Hi, unfortunately, I've been feeling really down lately. I will be suspending this story for an unknown time. I don't know how long it will take for me to get back on track, if ever. I do hope that I will come back to it. I love bugclan a lot but unfortunately life got tough.
I'm going to take a little break for a week, because of family emergency. Hopefully in that bit of time I will be back on track with posting! As always I'm sorry for the slow uploads, I love bugclan but if I did more of it, I would burn out so much quicker.
This moon has been kind to our clan. Good enough at least. First thing's first...
Weedtree came to me one night. Two, tiny kittens by his feet. He wouldn't say where they are from
"You don't need to know. What you need to know is they're mine and I can't leave them out there." Is all he said when I asked him about it. Well, maybe I don't need to know, not for now at least. I let him keep them in.
Two girls. Shimmerkit and Harekit. They're already over seven days old, and they're strong.
On the topic of good news, Heatherkit got his apprentice name. He will be known as Heatherpaw from now on, and will be training under Hawkeye's mentorship.
It wasn't a hard choice, for that much it wasn't a choice at all. Deputy needs to have an apprentice before becoming a deputy. We didn't have anyone who had an apprentice before, but now this had to be my first choice. And Heatherpaw needs someone who he won't outgrow in a few moons. He's already growing so fast.
Weedtree moved into the nursery for now. He will still be performing his warrior duties. I can see he cares about his children dearly. Telling stories to Harekit and playing with moss balls with Shimmerkit.
Whorltail has been acting more... Trustworthy lately. Less scheming and more just talking and enjoying his time. I saw him sharing stories with Oakspot often.
The kits are spending time with each other too. Making friends, playing. Enjoying each other company. Quillkit and Harekit definitely became friends.
Oh and of course. Hawkeye has definitely been feeling at home. Playing tricks has been his biggest hobby this past moon. One evening I came to my den just to find it filled with slugs!
That's about it. Hopefully the cheerful mood stays around.
Moth's babies were just born. Two adorable little beans.
Moth decided to name them Pebblekit and Quillkit. They are absolutely precious. Unfortunately Moth doesn't want to stay in the nursery for long, but I'm sure we'll manage to get him to stay there more at some point.
Not everything is as amazing unfortunately.
I made the mistake of assigning Brightstar and Whorltail on the same patrol. I don't know what Whorltail has against Brightstar, but he seems quite adamant about it. From what I know he shouldn't even still be patrolling, but what can I say, after Thymespot's death, he insists on it.
I was forced to just watch the chaos unfold but I wasn't alone in it. Oakspot also was forced to observe what was happening.
Back to the topic of Moth. I swear he is overworking himself, even though he doesn't want to admit it. I hoped that after his kits were born he would stop for a second and go support them in the nursery, but I swear he can't even take a moment off.
Well, that's about all I needed to get off my chest. At least all I can remember now.
This moon wasn't very eventful. That's good, compared to our last one.
Moth has been feeling down lately. Brightstar is really a better leader than any of us could've predicted. She has been comforting anyone who needs it. Never thought I'd say it but... I think she might be a better leader than Finchstar ever was.
On that topic, I saw Brightstar helping Heatherkit off of a tree. That little munchkin has been getting into so much trouble it's honestly impossible. He's growing fast. He'll be a good warrior one day.
Moth has been settling in well. Maybe a bit too well for some of our liking. Oakspot does enjoy the new help around, but I think the lack of perfect control isn't doing her any favour. She'll learn to accept it at some point, I'm sure.
I'm the meantime... I wonder if she had any signs. About... Well I kept a secret from the clan. I don't think I will say it just yet. For that matter, I don't know if I'll ever say it.
My first moon in the clan was... Certainly eventful.
Firstly, I finally told Oakspot about the reason I joined the clan. I am pregnant, and I knew that if I stayed rogue, I wouldn't be able to take care of the kits as well as I wish. Thankfully Oakspot was understanding about it.
Veilwhisker is finally feeling better. That's not some big news, but I believe it is something good to mention.
I believe I had my first ever omen. I don't even know if it's real or I'm just looking at a coincidence. I saw two rocks, one white and orange like Veilwhisker and one was bigger and brown. I didn't acknowledge it for much, not enough to tell anyone about it. But then, something terrible happened during a patrol later that day.
Veilwhisker was attacked by a dog. He was following the scent of a Conkerclan warrior that stumbled onto our territory. Just as he saw the cat, he heard barking and saw a big dog. I suppose the Conkerclan warrior must've been running away from the dog. Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to save him. I wish we could've done something more but... Not everything can be done. That's one thing I learned over the moons.
That wasn't the only death during this moon. Thymespot didn't make it any longer. The birth, mixed with her age finally got to her. The thing that hurts the most was probably that Heatherkit was the one who found her. He just wanted to visit her and maybe play with her. He doesn't yet understand death. Not fully at least.
Oakspot couldn't even sit through the whole night's vigil. She feels responsible for Thymespot's death. The grief and guilt is not doing her any good.
To be perfectly honest, Oakspot isn't the only one feeling at fault. Whorltail also believes that he could've done better. He thinks that if he was a better partner, if he hadn't broken up with her, maybe she would still be here. But at least he decided to be a better father to Heatherkit in the meantime. He spends more time with his son, partially to take his mind off of Thymespot's death.
Well... That's about it. I hope nothing bad happens soon. The clan already has a lot to work around.
New moon, new struggles. This one was definitely more eventful.
Hawkeye has been training more with Weedtree. That's quite the news, since Weedtree was never a really social cat. It's good to see him bonding with others.
Veilwhisker's health has been getting worse lately. He volunteered to stay in camp with Heatherkit during our last gathering. Heatherkit is taking our Clan's safety very seriously even for a little kit like himself. He checked every single cat to see if we all came back safe. He's definitely very considerate. I don't think he yet realized what happened between his parents...
Right. Thymespot and Whorltail broke up. As if Thymespot needed anymore stress in her current state.
She's already very weak. Of course, she refuses to let anyone help her. She keeps going to all the gatherings and if not me, she would probably insist on helping with patrols like she did before. She's infuriating in that independence. I keep her in my den, and try to get Heatherkit to sleep with his dad to give her at least that much rest. Not that it changes much for her.
Veilwhisker has gotten a terrible stomach ache. Thankfully I had all the herbs that were needed. With the weather cooling down, it's not that easy to get all the herbs needed.
The good news is, Veilwhisker helped me gather the herbs that we could find. We still have one or two spots that has a lot of them.
And last, but probably the biggest news, we have a new cat in our clan. His name is Moth. He's an amazing healer, so in exchange for his great skills, we let him stay in our clan. Hawkeye brought him to camp after a patrol.
Looks like that's it. I don't have much more to say about all of this. Let's just wait and see what the next moon brings us.
This moon was surprisingly uneventful. No one even really argued. Seems like even the elders finally accepted Brightstar as their leader. Or at least, they don't say it openly.
Weedtree couldn't sleep a few times throughout the last week or two. We shared a nice evening, looking at the stars, naming constellations. It's a good thing, taking a break and just... Relaxing for a bit.
Thankfully that night helped Weedtree get back to his paws. Just the day after I saw him practicing his hunting moves. Surprisingly, Thymespot even helped him out. She wasn't doing as well as I would hope for her to. I can tell the birth has taken a toll on her, even if she doesn't want to accept that.
Thymespot really made me realize how good I was at my job. She might be moody and not want to let anyone help her, but she wants good for her kit. This might be what's keeping her from ripping me to shreds for coming near Heatherkit.
Heatherkit has a real knack for getting in the way. He's a good kit, just... Incredibly nosy. Veilwhisker visited me one time, mostly just for an annual checkup and some headache herbs. Heatherkit strolled in the moment he saw I had a visitor. He was asking all about the herbs I was mixing and then some. Maybe he will be a medicine cat one day? I don't think he will, but who knows, maybe he will surprise me.
Well... I suppose that is all for this moon. It wasn't a very exciting one, but I think we deserve some calmer times every now and then.
I couldn't keep the deputy spot empty forever. I decided on giving it to the only cat that I trust well enough to know he won't betray me.
Hawkeye became my new deputy. He's a smart cat. I'm sure he can take on the burden. I wouldn't be surprised if he was better at this than I was. The clan looks like they accept my choice.
Thymespot and Whorltail's kit was born the first night after the new moon. It's a tiny little tom. They decided to name him Heatherkit. He's adorable, and grows up so fast. He's going to make a great addition to the clan one day.
On the topic of Whorltail... For whatever reason he started hanging out with Hawkeye a lot. I might be overreacting but I can't seem to forget that he started spending a lot of time with Finchstar before she died. I hope it's just a coincidence. I don't think I would be able to lose another close friend.
I don't think Thymespot is doing her best after the birth... I talked to her about it. She said that she feels like no one pays attention to her anymore, that everyone talks about Heatherkit and spends time with Heatherkit. I understand what she means, but... The clan is trying to help her, she needs rest and Heatherkit has so much energy, she wouldn't be able to take it all without someone taking on the kit every now and then. I saw her staring daggers into Oakspot, while she was playing with Heatherkit. Other than that, I think Thymespot is healing well. I never had much experience with how cats handle themselves after birth, but I believe she's getting better.
Heatherkit on the other paw, is a nuisance. A healthy portion of it is harmless pranks, but he does have a habit of trying to escape camp when no one is looking. Whorltail has to almost always walk behind the little bugger to make sure he can't just leave. I'm sure that's normal with kits of his age. He's curious and that's a good thing... Right? It will make him into a good apprentice one day.
Hawkeye isn't doing the best. He misses his previous life, I can see it, even if he keeps on saying he doesn't. I understand him, it must be hard. I know I wasn't feeling the greatest after leaving Skyclan with Finchstar. I hope he won't want to go back to his twolegs.
I've decided to get his mind off of the sadness. While the sun was still up, we went to the training grounds and practiced our fighting skills. He's good at it, he learned a lot since he joined the clan.
After Finchstar's death, nothing is the same. I haven't picked a deputy yet. I feel like the older cats are judging me for that. Maybe they have a reason for it. But what can I do, the only cat I could seriously consider is Hawkeye, but... I know the others, especially the elders would probably judge me for that. I think I'll have to think about it a few more nights. But let's not focus too much on my internal struggles.
Hawkeye and Weedtree grew close lately. I think Hawkeye started seriously bonding with the clan now. Just a few nights ago I saw him share nest materials with Weedtree. Weedtree is quite reserved, and seeing him interact with other cats is a good sign.
I don't even have to be the one teaching Hawkeye about the clans. The other day when I was checking up on Oakspot, he was just there, asking her about all her medicine cat duties. He's a very curious cat.
After he left, I shared my prey with Oakspot and we talked until dusk. We talked about a lot of things. Our shared burden of being leaders of the clan - me, physically, her spiritually. We joked and reminisced about the old times, back in Skyclan.
Hawkeye and Veilwhisker went on a patrol, and they met a kittypet. Hawkeye said that he used to know her. He said her name is Burger and that she used to live in the house next to his twolegs. She didn't recognize him, or at least she didn't make it look like she did. She was hostile.
So... Outside of Finchstar's passing I suppose nothing that important happened. I still haven't chosen the deputy. I will, but it's a hard decision. But next moon Whorltail and Thymespot's kits will be born. That's good news, right?
After Finchstar left, she didn't return for a good amount of hours, so I took a small patrol, consisting of myself, Hawkeye and Weedtree to find her.
What we found, I couldn't have predicted in moons. We found her body, her fur now completely covered in blood. Was it a clan that got to her? It had to be. How would a cat outside of the clans know about the nine lives. But why would someone from the other clans come so far into our territory? So many unanswered questions, and now all that burden falls on me... For now, all I could do was give Finchstar a proper burial.
We mourned the whole night. Thymespot and Whorltail left first, which was understandable. After that, Weedtree and Veilwhisker left. By the morning only I, Oakspot and Hawkeye were left. Oakspot and me out of respect for Finchstar, and Hawkeye... Hawkeye is still getting a hang of the whole "life after death" thing. He wanted to keep me company for the most part. After we went back to the camp, I went straight to bed. I was exhausted. I hoped for a restful sleep, but... I suppose you can't always have what you wish for.
- Finchstar. - I gasped as my leader's silhouette appeared before me.
- Brightjoy, how nice to see you. - her calm voice spoke and echoed through the nothingness.
- Who did this to you? - I asked. As I spoke, I saw eight figures appear behind her.
- it is time for you to get your nine lives, - she started the ceremony, completely ignoring my question. Figures came towards me one after another, giving me their gifts, almost like Starclan would. Or at least I think so. Starclan never spoke to me personally. The first seven lives went by quickly and without much to it. Soul's strength, clear sight, bravery, instinct, courage, wisdom and hope. Then, it came time for who I believed to be Hushstar. I often heard Finchstar talk about her.
- With this life, I give you the gift of judgement. Use it correctly and to your advantage. Make sure to see who really is truthful to you and who is scheming behind your back. - the words caught my attention, but I let it slide, as she tilted her head towards me. I looked up and touched her nose with mine, feeling the gift run through me.
Next came time for Finchstar. She walked up to me as Hushstar's silhouette disappeared.
-I give you the gift of self-confidence, - she spoke with compassion. - I know some of your clanmates might not believe you're the most skilled for being a leader but I do. Make sure to keep your decisions your own, as what you say from now on, is law. Now, as your predecessor, I, Finchstar, pronounce you the new leader of Bugclan and I give you your new name, Brightstar.
First night of the new moon. First thing in the morning, I decided to go on a solo patrol, like one does.
I heard rustling in the bushes. I just assumed it was a prey, leaving it alone.
I swear I felt someone's eyes on me. But... There was no one there, right? Just my old age playing tricks on me. Of course. Unless...
And then it appears my senses weren't fooling me. Someone jumped out of the bushes. They knew what they were doing. They were going for a kill. I never saw this cat, they had to be a rogue. This cat was younger than me, maybe 40 moons old. Obviously even with the strengths of all my lives, they were stronger. They took my first life, and I thought that this would be done. But that wasn't it. They went for one kill after another, taking all my lives. How did this strange cat even know about it? How could that be? Who told them?
I felt my strengths slowly leaving me. One life after the other, it slowly withered away. Untill I just... Withered away. My consciousness slowly faded, and I was ready to welcome the abyss of the Dark Forest, until...
Wait... Was this... Starclan? Really? They still dare to show themselves to me?
-Finchstar. - a voice boomed in my ears, as a flowy cloudy figure appeared in front of me. - We are giving you a last chance to lead your clan on the right path.
-You have to be kidding me. - I scoffed. - You haven't once shown yourself to me when I needed you. I will not follow you. Not now, not ever again.
-Rethink this, Finchstar. - the figure said calmly
-I already thought it through. - I said coldly, turning away from the cat, feeling as the lightness of the clouds and the sky left me, the white and blue hues of Starclan started leaving my view, leaving space for the blacks and reds of Dark Forest.
Big news this moon! I never would've believed that this would happen this early on, but...
Thymespot and Whorltail are about to have kits! I'm so happy for them. We'll need any kits we can get. And I already know they'll be amazing parents for the little ones.
Unfortunately Thymespot isn't taking it that well. I mean, there's no problems when it comes to her wellbeing, she's feeling well and there's no signs of the kits feeling any worse. She's just very independent and unfortunately with her tummy growing she's not able to do all the things she could before. But Whorltail helps her well. He's such a good partner.
Unfortunately Whorltail isn't all that good. I'm pretty sure he envies my position. I've noticed that he was staring at me a lot lately, with that... Weird, cold look in his eyes... I hope he's not plotting anything.
He then proceeded to eat most of his meals by Finchstar, which, while nice does also seem... Suspicious? I'm not that sure how to feel about it. I'm sure he's not plotting anything bad. Right..?
Well, that seems like about it. Bugclan is doing very good, new kits coming and all. I hope it will only continue on like that.
I wanted to wish all my readers Merry Christmas and a happy New year. I know my updates are really irregular, I'll try to make it better next year, and I hope the amount of people interested in Bugclan only grows ❤️
As much as I know there's not many of us here so far, I appreciate every one of You cause if not the people interested in my little project, I probably wouldn't be doing it
This moon has been quite nice. The Greenleaf is really making our clan grow nicely. It's almost like we are a clan like all the others, blessed by Starclan and all that.
I've noticed Whorltail, Veilwhisker and Weedtree hanging out together a lot. That's good, since I barely notice Whorltail's talking to anyone outside of his partner, Thymespot.
For the more questionable news, I've been... Seeing things, hearing voices. Like a prophecy, which I suppose shouldn't be bad, but... It's not Hushstar, that's for sure.
I almost forgot, but we have one more good news.
On my last solo patrol, I noticed a kittypet on our territory. He's quite big, strong and very healthy, so as he wanted to join our clan, I let him. We will need him here. He's energetic and charismatic, which I like about him. He's a good cat.
I let him come to our camp and he passed our hunting test. His name was already Hawkeye, when he joined us. I don't know why a kittypet had a warrior name but I suppose I don't have to get creative while naming him.
dailybridgerton
prguitarman
snowghoul
pixelskylines