Hey all, so when I was in one of my labs today I got this crazy idea to try and figure out the approximate ages for all of the main characters, and I obviously had way too much time on my hands because I did it. So here is a lit of the approximate ages of some of the main characters at this point in the story. If you have a particular character in mind that I didn't do feel free to PM me and I will calculate it for you.
Amberstar: 99 moons old (approximately 8 years old)
Reedstar: 108 moons old (approximately 9 years old)
Rowanflight: 50 moons old (approximately 4 years old)
Leopardlight: 47 moons old (approximately 4 years old)
Shimmerlight: 33 moons old (approximately almost 3 years old)
Bluecloud: 39 moons old (approximately 3 years old)
Hazeshadow: 11 moons old (1 year old)
Swiftbreeze: 11 moons old (1 year old)
Moonstream: 10 moons old (almost 1 year old)
Swirlspots: 15 moons old (approximately 1 year old)
Sunvine: 36 moons old (approximately 3 years old)
Lionstreak: 24 moons old (approximately 2 years old)
I also recently noticed how strange it is that Reedstar allowed Sunvine to join his clan, when Sunvine was the one responsible for Mothpetal's death. It may seem strange now but Sunvine is a master at manipulation and Reedstar is in an unstable state, blinded by hatred and grief. In future chapters we will all come to better understand Reedstar and how deep rooted his hatred of Thunderclan really is and where it originated from.
In my mind Reedstar isn't so much a villain, more of a victim of his own life and choices made through it which led to the kind of leader he is today, Sunvine is easily able to manipulate his weaknesses which include his love for his daughters and his blind hatred of Thunderclan.
Please please please leave some reviews when your done reading this chapter, I really want to know what you like or hate about the story. Also to all my international readers I would love to hear from you as well. As always if you have anything you want to say, note or ask just leave a review or PM me I always respond. If you have any ideas about the story or thoughts on where things will go just let me know, I would love to incorporate your ideas.
CONTEST!
If you are the first person to leave a review with the correct answer to this question then you will get to choose the name and description of one of Moonstream and Swiftbreeze's kits!
Which of the super edition books is my favorite? (Firestar's quest, Skyclan's destiny, Bluestar's prophecy, Crookedstar's promise, Yellowfang's secret or Talllstar's revenge?)
Moonstream slowly pushed her way out of the medicine cat den after a good nights sleep. The crisp wind buffeted her fur and as her eyes adjusted to the light realization dawned on her. It was past midday, she had slept through all of the morning patrols.
"Sleep a little late did we?" a chilling voice growled and Moonstream felt her fur stand on end.
"What do you want Sunvine?" Moonstream growled, turning to face the sandy striped tom, meeting his cold yellow eyes with her own.
"Oh nothing in particular, just keeping an eye on things as your father requested" as he spoke he nonchalantly began to wash his face.
After a few silent heartbeats Moonstream's attention was caught by two familiar faces approaching her, it was her former denmates Lightbounce and Driftflight. Both young cats were soaking wet, their teeth chattering as the cold crisp air clung to their still short fluffy pelts.
Ignoring Sunvine, Moonstream began to look the young cats over, nosing through their fur for any signs of injury, as Nightswallow approached them, her blue eyes alight with concern.
"What happened?" she mumbled through a mouthful of herbs.
"D-Driftflight fell in the river and I jumped in to s-s-save her" Lightbounce managed to speak through his chattering teeth.
Driftflight nodded in agreement, her eyes downcast in embarrassment "We were fishing at the whirlpool"
Nightswallow flicked her tail towards the den "I don't see any immediate injuries so get inside the den and warm up." Both warriors raced into the den, not needing to be told twice.
"Interesting" Sunvine spoke up, standing up on all fours "Medicine cats who sleep through their duties and warriors as incompetent as newborn kits while out on patrol. Very interesting" he turned his head meeting Moonstream's questioning eyes, sending a chill down her spine "Not to worry my dear, things will soon be changing around here." Without another word the tom continued walking until he was out of the camp, disappearing from sight.
"He gives me the creeps" Swirlspots growled, stepping up next to Moonstream, "No wonder Swiftbreeze told us to be wary of him."
Moonstream nodded in agreement, fluffing her thick white fur out as another gust of cold air swept past. The returning border patrol made their way back into the camp and Galeforce broke away from the patrol, followed by his apprentice Honeypaw.
The cream and white apprentice bounded up to Swirlspots, brushing muzzles with her "Momma momma, Galeforce taught me how to tell apart an intruders scent from someone who is just passing through" the small she-cat bounced up and down with excitement as she shared her story.
Swirlspots purred "That's wonderful honey" she wrapped her tail around her kit, fondly thinking about their days shared in the nursery moons ago.
"Alright Honeypaw" Galeforce chided "Aren't you forgetting something?"
"Oh yeah!" the cream apprentice exclaimed, scurrying away toward the nursery.
"Honeypaw promised Shadefoot she would keep an eye on Perchkit and Ivykit while she went hunting" Galeforce explained a purr rumbling in his chest.
Suddenly a dark look of seriousness crossed his normally playful features "Reedstar has been bothering me about her training, he wants to promote the apprentices to warriors again"
"So soon" the whisper was barely audible from Nightswallow while Moonstream hissed loudly "What? He can't do that"
"They are barely eight moons old" Swirlspots exclaimed "They are too young to be warriors."
Galeforce nodded solemnly "Of course they are, but Reedstar is determined to out maneuver Amberstar and have more warriors than her, even if they are only half trained."
"That kind of thinking is exactly what almost killed Driftflight today" Nightswallow noted while Moonstream snarled, digging her claws into the ground in frustration.
"What happened?" Swirlspots asked, taking a step back from the extremely hormonal queen.
"They were fishing at the whirlpool" Nightswallow snorted "If they had been able to finish their training they would have known that we don't collect prey from those deep pools during leaffall or leafbare. The banks are made of sandy loams and unstable during the colder weather."
Moonstream grumbled "If the apprentices aren't trained properly, even simple tasks like hunting and patrolling could become deadly, why does Reedstar do this, wont he listen to you Nightswallow?"
Nightswallow shook her head sadly "He stopped listening to my advice a long time ago" the lithe black she-cat vanished back into her den.
"Why is Reedstar like this?" Moonstream hissed, ripping the grass beneath her claws "All I know are the bits and pieces I've picked up from arguments between Nightswallow and Reedstar, I think it all started with someone dying."
Galeforce shrugged "He has always been this way, for as long as I can remember."
"What about you Swirlspots?" Galeforce asked, his white pelt fluffing out as yet another burst of chilled wind cut through the camp.
"Tensions between Reedstar and Thunderclan have been high for as long as I can remember" Swirlspots replied "Even when I was a kit in the nursery I could tell something was going on between our clans. Things really began to change when I was three moons old, I'm not sure what happened. I was too young at the time and the incident has since become taboo to speak of"
"My bet is on the elders" a high pitched voice sounded behind them, the three warriors turned their attention to see the bright ginger pelt of Swirlspots other daughter Goldenpaw.
The ginger apprentice had a stick with mouse bile on it, probably heading to the elders den to clear their ticks. Suddenly Moonstream stepped forward, taking the stick from the apprentices jaws, turning and heading toward the elders den.
"Hey" Galeforce called "What are you doing?"
"Getting answers" Moonstream grumbled around the stick, vanishing into the elders den.
Moonstream sat in the elders den, the ticks were long since dead and she was currently arguing with the black elder Rockpelt, the old tom refused to speak of whatever incident had changed her father.
"Come on Rockpelt" Moonstream nearly whined "Don't you think I have a right to know? I'm a medicine cat and he is my father"
Rockpelt snorted, his cloudy eyes staring unseeingly at the young medicine cat "If he wanted you to know, he would have told you himself. Now get out of here, you young cats do nothing but take all the good prey and warm bedding. Whatever happened to respecting your elders? Why when I was a warrior I chased disrespecting apprentices like your father all over this camp!"
Spotting her chance Moonstream quickly begged for a story about Reedstar.
"Well alright" Rockpelt conceded "If only to teach you better manners"
"Reedstar was always being groomed to be leader since he became an apprentice, as you know his father was our former leader Hailstar. Hailstar had different ideas about how to run Riverclan, he believed that the rank of leader should be kept in the family he also believed that toms made stronger leaders, so therefore in his mind, his oldest son was going to be chosen. Unfortunatly for Hailstar, his mate Lilybloom bore him two toms in her first litter, they were named Reedkit and Snowkit. Despite Lilybloom's protests, Hailstar encouraged a rivalry between the brothers, deciding that the best of the two of them would become leader"
The black elder paused for a moment as if he was lost in his memories, after a few heartbeats he continued where he had left off.
"Hailstar took on both his sons as his apprentices at the same time and he trained them like regular apprentices but with the addition of battle strategy and history of the clans. He also had them memorize Riverclan's territory and if rumors are true he even took the apprentices into Windclan and Thunderclan territory during the night to learn the enemies territories as well."
"Those are just rumors" Graybird scoffed from her nest a tail length away from the story-telling tom, her pale gray pelt growing dull with age "There is no proof to confirm those theories" her soft amber eyes closed and the she-cat appeared to fall asleep.
"Snowpaw joined Starclan during a battle with Thunderclan for sunningrocks and Reedpaw was made a warrior after the same battle, his warrior name being Reedshore."
"Thunderclan took his brother from him, maybe that is the reason he despises Thunderclan...no that cant be it" Moonstream thought "Swirlspots said he didn't really change until she was three moons old and this happened long before she was born."
"As soon as the next litter of kits was ready to be apprentices, Hailstar gave Mintpaw to Reedshore, hoping to promote Reedshore to deputy once he proved he was a good leader by successfully training Mintpaw to be a loyal warrior. Reedshore was quite arrogant and had a huge ego because he knew that one day he would be leader, he never really had to work hard for it. As soon as Mintpaw was named Mintflower, Hailstar demoted the current deputy and promoted Reedshore"
"He was a horrible deputy, forgetting to organize patrols, vanishing all of the time and being absent on several occasions during the early moons of his deputyship. He never sat with the other deputies at gatherings, choosing to sit with the warriors, but even I cant recall ever seeing him sitting with Riverclan during the gatherings, like I said he was always going missing."
"Why? Where was he going?" Moonstream asked, this particular detail of her father's life catching her attention.
"How should I know?" Rockpelt snorted "I was just a warrior, it wasn't my job to be kit-sitting the deputy, no matter how young and disrespectful he was. He didn't really shape up until he brought that kit to camp, taking over the role of adoptive father to her, well he was more attentive than most fathers to say the least." suddenly realizing what he was saying Rockpelt quickly clamped his mouth shut.
"Wait a minute, father had another kit?" Moonstream meowed carefully "Who was his mate, where is the kit now? What happened?"
"I've said to much, now run along and go do medicine cat things, whatever it is that you do"
Moonstream narrowed her eyes, ignoring the toms rude statement "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what I want to know"
"Fine" the gray tom snorted "Ill leave" without another word the elder exited the den.
"Foxdung!" Moonstream cursed loudly and Graybird slowly opened her eyes.
"Finally that old bat if gone, now do you want to hear about the kit?" Graybird asked, sitting up and curling her tail around her paws.
"Yes, yes I do" Moonstream begged.
Graybird purred setting her tail on the young she-cats shoulders "I'm only telling you this because I feel you have a right to know. Keep this is mind, your father is your father and he does what he thinks is best for the clan. He has lived a very long time and suffered much more than you and I ever have. He makes his decisions based on his views which he has developed from his experiences. He is not to be judged."
Moonstream nodded solemnly, her pelt quivering with excitement as the puzzle that is Reedstar was about to be unraveled.
"Like Rockpelt said, Reedshore was always going off and doing Starclan knows what. He shirked his deputy responsibilities and did whatever he wanted to do, one day he returned to camp after one of his daily excursions, but this time he had a small she-kit with him. A brown tabby that couldn't be more than a day old, she was so small. He told everyone that he had found her in the forest beside a dead sibling, he buried her brother and brought the kit back and she was suckled by one of the nursing queens. Reedshore named her Mothkit and I don't know what it was about her but as soon as she arrived he changed. He started being a good deputy, no a great one. It was as though he was trying to deserve the tiny kit."
"What happened to her?" Moonstream asked, a feeling of dread creeping over her, something terrible must have happened to the kit since she wasn't around anymore.
"Mothkit grew into a beautiful warrior named Mothpetal, she had pale amber eyes and a small splash of white on her chest" Graybird smiled fondly at the memory of the young warrior before meowing sadly "She was eventually involved with another battle for sunningrocks and she died. And Reedstar has never been the same since."
"So Reedstar blames Thunderclan for her death" Moonstream meowed almost to herself "That's why he didn't want me training as a warrior."
Graybird nodded sadly.
Commotion from outside the den caught Moonstream's attention and she quickly exited the den to see her clanmates standing in a circle. As she pushed her way through she found the limp body of Mintflower at the center of the circle with Sunvine and Reedstar standing beside her.
"It was Thunderclan" Sunvine managed to speak through his labored breathing "They killed her."
Willowdream of Forestclan: thanks for the review its always nice to see that you are enjoying my stories