#nighthawkflicker

[itcomeswhenwesleep]

Moon 7

Leaf fall- Brambleclash

Part 1

Cowbirdsoar refused to leave the den after they got back. Brambleclash tried to soothe his nerves... but she wasn’t enough. Even though she had been the one to deliver the killing blow, he seemed to carry the death on his head.  

So, she did what she could; she supported him. Every day, she would bring him prey and wet moss. She would groom his ruffled fur and help him entertain the kits. It was exhausting, but there was no other way. If she didn’t care for him... that wasn’t something she planned to think about. She was a good clanmate and that meant that she would help him.  

And of course, help the kits. They still made her a little uneasy, especially Rhubarbkit. But they were kind of cute. They played mossball with each other and cuddled up to Cowbirdsoar every chance they got.  

The worst part of it was trying to hide him. When the guy has his own den, it’s hard to keep cats from looking there.  

But Brambleclash considered herself a clever cat. She took the two older girls to explore the territory. The changing season brought forth a plethora of colors. There were leaves falling, lizards sunning, and even some fish closer to camp. Hopefully, it would be enough to distract them.  

Nighthawkflash immediately abandoned the other two to chase the lizards. It wasn’t out of malice, more a need to blow off steam. Cowbirdsoar’s withdrawal had affected everyone, whether they could admit it or not.  

Brambleclash nudged Madtomtuft. “Why don’t we walk along the beach?”  

The younger warrior scrunched her nose. “What if we run into any of the... the infected?” she asked quietly, as if her voice would summon them.  

“I patrolled earlier, if we’re quiet, we should have no problems.” Brambleclash rested her tail on the other’s back.  

Madtomtuft weighed her options. She dug her paws against the stone as she thought. “I guess we can then.”  

The two walked down to the beach together. Despite Brambleclash’s confidence, they still stayed close to camp. Madtomtuft would even peroidically stop to make sure that Nighthawkflicker was still in view.  

It’s good that they have one another, Brambleclash purred to herself. Despite the cold that the ocean carried, her pelt felt warm. She breathed in the fresh ocean air and shook her pelt. The sun on her spine felt amazing. She wanted to lie down right now, like a big lizard, but Madtomtuft didn’t seem in the lying mood.  

Speaking of... up ahead, Madtomtuft had stopped in her pawsteps. Brambleclash hurried to meet her. “What’s going on?” She meowed curiously.  

Without a word, Madtomtuft raised a paw and pointed at a bright orange, half-submerged object. It kind of looks like a cats back half. Brambleclash carefully approached it. Whatever it was, it was dead.  

Madtomtuft followed her lead. She sniffed at the object, pushing it a little. Something clicked or snapped within it. Which sent her racing out of there like a bat out of hell. She kicked up a cloud as she ran. Brambleclash would have lost her if she had not fallen on her face halfway out.  

That was a story she would definitely pass on to Cowbirdsoar and the kits.  

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(Shoutout to @still-vtoh hope your brace removal happened/ went okay!)

[itcomeswhenwesleep]

Moon 9 Leaf-fall 

Cowbirdsoar 

Part 1 

Cowbirdsoar lays in the healer's den, basking in the cool morning air. His- the kits lay against his side. He curls his tail over them.  

Last moon, he tried to get them to sleep on their own. He and Madtomtuft cleaned and added moss to the apprentice’s den. But after spending the night in it, they refused to return. No bribery or insistence would change their minds.  

Cowbirdsoar knew he could force the issue, but that would do them no good. So, instead he chose to accommodate them. He brought the moss from the apprentice den and added it to his own nest.  

That made the comfortable nest the three of them lay in now. He yawns into the empty air and stretches. Rhubarbkit squeaks against him, while Plumekit just curls further in on herself.  

He looks down at them, his golden eyes shining. They are mine... Stars it is wrong, but they are my family. He looks at the cave roof and imagines Starclan looking down at him. He imagines the face of his mentor, the one he had made his oath to. He can see her scowling at him. I promise I am still loyal, He says to the visage. I will never take a mate, never have kits. But let me have this selfishness.  

The visage stares through him, it says nothing, but a lightness creeps into his heart. He rests his head against his kits.  

“Are you up yet?” Madtomtuft calls from the entrance. He narrows his eyes at his niece, making a shushing motion with his tail. She covers her mouth and backs away.  

Reluctantly, Cowbirdsoar uncurls himself from his daughters. He licks both of their heads and walks out to meet Madtomtuft. 

“Did you need something?” he says quietly.  

“I just wanted to offer to go herb hunting with you.” She smiles so earnestly; the rest of darkness drains to his paws.  

He nudges his head against hers. “I’ll be ready soon.” He walks back into the cave.  

Rhubarbkit is already bothering Brambleclash, while her quieter sister is still asleep, having taken over the whole nest. Brambleclash bats at Rhubarbkit and smiles at him. She mouths ‘I have this’ at him. He mouths his own thanks and slinks back out. 

Madtomtuft and Cowbirdsoar climb the rocks and onto the field. They bring themselves to a feverfew patch; the majority of it is already dead. Do we even have enough? If what we have goes bad... she nudged him out of his thoughts.  

She motions towards the patch. “How do I harvest the feverfew?”  

He swallowed down his fears. “You want to nip them towards the base of the stalk- be careful, the smell can throw off some cats.” He knew she knew. But the words comforted him. 

She followed his orders and picked the plants. He joins in, avoiding the dead roots. 

 His ears twitch, catching a sound on the wind. Pawsteps. He unsheathes his claws. The pawsteps get closer. Madtomtuft tenses next to him, her own claws at the ready. 

The pawsteps grow louder until a cat comes into view. A normal, non-infected cat and one Cowbirdsoar recognizes.  

He sprints to them without thinking. “Walnutpaw” He calls out. Walnutscreech’s eyes widen in surprise. They run up to greet him.  

The last time he saw Walnutpaw, their ears just barely reached his chin. Now, Walnutpaw was just a paw shorter than him. Their short, sandy fur, was tight against their skin, letting Cowbirdsoar see the bones underneath.Their purple eyes, once full of warmth and ambition, had dulled and sunk into his head.  

“It’s Walnutscreech now,” They correct.  

That made sense. It had been 9 moons. “Oh.” He clears his throat. “Congratulations.” He peaks over their shoulders. It was dangerous for them to be alone, where was Daisypop? Or the other Ivyclan cats? 

“It’s just me.” They follow his gaze. 

The words hit Cowbirdsoar like a raging badger. Just me.  

“Ivyclan is...?” 

Walnutscreech shook their head. “No, we just moved further up the hill.”  

“We moved to the shore ourselves.” He waves his tail towards where he came from.  

“That’s nice...” They reply, staring at the feverfew patch.  

Of course, they came for that. And we had already picked so much... 

“I think there’s still some.” He offers them. “Though, it may be easier for one clan to share them, rather than two.” Ivyclan has always been proud, but maybe, maybe those left could join Grouseclan.  

Walnutscreech paws at the dirt. “I can’t imagine our leader would be keen on that.” They meow, the weight of the words pressing them against the dirt.  

“What about just you?”  

They recoil. “I can’t. Ivyclan still needs me.” Cowbirdsoar deflates. 

“Right, of course.” He paws the dirt. “I’ll get you that feverfew.” He walks back to Madtomtuft, taking some of the plants. He sets it on their paws and steps back. They take it and turn around.  

“Thank you.” They mumble around the plants. Cowbirdsoar nods to them. He wants to pull them back, but he knows he cannot. A healer's duty is to their clan... they would only hate him if he tried to remove them from their duty.  

Silently, Cowbirdsoar slinks home. Madtomtuft follows him, feverfew in her jaws.  

They tell the clan about Walnutscreech and Ivyclan. Brambleclash seems uneasy, Nighthawkflicker is quiet, and the kits... well they spend the meeting playing.  

Cowbirdsoar curls in on himself. He paws his leg. “We can decide whether to visit them or not later. But for now, we should all just sleep on it.”  

“That’s as good an idea as any.” Brambleclash nuzzles against him. “Mind checking on my sprain before you turn in?” 

“Of course.” He helps her to the healer’s den. The kits follow them, worn out from their play.  

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[itcomeswhenwesleep]

Moon 4 

Green Leaf- Nighthawkflicker 

Part 1 

Hello, my name is Nighthawkflicker. Madtompaw handed this off to me to write in. I don’t know why. It’s not like there are any cats left to care about a dying clan. We haven’t seen the other clans at the borders, and aside from Bramble, we haven’t seen any kittypets.  

We also haven’t seen those creatures since we fled camp. Madtompaw thinks that the illness may have killed them. I think that’s optimistic; it’s more likely that they just have no reason to go far from camp.  

Our old camp was cozy. It was in one of those small two-leg dens with shelves. The highest one was where Eggstar called meetings... it was right above the apprentice den. I always felt safer knowing she was up there.  

Sleeping in a cave is not the same, especially not without Madtompaw. I had to steal some of her fur just to be able to sleep through the night.  

Only one more moon until she’s a warrior. It’ll be better once it’s her and me again. She’s been pushing me to make friends with the kittypet, but I see no reason. She’ll be gone at the first sign of real trouble.  

Speaking of trouble, Cowbirdsoar’s head has been acting up again. He’s been stuck up in his den all day with a migraine. And of course, Madtompaw is glued to his side. I’m not trying to be selfish, but it’s not safe to go out alone, and we need prey.  

Cowbirdsoar has ordered me to go hunting with Bramble instead. If she doesn’t get me killed I’ll finish documenting this moon.  

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[itcomeswhenwesleep]

Moon 4 

Green Leaf- Nighthawkflicker 

Part 2

TW FOR ANIMAL DEATH MENTION

The patrol with Brambleclash went better than I thought. She wasn’t a half-bad hunter and even managed to help me trap a gull. She has this idea to leave the mouse she caught on the sand. Then when the gull dove for it, I jumped on it. It fought me fiercely, but she hooked its wing, so I was able to break its neck before it could stab me.

She even offered to carry it back to camp for me. She had been nice, but I was not going to let her take credit for my kill. My pride led me to try to carry both the mouse and the gull back. I struggled all the way back to camp.

The hunt made me feel a bit softer towards her, though I will not say we are friends.

Cowbirdsoar recovered from his migraine by the time the sunset, and we all ate together. He and Brambleclash spent almost the entire time making eyes at each other.

That’s what it was like for the rest of the moon. We hunted, gathered some more herbs, and ate together.

It was almost like the before days. Me and Madtompaw even tried to plan her warrior name, now that she actually got the choice. Brambleclash even tried to suggest a name, but it was kind of a mouthful, Madtomjumper. I think Madtomswoop would suit her better. But in the end, it’s her choice.

We’re going out on a border patrol today, so hopefully she’ll get some inspiration.

I regret mentioning the infected. We saw them, or at least a trace of them, by the border. There was a tree, a young cypress. We used it to mark the border between our old and new territory. It was scratched, as if a cat had used it to sharpen their claws. But the claw marks were long, ragged, and deep. Brambleclash thinks that they’re dog or fox claws, but I know claws, these were made by a cat.

I’ll have to start patrolling at night, too. I will not risk losing my clanmates again.

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[itcomeswhenwesleep]

Moon 3

Green Leaf- Madtompaw

This moon has been tense. Brambleclash and Nighthawkpaw avoided each other. Which would be okay, if we weren’t such a small clan. I ended up having to patrol exclusively with Nighthawkpaw.

Well- now Nighthawkflicker. She named herself that as soon as the new moon hit.

Back to patrols, Cowbirdsoar tried suggesting that she join him. But she made this face like she licked mouse bile.

It was rude but I sort of understand it. I wouldn’t want to spend all moon hunting herbs either. Plus Brambleclash doesn’t seem to mind. She always seems happy to be around Cowbirdsoar.

Nighthawkflicker thinks they might end up mates. Which is ew, and I really hope not. He has enough to worry about already

Like just last patrol, Nighthawkflicker fell in the water again. She saw a dolphin while we were hunting. We had only really heard about them from the elders, so we were so excited to see one! She immediately took the fish we had caught and tried to lure it in.

That failed and she ended up falling in. The dolphin actually saved her! It was so cool to see it carrying her. I couldn’t stop grinning. She was so wet, but she was smiling too!

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[itcomeswhenwesleep]

Moon 9 Leaf-fall 

Part 3- Nighthawkflicker 

A week after the reveal, Cowbirdsoar pulls her aside.  

He’s more fidgety than usual as he sits in front of her. “Hey, Nighthawkflicker.” He tries to keep his tone light, but she can feel the nervousness radiating from him.  

His nerves were infectious. She tries to shake them off, and keep her tone level. But the words come out sharp. “What do you need?”  

He dips his ears back.  

She quickly mutters an apology. “How can I help?” She tried, softening her voice.  

His ears raise a little, but the tension still lingers. “I need a favor.” He pauses to collect himself. “I have to go gather some more moss and... I was wondering if you could watch the kits?”  

Nighthawkflicker blinks, then smiles.  The kits had been sort of an open secret for the clan. Not really a secret, but they rarely got to leave the heale’rs den. When he left, normally Brambleclash would watch them. But now... the grey molly purrs a little. He trusts me to watch his kits! Thank you, Starclan.  

“Of course, you can count on me.” She dips her head formally.   Cowbirdsoar responds with a similar gesture. He curls his tail around his leg. “I... guess I will be off then.” He turns and heads for the cave entrance.   She could see Brambleclash put her tail on him. She leaned against his ear, probably to soothe him. Then, they left.

Nighthawkflicker takes a deep breath to compose herself. I’m a trusted cat for the healer, for Cowbirdsoar! Focus Nighthawk, you need to calm down, not get more riled up.  

She exhales and pushes away her thoughts. She could celebrate later. For now, the kits needed her.  

 

The healer’s den was lively. Rhubarbkit was running around like a startled squirrel. 

“What’s going on?” Nighthawkflicker asks in her most authoritative voice.  

Rhubarbkit ignores her. She sighs and places her paw in front of the brown kit, stopping her in her path.  

“What gives?” The younger molly pouts at her.  

“I’m trying to figure out what’s going on.” 

“I’m hunting for a beetle!” She looks up and gasps with excitement. “Hold me up, so I can get it!”  

I could easily lift her, but what would Cowbirdsoar think? She shook her head. Instead, she sat on her haunches and rose up. She carefully knocks down the beetle, right onto Rhubarbkit.  

The kit squeals and carefully grabs it in her mouth. She runs over to her sister, who had buried herself under their nest. “Plumekit!”   The white molly just pushes her face further into the moss. Rhubarbkit, apparently not one to take no, lifts the moss up. Nighthawkflicker opens her mouth to reprimand her.  

But Plumekit beats her to it. She swats at her sister, dropping the beetle to the ground. Rhubarbkit lets out a gasp, the beetle’s leg still in her mouth. She gawks at her sleeping sister. Plumekit doesn’t even notice as Rhubarbkit gingerly lifts the beetle and walks out of the den.  

Nighthawkflicker glances back at Plumekit, before following Rhubarbkit out. She watches the kit carry the injured beetle right to the cave entrance, pushing it gently out. “Be safe.” She blows on it and it skitters out. 

Such a sweet kit. Nighthawkflicker sits down beside her, she places her tail on her back. “I’m sure the beetle will be alright.”  

Rhubarbkit paws at the floor. “Just... wish we kept it.”  

Ah. The grey molly smiles. “Well, we may not be able to keep that beetle, but I can make a pretty good moss beetle.”  

The younger molly looks up at her. “Really?” 

“Really.”  

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[itcomeswhenwesleep]

Two Time

A Fake Nighthawkflicker MAP

I love making fake MAP covers and this song just begged for it. Not really a song I associate with Nighthawkflicker, but I think its cute.

[itcomeswhenwesleep]

Art trade with @cowcowwow