ScrubClan is a Clangen blog that features daily updates. I'll be using the Genemod mod for its multi-Clan feature and the various quality-of-life changes it brings to the game. ScrubClan moons are played in real time, so all asks and fanart are automatically canon!
[[ New to ScrubClan and don't want to start at the very beginning? Moon 73 is a great point to jump into the story! ]]
Game settings can be found [here]
Starting allegiances are [here]
Start reading ScrubClan in order [here] (or via the #scrubclanmoon tag)
Worldbuilding notes, territory descriptions, and lore asks tagged #scrubclanlore
ScrubClan illustrations tagged with #scrubclanart
Fan art and fan designs are encouraged!
No ScrubClan cat has a "canon" design or reference outside of their in-game sprite. Get creative with it!
Answered character asks tagged with #scrubclanask
Block #Scrubclanspoiler if you don't want to see any screenshots before the official moon is out! (I mostly use this to show events in the side clans that will only get a passing mention in the main post)
Everything ScrubClan will get the #Scrubclangen tag! Please do use this tag in your own posts if you're talking about ScrubClan!
ScrubClan finds an odd old cat at their borders, favoring a paw heavily. The elderly tomcat asks politely if he might shelter in ScrubClan for a few days, just until his paw heals enough to defend himself, and seeing nothing but honesty, Eggplantskip decides to allow it. A few days of prey is no trouble to ScrubClan right now.
Still, when they enter camp, Splinter bristles. "Habanero," he greets, coldly. It's out of character for the typically polite tom, and Sturgonflare, beside him, does a double take.
The limping rogue, Habanero, only dips his head. "Splinter," he says, and while there is no warmth in the words, there certainly isn't hate either. He seems more tired than anything. "So this is where you disappeared off too. That's... good."
Splinter seems confused by the sentiment, staring with wide eyes as Spittlebugspeck takes Habanero from Eggplantskip and starts asking questions about his injury. "That cat, he was one of Viper's," Splinter explains.
Eggplantskip's gaze is thoughtful as Spittlebugspeck brings Habanero into the healer's den. "I thought I recognized his scent," she muses. "The rogues tried to rough up some of our patrols, a long time back. Must have been Viper's cats. Stoneflyash fought 'em, came back with his scent in her claws. They never tried attacking another patrol again."
"That's the thing with bullies like him," Splinter says wryly. "They only target the weak."
Zell, who has been watching quietly, trails his tail across Splinter's flank. "Cats change," he says softly. And that's all that's said about that.
Habanero is a quiet but polite guest, taking up little space and little prey for a cat of his size and bulk. He stays for five suns in Spittlebugspeck's care, and leaves nothing behind when he sneaks out one night.
This year continues to be wetter than usual, the first rains falling only days after the spring equinox. It's not the torrential rains of the monsoon season, not yet, but it's enough that the brush greens early, the vernal ponds shimmer with water a few paws deep, and any cat with a broken bone winces as their limbs ache. Huckleberryfeather drags his paws, sniffling pitifully. Fireleaf slips on a muddy slope and tumbles, tail over muzzle, looking like a tortoiseshell with grit caked into his pelt and a wrenched shoulder to boot.
Sensing opportunity in this unusual season, Spittlebugspeck urges any warrior that's free to join him, gathering plants that require fresh rains to flower. Warriors grumble--many think this fortune would be better spent stocking the prey pile--but all recognize the usefulness of herbs, and comply, keeping their grumbling away from Spittlebugspeck's ears. It helps that Snowstar and Thistlegaze are also pulled into herb-gathering missions most days; seeing their leadership with faces full of mud helps the younger warriors realize how serious this job really is.
Huckleberryfeather wakes Tortrixdusk up at dawn, asking if he wants to train before patrols are assigned. At first, Tortrixdusk laughs in his face; Huckleberryfeather, who asked him just yesterday to help him hide from Patchbat so he wouldn't have to patrol; Huckleberryfeather, who would rather spend an afternoon rigging the camp entrance to fall on Zell than actually repair it; Huckleberryfeather, who does the minimum amount necessary on a hunt, so he can spend more time napping? Tortrixdusk jokes with him, asking who replaced his brother in the night with a cat who wants to do more work, but then stops in the middle when he realizes Huckleberryfeather is serious.
Humbled, Tortrixdusk agrees. He realizes Huckleberryfeather is worried about him, about how hard he's taken Toadpatch's death compared to the rest of them, and is sacrificing his own comfort to try and comfort Tortrixdusk. Touched, Tortrixdusk allows Huckleberryfeather to lead him to the training ring just as dawn's light licks the sky, and already he feels better for it. (Tortrixdusk still doesn't go easy on Huck, though. He signed up for this.)
At the Gathering...
Thymebush decides travelling to the Gathering is worth the effort, and Elmpaw, Alderpaw, and Juneberrypaw spend the time eagerly plying the eldest Clan cat for stories. Glorypounce pushes Crakefrill a little too hard trying to reassure him of his grief, and he makes a small scene, snapping at her to mind her own business and keep her nose to her own Clan's issues.
Now that Tumbleweedkit is old enough to be left with another cat for a few hours, Cypresstooth eagerly takes the opportunity to get out of camp and visit some friends at the Gathering. She has a great time chatting with Cricketwhisker about his own kittens and the trouble they got into as apprentices, embarrassing Alderpaw when she overhears her dad revealing some stories she'd rather not be told in public.
In HoundClan...
Tarantulaflight and Gullpaw are trying to learn healing, but while both cats are doing their best, without a teacher they're mostly guessing, and their inexperience is evident when they don't notice mold creeping through HoundClan's stock of herbs until far, far too late. Most everything has to be thrown out At least it's spring, and they have hopes of restocking with fresh soon, but it's a huge blow to the Clan and to morale.
In BoulderClan...
The warm and wet makes illnesses worse, and the healers are unsurprised when Amazaquitldrop's whitecough progresses to greencough. Elmpaw is prepared for it, at least, and after last moon's rationing of catmint, has plenty for both her and Poplarrustle. Though he hopes that's the end of it. Lemonpatch is starting to feel better--they hadn't really realized they'd lost so much blood, and feel a little sheepish they'd risked their life making a point to Asterstar, as important as that point felt at the time.
We are getting so so close to moon 100 which is crazy and also impressive!!! I always look forward to seeing this blog on my dash, I think it’s an amazing story you’ve made and I also really love the format.
Okay now for my question, how do you decide what goes on at the gathering? Is it actual events in game, and do they explicitly state that they’re meant to occur in the gathering? I haven’t had the chance to play any form of Clangen for a couple months now but I don’t remember there being much of anything referencing gatherings.
yes yes yes I'm so excited to hit 100 moons!!! 100 moons of ScrubClan has been my goal since the beginning, and I can't believe I'm this close to reaching it! I will be taking a break when I get there, because a) I deserve a break after keeping up with this every day for over three months lol; b) I want to do some recaps/family trees/deep dives into characters and plots and maybe make some maps and lore stuff; and c) I want to take a moment to discuss the future of the blog, and how I might go about doing the next "arc" (or... if I want to switch to a new Clan entirely for the next project... there have been some early updates to cruel season lately that I've been itching to try).
As for Gatherings, I play on genemod which has "true" multi-Clan support. I don't need to switch files to see HoundClan's or BoulderClan's events or cats, and interactions between the groups often include individual characters (instead of Clangen's "a HoundClan healer" ect).
So much so that my warriors tend to have small opinions on characters from bordering Clans. The game even recognizes Shrikeslash as Eggplantskip's nephew through Stoneflyash, because she had a cross-Clan litter with Broomspring back in the day, though they've never been in the same Clan!
This also means the "other Clans" tab of genemod is very robust compared to base Clangen's, and while the variety of events is still kinda slim (though will be expanded eventually... mostly when I get off my ass and personally write more to add) I use these to see who is chatting with who and if those interactions are positive or negative.
Last moon's competitive game between ScrubClan and HoundClan is a real thing that generated!! (I just had to flavor change it from cat hockey to cat football because, in an arid and dry territory, they wouldn't have a lake of ice to play on).
Snowstar and Thymebush talk. It's been a long time since the two of them simply shared time together, wrapped cozily in the elder's den on a chilly day where the sun hid behind clouds and it took hours for night's frosts to lift. Thymebush doesn't move much anymore, the elderly molly's arthritis so bad that cats can hear her bones creak, her hips ruined from being forced to limp around such a badly twisted leg for more moons than most of ScrubClan's cats have been alive.
Snowstar isn't that far behind her in age, really, though continued activity (and, perhaps, a slight infusion of StarClan's strength soothing over the worst of her aches every time she loses a life) has Snowstar in a better state than the elder. The only cat left that can remember Snowstar as Snowhaze, a calm deputy that smiled her way into the position, or Snowpaw, a young cat whose heart and loyalty charmed even the cold tomcat Roadrunnerslash, ancient even then, who she'd come to see as a father figure more than a mentor.
Thymebush never thought she'd settle down and lose her fire, but she feels the world is hidden behind fog now: blurred and hard to touch. And not just because of the clouds in her eyes. The only thing that breaks through is Cypresstooth and Tumbleweedkit, like twin sun rays, pulling genuine smiles from the old molly, echoes of another era. She rests her head on Snowstar's paws, rumbling a purr.
Glorypounce is glad to patrol with Sturgeonflare, and allows Pikeshell and Huckleberryfeather to venture ahead so the two can talk. She's glad to have a friend. The afternoon passes quickly; it's been a long time since Glorypounce felt so at ease in another cat's presence. The good day is soured slightly, however, when Sturgeonflare expresses jealousy for how well the Clan is treating Cypresstooth.
"It's always "Cypresstooth needs this" or "Tumbleweedkit did that"," Sturgeonflare says with a sigh. "I get it, she's Clan. But I had four kits and practically had to beg for some cat to watch them for an hour so I could nap."
"It would be different, now," Glorypounce reminds her. She's pretty sure Sturgeonflare is just trying to vent, but it's hard for her--a mediator--to turn off problem-solving mode. "And I bet you wouldn't have appreciated being as smothered as Cypresstooth is."
Sturgonflare's tail flicks, low and irritated, as she's pulled from her complaining to confront that reality. It doesn't make either of them any happier, and both are relieved when Glorypounce awkwardly changes the topic.
Zell wanders to the HoundClan border alone. He just needs some time to think, and figures he might as well do something productive while he's out. It's bad timing, a full HoundClan border patrol already there as he approaches. Emeralddew is wary without a patrol to explain Zell's intentions, and warns him to back off. Zell complies--he doens't really want to be here without any backup either--but Emeralddew's discomfort is more than a little weird.
Fireleaf has been pushing himself lately, and while he acts normally, Spittlebugspeck notices him wincing when he doesn't think any cat is watching him. Fireleaf finds a few comfrey leaves hidden in his nest. He's a little annoyed for being caught out, but grateful to Spittlebugspeck for his sharp eyes and discretion.
At the Gathering...
Thistlegaze encourages a contest between ScrubClan and HoundClan, a game of Swoop, where teams of cats attempt to bat a flat stone between their opponent's goalposts. Sturgeonflare, Fireleaf, Dragonflyswan and Huckleberryfeather represent ScrubClan, while Timemaminnow, Emeralddew, Tarantulaflight and Cactuspaw form HoundClan's team. Both sides put up a good fight, but the newly-named apprentice Cactuspaw--having more recent practice with games, Huckleberryfeather grumbles--manages to make two quick goals back to back, sealing the game in HoundClan's favor.
In HoundClan...
Ratbramble's litter begins their training. Patrols this moon are smaller and sparser than usual, with many of HoundClan's best warriors caught in a fog of grief. And so encounters that might normally have been avoided or easily fought off are instead desperate skirmishes, leaving several more warriors under Tarantulaflight and Gullpaw's inexperienced care. Shrikeslash takes a bad hit from a fox, forcing his patrol to retreat to protect him, and Kestrelspot is bit by a snake when Ptarmiganstar, too consumed by her black mood and the thick curtain of grief, nearly steps on it.
In BoulderClan...
Elmpaw recovers from whitecough and gains plenty of paws-on experience doling out doses of plantain and honey for the mild cases and mullein for the more severe as whitecough continues to blaze through BoulderClan's cats. Concerningly, Poplarrustle's whitecough progresses to greencough, and with Lemonpatch's permission, Elmpaw begins to partition out BoulderClan's supply of catmint. They have quite a large supply, but the ideal dose has a sick cat using five leaves a day, and he worries that it will go quickly if greencough starts to spread, or other cats' whitecough worsens too.
Injuries and Illnesses:
Cypresstooth - recovering from birth
Tortrixdusk - grieving
Thistlegaze misses his dawn patrol, too comfortable curled up with Cypresstooth and Tumbleweedkit for the dawn's light to wake him. Glorypounce doesn't mind; she takes his spot with a smile. Though when she returns, she teasingly claims that it's her turn to snuggle a kitten, and playfully "kitnaps" Tumbleweedkit back to his nest, who giggles all the while as Glorypounce gently prevents him from leaving.
"Noooo, but I'm so tired," Glorypounce whines, not bothering to hide her grin. "I need a nap."
This winter is mild, wetter and warmer than usual, and many birds that might have migrated decided it wasn't worth the effort. Hunting patrols don't have to go far to find huge flocks of starlings in the dense scrub brush, and though they're sometimes annoying to catch, a cat's fur tangling in the thorns, no cat is complaining about such a bounty.
Eggplantskip and Glorypounce lean on each other as they return to camp, a blank look in both of their eyes. Spittlebugspeck notices their dazed expressions immediately, and shouts for some cat to get Snowstar. Glorypounce is hyperventilating, and Spittlebugspeck pushes her to the ground and starts counting breaths with her, slowly working to pull her out of her panic. Eggplantskip is somewhat more coherent, shaking but standing, though she quickly falls into Patchbat's embrace when her sister runs over and buries her face in Patchbat's shoulder.
Snowstar demands to know what is going on, and Spittlebugspeck snaps at her that she'll have to wait a few moments to find out, as her warriors are in deep shock. It's Thistlegaze that notices Toadpatch is not with them, even though he'd assigned the three to a border patrol. After a few moments, Eggplantskip manages to pull herself away from Patchbat, just long enough to explain.
"Toadpatch--we were split up. We didn't-- We didn't even hear anything--" Eggplantskip says. It's hard, seeing her so shaken. Even during the aftermath of battles, she'd always been the first one back on the scene, pulling injured cats out, caring for the fallen. "Coyotes. She's gone." No cat pushes her to explain any more.
Later, Zell, trying to distract Dragonflyswan and Tortrixdusk from their sister's death, brings them to the pond for some fishing. But none of their hearts are in it, and they end up doing little but staring into the water in silence. A coyote's yip echoes over the desert; Tortrixdusk flinches into Dragonflyswan's side. Zell presses them both close as they walk home, the tall tomcat's eyes watching the thorn bushes carefully for any sign of movement.
At the Gathering...
Thistlegaze confronts Asterstar over a border dispute, and the two share some heated words and thinly-veiled threats. Ringletsplash tries to approach Pikeshell to talk to her, but Bughowl pulls him away before he can make that bad decision. Patchbat manages to smooth over a miscommunication between some ScrubClan and BoulderClan cats before it can escalate, impressing Sturgeonflare with her eloquence.
In HoundClan...
The old tomcat Duckdrop dies of old age. The former loner was well-loved, and his stories will be sorely missed. Frogriver loves spending time with her younger siblings and hopes to have one of them as an apprentice next moon.
In BoulderClan...
Asterstar comes into the healer's den late one night to find Lemonpatch puzzling with Beetlegorse's runes--the ones he ordered them to destroy, and to forget. The two get into an argument, with Lemonpatch adamant that the symbols mean something important, while Asterstar thinks they're poisoning their mind, just like they had with Beetlegorse.
Asterstar ends up clawing Lemonpatch, losing his temper, and even as they bleed, Lemonpatch laughs cruelly.
"Perhaps it is leadership that poisons the mind," Lemonpatch accuses. Blood stains their white fur, and Asterstar flinches, shocked out of his anger. "If any cat is growing to be like Beetlestar was, it's you."
i adore this story! i feel that written clangen blogs don’t get nearly as much love as they deserve. thank you for posting this and, in turn, inspiring me !!
Ay thanks! And very true!!! go give your fav writing blog a few likes and a reblog for me <3 Writing is art too!!
The nursery is full for only having one queen and kit: Thistlegaze stays by his mate's side, hardly leaving the nursery since his little son, Tumbleweedkit, was born; Thymebush dotes on her daughter and her first grandson, and where Thymebush goes, Splinter follows; Glorypounce finds her way into the nursery most mornings too, bringing Cypresstooth the best prey and nesting materials, or toys she thinks Tumbleweedkit will like once he opens his eyes.
It's a good time for ScrubClan, spirits high as cats celebrate the first kitten born in their camp in many moons, and even Spittlebugspeck is seen smiling more often than not (until he sprains a paw while gathering herbs and quickly returns to his grumpy self; at least it's the dry season and he's not missing much).
Snowstar and Thistlegaze take the youngest warriors out to train, encouraging the four littermates to work on their fighting together. There's nothing quite like a battle pair of littermates who've trained together, patrolled together, played together for all their lives, and Snowstar encourages them to strengthen those bonds. But the real test is for Thistlegaze: Snowstar watches her deputy closely, watches how he works with the young cats, problem solving and diffusing arguments before they can start. It's reassuring, to see him confidently handle such situations. The Clan is in good paws.
Eggplantskip sneaks out of ScrubClan's camp. She's been talking with a loner, who tells her he has a way to procure collars from twolegs. She's been working with him for a few moons, promising to teach him some things if he manages to get her a red accessory that would pop against her light fur, and this moon he comes through. It looks stunning on her, and unlike Splinter, whose choice to wear a collar was contentious, Eggplantskip's new accessory is unilaterally complimented, especially when she explains that she only had to trade a single fighting lesson in exchange.
Patchbat and Eggplantskip have spent most afternoons relaxing together since... forever. Since they were apprentices, at least. There's always been a small hole in their gatherings, where Stoneflyash sat. Patchbat finds herself glancing that direction sometimes, their conversation reaching a lull that was usually filled by their sister. It's a pain that will never entirely go away. There will always be a place for Stoneflyash in the nest.
At the Gathering...
Glorypounce spends a lot of time chatting with both Broomspring and Ptarmiganstar. Both HoundClan cats are subdued, a little more distant than usual, but with a few well-placed words, Glorypounce manages to convince them to trade herbs--and swallow their pride long enough to allow their fledgling healers to take a lesson or two from Spittlebugspeck this spring, once he can more easily travel. Bughowl tries to edge into the conversation, perhaps to offer BoulderClan's help too, but Glorypounce firmly blocks her from making the offer. ScrubClan wants HoundClan in debt to them, not to BoulderClan.
Pikeshell has a good chat with Kuma, while Eggplantskip--who is now well-known to train the younger warriors at the Gatherings--works with Orbweaverfeather to fix his hunting crouch. Frogriver trips over a rock, and Asterstar's chuckle is unmistakable. Kestrelspot hisses at the leader, but has to back off when Poplarrustle comes to Asterstar's defense, putting herself between the two with a challenge in her eyes.
In HoundClan...
The young Marigoldkit sneaks out of the nursery one evening, and isn't noticed missing until the morning. He's found not far from camp, dead and cold. Even in the desert, nights grow cold in the winter. Ratbramble curses himself for not keeping a closer eye on the kits, even as his mates reassure him that he can't blame himself for this.
In BoulderClan...
Dogwoodpaw, eager to replicate her brother's feat and earn her name through combat, throws herself into the jaws of a coyote on patrol. She's too overconfident, too out of position, and her Clanmates can only watch as she's thrown off, dead before the dust settles. Juniperthorn, distressed and coughing, has to be held back by Amazaquitldrop when he hears the news.
Crakefrill feels the world will always be dull. How could StarClan allow Tasselkit to die? Aren't they supposed to protect the young and vulnerable? He feels his faith waning--if StarClan couldn't protect Tasselkit, what power do they have to protect BoulderClan?
Tortrixdusk finally earns his name and moves into the warrior's den with his littermates, leaving the apprentice's den empty once more. While many cats expected the confident and clever young tomcat to pounce on his newfound freedom, they're surprised to find him helping Cypresstooth more days than not: he shadows Thistlegaze as they help her move into the nursery; Tortrixdusk is the one to fetch new moss when she isn't content with the supplies already there; Tortrixdusk the one to keep her company while Thistlegaze is out on patrol.
He even braves Spittlebugspeck's perpetual bad mood to ask him if there's anything more Cypresstooth might need. It's very sweet. When Toadpatch teases him about it, Tortrixdusk grows a little defensive, saying that kits are the most important part of a Clan and that every cat should be doing their best to ensure they're as comfortable as possible.
Huckleberryfeather also manages to corner Spittlebugspeck this moon, prodding the acerbic healer about the nature of prophecy. He's been talking with Tarantulapaw of HoundClan, who got him interested in the topic, and after hearing Thymebush's and Patchbat's stories of Tuftglide and his omens, of the great fire-tongue in the ground, Huckleberryfeather has been curious about how, exactly, StarClan communicates with the living. Spittlebugspeck chases him off the first few times, but Huckleberryfeather isn't deterred, and eventually wears him down.
"Me and StarClan, we aren't really on good terms," Spittlebugspeck scoffs. "But StarClan... I mean, you've been there, once. StarClan doesn't work like the real world does, it's like... trying to see through a heat mirage, or a dense bank of fog. Things get distorted, both ways. Tuftglide used to say it felt echo-y; that's the best way I've heard it described."
Spittlebugspeck shrugs. "Prophecy is just the word we give omens that we think we've figured out. But it's like judging the shape of a tunnel by the pressure on your whiskers--it's always just an educated guess, at best." He scoffs again. "Omens are usually more trouble than they're worth."
Glorypounce is tired of taking things slow. She's tired of being afraid of what cats think, tired of second guessing her words. It's only left her stuck in a bubble, trapped under ice, and she's sick of feeling a wall around her every time she tries to reach out. Glorypounce is done with all that, and though she doesn't know who she is, she's determined she's not going to shy away from the truth anymore.
Boldly, she asks Sturgeonflare to join her for some spars. She will make a friend. A cat that won't treat her like part of the background, to be walked away from as soon as something else catches her eye. She will. Instead of hiding away from conversation, Glorypounce initiates. And they have a great time, chatting so much that they only manage a few short spars, but that's okay. Glorypounce walks back to camp with Sturgeonflare, side by side, feeling like she's taken on the world and won.
At the Gathering...
Dartpaw, Dogwoodpaw, Gullpaw,and Alderpaw beg Dragonflyswan to tell them about Snowstar, who they agree is the coolest leader. Only Gullpaw catches on that the elaborate tales Dragonflyswan tells them are huge exaggerations. Bughowl tries to convince Timemaminnow to return to BoulderClan with her kits, now that they're apprenticed, and she nearly claws bells ears off for suggesting it.
In HoundClan...
Much happens in HoundClan this moon. Tickpath doesn't survive his wounds, and Broomspring grudgingly regrets not letting Spittlebugspeck monitor their healer for a little longer. Gullpaw never really wanted to be a healer (he thinks it sounds like far too much work), but without a better option, he agrees to it, especially when the newly-named Tarantulaflight offers to try her best to help him out.
HoundClan also takes in a kittypet, almost by accident; the older cat's twolegs left him behind, their RV gone when he came back from his walk, and some of the RV cats told him HoundClan might want a cat with his skills, if he doesn't want to beg his way into another twoleg RV. The older tom, Aldrich, is a good storyteller and crafter, and is quiet and polite enough that Ptarmiganstar feels it rude to kick him out, at least until he learns how to hunt on his own.
In BoulderClan...
It's a quiet moon in BoulderClan. The young Juniperpaw has excelled in his training, and is given the name Juniperthorn early after proving himself in a fight against a fox. Crakefrill and Cricketwhisker's two surviving kits, Elmpaw and Alderpaw, are apprenticed this moon. Lemonpatch is surprised when Elmpaw demands to be made a healer's apprentice; Alderpaw is the quiet and wise one, while Elmpaw was the one in the center of rough games. But he's determined, and so Lemonpatch takes him under their wing.
Unfortunately, the don't get to train together long before a small whitecough outbreak hits the Clan, starting with Elmpaw and moving quickly to infect Lemonpatch and the young warrior Juniperthorn.
Tortrixdusk earns his name, honored for his initiative
Tickpath dies from his mangled leg and bite wounds.
Tarantulaflight earns her name, honored for her open-mindedness. She decides to learn healing alongside Gullpaw after Tickpath's sudden death
Gullpaw -> Tarantulaflight (healer) (kinda) (they're more learning together)
Dartpaw -> Lynxfeather
Juniperthorn earns his name early, honored for his spirit
Elmpaw -> Lemonpatch (healer)
Alderpaw -> Asterstar
Updated genemod to the latest last night! There shouldn't be too many major changes (?) but I haven't updated since ScrubClan started really, so there might be a few minor sprite alterations.
(side note but MAN aren't genemod silvers so pretty???)
Looks like they also condensed the profiles a bit, with age moving into the same line as life stage (which is a great change, moving it to be right under gender) and backstory is now right under rank (which also makes a lot of sense).
There should be a few extra patrols, and a lot more relationship event types (iirc polycules and sibling groups got specific events).
Mostly I updated to play around with the early versions of cruel season... hehe
(also everything in ScrubClan's save is backed up, so we should be good to continue until moon 100 even if there are bugs!)
Cypresstooth's pregnancy is not unexpected. The young molly is glowing as she spreads the news. Only Spittlebugspeck reacts negatively, asking Cypresstooth if she really thought this through, making Thistlegaze a father. She bristles at the accusation against her mate--she knew Spittlebugspeck didn't approve of their relationship, but she thought he'd be glad for her.
Sturgonflare's kits take their assessments this moon, and all but Tortrixpaw pass. He blames Snowstar for his failure, claiming she intentionally made his assessment harder than his littermates' in some sort of cruel punishment, and feels betrayed when Pikeshell doesn't agree with him.
"It's my fault," Pikeshell admits. "I know you enjoy a challenge, but we ignored the fundementals and now you're suffering for it. A few weeks of remedial lessons--"
Tortrixpaw hisses loudly, his ears flat, and only by sheer willpower does he keep his paws rooted to the ground.
Pikeshell expects as much, though, and patiently waits for him to gather his thoughts. He's a smart cat, and she knows he knows this is what he needs. She gives him time to come to the same conclusion, then nods. "We'll do strength training first."
The newly named warriors, Toadpatch, Dragonflyswan, and Huckleberryfeather use their newfound freedom to go on a hunt together. Toadpatch leads the way, leading her littermates to every place they've shared a fond memory during training: the place Dragonflyswan tripped over her paws trying to stalk a mouse for the first time; the pond Huckleberryfeather fell into trying to catch a fish; the burrow Toadpatch thought she was still small enough to squeeze into, where it had taken the warriors an hour to get her unstuck without causing a collapse. It's a good day.
Patchbat has a nice conversation with some BoulderClan cats at the border, where ScrubClan learns they have another litter of newborns. Patchbat doesn't hesitate to share ScrubClan's own good news--the new warriors, Cypresstooth's pregnancy--and the two patrols leave with smiles on their faces.
Thistlegaze, Zell, and Eggplantskip run into an odd-smelling cat wandering ScrubClan's territory. The cat isn't trying to hide, and might have gotten taken by the eagle circling above if Eggplantskip didn't shout a warning. They seem upset that the ScrubClan cats are ruining their adventure, and while they complain about the patrol escorting them off the territory, they don't put up any fight, leaving with a huff of annoyance. They smell strongly of twoleg things, and Eggplantskip tells them they should return to their twolegs before they get themself killed out here.
At the Gathering...
Lynxfeather spends the Gathering asking Thymebush and Splinter questions about Clan history from ScrubClan's perspective, and is enlightened about ScrubClan and HoundClan's historic rivalry and it's more recent collapse. Ptarmiganstar talks quietly and coldly with Snowstar about Spittlebugspeck, but Snowstar defends her healer's reputation and refuses to talk to her about it.
In HoundClan...
Ptarmiganstar loses a life this moon, but she isn't sure to what, and Tickpath isn't healthy enough to diagnose her. She worries her age is starting to catch up to her and becomes reclusive this moon, caught in a dark cloud that seems impossible to lift.
In BoulderClan...
Ringletsplash brings home three kittens to raise with Bughowl, he and bell having found a surrogate queen to carry them. BoulderClan's growth is a great thing, and their cats are calmer than they have been in moons. Unfortunately, however, despite Lemonpatch's attentiveness, Tasselkit cannot survive kittencough. It's a horrible sickness, an unfair one, and Crakefrill doesn't understand why StarClan could allow something so cruel to exist.
Tickpath - mangled leg
Shrikeslash - fleas
Kestrelspot - sprain
Crakefrill - grieving
Major changes:
Toadpatch is honored for her generosity
Dragonflyswan for her creativity
Huckleberryfeather for his dedication
Cypresstooth announces she's expecting Thistlegaze's kits
Ptarmiganstar loses a life in her sleep.
Ringletsplash and Bughowl have three kits together: Currantkit, Peakit, and Maplekit.
Tasselkit dies to kittencough
Pikeshell takes Glorypounce aside and lets her know that some cats were gossiping about her, saying she must have picked up a bad mouse if she's spending so much time in the dirtplace. Which... isn't true. When Glorypounce presses Pikeshell for more details, she finds it's Dragonflypaw at the root of the rumors.
"Hey, it worked!" Dragonflypaw defends herself. "You told me not to tell anyone you've been canoodling with Spittlebugspeck in the back of the healer's den, so I found a different reason you're not around when cats come to check up on you. Now this is where you say: "oh, thank you, Dragonflypaw, for keeping all my salacious secrets, and being so smart, and beautiful, and--""
Glorypounce silences her with a tail across her face, but she can't help the grin creeping across her face. "Thank you, Dragonflypaw," Glorypounce says, and she means it. "But a bad mouse? Gross."
Dragonflypaw sticks out her tongue. "You gotta pick a gross reason, cuz then everyone'll be too embarrassed to ask you about it, and then you don't get caught lyin'."
Snowstar, Eggplantskip, and Huckleberrypaw are out hunting near the HoundClan border when they hear a cat's screeching. Curious, they investigate, and discover Tickpath, the HoundClan healer, barely fending off a pair of dogs. He looks to be alone.
Eggplantskip immediately sends Huckleberrypaw off to ScrubClan's camp for backup. He's not happy to be sent away from the fight, but goes anyways as Snowstar and Eggplantskip run to Tickpath. It's a horrible fight to take: if it wasn't a healer's life on the line, she wouldn't even try to fight this with any less than four of her best warriors at her side. But Tickpath is down with a dislocated shoulder and a bad bite wound, and there's no way she and Eggplantskip will be able to lead the dogs away from him. They'll just have to hold on until backup arrives.
And they do, but not before taking injuries of their own. The bigger dog manages to catch Snowstar by the back of her neck, shaking her violently. Eggplantskip risks her own life to slam the dog's face, freeing Snowstar, but the leader is woozy and bleeding heavily, forcing the pair on the back foot. Luckily, Huckleberrypaw ran into another patrol nearby and Zell, Pikeshell, Tortrixpaw and Fireleaf join the fray, along with Spittlebugspeck, who was collecting herbs nearby.
With overwhelming numbers, the dogs finally give up the fight. Spittlebugspeck instantly moves to Tickpath's side, using what little he has at hand to triage the HoundClan healer before he bleeds out. Beside him, Snowstar collapses in the sand.
"Snowstar is dying," Zell hisses. He's trying his best to keep pressure on Snowstar's wounds, but blood stains his fur.
Spittlebugspeck ignores him, focusing on tying a hasty tourniquet onto Tickpath's leg. "Leaders are last to be healed, even my own. Snowstar can come back. He won't."
Sure enough, Snowstar's breathing fades, her flanks going still as she loses a life. With Tickpath stable, Spittlebugspeck moves to her side, cleaning her fur of blood until she suddenly heaves to life once more with a full-body shudder.
Spittlebugspeck orders Zell to help Snowstar back to ScrubClan's camp; she'll be a little weak for a few days as her blood replenishes, but she's fine. He has Eggplantskip help him bring Tickpath to HoundClan's camp, where he informs Ptarmiganstar of what happened. Spittlebugspeck tells Eggplantskip to go home, and moves himself into HoundClan's healer's den, so he can watch over Tickpath personally and make sure he's going to survive the night.
"Snowstar gave a life life saving this idiot, and I'm supposed to let him fall into toxic shock after because no cat here knows how to stop it?" Spittlebugspeck snaps. "I'm staying."
Spittlebugspeck wants to stay at least three days, but Broomspring kicks him out after only two. "I really hope you don't treat your own Clanmates this way," Broomspring says coldly. "You're a miserable sack of fur, you know that?"
Pikeshell is marking the border with Fireleaf, Sturgeonflare and Tortrixpaw when they notice twolegs wandering around BoulderClan's territory. As luck would have it, Pikeshell notices a BoulderClan patrol approaching and warns them of the danger. Crakefrill is happy for the heads up and thanks her, trying to get her to maybe come back to BoulderClan, but Pikeshell gently refuses. She'll mention she has an apprentice to train in ScrubClan, but is suspiciously quiet about what will happen in a few short moons once Tortrixpaw is given his name.
At the Gathering...
Huckleberrypaw convinces Toadpaw and Juniperpaw to join him in eavesdropping on the healers. Well, it's not really eavesdropping if they are completely visible lingering nearby. They learn several new words from Spittlebugspeck, who has quite a lot of things to say about Tickpath collecting herbs without an escort, all to do with the tomcat's lack of survival instinct.
Cricketwhisker teaches Tortrixpaw a hunting crouch BoulderClan cats are fond of. Broomspring compliments Eggplantskip on her quick thinking earlier that moon. Thymebush tries to convince Amazaquitldrop to ask Orbweaverfeather out, promising her that they'd make a good match, but she isn't convinced.
In HoundClan...
Frogriver passes her assessments early. The strategic-minded molly had solid plans for anything that could come to pass, and that coupled with her patience and endurance meant she could easily weather any challenge Ptarmiganstar threw her way. Tarantulapaw is happy for her sister, even if she knows it'll be several more moons before she can get her name too.
In BoulderClan...
Tasselkit falls ill with kittencough. Terrified it might spread to the other kits, Lemonpatch takes Tasselkit into their own nest, keeping him warm and spending every spare moment of her time minding him.
Alderkit knows it'll take her more time to learn to balance without a tail to help, and though she's only four moons old, asks Crakefrill to teach her how to climb so she can get a head start. Impressed by her resolve, he helps his daughter learn, and both he and she grow more confident in her ability when she lands nimbly on her paws after falling. Crakefrill reminds her that every warrior falls, but learning how to do it properly shows real mastery, and Alderkit glows under her father's praise.
Injuries and Illnesses:
Glorypounce - beak bite
Cypresstooth - whitecough
Tickpath - dislocated shoulder, mangled leg
Shrikeslash - fleas
Yo yall!! So next moon is likely going to be very quiet too, are there any cats yall would like to see more of?
I usually prioritize moons based off of major events -> major patrols -> high pos/neg relationship events -> fill with extras. and these last few have been a little heavy on the "extras", so I have some space to check in on cats that might not have had the spotlight recently!!
While on a hunt, Tortrixpaw is too busy stalking a mouse to notice an eagle circling him. Luckily Glorypounce is close enough to save him, though she takes a nasty beak wound to the shoulder in the process.
Huckleberrypaw didn't stay quiet for long. With Eggplantskip's steady coaching (and a well-timed growth spurt), Huckleberrypaw's confidence grows along with his skill. After beating Toadpaw three bouts in a row, Eggplantskip showers him in praise and claims that he might be the first of his littermates to take assessments if he keeps this up.
Cypresstooth and Thistlegaze aren't keeping it quiet: they've been discussing kits. When Thistlegaze assigns some cats extra chores tidying up the nursery, cats don't complain, but agree with knowing glances. Patchbat turns circles around Thistlegaze, cheekily asking if they already have names planned out, while Glorypounce offers to ask Thymebush for advice if Cypresstooth is too embarrassed to. The two are glad they have such good friends.
Snowstar chats with some HoundClan cats at the border, and learns Broomspring initiated a fight with some BoulderClan cats the other day. The deputy has always been a little reckless, but he's not one to start fights from nothing. Concerned, Snowstar thanks Shadowbrush for the information.
At the Gathering...
Patchbat and Cypresstooth heckle Ringletsplash when the tom nearly falls off the deputy's perch after announcements. Tortrixpaw, Toadpaw, and Huckleberrypaw collectively agree that Amazaquitldrop is the prettest cat in all the Clans; she overhears them and nearly flees from embarrassment, but is flattered nonetheless. Dragonflypaw boldly approaches Asterstar to ask if his den is really in an eagle's nest. He chuckles, but doesn't dissuade her of the notion.
In HoundClan...
Broomspring, Ratbramble and Kuma expand their family yet again, as Ratbramble brings home four tiny newborns. Ptarmiganstar worries Broomspring's grudges against BoulderClan run too deep. Luckily no cats were hurt in the small skirmish he started at the border, but it sets a bad tone to be fighting so soon after the Clans made up. Ptarmiganstar isn't expecting to pass on leadership any time soon, but Broomspring's hatred towards Poplarrustle and Asterstar in particular is worrying; she doesn't want her Clan caught in his personal vendetta.
In BoulderClan...
Oriolenip passes of age this moon, the oddly patched molly dying peacefully in her sleep. The hillsides cool, and BoulderClan heaves a sigh of relief as they no longer feel like they're melting in the harsh sunlight.
Dragonflypaw helps Tortrixpaw groom burrs from his fur. She tries to gossip--has he seen the way Glorypounce's eyes have been following Sturgeonflare lately?--but Tortrixpaw is too busy thinking about his training.
"See, Snowstar tends to lead with her right paw, which Pikeshell says is typical for mollies, and that means I should be dodging right--my right--to get to her left side, but it's Snowstar's right hind leg that is weak, so should I be trying to get inside her swing to go right? Even if my left swing is stronger? Or does everything cancel out?"
Dragonflypaw rolls her eyes. "How can you still be thinking about this? It's been hours since we finished training!"
"How can you not be thinking about it?" Tortrixpaw retorts. "Wait, no. Actually that makes sense. No wonder you always lose spars--"
Sturgeonflare gets her tail mangled by a badger after missing scent in a burrow. Patchbat leaps in to rescue her, distracting the badger so Sturgeonflare can get free, and Cypresstooth lends her shoulder to help the shaken molly back to camp. Sturgonflare has heard a lot about the way Spittlebugspeck runs the healer's den, and he's always been a little distant when giving her herbs, so she's relieved when he treats her gently, despite it being clear that it was her mistake that got her injured.
Cypresstooth is a little annoyed by Thistlegaze, who wakes her up far too early to work.
"I really should get an early start on patrol details. With all the apprentices starting to have a solid grasp of their training, they should be seeded on patrols, get some actual experience," Thistlegaze explains, quickly grooming his fur in place.
Cypresstooth groans "It's not even dawn yet," she mumbles, sleep still tugging at her eyes. She tries to grab at his legs to pull him back into their nest, but it doesn't take much for Thistlegaze to sidestep her clumsy paws. "Everything is okay. You can relax too."
He dips back in to lick over her ear. "It's alright, I enjoy this. I'm doing it because I want to."
Splinter spends a long time with with Zell this moon. The two toms happen to share a similar schedule, Thistlegaze pairing them together to help close up some old rabbit burrows and mole-trails around camp so no cat twists a paw. It's good work for the two of them: Zell knows exactly how to collapse the tunnels safely, and Splinter has a keen eye for finding them. The two quiet toms enjoy the comfortable silences between them, and even without saying a word, the two settle into a close friendship.
Eventually, Splinter feels comfortable enough to share something he's been meaning to say for a long time now, but hasn't found the words for. During one quiet morning patching mole-tunnels, he knows it's time.
"You were friends with that big orange tom," Splinter says.
Zell blinks, surprised by the break in silence, and even more by the topic. "Aeris."
Splinter nods. The two work in silence for a few more minutes. "Before the rogues found the shattered stones camp behind BoulderClan, we lived in a gravel quarry south of the RV park." Splinter was usually quiet, but he knows how to weave a story. Zell pauses to listen.
"It was miserable there for a whole ton of reasons, but the most terrible was Viper. A small, nasty cat, he lined his nest with fangs of venomous snakes and cats' teeth from his victims. He had a small crew of loyal goons, and let the rest of us starve. "They'll be more motivated to hunt if they're hungry" he used to say. It drove a few off, cats that thought they could make it better on their own, but we were at war with another group of rogues closer to the RV park, cats that were better fed and better trained, and so most of us stayed, too weak or too scared to leave."
"The rogue group was all I ever knew. Both my parents were born there--apparently it was better, before Viper. The gravel pit was still awful, sure, but cats kept their prey, we usually had a healer or two, and the boss protected their own from rivals. It wasn't a Clan, but it was better than nothing. Though even back then, cats like me didn't make it long. Sometimes, queens smuggled their runts to the RV cats and hoped someone was willing to take in a charity case. Mostly they left them in the scrub to die."
"My mother did neither, even though I was born with only three legs and my brother smaller than a mouse. She kept us both, fought for us both. It was hard, but she managed." Splinter faltered, laughed. "She was stubborn, never could tell her what she could or couldn't do. She turned down the boss when he asked her to be his mate, even though that would have set her up for life."
"Slip inherited her stubbornness. Even when Viper took over and I tried to convince him to leave, he wouldn't. He was trying to get cats together, trying to hoard enough prey under Viper's nose to leave them strong enough for a coup, but it was never enough. Then they had the bright idea of raiding a Clan for their prey stockpile. With that, they wouldn't even need to take on Viper and his goons; they could simply wave their prey around and let all the cats flock to his banner."
Splinter went quiet, and the two collapsed a few more rabbit burrows, the implications settling along with the dirt and dust. "I saw you and your orange friend wandering the desert from the gravel pit. Then Thymebush told me about the bobcat, about the raid, and I put it together. I thought--I thought you deserved to know why."
At the Gathering...
It's a little odd, how Bughowl pulls Tickpath away from the other healers to talk to him quietly, but most cats don't think anything of it. Tortrixpaw sneaks into a meeting between ScrubClan's and HoundClan's leadership, and overhears Broomspring discussing terms for a possible long-term alliance between the two Clans. Wide-eyed, the young cat flees, and though Dragonflypaw and Toadpaw try to press him on what he heard, he refuses to tell, though he shakes like a leaf trying to contain the secret.
Spittlebugspeck shares a snack and some idle chatter with Oriolenip, happy to share some herb identification tips with her and quiz her when she asks. Patchbat challenges Lynxfeather to a friendly spar, and is awed by his skill when he easily puts her in the dust.
In HoundClan...
Emeralddew grumbles as she's confined to the healer's den again, this time with tick fever. Broomspring, Ratbramble and Kuma spend their evenings relaxing and cooling off in the shade. The three toms have taken to spending their time in puddles to keep cool, which the other HoundClan cats find exceptionally weird. Ratbramble asks Lynxfeather if he needs any help training Tarantulapaw, hearing from Emeralddew that he was looking to recruit some help for battle training, and is taken aback when Lynxfeather aggressively refuses the offer. It's unlike him to be so rude, and Ratbramble is confused, unsure of how he's offended him.
In BoulderClan...
Lemonpatch comes out as nonbinary! They make tons of headway on Beetlegorse's runes this moon, and are close to a breakthrough, they can just taste it. Ringletsplash overworks himself and collapses of heat stroke. Lemonpatch berates their father for being so stupid; he knows to respect the heat and humidity of summer. Dogwoodpaw and Juniperpaw are made apprentices this moon. The younger kits are envious of their cousins and beg to be made apprentices too, and Asterstar jokes that once they can eat a whole quail between the three of them, then maybe he'll consider it.
Injuries and Illnesses:
Sturgeonflare - mangled tail
Toadpaw - bruised
Emeralddew - tick fever
Timemaminnow - recovering from birth
Ringletsplash - heat stroke
Major changes:
None in ScrubClan or HoundClan
Lemonpatch comes out as nonbinary
Dogwoodpaw -> Amazaquitldrop
Juniperpaw -> Cricketwhisker
The rainy season comes with a vengeance, washing the scrublands of any last signs of war. Wounds heal, cats pick themselves back up, determined to make their loved ones in StarClan smile with their success.
StarClan must be smiling back, as ScrubClan is blessed with plenty of prey. Their prey pile dipped low after such a long, troubling period, but all four apprentices pick up hunting quickly, and after several hunting patrols each, the fresh-kill pile is fit to burst. (Tortrixpaw and Toadpaw work together to take down a massive rabbit, and they won't let their mentors carry it back for them; they learn to walk in step so they can carry it home between them).
Glorypounce has never really struggled with allergies before, but this moon is brutal for her and she can't stop sneezing. She spends even more time in the healer's den with a runny nose, miserable. Spittlebugspeck warns her that some allergies develop later in life, and that Glorypounce might always have seasonal allergies around the monsoon season every year. Glorypounce almost wishes its an early sign of whitecough instead.
Thistlegaze seems to have his paw in everything now: from training Dragonflypaw, hanging out with Cypresstooth, chatting with Thymebush to make sure the elders have everything they need, helping Fireleaf renovate the nursery, and double checking that Pikeshell is okay on border patrols now. Patchbat invites him out to a short race, just around camp, and though he's tired, he obliges her. After all, it'll be good to have fun after doing so much work.
She wins, easily. He finishes the race, though is a bit wobbly at the end, far more tired than the simple exercise should have left him. Patchbat, worried, brings him to the healer's den, where Spittlebugspeck diagnoses him with heat exhaustion.
"Sleep it off," Spittlebugspeck snaps. "Use the nursery, or something. It's cool there." Thistlegaze doesn't argue that the healer's den, also underground, is a better place to rest. It would not be restful here, with Spittlebugspeck glaring at him.
At the Gathering...
Pikeshell shares some tracking tips with Lynxfeather, who after last moon's scare, is taking Tarantulapaw's training a lot more seriously. Patchbat bumps into Kestrelspot, and while she apologizes, Kestrelspot doesn't accept it and stalks off with a hiss. Ringletsplash pulls Spittlebugspeck off to the side of the Gathering and speaks with him quietly; he returns to the other healers with a sour look on his face (well, more sour than usual), and roughly changes the topic when Tickpatch asks about it.
In HoundClan...
Emeralddew catches Lynxfeather up late at night, training by himself in a secluded corner of camp. The former loner has always been a decent fighter, but he's always fought alone. He's worried that his strategies aren't proper outside a one-on-one. Emeralddew rolls her eyes and shoves his shoulder. She'll teach him HoundClan's battle strategies, and if he ever wants her help training Tarantulapaw, he just needs to ask.
"Even Ptarmiganstar recruits warriors to help with battle training apprentices," Emeralddew explains. "That's not something any mentor should do alone, even if they do know all of HoundClan's signs and tactics."
In BoulderClan...
On a border patrol, Ringletsplash smells a familiar scent: tar and sagebrush. The rogues. He tracks it to a small molly, orange with a splash of grey on her chest and chin, whom he recognizes from the fight. She has a limp, and a bad wound on her shoulder that looks to be infected. He doesn't give her any chance to explain, and the fight is hardly fair. Ringletsplash kills her and kicks her body off the hillside. Good riddance.
Tasselkit and Dogwoodkit get into trouble after their roughhousing in puddles ends up splashing one too many warriors in the face. Amazaquitldrop ends up stuck in the healer's den with heat exhaustion after volunteering to finish a border patrol by herself so her patrolmates could rest.
It's hard, moving on from such a tough year, but some things make it easier.
For one, Thistlegaze and Cypresstooth officially become mates this moon. It's been a while since the Clan had a new couple, and the two young cats are absolutely smitten with each other, teasing and chasing each other around camp, falling into a pile of fur and limbs with smothered giggles as they roll in budding heathers.
And it's easy to laugh when the apprentices begin their training, each of them bringing home stories every time they leave camp, the twinkle of wonder infectious as they begin to learn about the world.
The Clan is still shocked by their ceremony; Tortrixpaw stole the spotlight when he demands to be apprenticed to Pikeshell and Snowstar allows it. The two end up working well together. Tortrixpaw's confidence allows Pikeshell to challenge him, and he improves in leaps and bounds this moon under her creative and varied tutelege.
Toadpaw, not to be outdone by her brother, demands similar rigor from Patchbat, who is more than happy to foster a friendly rivalry between the two littermates if it helps both of them improve. Toadpaw ends up besting Tortrixpaw in a spar, and instead of being sour about the loss, Tortrixpaw uses the opportunity to learn from his mistakes. He wins the next bout.
Thistlegaze takes his new apprentice, Dragonflypaw, out to gather moss. It's not a glamorous task, but it is an important one: not only so the Clan can have fresh bedding, but also because the strength and control necessary to collect it--both physical and mental--makes for good training. He notices Dragonflypaw's attention wavering, and is able to motivate her by showing her exactly which muscles he's working with his swipes, and how training to be accurate here directly translates to the battlefield. Dragonflypaw is awed by his knowledge and they bring home a truly legendary amount of moss.
Eggplantskip isn't quite sure how to work with Huckleberrypaw, who is much more reserved than his littermates. She decides instead of going straight for intense training like the others, she'll take some time to build his confidence on core skills instead, and takes Huckleberrypaw to the thorn scrub, where she teaches him how to stalk across uneven ground and to use his dark pelt to conceal himself in the shadows. He takes to it quickly, as Eggplantskip guessed he would, and comes home walking a little taller than when they set out.
Snowstar enjoys working with Thistlegaze. She sets more and more responsibilities on his plate this moon, and is impressed when he's more than capable of keeping up with them. Still, she continues to hold some of the weight back; the honeymoon moons don't last forever, and she encourages him to take what free time he can between his deputy responsibilities, patrols, and training Dragonflypaw to nurture his relationship with Cypresstooth, which he appreciates.
Glorypounce finds herself hanging out with Spittlebugspeck again. She knows it's not a good idea, and he still makes her a little uncomfortable, but with Cypresstooth and Thistlegaze busy together, she wants to give them some time together. And Spittlebugspeck always treats her kindly, if in his own way. So long as she follows the boundaries he set out for her, and so long as their conversations remain shallow, their afternoons together are surprisingly pleasant. Glorypounce even gets him to take back a few of the nasty things he's said against Thistlegaze, which she never thought could happen.
While patrolling the HoundClan border, Sturgeonflare bravely rescues Tarantulapaw from a rattlesnake, shoving the young molly away just in time. Sturgeonflare's shoulder is scraped up from diving over the rocks and stone, but she manages to get both of them out of the way without being bit. Sitting in the healer's den while Spittlebugspeck carefully picks gravel and grit out of her scrapes is a small price to pay. Lynxfeather is horrified he hadn't noticed the danger, and thanks her profusely. He promises to be more attentive in the future.
A patrol to the BoulderClan border finds the scent line... oddly pristine. Things got muddled during the long moons of war, with the trespassing, the battles, the territory trading paws back and forth. But this moon, BoulderClan has reset the markers back to where they were before the war began, each one perfectly placed. ScrubClan appreciates it, certainly, as it gives them back access to a mint grove, but it's a little suspicious that Asterstar would do such a thing quietly. He's usually the type that would make a grand gesture out of it. The patrol matches the marks--they're not going to turn down a boon, even if they aren't quite sure why they're receiving it.
At the Gathering...
The Gathering is overflowing with good news. ScrubClan and HoundClan have new apprentices, HoundClan and BoulderClan have newborn kits. The wars and battles won't be erased in a season, but the wounds are starting to heal, and ScrubClan tentatively reaches out to friends they had in BoulderClan, relieved when they aren't rebuffed.
Glorypounce offers Bughowl and Ringletsplash some fish, which ScrubClan brought to share. Asterstar shares stories of tactical genuis with Fireleaf, Kuma, and Frogpaw, who listen intently. Patchbat overhears Splinter chatting with Orbweaverfeather about his time with the rogue group, just before Poinsettia took over, the young tom appalled by how the rogues treated each other.
In HoundClan...
Clemantisdart dies of old age, wandering out into the territory to walk her own path to the Stars. Timemaminnow and Shadowbrush are now mates. Timemaminnow's two kits might not be his by blood, but Shadowbrush quickly adopts them as his own. Frogpaw and Tarantulapaw are made apprentices.
In BoulderClan...
Crakefrill and Cricketwhisker find a surrogate queen and have three kits together. Dogwoodkit and Juniperkit spend an afternoon chasing butterflies. Now that the threat of the rogues has passed, Lemonpatch drags out the scratched bits of bark from deep within her den and begins secretly working on decoding Beetlegorse's symbols. She's lost a lot of progress, any thoughts she might have had long since dissipated to the four winds as she's had more pressing things to confront. But perhaps that's a good thing, she thinks, coming to this puzzle with fresh eyes. She sets to work.
Thistlegaze and Cypresstooth are now mates!
Toadpaw -> Patchbat
Dragonflypaw -> Thistlegaze
Tortrixpaw -> Pikeshell
Huckleberrypaw -> Eggplantskip
Frogpaw -> Ptarmiganstar
Tarantulapaw -> Lynxfeather
Timemaminnow and Shadowbrush are now mates!
Timemaminnow has two kits with an unknown sire: Dartkit and Gullkit
Crakefrill and Cricketwhisker find a surrogate queen and have Elmkit, Tasselkit and Alderkit together.
