The Nonsensical Ramblings of a Creative

[alaraowowrites]

Orchidfrost's Trials

Summary: Orchidfrost is a She-cat in ShadowClan, but it would probably be better if she weren't. Everyone in her clan except her friend, Twilightmask, and her brother, Tumblewhisker, despises her. Her own mother has rejected her. She begins to believe she doesn't belong in this world when she meets a ThunderClan tom, Bearhunter. Will she find a place among her clan-mates and walk confidently along the forest, or find she never belonged in the clans in the first place?

Cross-posted to Wattpad

Chapter 8

    A quarter moon had passed since the gathering. Orchidpaw and Twilightpaw had passed their first assessment! She was so glad that Raccoonmask assessed her, and Pansyswirl was stuck with Twilightpaw. Cinderstar believed the only way to fairly assess an apprentice was to switch up the mentors so they wouldn't be biased. Thank StarClan for that.

    However, despite having an unbiased warrior assessing her, she still didn't pass nearly as well as Twilightpaw did. She was much more distracted than usual. She couldn't get his soft green gaze out of her mind. What's wrong with her?? Even Tumblepaw knew something was off. She could tell by the way he looked at her, always seeming to be hiding a smirk. She padded into camp with a lizard and a vole in her jaws.

    "Nice catch Orchidpaw!" Tumblepaw's mew close to her ear made her jump. How could he be so quiet when he's bigger than her?

    "Y-you scared me!" She squeaked, depositing her catch on the fresh-kill pile.

    "Sorry, I just haven't seen you lately! Nettlebreeze always has me out gathering herbs with him," he complains, huffing slightly.

    Orchidpaw nudged him with her shoulder, "S-sounds better than Pansyswirl, I-I'm up before dawn e-every morning! She tr-trains me so h-hard my paws ache b-before sunhigh! B-but since I-I passed my assessment, I get a break f-for the rest of the day!"

    Tumblepaw batted her ears excitedly before grabbing two mice off the pile and leading her to a sunny patch between two clumps of ferns, settling down next to her. They chatted for a while, not having this much time to catch up since they were in the nursery. Orchidpaw hardly stopped purring, she didn't realize how much she missed her brother.

    "So, who was the pretty ginger you were talking to at the gathering?"

    Tumblepaw's sudden question made Orchidpaw choke on her mouse. "Wh-Why do you want to know?" She asked evasively.

    "I saw you two while I was sitting with the medicine cats, he wouldn't stop looking at you!"

    Orchidpaw felt her pelt grow hot, and she didn't know why. "H-His name was Bearpaw, a-and I'm sure he was looking a-at the leaders... l-like everybody else!"

    "Whatever you say, sis, I'm just telling you what I saw," he giggled a little, "I can't have a mate, so it's my responsibility, to make sure you make good choices!"

    What, why did Tumblepaw bring up mates? This conversation was making Orchidpaw feel uncomfortable. Luckily, Tumblepaw loved to talk, and quickly changed the subject himself.

    "I need to go out and get more marigold for Nettlebreeze, he says the frost will kill it off soon, want to come with me?"

    "Y-Yeah, sure!"

***

    Orchidpaw and Tumblepaw had been out for a while and the Tom had collected a decent about of his herb. They were by the ThunderClan border, and squirrels often strayed into ShadowClan territory in this are area, so Orchidpaw stopped and tasted the air. It didn't take long for her to pick up a scent and drop into a crouch. Tumblepaw nodded his goodbye and silently began his way back to camp. Orchidpaw began following the scent and it wasn't long before she saw a tiny grey pelt, snuffling in the pine needles. Sticking to the shadows, she moved each paw silently, pulling herself forward, closer and closer until... she gave a mighty leap and landed on the creature's neck, unsheathing her claws and snapping it's neck.

    "Great catch!"

    The voice made her jump, and all her fur stood on end. She whipped around and saw an unfortunately familiar pair of soft green eyes smiling at her from where he was sitting across the border. When Orchidpaw just looked at him, stunned, he tried again to start a conversation.

    "That squirrel, it didn't hear you coming!" He shifted his paws awkwardly. Orchidpaw watched his eyes go from her eyes, downward and to her still unsheathed claws. She quickly retracted them and tried to take the attention off her.

    "W-well squirrels are d-dumb so..." she realized one of ThunderClan's main prey was squirrels, and she didn't want to offend Bearpaw! "N-not that- not that y-you're dumb- I-I-I just meant, c-compared to a l-lizard, not that you've ever caught a lizard.. but-"

    Bearpaw chuckled, "Hey, it's okay! I totally get it! Even I was surprised, you probably could've caught me, I didn't even notice you!"

    Orchidpaw sat down and gave her chest fur a few embarrassed licks, "I-it wasn't th-that good.. y-you should see a-a normal Sh-ShadowClan cat st-stalking..."

    "Normal?" The ginger Tom cocked his head, "what makes you say you're not normal?"

    "M-my pelt's white...and my cl-" She cut herself off, remembering she's not supposed to bring attention to that.

    "Well I think your pelt being white makes you unique! All you see nowadays are brown tabbies, it's nice to see something different every now and then," he mewed encouragingly.

    "S-so you don't think b-being different is bad?" She thought being different meant she was a disadvantage to her clan.

    "Definitely not! You're clearly as good as any of your clanmates, and prettier than most, too!"

    Orchidpaw's pelt flushed hot with embarrassment at the complement. Bearpaw, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice at all.

    "I-I'd better get back t-to camp.. my brother'll b-be worried about me.." she muttered half heartedly, getting to her paws.

    "Well, when can I see you again?!"

    "Wh-what?"

    For the first time, Bearpaw seemed a bit flustered. "W-well.. I was just thinking maybe you'd... show me how to stalk like that sometime..." his paws scuffed the earth, and he didn't meet her eyes.

    "O-okay.. At the b-border above the-the territories, after the suns-set?" She offered.

    "Great!" He purred, his head lifted happily.

    Before she could regret her decision, she picked up her squirrel and dashed back in the direction of camp.

[alaraowowrites]

Orchidfrost's Trials

Summary: Orchidfrost is a She-cat in ShadowClan, but it would probably be better if she weren't. Everyone in her clan except her friend, Twilightmask, and her brother, Tumblewhisker, despises her. Her own mother has rejected her. She begins to believe she doesn't belong in this world when she meets a ThunderClan tom, Bearhunter. Will she find a place among her clan-mates and walk confidently along the forest, or find she never belonged in the clans in the first place?

Cross-posted to Wattpad

Chapter 7

A/N: if you have not read past Firestar's Quest or a Vision of Shadows, there may be spoilers in this chapter, here is your warning.

    Orchidpaw stood in front of the fallen tree that bridged the gap to the gathering island. It had been dead a very long time. As her clanmates began to spring up and cross the bridge, she picked up the scents of RiverClan, ShadowClan, and what she could only guess as WindClan. Two pelts brushed against hers and Orchidpaw looked to see Tumblepaw and Twilightpaw looking at her reassuringly. She watched as Tumblepaw followed his mentor, and Twilightpaw came up behind them. Orchidpaw bunched her muscles and leapt. She dug her claws into the smooth, bark-less wood and started inching forward. She quickly got the hang of it and padded across more confidently. She hopped down onto the gravel shore of the gathering island and followed Twilightpaw's tail through the brambles and into the clearing. 

    Woah... was all Orchidpaw could begin to think. There were cats from four clans in the clearing, with one more on the way. So. Many. Cats. And this was only a fraction of their whole clans! Twilightpaw was beginning to scamper off in search of apprentices from other clans and Orchidpaw, not wanting to be left behind, followed him. She caught him while he was introducing himself to an apprentice from ThunderClan, by the smell of it.

    "...and this is my first gathering, too!" Twilightpaw was finishing, when he caught sight of her and gleefully introduced the large ginger Tom to her. "Orchidpaw! Meet Bearpaw from ThunderClan! It's his first gathering just like us!"

    "It's nice to meet you Orchidpaw!" His mew was surprisingly deep for his age.

    Orchidpaw just dipped her head shyly, not wanting to make a fool of herself. Twilightpaw and Bearpaw began chattering away like starlings, and Orchidpaw listened intently. She learned that Bearpaw had been an apprentice for a moon and a half but couldn't go to the last gathering because he had hurt himself. Twilightpaw seemed to think that was the coolest thing he'd ever heard, and began to boast about himself, particularly the rat he'd caught much earlier in the day.

    The sound of SkyClan's arrival abruptly cut off their conversation. More cats flooded the clearing and their leader, Sleekstar, leapt onto a branch beside the other four clan leaders. Orchidpaw took note of every one of them.

     Cinderstar stood on a low branch, clinging to the shadows, to the point where it almost looked like he was just one pair of floating amber eyes. Her eyes found a skinny white she-cat with darker spots on her flank that sat on the branch right above Cinderstar. She must be the WindClan leader, Berrystar. Next to her was a broad-shouldered light-brown tabby she-cat with striking green eyes. She looked kind of similar to Bearpaw in build, so that meant she must be ThunderClan's leader, Mintstar. That left the small, dark ginger Tom, now sharing a branch with Sleekstar, to the left of Berrystar. Otterstar, leader of RiverClan. She gazed in awe up at the leaders, looking so powerful on their branches, gazing down on the clans.

    There was a bit of rustling as cats settled down to listen to the leaders and Berrystar was the first to speak.

    "Prey in WindClan has been plentiful, and Willowwisp has had a new litter of kits," Cheers rose up from the cats gathered below. New kits were a good thing for any clan. "We chased a fox out of the territory two sunrises ago, it went above the territories, close to RiverClan," she nodded to Otterstar, "that is all."

    Cinderstar rose and padded into the moonlight at the end of his bough. "ShadowClan would like you to welcome our new apprentices, Twilightpaw and Orchidpaw-" cheers began rising up from the cats of all clans, making heat rise underneath Orchidpaw's fur, "-who will be training as warriors, and Tumblepaw, who has gone to the moon pool and has been accepted by our ancestors to train as ShadowClan's new medicine cat!" A split second of silence was broken by excited whispers. A new medicine cat was interesting to all the clans. Orchidpaw glowed with pride for her brother. The Clans began chanting their names. Orchidpaw shrunk back while Twilightpaw lifted his chin. Otterstar waved his tail for silence.

    "RiverClan appreciates the warning about the fox," he began, dipping his head to Berrystar, "though it has not been sighted in our territory yet. The two legs have gone as Leaf-fall has come, and the fish are bountiful in our rivers and the lake." He stepped back and Sleekstar padded forward.

    "Dapplewhisker joined StarClan, half a moon ago, she died peacefully in her sleep," there was a moment of silence then sympathetic murmurs rippled through the clan cats. Orchidpaw thought that would be a nice way to go, fall asleep then wake up in StarClan. It would be a lot better than being poisoned or something. That seemed to be all the news she had to share because Mintstar rose to her paws and Sleekstar did not object.

    "Snowflower has had a new litter of kits, one Tom, and one she-kit. In other news, we have a new apprentice, Bearpaw!" The clans chanted his name, and Orchidpaw joined in this time. Twilightpaw nudged her playfully, and she batted the back of his head with her paw.

    "Sh-shut up!" She hissed half-heartedly. Settling back down in her spot she saw the leaders beginning to jump down and gathering up their respective clans. Orchidpaw threw Bearpaw a smile goodbye and followed Twilightpaw to the edge of the hollow. Something made her stop just before she reached the brambles. She looked behind her, and even from the distance she could see Bearpaw's soft green eyes staring after her.

    "Orchidpaw, come on!"

    "S-sorry!" And she scampered off after her clanmates.

[alaraowowrites]

Orchidfrost's Trials

Summary: Orchidfrost is a She-cat in ShadowClan, but it would probably be better if she weren't. Everyone in her clan except her friend, Twilightmask, and her brother, Tumblewhisker, despises her. Her own mother has rejected her. She begins to believe she doesn't belong in this world when she meets a ThunderClan tom, Bearhunter. Will she find a place among her clan-mates and walk confidently along the forest, or find she never belonged in the clans in the first place?

Cross-posted to Wattpad

Chapter 6

    Orchidpaw padded into camp with one wad of moss in her jaws, and the other underneath her chin. She skirted around the edge, hoping no one took notice of her, and praying Aspendawn and Pansyswirl hadn't gossiped about her odd-looking claws.

    Unfortunately, it wasn't long before she started hearing whispers ripple amongst her clan-mates, and seeing occasional glances cast in her direction. She padded glumly to the elder's den. The elders never seemed to dislike her as much as the other cats, so maybe this wasn't going to be entirely awful.

    Her head poked through the entrance to the den and there was an instant reaction. Pinefoot, the oldest cat in the clan, lifted her nose the beams in Orchidpaw's direction.

    "Is that the pretty she-cat Orchidpaw I smell?" She mewed

    "H-how do you know I'm p-pretty if y-you can't even see?" Orchidpaw teased.

    "Because we tell her all about you!" Smokedapple crowed, "And I know a pretty cat when I see one!

    Orchidpaw gave her chest a few embarrassed licks before getting on with her chore. She was taking the soiled bedding to the dirt place when a deep new behind her made her jump. She spun around to see Cinderstar standing over her.

    "Why aren't you getting ready for the gathering?" When Orchidpaw just stared at him blankly, he elaborated. "The gathering tonight, all the apprentices are going. Didn't Pansyswirl tell you?"

    Orchidpaw looked down and shook her head.

   The dark grey tom just sighed, "Deposit your moss, and get some rest, we leave at sunset."

    As Orchidpaw scampered off to the dirt-place, she felt her spirits lifting. Her first gathering! And she got to go with Tumblepaw and Twilightpaw! She dropped off her load and scurried over to the medicine den. She stuck her head in and made eye contact with Tumblepaw. That was all they needed. She tackled him and they were both squealing excited to go to their first gathering together. Nettlebreeze sat back and watched for a while before kindly ushering Orchidpaw out of the den.

"Tumblepaw has some herbs to sort, but I'll send him out as soon as he's done"

A/N: Sorry for the very short chapter XD I find myself taking on more projects than I can handle and my time available to spend on writing continues to dwindle. I'll try to make longer chapters in the future but... 

No promises ;)

[alaraowowrites]

Orchidfrost's Trials

Summary: Orchidfrost is a She-cat in ShadowClan, but it would probably be better if she weren't. Everyone in her clan except her friend, Twilightmask, and her brother, Tumblewhisker, despises her. Her own mother has rejected her. She begins to believe she doesn't belong in this world when she meets a ThunderClan tom, Bearhunter. Will she find a place among her clan-mates and walk confidently along the forest, or find she never belonged in the clans in the first place?

Cross-posted to Wattpad

Chapter 5

  The morning was a crisp cold that pierced through Orchidpaw's pelt. Leaf-bare wasn't far off. She, Twilightpaw, and Tumblepaw had been apprentices for one moon now. Orchidpaw found herself scraping through training with barely enough energy to make it back to her nest. She was always hungry and felt like she never got any sleep. 

    Twilightpaw, on the other hand, seemed as full of energy as ever, constantly begging his mentor for more battle training, or to join one more patrol. He'd been so keen to help, his mentor even let him sleep in some days, while Orchidpaw was always roused right before dawn. Even now, Twilightpaw was out on a hunting patrol while Pansyswirl was drilling her in battle moves in camp.

    Orchidpaw wondered when he'd be back and hoped it would be soon. Training with him made even the mundane tasks, like cleaning out the elders' bedding, enjoyable.

    A sharp blow to the muzzle sent Orchidpaw reeling. "Pay attention!" Her mentor barked, "if I were a real RiverClan warrior you'd be crow-food!"

    "I-I'm sorry Pansyswirl, I'm just-"

    "'Sorry' catches no prey! Maybe I should send you to RiverClan territory," She sneered, "you aren't much use anyway."

    "I-I'll do better next time! I-I promise!" Orchidpaw mewed.

    There was a rustling behind her, Twilightpaw's hunting patrol had returned! "No need," Pansyswirl flicked her tail in dismissal, "go eat, we're going on the next patrol."

    Orchidpaw eagerly sped off to where her friend was standing at the fresh-kill pile. "Great StarClan, i-it's huge!" She gasped, seeing the massive rat Twilightpaw was carrying. He puffed out his chest with pride, flicking his tail to ask Orchidpaw to follow him. She padded after the dark brown Tom until they reached a sunny patch on the far end of the clearing.

    Twilightpaw set the rat down at her paws. "Here, you can have it if you want!"

    "I-I couldn't possibly finish it all by my-myself!"

    "Then let's share!" He purred

    Orchidpaw enthusiastically nodded her agreement. They settled down next to each other, pelts brushing. Twilightpaw insisted on letting her take the first bite. From then on, they took turns. They were so close their billowing breath intertwined. Orchidpaw suddenly grew conscious of his fur against hers, and she felt the skin beneath her own pelt grow hot. She didn't entirely understand why she felt this way, but it made her want to simultaneously sprint away, and stay as close as possible to the Tom.

    Twilightpaw's tail twitched and landed across hers. She decided to ignore it and leaned down to take another bite when Pansyswirl called her name. She swallowed her mouthful and looked apologetically at her friend. "I-I have-ave to go... Th-Thanks for the rat!" She purred

    "I'll teach you how to hunt rats sometime," he mewed, "I promise!"

    "I'd r-really like that..."

    "You'd better get going," he teased, twitching his whiskers, "Pansyswirl's scary enough when she isn't mad!"

    Orchidpaw bounded up to her mentor, scanning the cats who were accompanying them on their patrol. She quickly recognized the first one as Mudpelt, Twilightpaw's father, he must be leading the patrol. The next was a large dark ginger she-cat named Flamesong. As her eyes landed on the third cat Orchidpaw had to resist a wail of dismay. Aspendawn. Her mother looked down on her with disgust plastered across her face. Orchidpaw decided to show her how much she'd learned, and maybe Aspendawn wouldn't hate her as much...

    Without speaking a word, they all turned and padded out of camp. The pine needles littering the ground muted their paw steps as the approached the RiverClan border. Everything was quiet, and the patrol was rather uneventful, until the fattest rabbit Orchidpaw had ever seen hopped into view. Rabbits almost never strayed this far from WindClan!

    Orchidpaw instinctually dropped into a hunter's crouch, acutely aware of the gaze of her clan-mates scorching into her fur. She stalked up to the rabbit, sticking to the shadows, hoping it would dull out her pure white pelt.

    Was she making her mother proud? Could she see how well she was stalking, and how useful she had become? She was but a few tail-lengths from the rabbit when she unsheathed her claws, ready to pounce.

    "What. Are. Those?" Aspendawn's scathing mew came from behind her. The rabbit instantly ran off into the trees. That could've fed all the elders for days! She didn't have time to linger on the thoughts as her paw was wrenched into the air, with claws still unsheathed. They caught a ray of sunlight that filtered through the pines, and her claws flashed... bright pink. Every cat's eyes were on her, they're expressions and equal mix of shock and disgust.

    "I-I-I- I th-thought that's h-how everyone's cl-claws w-we're..!"

    "You thought wrong," Aspendawn spat.

    Pansyswirl pads up and Orchidpaw hopes she's here to tell Aspendawn to calm down, but she stood next to her mother, glaring down at her. "You mouse-brained fool, how could you let that get away?! It was right under your nose! A blind elder could've caught that!"

    "I w-would've c-caught it if-"

    "Enough!" Pansyswirl spat, "No more meals today, and go clean out the elders' den and the nursery."

    Without another word Pansyswirl and Aspendawn whipped around and started stalking back to camp, Mudpelt on their heels. Flamesong lingered long enough to shoot her a sympathetic glance before following the others.

    As soon as they were out of earshot Orchidpaw let out a wail. How could she have let that rabbit get away? And how had she not noticed her freakish claws before?? She'd set out to prove her usefulness and worth to her mother but all she'd proved today was that she was an embarrassment to the clan! She whimpered as she started dragging her paws back to camp, stopping to collect moss on the way for the nests she had to clean out when she eventually made it home.

[alaraowowrites]

Orchidfrost's Trials

Summary: Orchidfrost is a She-cat in ShadowClan, but it would probably be better if she weren't. Everyone in her clan except her friend, Twilightmask, and her brother, Tumblewhisker, despises her. Her own mother has rejected her. She begins to believe she doesn't belong in this world when she meets a ThunderClan tom, Bearhunter. Will she find a place among her clan-mates and walk confidently along the forest, or find she never belonged in the clans in the first place?

Cross-posted to Wattpad

Chapter 4

    Anxiety twisted in Orchidkit's stomach. Today was supposed to be her apprentice ceremony, but Aspendawn made sure to remind her that she didn't deserve it. She had spent all afternoon grooming her thick, white pelt until it gleamed. Now, she sat with Tumblekit and Twilightkit, who both looked equally ready to burst with excitement. Easy for them, she thought, they're not responsible for some cat's death!

    Orchidkit could just remember Whiteflower, the queen who had mothered her in her first moon, better than Aspendawn had in her whole life. Unfortunately she died while kitting Twilightkit, and her mother never let her forget it.

    "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Great Pine for a clan meeting!" Cinderstar's call nearly startled Orchidkit out of her fur. She, Twilightkit, and Tumblekit padded to the center of the clearing and watched as their Clanmates gathered around them. Orchidkit looked up at the powerful grey Tom standing on the branch staring down at them. She hoped that wasn't disdain she picked up in his amber gaze.

    Cinderstar spoke with a powerful voice from the branch he was perched on. "These three kits have reached six moons of age and are ready to begin their training".

    He looked around the clearing letting the anticipation build before continuing, "Tumblekit, from this moment until you receive your full name, you will be known as Tumblepaw. Nettlebreeze, you will mentor this young Tom."

    A few excited murmurs rippled throughout the Clan, and Orchidkit glowed with pride for him. "You have served as your Clan's medicine cat for many seasons, and I trust you to pass on your wisdom and determination onto him."

    Nettlebreeze and Tumblepaw touched noses and slipped into the back of the crowd.

    "Twilightkit, from this moment until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Twilightpaw. Raccoonmask will be your mentor."

    Turning to the black-and-gray-furred she-cat he added, "I trust you to pass on your intelligence, quick-learning, and cunning onto your apprentice" They touched noses and sat next to Nettlebreeze and Tumblepaw.

    Finally, the intimidating gaze landed on Orchidkit. She was quivering with excitement and anxiety as she padded forward. "Orchidkit, from this moment until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Orchidpaw. Pansyswirl will be your mentor. I trust you will pass on your courage and skill onto her."

    Orchidpaw excitedly padded up to the large, pale ginger she-cat to touch noses with her, but when she looked up there was reluctance in her green gaze. After a few heartbeats, however, she bent down and touched noses with Orchidpaw and they sat beside Twilightpaw and Tumblepaw. As soon as they were settled, their clanmates exploded with yowls.

    "Tumblepaw! Twilightpaw! Tumblepaw! Twilightpaw! Orchidpaw!" All three cats relished in their clanmates caterwauls, but Orchidpaw couldn't help but notice how much more enthusiastic they were for her friend and littermate. As she scanned the clearing, she locked eyes with Aspendawn, and she pointedly glared at her as she only called out the other twos' names.

***

    "Orchidpaw! Orchidpaw wake up!" Orchidpaw's eyes snapped open, and she saw Twilightpaw standing over her. "You don't want to be late for your first day!"

    She leaped to her paws, shaking scraps of moss out of her pelt. "Th-thanks, Twilightpaw!"

    Side by side, they squeezed out of the Apprentice's den to see their mentors waiting for them.

    "Today is simply a tour of our territory. It's important for us to know every stick and stone within these borders," Raccoonmask began, "can either of you tell me why?"

    "U-um to kn-know the best places to hunt?" Orchidpaw began

    "To know where the best places to battle are!" Twilightpaw interjected, much more enthusiastic.

    "While Orchidpaw was onto something, you're right. If we know all the places inside our territory, we'll have the best advantages in battle." Turning around she flicked her tail, and all four of them headed out of camp. Orchidpaw noticed with a pang that her mentor didn't say anything about her answer.

    She didn't have time to stay upset, however, because she was soon shocked by the outside world

    "It's so big!" The two Apprentices cried in unison.

    Pansyswirl and Raccoonmask purred in amusement. "I remember our first time out of the camp," the ginger she-cat commented, "you were so exhausted it looked like your paws would fall off!"

    Orchidpaw subconsciously decided she wouldn't be tired at all after this trip and show her mentor how well she can keep up! Raccoonmask flicked her tail and they plunged into the pines. It seemed like they had been running forever before they finally slowed and stopped beside a wide stream.

    "Do you smell that?" Raccoonmask prompted. Both Apprentices opened their jaws and breathed in. A strange, squirrel-like tang was wafting from the other side of the stream.

    "Orchidpaw," Pansyswirl mewed, "can you tell me what it is?"

    "U-uh... I... I-is it another clan...?" She responded hesitantly.

    Her mentor sighed. "Close enough, I suppose. Yes, this is our border with ThunderClan, you'll learn how to scent markers another day."

    Despite her earlier resolve, Orchidpaw's paws were scraping on the ground by the time they reached camp again. There was so much new information swirling around in her head that she was both physically and mentally exhausted. She was glad to see that Twilightpaw looked no better.

    "Go get something to eat," Pansyswirl flicked her tail towards the fresh-kill pile, "you're going to need your strength for tomorrow's hunting lessons." Orchidpaw grabbed a vole, and Twilightpaw grabbed a sparrow from the pile, and they flopped down in front of the apprentice's den.

    "Wow, you two look awful!" Orchidpaw heard a mew from behind her. It was her brother, Tumblepaw! "Nettlebreeze just taught me some basic herbs and stuff."

    "We toured the territory today!" Twilightpaw boasted. "It's huge! Have you seen it yet?"

    "No, but Nettlebreeze is taking me out tomorrow!"

    Orchidpaw dragged herself to her paws, leaving the two toms chatting, and flopped down in her nest. She curled up in her soft bedding, with only enough time for one thought before she fell asleep. Great StarClan, how will I manage??

[alaraowowrites]

Orchidfrost's Trials

Summary: Orchidfrost is a She-cat in ShadowClan, but it would probably be better if she weren't. Everyone in her clan except her friend, Twilightmask, and her brother, Tumblewhisker, despises her. Her own mother has rejected her. She begins to believe she doesn't belong in this world when she meets a ThunderClan tom, Bearhunter. Will she find a place among her clan-mates and walk confidently along the forest, or find she never belonged in the clans in the first place?

Cross-posted to Wattpad

Chapter 3

    Everyone rushed to the nursery, where low moans of pain were coming. Nettlebreeze pushed his way in first, followed by the Tom, then finally, the two kits. Aspendawn was already there, licking the Whiteflower's ears. Even she understood the urgency of the matter, and she didn't complain about Orchidkit's presence.

    "Mudpelt," Nettlebreeze said, addressing the brown Tom, "get some moss and soak it with water."

    He nodded and sped off.

    "Aspendawn, do you remember what raspberry leaves look like?" When the she-cat nodded he continued urgently, "Grab some from my store, and be quick! Now Tumblekit... go find the straightest, hardest stick you can find, ok?"Orchidkit's brother nodded and followed Aspendawn out. 

    "What can I do to help??" She squeaked, not wanting to stand by and watch her friend in pain.

    "You can... go behind her and lick her ears, like your mother was doing," She nodded and squeezed into the nest behind the queen and started licking her ears, whispering encouraging things occasionally.

     Aspendawn shoved her way into the nursery, carrying a large bundle of leaves, which she dropped at the medicine cat's feet.

    "Chew these," he ordered Whiteflower. "She's already tired... that isn't good" he muttered to himself.

    Soon after, her brother returned, carrying a large stick in his jaws

    "That's perfect, thank you," he congratulated the kit then he pushed the stick to the Queen's muzzle. "Bite down on this when the pains come." He instructed "The first one's coming."

    Orchidkit focused on furiously licking the Queen's ears as she screeched in pain. When she looked over, there was a small, brown bundle in the moss. Without being told, Aspendawn stepped up and started licking the kit's fur the wrong way.

    "You did it, Whiteflower! You-" But when Orchidkit looked back at she-cat, her eyes were closed, her breathing was shallow. "Whiteflower..?" She nudged her.

    "Give her space..." Nettlebreeze whispered, using his tail to guide her out of the nest. The Medicine cat leaned down and whispered to her. It took a great effort, but Whiteflower whispered something back then flopped back down in the nest.

    "What did she say??" Aspendawn demanded.

    "Twilightkit... his name is Twilightkit." Nettlebreeze whispered just as Mudpelt re-entered with a mouthful of dripping moss.

    "Oh, he's beautiful! You did it.... Whiteflower??" Mudpelt wailed as he caught sight of his mate.

    "What did you do to her??" He demanded, glaring accusingly at Nettlebreeze.

    "Don't blame him, blame her" Aspendawn pointed her tail at Orchidkit. "It's her fault! Everything is always her fault!"

    "Wh-what did I do?? She's just sleeping, right? She's tired..."

    "She's dead, Orchidkit. She's dead and it's all your fault!"

[alaraowowrites]

Orchidfrost's Trials

Summary: Orchidfrost is a She-cat in ShadowClan, but it would probably be better if she weren't. Everyone in her clan except her friend, Twilightmask, and her brother, Tumblewhisker, despises her. Her own mother has rejected her. She begins to believe she doesn't belong in this world when she meets a ThunderClan tom, Bearhunter. Will she find a place among her clan-mates and walk confidently along the forest, or find she never belonged in the clans in the first place?

Cross-posted to Wattpad

Chapter 1

    Orchidkit sat at the entrance to the nursery, watching her brother as he was toured around the ShadowClan camp by their medicine cat, Nettlebreeze.

     "You know, you really should go out exploring with your brother." Whiteflower wheezed from her nest.

    "No, they won't like me, Aspendawn said so," Orchidkit squeaked, "besides, I don't wanna leave you alone when you're sick!"

    "What are you talking about I'm fine-" She broke off in a fit of coughing.

    "I was awake when Nettlebreeze came in to check on you..." Orchidkit looked up at her with wide scared eyes. "He said it was very bad that you were sick with your kits so close" The she-kit didn't know exactly why that was so bad, she was simply concerned for the loving Queen.

    "You should stop worrying so much," Whiteflower ran her tail-tip down her spine. "Go outside, for me, at least?"

    Orchidkit nodded, eager to please. She pushed her way through the entrance of the nursery and into the open.

    Everything was so big, as she looked around camp. A large pile of fresh kill sat in the center of the clearing and warriors were depositing more on top. She trotted around, taking in all the strange sights and smells of camp. She soon caught up to Tumblekit and Nettlebreeze.

    "Orchidkit!" Her brother squealed when she joined them. "Nettlebreeze has been showing me around camp, do you wanna come??"

    She nodded vigorously as Nettlebreeze finished the tour. "This," he said, ducking into a small cave, "is the medicine den. This is where I sleep and treat my patients."

    "So cool!" Tumblekit mewled

    "Do you really know what all these leaves do??" Orchidkit demanded, sniffing at the large store of herbs.

    Nettlebreeze nodded. "I've trained my whole life to heal the sick and injured."

    "I want to be a medicine cat, just like-" The rest of Tumblekit's sentence was cut off as a dark brown Tom burst into the cave.

    "It's Whiteflower!" He gasped, "Her kits are coming!"

[alaraowowrites]

Orchidfrost's Trials

Summary: Orchidfrost is a She-cat in ShadowClan, but it would probably be better if she weren't. Everyone in her clan except her friend, Twilightmask, and her brother, Tumblewhisker, despises her. Her own mother has rejected her. She begins to believe she doesn't belong in this world when she meets a ThunderClan tom, Bearhunter. Will she find a place among her clan-mates and walk confidently along the forest, or find she never belonged in the clans in the first place?

Cross-posted to Wattpad

Chapter 1

  "I don't understand why I have to be stuck in the nursery with this lump of fur." Orchidkit woke to the irritable mew. 

    "Hush, Aspendawn, you're disturbing the kits!" She felt a warm tongue lap her fur as the other queen gave her a few comforting licks. Mewling, the little she-kit wriggled closer to nurse.

    "I much prefer her brother," Orchidkit's mother, Aspendawn went on, "He takes after me." A warm purr rumbled in her mother's throat as she stroked Orchidkit's littermate, Tumblekit. Desperate for attention, Orchidkit mewled, and wriggled up to Aspendawn's muzzle, using her hearing to guide her. But as she got close, she felt a paw push her out of the soft moss of her nest and onto the hard ground. 

    "Ow!" Orchidkit squealed. She felt another cat pick her up gently by the scruff, and she was laid in another warm nest.

    "Hush, little one. You can share my nest, since my kits haven't come yet. My name is Whiteflower."

    Orchidkit nestled herself in the soft, warm fur of the kind Queen, letting sleep swamp her.

A/N: This is quite old, I began writing it... four or so years ago? But I want to get motivation for it again, so I'll be posting it here bi-weekly and hope for traction

[poll-position]

Will you be welcoming inbox trick-or-treaters this year?

YES! - Feel free to trick-or-treat in my inbox!

NO! - I would rather not participate!

Voting ended onOct 15, 2024

Please reblog if YES so your followers will know!

[cloud9v]

[alaraowowrites]

Trek

"So, the journey Of a wanderer Begins with trembling steps"*

Souls go drifting Through space endlessly Looking for their other half

No matter what They mustn't stop They have one goal in mind

Little lost soul Stumbling Only guided by the heart

*I would just like note here that his quote is from Journey of a Wanderer by Alisha Liston, and this entire poem is heavily inspired by it, and could be used as an alternative chorus, kind of

[alaraowowrites]

Binoculars

Look closely At ev'ry little thing There's beauty everywhere in sight

Take a pair Of binoculars and Examine the light within your soul

No matter What, don't ever lose that Hope and faith in the goodness in life

[alaraowowrites]

Exotic

It does not matter where you are from There are places you haven't been People to you are strangers But you're strangers to them No matter where you Go you'll always Be diff'rent To some One

[prophetic-writer]

Get (back) into writing with me!

End of Week 1

Alright, so I technically only did a 5 day week this time but I'm calling it a week because I think Mondays are a good day for me to start and end each week on, since I'm going to switch to weekly posts.

In total, I wrote about 510 words this week (none of them being towards my WIP). And I'm proud of myself! Have there been weeks when I've written 10x that much? Yes. Have there been weeks when I've written 1/10th as much? Also yes! I wrote 510 MORE words this week than I did last week and I am proud of that progress.

My goal this week is going to be writing 1000 words towards SOMETHING creative. Preferably it would be my WIP but I'm not going to pressure myself to return to that right away.

How has writing been going for anyone following along or just observing this process? If you've been following along, feel free to reblog or post under the #get (back) into writing with me tag and talk about your own writing and how it's going for you!

See you in a week with a progress update! Good luck and happy writing!

[alaraowowrites]

Boots

My old leather boots Soles soft and worn What adventures we had When my feet you bore

We traveled through forests, Rivers, and caves Across any mountain Ne'er thought I'd see the day

That I'd have to say goodbye To my inanimate friends You walked me through hell My means to every end

But now you're holed, torn, and weary You beg me for rest From your ceaseless days On a never-ending quest

I have listened your pleas And grant them with just one regret For that one last adventure We never will get

[allthingswhumpyandangsty]

reblog if you’re a writer who feels guilt whenever they’re not writing and being productive, so I know I’m not the only one lol

[alaraowowrites]

Discover

In the pages of a book You will find there's a life Of magic, of freedom; escape From this hell of mine

In the shelves of a case You will find there are worlds Of infinite number, infinite times And there belongs my soul

Perhaps a curse Perhaps a blessing To discover the place I belong but never can be

So, I read and I write Create little worlds of my own For one soul to discover And say, "I am home."

[alaraowowrites]

Backpack

When we buy a Backpack for our son What a bitter- Sweet day that will be

We'll prepare him, Feed him, pack his bag And send him off To start his journey

From boy to man We will watch him grow Try to forget That one day he'll leave

When we hang up Our son's old backpack What a bitter- Sweet day that will be