur, just as he felt grief rising...

---

Whitestar awoke. He made no sound, not even a cry of shock or a yell of fear as other cats might do. Instead his sharp green eyes merely snapped open, and he lay on his nest, his breathing slightly faster than usual and his heart beating traitorously faster than usual. The only lingering signs of his haunted sleep. He rose to his feet in a flash, his expression going irritated and hard as he paced his den, chasing the dream away. The faces which haunted him in the night could be nothing in the waking world. The only way he would keep from losing his mind was if he made sure of that.

But even Whitestar couldn't completely erase all signs of such a disturbed sleep and his face looked slightly more haggard than usual. Not enough to notice anything at a glance, but present in an extra shadow falling across his features. He spent a brief moment smoothing his snowy pelt while mentally running over the tasks for the day, his unpleasant dreams of days gone by vanishing from his mind, just as they did every time they tried to resurface. He'd talk with Stonewhisker first and discuss patrols, and then he'd have to call a Clan meeting. There was an apprentice ceremony to be done today. Not exactly the thing he felt like doing on this morning, but he had responsibilities.

Padding out from his den slightly stiffly, Whitestar breathed the fresh air with some relief. He smiled slightly, waking up in the crisp leaf-bare air. A difficult time for any Clan, but one which also brought a frosty beauty to the land. Whitestar stood upon the Highledge, surveying his Clan, but making no move to summon them yet. First he would speak to his deputy. He searched the cats below for Stonewhisker, and watched them go about their business. Some were awake and busy already, and some were still hidden in their den. He idly noted the brown fur of the kit who'd reached six moons today before skimming over the other cats present. A few other youngsters, another warrior here and there. Quite an ordinary morning in ThunderClan.

[/blockquote]

[ivyy]

A small grey cat slunk through the thorny tunnel that led back into camp, a plump sparrow held securely in his jaws. Stonewhisker padded discontentedly towards the kill pile, noting that his earlier kill of two mice had gone quickly.Amongst other things. Pinestorm had stayed behind, off to run the border or something like that, and Stonewhisker had time to think on the way back to camp.

By the time he had returned, many more cats were awake, and the wheels of clan life were beginning to turn with the start of a new day. Stonewhisker sighed, he really should leave the fresh sparrow for another, but his stomach was empty and demanding that he feed himself sometime soon. His face was slightly less confident than the norm, his pale green eyes were just a tad more downcast.

Stonewhisker was still standing before the depleted kill pile when a cold gust shook his small frame, his long fur absorbed the brunt of the chill, but it was enough to make him shiver. His tail moved back and forth slowly, brushing against the ground. Another growl of his stomach convinced him to take something. 'Something small.' Stonewhisker reminded himself silently. He dropped the sparrow into the pile, more like layer, and instead picked up a rather unappetizing vole.

He shook out his pelt and made his way to the new patch of sunlight under Highledge. Stonewhisker sunk down into a laying position and position a took the first bite, it was cold, and tough, but it was food.

[Cai]

For a while, Whitestar remained where he was atop the Highledge, sat upright and unmoving, merely surveying his Clan down below. He liked being up here, able to see everything he wanted to see in ThunderClan's camp, undisturbed by the needs of his Clan just for a few moments each day. After that, it was back to work. Whitestar took in a deep breath of cool air, exhaled, and rose to his paws. Eventually, the need to chase the crisp, chilly air from his thin white fur grew too great to ignore, and in any case, Whitestar had spotted the cat he was looking for. So, with a nimble, surefooted manoeuvre, he slipped his way down to the ground and alighted near to his deputy in the little spot slightly warmed by the weak leafbare sun.

Stonewhisker was laid out, leisurely eating a small piece of fresh-kill, but Whitestar felt no desire to fetch something to eat for himself. A bad night's sleep had done very little good for his appetite, so he decided to forgo a morning meal. By the looks of the fresh-kill pile, it was just as well. More hunting patrols would have to be organised or they would have a group of hungry, grumpy elders to deal with. So, turning his back on the dwindling fresh-kill pile, Whitestar simply crouched himself alongside Stonewhisker, nodding in greeting.

"'Morning, Stonewhisker," he greeted the deputy with a slight tone of weariness in his voice, aware that Stonewhisker might be able to detect the signs of his bad night. He knew him better than most, after all. "How was the prey running? The fresh-kill pile looks quite empty. Have the patrols gone out for the morning?" Business as usual. The best way, in Whitestar's view, to distract oneself from unpleasant memories was to fill a day with as much as possible. In that way, it was a good thing he was leader. He had a thousand things to do each day and so he never had much time to dwell on things that had already passed.

[/blockquote]

[ivyy]

"It looks like as much." he said, straightening himself into a tidy ball as he picked at the vole in between his paws. "I had trouble sleeping last night," he said, eying his leader momentarily, something was off. "And went off before dawn to hunt and re-mark the borders." he said, absently lifting his paw to his face to clean off traces of dried blood and dirt.

"Prey was scarce. I was out until just before dawn, and only managed two mice." his pale green stare drifted towards the pitiful kill pile. "I think we'll need to send out an extra hunting party, Whitestar. Maybe encourage a few warriors to take their apprentices hunting more often." A cold breeze bit at his skin, prompting him to sit up, his head standing far lower than Whitestar's, maybe just 4 inches above his shoulder. "This Leafbare is bitter already."

His tail swept across the dust, his subconscious trying to create warmth through friction. His gaze drifting across camp, it hovered over Mudkit for a while, then back to the kill pile, then anywhere and everywhere. His mind wandered in the silence. Eyes finally resting on the planes of Whitestar's face. There were shadows under his eyes, he never showed his emotions openly, as Stonewhisker was prone to, but he could see the strain in his expression. "What is paining you?" Stonewhisker asked softly.

[Cai]

Whitestar hid a wry smile at the mention of sleeping troubles. He never liked to let on when he was troubled, and he certainly never ventured to the medicine cat. He simply forgot about it during the course of the day. He nodded slowly, not too disturbed by his deputy's report. Lack of prey was normal at this time of year, though it perhaps the shortages were coming earlier than usual this year. It would certainly get worse as leafbare wore on. This was only the beginning of the cold spell, but it sounded like it was already time to take measures to make sure everybody had enough to eat.

"Hmm... Sounds sensible. I'll notify the Clan when I call a meeting..." Whitestar nodded slowly, making a mental note of it. "Can you organise a couple more hunting patrols after the announcements? Oh, and Mudkit's ceremony. I suppose it's about time." Surprisingly, Whitestar did not feel particularly cold now, though he could see Stonewhisker's movements to keep himself warm. He smiled wanly. "Yes. It looks like we're in for a particularly hard leafbare this year. But we'll get through it. We always do." Not everyone did, though. Whitestar was fervently hoping for a sickness-free season this year. Blackcough and greencough had plagued ThunderClan in his lifetime, and he definitely did not wish to see a repeat of the damage both caused.

Whitestar glanced back at Stonewhisker sharply. Paining him? Curse Stonewhisker for being so perceptive. He smiled faintly, waving his white tail dismissively. "Paining me? Nothing extraordinary, Stonewhisker. A rough night; that's all." He glanced back up at the Highledge briefly. "Is there anything else the Clan needs to know?" he asked, swiftly changing the subject away from himself.

[ivyy]

Stonewhisker sighed, but let the subject drop. He shifted his weight, "Make sure they know to be very careful around the border," cats from other clans would be extra aggressive this time of year. "Other than that I think its fine." Stonewhisker's tail settled over his paws. "Mudkit is having his ceremony today, thats right." Stonewhisker murmured absently.

"Who do think is the right warrior for his, er, personality?" he said, raising an eyebrow. The way the kit spoke, it just bothered him. He was too smart, he wouldn't know how to handle him. Frankly, he didn't want an apprentice at the moment, not after his first turned out so.. so unfortunately. Stonewhisker watched as the warriors returned through the thorny tunnel that led into camp, dawn patrol had run smoothly, he assumed. Stonewhisker returned his gaze to Whitestar, he couldn't help but wonder what had kept such a brave cat up at night.

[Cai]

Whitestar nodded his assent briefly. Stonewhisker was right, of course. Of all the times of year, leafbare was the time when other Clans were most likely to get desperate enough to risk stealing prey and accusations could potentially get thrown around. Hungry Clans were always more likely to cause trouble. "Very well. Thanks, Stonewhisker, I will inform the Clan." Whitestar sat back for a moment, musing over the issue of Mudkit's mentor. He ran over the warriors currently without apprentices in his mind thoughtfully, considering which would be able to bring out the best in Mudkit. He smiled wryly at Stonewhisker.

"Mudkit's not a... typical kit, is he?" He remarked, looking over at the cat in question. "While he used to be as boisterous as kits come, nowadays he's gone to the other extreme, it seems. He'll need someone to teach him that elaborate speeches alone don't actually make a warrior, and someone to give him a balance between fire and calmness. I notice he tends to irk some of the other cats at times. I fear his occasional over-analysis of their words can be taken for impertinence or arrogance, or even condescension." Whitestar fell silent for a while, apparently deep in thought. He didn't believe Mudkit to be an unpleasant young cat, and he was quite sure that he didn't mean to get under other cats' fur; he was simply in need of some training.

"Ivyclaw." he said at last, finally landing upon the right cat. "Ivyclaw should work well with him. He will be a good authority figure to Mudkit, and teach him the right kind of ferocity a warrior needs." Confident that Ivyclaw would be a compatible mentor with Mudkit, Whitestar nodded and glanced up at the Highledge again. "Well, Stonwhisker, unless there's anything else we should discuss, I can get the meeting started." He paused to allow his deputy to raise any other matters.

[/blockquote]

[ivyy]

Stonewhisker stood, "No, that is all that is on my mind." he said, tail sweeping back and forth slowly. He padded away, towards the center of camp to prepare for Whitestar's announcement. His pale green gaze swept over camp as more and more cats began to gather.

Stonewhisker waited for his apprentice, Duskpaw to appear. After the ceremony for Mudkit, he would take her to the Mossy Training Hollow for battle training. His ears flickered as he listened to Whitestar clear his throat atop HighLedge. Stonewhisker chuckled as Mudkit came prancing into view, extremely excited.

Stonewhisker folded his tail over his paws, it had only been a few days since Thornpaw had been made an apprentice, and now Mudkit was on his way. ThunderClan was growing swiftly, Stonewhisker observed, they had many new apprentices. And Duskpaw and Swallowpaw where on their way to becoming warriors. Stonewhisker smiled slightly, it appeared that ThunderClan was getting out of it's funk.

[Cai]

Whitestar nodded once and turned, leaping agilely up to the Highledge and padding to the edge of it, surveying his Clan below him. The ledge was cold under his paws, speckled with a touch of morning frost, and he curled his toes until they got used to the feel. With only a moment's pause, he called his summons in his cool voice, staring steadily out at the camp below.

"Let all those cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting." He spoke the familiar words with confidence now. It had been four moons since they became his responsibility to say, and Whitestar was gradually becoming comfortable with it. It was still strange to say them in the place of Lionstar, but he was adjusting. At first it had felt wrong, taking Lionstar's place when he knew the old leader could've done so much more, but Whitestar had had to come to terms with the fact that he was leader now.

The Clan assembled beneath him, and Whitestar waited until they all seemed to be present. "As you all know, leafbare is settling in fast. We're going to need a lot more hunting patrols to keep our fresh-kill pile stocked, so I want an extra hunting patrol organised each day. Mentors should also take their apprentices out to hunt as often as possible. It looks like leafbare will hit hard this year, so we must put all our effort in sooner rather than later." Whitestar paused to let his words sink in.

"Secondly, all cats must be extra vigilant when near the borders. This time of year is hard for all Clans. Cats may become desperate and I don't want anybody getting hurt or stirring up trouble. That means no illicit border-crossing, and nothing that could give the other Clans a reason to accuse us of prey-stealing. I trust you will all take care to watch for intruding cats as well." Hopefully this year would go by without trouble. There had been peace for a while now, so maybe this leafbare would not be one of battle.

"And lastly, I believe we have one youngster who is ready to begin his training to become a warrior of ThunderClan today." Whitestar scanned the throng of cats for Mudkit. "Would Mudkit please come forwards?"

[mystic]

Dappleflower
^{None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm}

Dappleflower's ears flicked at the sound of the leader's call. Ah it must her her great grandson's ceremony. Slowly she stood up, wincing a little as her joints protested at her movement. Her tail flicked a little and she walked out into the chilly Leaf-Bare sun. Curling her tail around her rump she sat down and watched. Just as she thought, Mudkit was called to the High-ledge.

She took a deep breath and felt her chest swell with pride. She also wondered who would mentor the odd little kit. So far Icenose had done a good job raising him. However.... Now it was up to a mentor to finish what was begun.

Mudkit
^{Logic is the beginning of wisdom; not the end}

Mudkit had been sharing tongues with Swallowpaw. The pretty she-cat had been helping him prepare for his apprentice ceremony. Now, he was being called up. The words Would Mudkit please come forwards rang in his ears. He allowed a slight smile to play on his lips as he walked towards the high ledge. Carefully he sat down, letting his tail trail out behind him. His deep brown eyes fixed on the leader and he inclined his head, purring slightly as he waited for the ceremony to begin.

[Icy-son]

Ivyclaw;; ThunderClan Warrior
The time is near,
though that time has gone...

The stone walls of the camp have brought memories back to a wispy gray tom, who was sitting straight with his back against the Nursery. The brambles used to protect the milky-scented den reminded him of when he was a kit in the Nursery, playing with Ferretkit. He used to tease Littlekit for being the smallest, but each of the kits grew into fine warriors. Especially Ivyclaw, who was the only one of the six who recieved an apprentice. Duskpaw, the small gray tom he grew used to.

It was only for a while, since that apprentice left for RiverClan, who was stationed at the other side of the lake. He wondered why he hasn't seen that apprentice for quite some time. Perhaps the reason was because he was an outsider, from ThunderClan. Could it be on his way of raising the apprentice? He shook his head, then looked up as Whitestar towered overhead on the Highledge. He began to call the meeting together, and he abandoned his post. He trotted steadily towards the rockhead, his yellowish-green eyes reflecting the sun, making them seem amber.

[/size]

Swallowpaw;; ThunderClan Apprentice
The brightness of day, the coldness of night.
Let us make it right!

Swallowpaw looked up from where she was, inside the Nursery, watching as Whitestar came out of his den underneath Highledge. His dazzling white fur seemed to glow, and she purred. As he called the summonds and finished most of his report, he called forth Mudkit. She purred as he stepped out, and her eyes shined with definace. She should follow, but with her brother.

"Reedkit, could you come out for the Meeting?" she cooed to her little brother, ready to leap to his side for protection. It was only then that she realized, she would be a warrior, and he would just become an apprentice. Would she mentor her brother? She shook her head, stepping out of the Nursery into the bright light of dawn. Even she knew that kin couldn't mentor other kin. She gave a long, depressed sigh, then came to a spot beside Dappleflower.

[/size]

[Deleted]

Oo-err...

Reedkit padded cautiously out of the nursery in to the bright daylight, and stuck close to his sister's side. Well, it was finally Mudkit's apprentice ceremony. He wondered who the dark-pelted kit's mentor would be. There weren't that many warriors; his and Swallowpaw's father, Pinestorm and Sootstorm. Then again, the leader and deputy could both mentor too, and one of them might mentor Mudkit.

He stayed very close in against his sister, looking over at Mudkit. He was a nice kit, Reedkit supposed. And he seemed pleased to finally be become an apprentice at last. Reedkit was pleased, too. And for all the right reasons. He had grown up with Mudkit older than him, and soon enough he would be joining the dusky-brown tom in the apprentices' den.

But who would mentor him?

[ivyy]

.: Stonewhisker :.

Stonewhisker felt a rumble in his chest as the young kit was given the run-of-the-mill new apprentice speech. He swelled with pride at seeing a new ThunderClan cat on his way to greatness. Stonewhisker's tail swept over the ground contentedly, he gazed about the camp, more and more kits peering out from inside their shelter to watch their den-mate graduate to a new rank. He sighed as he remembered his own graduation.

Stonewhisker inhaled sharply at the memory of his long dead brother. He closed his pale green eyes, 'No. It's over, it's done.' he thought sternly to himself, 'Enjoy this for your Clan.' he opened his eyes once more, straining to appear just as happy as he was a few moments ago.

_______________________

.: Thornpaw :.

Thornpaw padded out from the apprentice's den to the area beneath HighLedge. He sat beside his deputy, Stonewhisker. He dipped his head briefly in respect, and received a light touch to the shoulder by the cat's tail. He watched with wide eyes as Mudkit began his ceremony with Whitestar. It had only been days since his own ceremony, and he eyed the dazzling white cat that he was honored to call his mentor.

There was nothing that pleased Thornpaw more than to be the leader's apprentice. He puffed up and began purring just thinking about it. But now his attention was focused on the pure brown cat that sat upon HighLedge, looking to proud. Thornpaw couldn't help but smile, Mudkit was one of his few friends, and seeing as Mudkit was also more, er, unique, they made a good pair. 'Mudkit and Shadepaw aren't the same.' he thought to himself 'Or uhm, Mudpaw.' That would be a tough one to get used to..

[mystic]

Dappleflower
^{None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm}

Dappleflower looked down at Swallowpaw. "Hello there youngster." She purred. "You're due to become a warrior soon, aren't you?" She asked, flicking her tail a little. She smiled. "It is good to see kits becoming apprentices and apprentices becoming warriors." She smiled wider. "And I know that you'll make a fine warrior. You have the same glint in his eye my old mate Battleclaw did. Great Starclan, I miss him." She sighed and flicked one ear back, then the other one. Finally she turned back to the highledge and waited for Whitestar too speak. She wanted him to hurry up already, her joints were aching and she wanted to go lie down.

[Thyme]

Pinestorm stood at his leader's yowl, immediately swinging his gaze around to fix on the white tom. He listened, nodding in agreement with all of Whitestar’s reminders. Pleasure trickled warmly into his paws as he stored these in the back of his mind. These he would definitely remember, and of course follow through religiously. Then, as Whitestar moved into the familiar tones of a naming ceremony, Pinestorm let out a small mew of surprise. He didn't keep track of all the young cats and their progress through the ranks; he didn't care enough too. It was bad enough that he had to train his own apprentice, Swallowpaw, without having to keep the other youngsters in mind. Kits were nothing but trouble, and certainly not worth his time.

His eyes fell on Swallowpaw, who was for some reason leading a kit out from the nursery. He made a disapproving sound under his breath; kits did not belong at Clan meetings. What was she doing? Although he didn’t want to make a spectacle in front of the entire Clan, he couldn’t have his apprentice flaunting her disobedience so openly.
He edged a short ways over so that he was behind his apprentice and the kit, hissing sharply, “Swallowpaw! What are you doing?” his voice was laced with fury, any lingering feelings of embarrassment gone. “Why is this kit,” with this he shot his green glare directly at the little tabby – didn’t even look to be over two moons anyways, “out of the nursery?” he spat. As long as he was around, there was no way his apprentice would be getting away with anything.

He was more or less ignoring Mudkit’s ceremony, listening only half-heartedly to the routine words. All of the rare and unfortunate encounters he’d had with the kit had served to only push him further away. He had a distinct dislike of the little tom, finding his odd manner of speaking to be pure gibberish, confusing, and a complete waste of words and time. It made his head hurt. Indeed it irritated him so much that he often felt the urge to give the kit a good cuff about the head every time he saw him. It wasn’t normal for a kit to speak that way, and it picked at him that ThunderClan might be full of oddball cats. In that regard, he was more than happy to have an apprentice already, lest he be assigned to another; one that was an even bigger pawful than his current.