Sprouts reach towards the springtime sky. Grass grows and birds scatter seeds all about. The sprouts grow into saplings, and saplings into large oak trees, gnarled roots sinking into the very foundations of the land.
And like a sprout that turns to a strong oak, the Clans have grown to be formidable forces, allied against a cold world. Little to upset the balance of the traditional ways of the nest and nursery, and little to uproot their home.
They would never expect that someone's pulling the strings and watering the roots, with watchful eye and careful pawsteps.
Rotten branches must be trimmed for the tree to grow.