#lightclan!mousepaw

[ts3lightclan]

(1.41) All Grown Up

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"Cats of LightClan," Lightrunner spoke from atop the Light Rock. "I have called you here today to announce that our three eldest apprentices have passed their warrior assessment. They showed great initiative and skill in discovering the Moontree at the Misty Grotto, where our healers will be able to commune with StarClan for many seasons to come."

As Antpaw listened to the clan's unofficial leader, he felt a surge of pride well up into his chest. It was finally time! He and his sisters had come a long way to reach this moment.

"Mousepaw, Birchpaw, and Antpaw. Do you three promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your clan, even at the cost of your lives?"

A tiny "yes" rose up from Mousepaw, and a much more confident confirmation followed from Birchpaw. Antpaw could safely promise that he would be loyal to his clan as well. "I do!"

"Then, may StarClan shine on you all like a warm ray of light." Lightrunner purred subtly, then cleared her throat.

"Mousepaw, from this moment forward, you will be known as Mousetail. LightClan will forever honor your warm heart and creativity."

Antpaw was surprised to find that the group of cats that had gathered were already cheering. With a glance at his sister, he could tell that Mousepaw- now Mousetail- also felt this way. For his little sister, Antpaw was glad that nearly the whole clan was cheering her new name... with Magicburst being an obvious exception, as the tom was hardly even paying attention to the ceremony.

"Birchpaw, from this moment forward, you will be known as Birchshine. LightClan will forever honor your wit and determination.

Birchpaw- Birchshine- was next to receive her name. His sister puffed out her chest proudly, welcoming the praise of their clanmates.

"And lastly, Antpaw. From this moment forward, you will be known as Antstride. Lightclan will forever honor your bravery and keen senses."

Antstride. Antstride felt confident that this new name suited him well, and he wasn't at all offended at his sisters being named first. After all, Lightrunner needed to save the best for last, didn't she?

With the whole clan cheering their names in unison, Antstride gave Birchshine a playful bump with his side, which in turn sent her stumbling slightly into Mousetail. Both of his sisters laughed, finding a new bliss in their shared ceremony. Antstride's heart warmed at the sound. They may be warriors now, but they would be littermates first and forever. Who could ask for anything more?

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Mousepaw receives her warrior name, Mousetail, in honor of her skinny tail.

Birchpaw receives her warrior name, Birchshine, in honor of her bright personality.

Antpaw receives his warrior name, Antstride, in honor of the new step he (and his sisters) helped the clan take in finding the Moontree.

[ts3lightclan]

(1.40) The Proposal

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"I don't know about this..."

Mousepaw was surprised that Antpaw of all cats was apprehensive about Stormflower's proposal. He was usually the most eager to explore and try new things, being the most... careless of the litter.

"Why? I thought you'd be excited!" Birchpaw seemed equally shocked, tilting her head. Mousepaw just sat and allowed Antpaw to groom her fur, tipping her head to the side so he could reach behind her ear. He tended to fuss over her when he was anxious; was this related to the conversation?

"I'm just not sure it's a good idea, that's all. I mean..." He huffed, lowering his voice so that none of the others in camp could hear. "Skunktooth was... he was exiled, I don't know if we're allowed to talk to him."

"But Stormflower says it's fine!" Birchpaw replied, furrowing her brows. "And she's a healer. We should trust her!"

Still seeming unconvinced, Antpaw turned his attention back to Mousepaw, wordlessly asking for her opinion.

"...I just want to see him again," She mumbled quietly. "It might be controversial, but... he's our father! Why wouldn't we be allowed to see him?"

Antpaw kept silent. Mousepaw couldn't understand why he was so against the idea.

"Well, if you don't want to come along," Birchpaw huffed, rolling her eyes, "Then Mousepaw and I can just go by ourselves. That way you won't get in trouble, okay? Besides-" She grinned, motioning to a spot in the distance where Stormflower and Lightrunner were speaking. "-We're gonna be warriors soon! We should focus on that first!"

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Antpaw, Birchpaw, and Mousepaw return to camp with Stormflower. The healer reports to Lightrunner that the siblings have earned their warrior names.

Their warrior ceremony will be held soon.

The three apprentices discuss Stormflower's proposal with one another. Birchpaw and Mousepaw are on board, but Antpaw is still oddly reluctant.

Bearpaw has recovered well from her injury, though the incident has left a scar.

Magicburst seems to be giving his apprentice more positive attention since the incident.

Flowerkit finds a squirrel in the warriors' den and chases it around.

[ts3lightclan]

(1.37) The Misty Grotto

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As Birchpaw and her siblings followed Stormflower into the strange stone circle, a strange sensation filled her chest. This place was so strange, and it was so much creepier at night. Birchpaw found herself having to comfort Mousepaw, who was easily spooked by things like this. Antpaw, on the other hand, didn't seem very fazed... just awed.

She cast an expectant glance at their chaperone, surprised to see an odd glow in Stormflower's gaze, and maybe... the smallest of smiles?

"Finally... this is it..."

Birchpaw's ears twitched as the spotted molly mumbled to herself. Huh? She let out a soft trill to get the healer's attention, and in that instant, Stormflower's smile disappeared.

"This is what we healers call a 'conduit'," Stormflower explained to the trio, earning new confused glances from Antpaw and Mousepaw, who hadn't heard the initial whispers. "A place to commune with the spirits in StarClan at will, rather than waiting for dreams or omens. They can take many forms: a pool of water, a shining stone... and, in our case, a strange, spiraling tree, as bright as the stars themselves."

Birchpaw glanced back to her siblings just as the other two looked at her. It was easy to tell that Antpaw and Mousepaw were just as bewildered by the situation as she was.

Stormflower took a deep breath after staring at the tree for a long moment, then she turned her attention back to the apprentices.

"I have a proposition for you three, but it must be kept a secret. Will you hear me out?"

"Uh..." Birchpaw shared yet another look with her siblings, but Antpaw was the first to speak out among them. "Sure? What is it?"

The spotted molly simply smiled.

"How would you like to be reunited with your father?"

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The patrol discovers a new location on the way to their destination: The Poppy Patch

The cats stop to hunt along the way. Stormflower observes the apprentices as they do so.

The siblings are relatively successful in their hunts. Antpaw catches four pieces of prey, and Mousepaw and Birchpaw each catch two.

Upon arriving at the Misty Grotto under the full moon, Stormflower confirms this area to be a conduit to StarClan.

Stormflower reveals to the three that she has been in contact with their father, Skunktooth, and offers to reunite them with him.

The trio is confused by the sudden offer, and they decide to think it over during the rest of their expedition.

The group decides to stay the night at the Misty Grotto.

[ts3lightclan]

(1.34) Bonds Severed and Fostered

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"Mister Magic-Paws! Wait up!"

As Magicburst began to exit the camp for another hunting trip, he found himself stopped by a loud, squeaky voice from behind. Begrudgingly, he stopped until the kit could catch up.

"How many times do I have to tell you? It's Magicburst now."

"Oh! Right! Mister Magic-burst!" Bearkit purred, her stubby tail wiggling back and forth. "I wanna come with you! Let's go hunt together!"

"You're not old enough for that yet," He reminded her with an impatient huff. "You have to be an apprentice. You know that."

"Yeah, well, I'm like, basically already an apprentice, so doesn't that count for something?"

"No." He could hear a whine squeeze out of the kit's lungs at his blunt response, but he was too used to this behavior to be fazed. "Besides, it's too cold out."

"Cold don't bother me any! I've got big puffy fur, see?" The black-and-white kit fluffed out as best as she could, to look as big as possible. "I'm not like the other kits! I got some meat on my bones!"

"Right, and you won't keep it there unless you let me go catch more fresh-kill," He grunted. "Go back to the nursery. You can come hunting with me when you're an apprentice."

The moment Bearkit gasped, Magicburst knew he'd screwed up.

"You mean it? You promise?! No take-backs, okay?!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever..."

"Woohoo!" Before Magicburst could warn her to keep it down or she'd scare away all the prey, Bearkit had already run off toward the nursery, no doubt to brag about his "promise" to Pepperfrost's litter.

Sigh...

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Bearkit has been following Magicburst around nonstop for the past few days.

Despite his cold exterior, Magicburst has grown a bit attached to Bearkit. The two are friends.

Bearkit is nearing the age of six moons. Her apprentice ceremony will be held any day now.

The clan is having trouble keeping the fresh-kill pile full. Nobody is starving, but everyone is growing restless.

Of all the cats working hard to feed the clan, Antpaw seems to be the most successful hunter.

With everyone's patience running thin, Magicburst and Stormflower are fighting once more. Though there's no bloodshed this time, nobody is happy with this.

Magicburst and Birchpaw have become friends after spending more time together.

Mousepaw presents Sleetkit with an Empty Chip Bag for her and her siblings to play with.

Stormflower has been teaching Lilacdream more and more about healing remedies and herbs.

[ts3lightclan]

(1.32) The Distant Stones

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As Antpaw went about his daily duties- namely, hunting for his clan- he debated whether or not this was a good idea. He had decided to go back for that strange structure he'd seen the last time he visited this section of the forest, alongside his sisters. The rocks just seemed so... deliberate, so important... surely, they would mean a great deal for LightClan! Besides, if he, Birchpaw, and Mousepaw all went and explored new territories to claim, Lightrunner would be impressed with them! Which would get them that much closer to receiving their warrior names.

"This is the weird place you saw..?" Mousepaw mewed, tipping her head curiously as she squinted off in the distance. "Those rocks over there?"

"Yeah! They're not too far, right?"

"I guess not, but shouldn't we bring a warrior..?"

Birchpaw perked up. "Like Magic-"

"Not Magicburst," Antpaw and Mousepaw answered in unison. Birchpaw seemed a little sad that her idea was shot down before she could even suggest it, but she didn't protest.

"If we explore it on our own, Lightrunner will see what good warriors we are! Taking initiative and all..."

"I guess that makes sense..." Though Mousepaw still didn't seem completely on board, Antpaw knew she would tag along anyway.

"Yeah! Let's go! Let's race there!" Birchpaw's front paws prodded the snow excitedly.

"No, no racing!"

"Yes racing!"

Before Mousepaw could stop her, Birchpaw had already pelted off into the forest, beaming. Betrayed, Antpaw started after her.

"Do BOTH of you have bees in your ears?!" Mousepaw whined, giving chase with her smaller legs. "Wait for me!"

For once, Birchpaw actually did wait for Mousepaw, slowing down enough so that both she and Antpaw could pass. Antpaw didn't want either of his sisters to win, though, so he didn't stop. In fact, he was supposed to be the leader of this whole operation, so it only made sense that he'd be in front.

As they continued onward, though, the mist began to grow thicker, only made more difficult to navigate by the snow that started to whirl down onto their pelts. It was a good thing he and Birchpaw had their mother's thick fur, but...

"It's so cold!" Mousepaw complained with a squeak. "My tail's gonna freeze off at this rate!"

"It'll be okay! We're nearly there!"

The closer they got to the rocks, the more Antpaw began to realize that the mist was emanating from this place, rather than this place being settled in mist. It sent a chill down his spine, almost as much as the snow did.

Eventually, the structure loomed before them. A circle of rocks, within another circle of rocks, and with the... weirdest tree Antpaw had ever seen, right smack in the middle. It almost seemed to... twinkle?

"...This place is creepy... I don't like it..." Mousepaw whimpered, shivering due to the cold fog surrounding them. "Can we go home yet?"

"No way!" Birchpaw piped up. "This place is like, SUPER significant! We've gotta tell Lightrunner, like, right away!"

"We should probably hunt first," Antpaw shook his head. "We did come out here on a hunting trip, after all..."

Mousepaw huffed, clearly not happy with the suggestion. "Yeah, I guess so. I'm still hungry... I didn't get any breakfast..."

"We'll earn you some supper, then!" Birchpaw gave Mousepaw a good rough pat on the back with her paw. "Maybe we'll even get our warrior ceremony when we get back? You never know!"

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Antpaw, Birchpaw, and Mousepaw have discovered a new location: Misty Grotto

None of the apprentices can quite place why, but this place seems spiritually significant.

The siblings hunt while they're at the strange location, chatting happily among themselves.

Back home, Magicburst picks a fight with Stormflower. While the healer wins the fight, she gains a minor wound in the process.

Thankfully, Stormflower is able to recover on her own with minimal effort.

Magicburst and Stormflower are currently on bad terms.

After a full day of unsuccessful hunting back home, the apprentices' hunting patrol is a sight for sore eyes. They manage to bring back enough prey to feed the clan, if only for the evening.

Mousepaw reports back to Lightrunner in the place of her siblings, who are so tuckered out that they immediately head to bed. Lightrunner decides that she'll send a better-equipped patrol to investigate the Misty Grotto in the near future.

[ts3lightclan]

(1.29) Magical Days Spent Planning Away

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"Magicpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?" Lightrunner spoke out from atop the rock, pride gleaming in her eyes.

"I do."

"Then, may Starclan shine upon you like a warm ray of light. From this day forward, you will be known as Magicburst. LightClan will forever honor your loyalty and determination."

As the clan cheered Magicburst's new name, with Birchpaw being among the loudest, Mousepaw felt her belly wrench with distaste. She'd never gotten along with Magicburst, not even when they were kits, and she was... weirdly jealous of his new status as a warrior.

Even now, as their clanmates moved to congratulate the new warrior, Birchpaw would not shut up about him.

"Can you believe that? Magicpaw's a-- I mean Magicburst is a warrior now! I mean, he deserves it, he beat that twoleg up real good! I wish I could've seen it!"

"I wish you could've faced the twoleg instead," Antpaw rolled his eyes with a laugh. "No offense, Birchpaw, but you've been talking about this for days. You sound like a moonstruck kit."

"I--" Birchpaw's fur fluffed up on the defense. "I can respect a warrior of my clan, can't I?"

"Yeah, but it's painful to listen to all the time!" Antpaw laughed, putting on his always-funny-and-accurate Birchpaw impression. 'Magicpaw this, Magicpaw that! Magicpaw's so cool! I wish he'd sweep me up off my paws and carry me off into the sunset~!'" If Birchpaw was embarrassed before, she was mortified now.

"I- I do not talk like that! S-Shut up, he's gonna hear you!"

"You do kinda talk like that, though," Mousepaw finally chimed in, giving her sister a sympathetic smile, though her brow furrowed. "But... Magicburst's... kind of a jerk, you know? He still hisses at me, like, all the time."

"Mousepaw's right!" Antpaw huffed. "We're siblings! We've all gotta be on the same team! So are you with us, or against us?"

"Th-That's not fair!" Birchpaw huffed, tail lashing. "Of course I'm on your side, I just... well, I wanna make other friends too, y'know?"

Mousepaw stayed quiet, averting her eyes.

"Well, then, how about this!" Antpaw puffed up a little, his tone making Mousepaw a bit nervous. When Antpaw got himself all riled up, Birchpaw was usually quick to follow... and it usually landed them all in trouble. "I've got a plan. One that'll show Lightrunner that we're all ready to be warriors."

"We haven't been apprentices for that long, though..?" Mousepaw pointed out softly.

"Doesn't matter! If warriorship is about achievements, then... well, let's give her some!"

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Magicpaw receives his warrior name, Magicburst.

The remaining apprentices are whispering about some sort of plan.

Honeypurr attempts to share some motherhood tips with Pepperfrost. Pepperfrost does not seem very interested.

A rainbow can be seen from the edge of LightClan territory. The clan perceives this as a good omen for the moons to come.

[ts3lightclan]

(1.27) Sunset Trails

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"Race ya there?" Birchpaw suggested with a grin, eager to head off to their destination. "Three-two-one GO!"

"Wha-!" Antpaw watched as his sister darted across the thunderpath, not even waiting for him to be ready first. "Hey! No fair! You got a head start!" He called out, taking off after her in seconds.

He was faintly aware of Mousepaw calling out to them to wait for her, and- even farther away- Lightrunner warning them to be careful on the path. It was fine, he figured; monsters rarely came by this direction, anyway. It was why Honeypurr had suggested their little outing in the first place.

His heavy breaths formed thick puffs of mist in the air as he raced after Birchpaw, willing all of his strength into his legs and his lungs. As his sister disappeared around a bush, he thought the race had surely ended, and he had already lost. But he would still give it all he had!

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Antpaw, Birchpaw, and Mousepaw are taken on an evening trip to nearby hunting grounds to practice their hunting skills. They are chaperoned by Lightrunner and Honeypurr.

Mousepaw catches a snake.

Antpaw spots a strange rock structure in the distance, but he doesn't get an opportunity to investigate.

Birchpaw catches the most prey out of the entire patrol. What a rush!

Antpaw is bummed out that he didn't win the prey-catching contest.

Pepperfrost tries to distract herself from her grief by hunting. She's especially productive, despite having kits to take care of.

Antpaw challenges Magicpaw to a friendly spar.

[ts3lightclan]

(1.26) Bursting At The Seams

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From atop the Light Rock, Lightrunner had a hard time wrapping her head around just how many cats her clan had accumulated over the past few seasons. It hadn't felt like LightClan was very big at first, but now that Honeypurr's litter was practically bursting out of the nursery, the camp had never felt so full. It only felt right to welcome them to a new era here, from atop the rock that these kits themselves decorated with claw marks.

"Antkit, Birchkit, and Mousekit. The three of you have reached the age of six moons, and you are now ready to become apprentices."

The trio seemed a bit overly eager, bumping and squealing amongst themselves. It took a quick shushing from their mother nearby to get them to contain themselves.

"StarClan shines upon these young cats like a warm ray of light. Until you receive your warrior names, you will be known as... Antpaw, Birchpaw, and Mousepaw." The new apprentices only barely seemed to contain themselves as the ceremony progressed.

"Due to our... current lack of full warriors, your training will be shared between Honeypurr and I for the time being. I hope we are able to pass on our skills and experience to the three of you."

Once the announcement was made, Lightrunner dipped her head to dismiss the cats, and the remainder of the clan roared the new apprentices' names... apart from Stormflower, who merely watched pleasantly from afar, and Magicpaw, who seemed a bit irked. Lightrunner suspected the young tom was becoming impatient with his own training now that his mentor was stuck in the nursery with her new litter. She should really do something about that in the coming days...

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Antkit, Birchkit, and Mousekit become apprentices, under the names Antpaw, Birchpaw, and Mousepaw.

Their collective training will be overseen by Lightrunner and Honeypurr, as there aren't enough warriors in the clan to mentor them individually.

Magicpaw seems upset that he isn't a warrior yet.

The snow has gotten so heavy that dens are overflowing. It is nearly impossible for cats to access their nests, and the kits are having trouble exploring.