A/N:
Guest, look at the A/N on chapters five and six.
Sparkie, thank you, and you're welcome :)
Random Fan, I'm sorry I didn't mention her, but you may be seeing a mention of her sooner than you think :)
Stoatpaw padded back into the camp with burdock root clamped firmly in his jaws, he began making his way to the medicine cat's den, when he was knocked off his paws by a solid furry form.
He let out a small growl of annoyance, when he saw that his attacker was Mudpaw.
"Hey!" he hissed, dropping the burdock root, and rolling over, kicking Mudpaw in the stomach with his back feet.
"I learned some new fighting moves," Mudpaw meowed proudly, wiggling out from under Stoatpaw, and jumping on his back.
Stoatpaw let out a small hiss of surprise and pain, when Mudpaw dug his claws into his sides.
He wasn't supposed to do that, they weren't allowed to practice fighting with their claws unsheathed. He considered telling Brambletail, Mudpaw's mentor, but then he had a better idea.
He rolled over, kicking Mudpaw off of him, before pinning him down, and putting his paw on the back of his neck, pressing him down into the dirt.
"Get off!" Mudpaw squealed, trying to wiggle out from beneath Stoatpaw.
"You started it, I'm going to finish it," Stoatpaw growled, biting down hard on Mudpaw's ear. If he didn't want to fight fair, then he wouldn't either.
The next thing Stoatpaw knew, he felt sharp teeth in the scruff of his neck, and he found himself being dragged off of Mudpaw.
"Explain yourself!" Foxheart demanded once he had dropped Stoatpaw to the ground.
"He started it, I was just on my way to take burdock root to Specklefern, and he attacked me out of nowhere!"
"You two have been at each other's throats ever since you became apprentices, I want you to try to get along, or else," Foxheart meowed.
"Get along with him? That would be inconceivable!" Mudpaw spat.
"Yeah, why don't you go and tell Spotpaw what to do? You're his mentor, not mine," Stoatpaw growled.
"I may not be your mentor, but I am your father, and you will do as I say," Foxheart meowed evenly.
"Fine," Stoatpaw grumbled, picking up the burdock root. He started padding towards the medicine cat den, when he heard Galepaw taunting Mudpaw.
"I can't believe you got beat by a medicine cat apprentice," Galepaw sneered.
"Eat dirt, Galepaw," Mudpaw growled.
Stoatpaw turned his head, to see his foster brother pounce on the older apprentice. He sighed, he was going to get himself into some real trouble some day.
He turned his head away from the fight, and started back on his journey, only to have his path blocked by his sister, Meadowpaw, who dropped a mouse at his paws.
"I caught that for you," she meowed proudly.
"Thanks, it looks delicious," Stoatpaw purred, nuzzling her cheek.
It really did, it probably had to be the plumpest mouse that he had ever seen, and it wasn't even green-leaf!
He leaned down to take a bite out of the mouse, when he heard a sharp squeal from behind him. He turned around, to see Brambletail carrying off Mudpaw by his scruff.
"I bet Mudpaw's going to be in real trouble," Meadowpaw meowed, laying down beside Stoatpaw.
He took a bite out of his mouse, and pushed it over to her, allowing her to take a bite.
"Good, he should learn not to attack his clanmates," Stoatpaw meowed, wincing from the stinging feeling he felt in his sides, from where Mudpaw had dug his claws into him.
"He better not try to fight me, because he won't win," Emberpaw meowed, padding up with his sister Blossompaw.
"What if he tries to fight me? I don't know if I could beat him!" Blossompaw gasped with her amber eyes wide.
"If he hurts you, it will be the last thing he ever does," Emberpaw growled.
"I don't think Mudpaw would actually hurt anyone, not on purpose anyway, I think he's just excited about the new fighting moves he's learned," Spotpaw meowed, as he too joined them.
"I bet you won't be singing that same tune when he attacks you next," Emberpaw growled.
"Mudpaw's the tiniest cat in the clan, he's probably just trying to assert his dominance or something," Meadowpaw meowed.
Stoatpaw resisted the urge to hiss at her, just a moment ago, she seemed to be against Mudpaw, and now she was kind of defending him? He supposed he shouldn't be surprised though, she was always changing her mind. One day, she thought Emberpaw was her dream mate, and then the next, she had turned her sights to Spotpaw.
It was the same with her prey preference, one day she thought mice were the best tasting things, and then the next, she'd like squirrels, nothing about her was ever constant.
"Thornspike, want to go hunting with me?"
Stoatpaw turned his head, to see Blacktail race after the light grey tabby. It was glaringly obvious that he was in love with her, but Thornspike didn't seem to notice. Or maybe she did, but she didn't want to hurt him, and she didn't know how to let him down easy.
He was glad that he was a medicine cat, and he would never have to worry about that kind of stuff.
"Well, I better get this to Specklefern," he meowed, once again picking up his burdock root.
"Hello Stoatpaw, it sounds like a lot of exciting things were happening out there," Specklefern meowed when he entered the medicine cat den.
"I guess, sorry it took me so long to bring this," he meowed, bringing the burdock root over to her.
"It's fine, we're not in immediate need of it right now, but I just like to be prepared."
She glanced down at him.
"Do you need some dock for those scratches? They look pretty terrible."
Stoatpaw looked down at his side.
"No thank you, they're not even bleeding anymore."
He shivered slightly, already feeling the stinging sensation, even though dock hadn't even been applied to his scratches.
"Well, if you're sure you're okay," Specklefern meowed, sounding unsure.
"I'm positive, what do you want me to do now?" Stoatpaw asked.
"Could you go check on Uglykit? Shadowheart told me that she thought his breathing sounded a little raspy."
"Okay," Stoatpaw meowed, padding out of the medicine cat's den, thinking about how horrible of a name Uglykit was. He was surprised that Shadowheart even mentioned Uglykit's breathing, he figured that she'd just let him die.
She was constantly complaining about how she wanted she-kits instead of toms, and how her three kits were the biggest disappointments in her life.
"Hello Stoatpaw," Softwind, his mother, greeted him with a purr, when he made his way into the nursery.
"What do you want?" Shadowheart snapped.
"To check on your kit you mouse-brain," Softwind spat.
"Oh that? It's fine, it started breathing fine again," Shadowheart meowed with a dissmissive wave of her tail.
She then jerked her head over to where three small bundles of fur were huddled up together against Doveflight, who was expecting kits any day now.
"It's over there with its siblings if you still want to check on it."
Stoatpaw gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to lash out at her. What kind of cat could be so cruel to kits? Especially a cat who was their own mother!
He couldn't worry about her now though, he had a patient to check on.
"Hi Stoatpaw, I'm glad to see you," Doveflight meowed softly.
"Why? Are the kits okay?" Stoatpaw asked worriedly.
Doveflight glanced over at Shadowheart, and he saw a flicker of fear flash through her eyes.
"You're the expert," Doveflight meowed, though the way she kept looking at Shadowheart, it seemed like she wanted to say something else, but she was too afraid to in front of the other queen.
I'll just have to ask her when she's alone or something, Stoatpaw thought, turning his attention to Uglykit.
He gently placed his paw on the kit's tiny body, feeling the rise and fall of his chest.
"He seems to be breathing fine now," he remarked.
"Told you so, it was just trying to make trouble for me like always," Shadowheart snapped.
"The kit is a he," Softwind growled lowly, sounding as annoyed as Stoatpaw felt.
"I know that!" Shadowheart snapped before turning to Stoatpaw, "Can you like leave? Us she-cats need our privacy."
"Fine, I'll go," Stoatpaw spat.
"Take care Stoatpaw," Doveflight meowed softly.
"Be careful!" Softwind meowed, nuzzling him on his way out.
He started making his way back to Specklefern, when he was knocked off his paws.
"Sorry!"
Stoatpaw looked up to see Falconbreeze standing there with a rabbit lying at his paws.
"It's okay Falconbreeze," Stoatpaw sighed, "Can I help you?"
"I'm just bringing this rabbit for my kits to eat."
"Wait!" Stoatpaw gasped when Falconbreeze reached down to pick up his rabbit.
"What?" Falconbreeze asked, with his head tilted slightly.
"Your kits are only about a week old, they can't eat rabbit yet."
Falconbreeze let out a gasp, his amber eyes grew round with worry, and his fur stood on end, as he started pacing around the clearing.
"Oh no! Thank you for telling me, oh what if you weren't here? I would have killed them! Killed them! They would be dead, dead, dead!"
"Whoa, calm down! You didn't almost kill your kits," Stoatpaw meowed.
Falconbreeze stopped pacing, and he let his fur lay flat.
"You promise?" he meowed.
"If any cat's going to kill your kits, it's going to be that mate of yours," Bearfoot snapped, as he passed by with Lilypool and Galepaw following not too far behind.
Stoatpaw hated to agree with Bearfoot on anything, but he agreed with him on this, Shadowheart was the worst mother, and possibly even the worst cat in the whole clan, maybe even in the whole forest.
"What's going on?" Russetblaze asked, padding over with his siblings, Addergaze and Sandshade.
"Falconbreeze caught a rabbit for his kits, but they can't eat it yet because they're not old enough," Stoatpaw meowed.
"I almost killed them!" Falconbreeze gasped.
"Oh give me a break, it's not like you were going to feed them death berries!" Addergaze spat.
"Deathberries?" Falconbreeze's eyes widened, "Oh no! What if the rabbit ate deathberries, and then a cat ate the rabbit, and got the poison?"
"I'm sure if the rabbit ate death berries, it would have been dead long before you caught it," Stoatpaw reassured him.
"I'm sorry for overreacting, these are my first kits, and I don't want them to die, speaking of dying, how is Wolfkit's breathing?" he then shook his head, and his eyes darkened, "I mean Uglykit, I hate that name, I don't much like any of their names, I don't see why Foreststar agreed to let Shadowheart name them that."
"I don't like the names either," Stoatpaw agreed.
"Yeah, so you're like a medicine cat apprentice right? So that means I can come to you for advice or whatever?" he asked, nosing him away from Addergaze, Russetblaze, and Sandshade.
"I guess so, why?" Stoatpaw asked.
Falconbreeze looked around, probably looking out that no one else was listening, before whispering.
"I don't love Shadowheart."
"Well, I can't exactly blame you, she's not the most likeable cat, I say that you should leave her."
"I was planning on it, but that's not what I need advice on."
"What is it then?"
Falconbreeze gave his chest a few quick licks before replying.
"I think I'm in love with another cat, I mean, we've only spoken a few times at gatherings, but there's something about her. She has the bluest eyes I've ever seen, they remind me of the sky on a clear greenleaf day, a sky that isn't blocked by trees," Falconbreeze meowed wistfully.
Unlike the other cats in ForestClan, other than Emberpaw and Blossompaw, who were loners, Falconbreeze wasn't forest born. From what Stoatpaw knew, he once belonged to a clan, who lived in the meadows. Unfortunately, most of his clan was wiped out, and the surviving ones chose to become loners, rather than join a new clan.
Stoatpaw was glared Falconbreeze decided to join ForestClan though, he couldn't think of a better cat who was better at hunting rabbits.
"Who is this cat?" Stoatpaw asked, wondering it could be, the only she-cats in ForestClan who had blue eyes were Softwind, Doveflight, and Quietstorm.
"Her name is Splashpetal," he meowed, not meeting his gaze.
"Splashpetal? There's not a cat in our clan named Splashpetal."
Realization hit Stoatpaw like a monster on the thunderpath, his clanmate was in love with someone outside the clan!
Character List!
TreeClan
Leader: Treestar - dark brown tabby tom with green eyes
Deputy: Mossyleg - lovely, long legged black coated she-cat, sploches of white coat her fur, a sharp ending muzzle and tufted, pointed ears, dark lovely shaded green eyes
Medicine Cat: Yewheart - orange tabby tom with golden eyes
(Apprentice: Birchpaw)
Warriors:
Acaciafur - tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes
(Apprentice: Squirrelpaw)
Twigtail - silver grey tom with a long skinny tail and grey eyes (mates with Cedarful, father of Hemlockpaw)
(Apprentice: Quailpaw)
Beechstripe - pale brown tom with darker tabby stripes, long legs, and leaf green eyes
(Apprentice: Wrenpaw)
Pinestripe - pale brown tom with darker tabby stripes, long legs, and leaf green eyes
(Apprentice: Pipitpaw)
Larkscream - dusky brown tom with black spots and amber eyes (mates with Cherrypelt, father of Wrenpaw and Pipitpaw)
(Apprentice: Jaguarpaw)
Leaftail - brown she-cat with black stripes, white paws, muzzle, throat, and belly
(Apprentice: Hemlockpaw)
Acornfoot - pale brown tabby with yellow eyes and dark brown paws
Tumbleflight - white she cat with pale grey dapples
Spottedbranch - white tom with black and ginger spots everywhere and green eyes
Firestorm - vibrant solid ginger tom with unusually blue eyes
Firfur - dark grey she-cat with green eyes
Hickorybranch - thick-furred ginger tabby tom with green eyes
Cherrypelt - tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes (mates with Larkscream, mother of Wrenpaw and Pipitpaw)
Apprentices:
Birchpaw - pale tabby she-cat with long skinny legs and tail; amber eyes
Squirrelpaw - slim reddish brown she-cat with a darker, fluffy tail, long legs, and fiery orange eyes.
Quailpaw - small fluffy brown mottled tom, with lean muscles and icy-blue eyes
Wrenpaw - tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes
Pipitpaw - dusky brown tom with amber eyes
Jaguarpaw - fluffy ginger tom with brown spots and green eyes
Hemlockpaw - small and skinny light brown and silver flecked tom with black paws, grey eyes, and an oddly long tail comparative to his body size.
Queens:
Rootflower - dark ginger tabby she-cat with a white underbelly and paws (mother of Hickorybranch and unborn kits)
Paletiger - pale ginger she-cat with brown tiger like stripes and amber eyes (mother of Whiskers and Jaguarpaw)
Cedarfur - brown she-cat with black feet (mates with Twigtail mother of Hemlockpaw)
Ashfern - light grey tabby she-cat with green eyes (mother of Twigkit and Sapkit)
Silvershadow - black and white she cat with a silver ear tip and brown eyes (mates with Dirttail, expecting kits)
Elders:
Barkbelly - (father of Quailpaw)
Dappledwhisker - (mother of Quailpaw)
Sweetwillow - grey she-cat with amber eyes (mother of Twigtail)
Birchleap - greying pale silver tabby tom with blue eyes (mates with Spruceleap, father of Silvershadow, Spottedbranch, Quietstorm, Tumbleflight, and Firestorm (adopted))
Spruceleap - old brown tabby she-cat with hazel eyes (mates with Birchleap, mother of Silvershadow, Spottedbranch, Quietstorm, Tumbleflight, and Firestorm (adopted))
Kits:
Leafykit - black and white she-kit with blue eyes
Olivekit - smooth short black fur, purple eyes, long tail
Twigkit - skinny light grey she-kit
Sapkit - cream coloured tom
CreekClan
Leader: Creekstar - white tom with green eyes
Deputy: Stormstrike - gray tabby tom with long fur and many scars, mostly hidden by his pelt with pale green eyes (father of Lakepaw and Splashpaw)
Medicine Cat: Icyflower - white she-cat with icy blue eyes
(Apprentice: Lakepaw)
Warriors:
Morningdew - black and white she-cat with green eyes (mates with Blackflower, mother of Wickerpaw and Creekpaw)
(Apprentice: Fogpaw)
Blackflower - black tom with blue eyes (mates with Morningdew, father of Wickerpaw and Creekpaw)
(Apprentice: Splashpaw)
Lotusflower - black and white she-cat with green eyes
(Apprentice: Creekpaw)
Splashpetal - black she-cat with a bright pink nose, white spots, and blue eyes
(Apprentice: Wickerpaw)
Frogfoot - black tom with white dapples, white tufts on his ears, a white splash on his chest, and amber eyes (ex-mates with Quietreed, father of Beetlekit and Willowkit)
(Apprentice: Dropletpaw)
Streamripple, sleek-furred and slender she-cat with silver fur that's almost white, with darker silver stripes, and blazing green eyes, her claws are larger than average, and her tail is longer than average, she also has a scar from her ears to her fore-leg on her left side, and a nick in her right ear
Blunttalon - long haired, brown tom with creamy brown/white paws and dark green eyes (mates with Whisperingwillow, father of Sleekkit, Pebblekit, and Hawkkit)
Minnowtail - small blue gray she-cat with silver flecks and blue eyes
Pikestrike - pale gray tom with mottled darker gray speckles and ears, and green eyes (mates with Lilybreeze, father of Dewkit)
Ripplewater - sleek, silver furred she cat with blue, grey eyes
Apprentices:
Lakepaw - beautiful well-groomed and sleek white she-cat with grey patches, and pale green eyes
Splashpaw - small gray tabby with short, messy fur and bright yellow eyes
Wickerpaw - brown tom with amber eyes
Creekpaw - blue she-cat with green eyes
Dropletpaw - white she-cat with amber eyes
Fogpaw - silver colorpoint she-cat with a fluffy tail
Queens:
Quietreed - pretty, young pale-brown tabby she-cat with white paws, chest and mask, and green eyes (ex-mates with Frogfoot, mother of Beetlekit and Willowkit)
Whisperingwillow - beauitful, sleek golden tabby with bright, green eyes tufted ears and white paws with a narrowed muzzle (mates with Blunttalon, mother of Sleekkit, Pebblekit, and Hawkkit)
Lilybreeze - pale gray she-cat with blue eyes and a pale cream flower shaped flash on her chest (mates with Pikestrike, mother of Dewkit)
Kits:
Beetlekit - messy furred black tom with a white chest, a single white forepaw, and amber eyes; has a long snout
Willowkit - small, pale-brown tabby she-cat with white-tufts on her ears with long fur; heterochromia (green/amber)
Sleekkit - small, flat footed, web pawed silver tabby, lighter paws with uneven sockens (the lighter silver paws) and light amber eyes
Pebblekit - fluffed golden tabby
Hawkkit - small brown tabby tom, long wipping tail and narrowed angered, blazed amber eyes
Dewkit - pale gray long-haired tom with a white muzzle and tail tip; frosty blue eyes
ForestClan
Leader: Foreststar - long haired light brown tom with dark green eyes
Deputy: Swiftstorm - white she-cat with brown tabby patches and green eyes
Medicine Cat: Specklefern - grey Calico with green eyes and a slightly stubby tail
(Appentice: Stoatpaw)
Warriors:
Bearfoot - dark brown tabby tom with a stump tail
Lilypool - cream tabby tom (trans male)
(Apprentice: Galepaw)
Foxheart - reddish brown tom with white chest/belly, and green eyes (mates with Softwind, father of Stoatpaw and Meadowpaw, foster father of Mudpaw)
(Apprentice: Spotpaw)
Brambletail - brown tabby tom with a thick pelt and a white belly, and blue eyes (mates with Doveflight)
(Apprentice: Mudpaw)
Russetblaze - reddish brown tabby tom with bright yellow eyes and a long, messy pelt
(Apprentice: Meadowpaw)
Addergaze - sandy brown short furred tom with bright yellow, snake-like eyes
(Apprentice: Blossompaw)
Sandshade - small sandy brown she-cat with long fur and deep amber eyes
(Apprentice: Emberpaw)
Falconbreeze - semi-fluffy white tom with amber eyes (mates with Shadowheart, father of Dirtkit, Spitkit, and Uglykit)
Poppyspots - calico she-cat with bright green eyes
Fernshine - pale brown tabby she-cat with thick chocolate brown stripes and paws; green eyes
Thornspike - light gray beautiful tabby she-cat with bright green eyes, but with small patches of fur missing in some areas
Blacktail - black and white tom with green eyes
Apprentices:
Stoatpaw - brown tom with white chest/belly, a black tipped tail, and blue eyes
Galepaw - dark ginger tom with a white muzzle and paws
Spotpaw - stocky black tom with a large white spot covering his face like a mask and green eyes
Meadowpaw - dilute calico she-cat with green eyes
Mudpaw - dark brown tabby tom with lighter brown legs, darker brown swirling stripes, and amber eyes
Blossompaw - bright ginger tabby she-cat; amber eyes and spiky fur (former loner)
Emberpaw - dark ginger tabby tom with lighter ginger paws and belly, green eyes (former loner, Blossompaw's brother)
Queens:
Softwind - dark brown she-cat with blue eyes (mates with Foxheart, mother of Stoatpaw and Meadowpaw, foster mother of Mudpaw)
Doveflight - small soft-furred long haired white she-cat with pale blue eyes (mates with Brambletail, expecting kits)
Shadowheart - black she-cat with green eyes (mates with Falconbreeze, mother of Dirtkit, Spitkit, and Uglykit)
Elders:
Quietstorm - pure white she cat with blue eyes, is deaf (formally of TreeClan)
Kits:
Dirtkit - dark grey tabby tom with amber eyes
Spitkit - white tom with black paws, tail, ears, and green eyes
Uglykit - black lykoi looking tom with bulging amber eyes
MoleClan
Leader: Deafstar - black tom with amber eyes, deaf in one ear
Deputy: Shadowfall - large black tom with long, thick fur. He has ragged scars littering his pelt and big blue eyes, as well as long claws and yellowed, jagged teeth
Medicine Cat: Dappledleaf - reddish calico she-cat with a white muzzle, ears, and paws; green eyes
(Apprentice: Raccoonpaw)
Warriors:
Weepingspring (mother of Rosemarytail, Bushear, and Sharptalon)
Smokewhisper - tall, long-legged, lithe dark gray tabby she-cat with short sleek fur, and dark, reddish amber eyes, she has a large scar across her throat.
Dirttail - dirt brown tom with amber eyes (mates with Silvershadow, father of unborn kits)
Rosemarytail - dark ginger she-cat with a bushy, tabby striped tail and white underbelly
Bushear - brown tom with white tipped ears, blue eyes
Dustwhisker - pale ginger tom with a black muzzle and blue eyes
Branchtail - black tom with a brown-tipped tail and blue eyes (mates with Woolypelt, father of Mistypaw, Berrypaw, Alpinekit, and Graykit)
Rushfoot - long-legged pale brown tabby tom with white ears and green eyes (foster father of Blazekit)
Stonefang - gray tabby tom with messy fur and long, sharp fangs
Apprentices:
Berrypaw - small black she-cat with white paws, chest, ears, and tail-tip, and blue eyes
Mistypaw - white tom with black ears and blind blue eyes
Darkpaw - dark gray tom with copper eyes
Nightpaw - black she-cat with a white blaze on chest
Ratpaw - gray, furless she-cat with a broken tail, crooked muzzle, white dapples on her back and face, like freckles, and amber eyes
Raccoonpaw - dark brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes and a black 'mask' marking on her face
Mosspaw - tiny brown/gray she-cat whose fur is always sticking up and pointing every which way no matter how many times she tries to groom it. She has one white paw and moss green eyes
Queens:
Woolypelt - long-haired pure white she-cat with a plumy tail and blue eyes; deaf (mates with Branchtail, mother of Mistypaw, Berrypaw, Alpinekit, and Graykit)
Poppyfoot - slender, long-legged she-cat with cream colored fur and blue eyes (mother of Mosspaw)
Elders:
Sharptalon - white tom, blue eyes, deaf (Early elder, due to being deaf)
Kits:
Tunnelkit - sandy grey tom with a few darker streaks of grey, he has scars on his body, and dark brown eyes, blind in one eye
Sunkit - beautiful, short furred she-cat with a blonde pelt and dark blue eyes
Alpinekit - very pale gray tom with pale blue eyes
Graykit - solid gray she-cat with blue eyes and white paws
Blazekit -white tom with flame colored ears, paws, and tail, and green eyes (former orphaned loner)
Cats Outside of Clans
Kittypets:
Polly - dark grey tabby with Darker grey stripes. Her stomach is slightly brown but light grey with spots. Her paws are a lighter grey and her muzzle is white and she has a paler grey face making her stripes more visible. Her eyes are a slightly dull lime green.
Flossy - long-haired cream she-cat with long whiskers and a pale brown tabby marking on her forehead; emerald green eyes
Loners:
Whiskers - pure white wiry furred she-cat with a pale striped tail
Rogues:
North - thin white tom with yellow eyes
Bite - smoky gray tom with one missing eye and twin scars running across his back
Pepper - pale ginger tom with darker ginger flecks and broad shoulders and long claws; green eyes
