Amberpaw had never been to the Burning Caves before, as new as they were, and the journey was hard. He was glad that Hyacinthclan territory was closer to it, even if their camp was still a good distance. He couldn't imagine what it must be like for Ferretclan and Weedclan to get their dead here, or would be like.
He didn't know if any cats had been taken to the Burning Caves before.
It was a long journey, and hard. Amberpaw was large and strong, though he was also shorter than both Yellowlily and Quietback, and hauling a body wasn't easy, either. Especially when Flintfur went cold and stiff, and Amberpaw felt terrible for every slide and slip after this happened.
Yellowlily made sure that Flintfur didn't slip from Amberpaw's and Quietback's shoulders and backs, for the most part, and it was a hard journey. Luckily, Yellowlily was carrying the conch and watchful.
Still, Amberpaw was surprised that the runners had managed to get the fire to the caves as quickly as they could have, though it had taken some tail-lengths of sun movement in reality, and a reason why they had been broken into teams with fresh sticks each time.
Night fell before they got there and though it felt wrong, it was too dark to continue, and Yellowlily insisted they stop.
"But... What if an Unseen comes?" Amberpaw said, looking at Flintfur's pelt.
"Only for a short time. You and Quietback need rest, or we aren't going to make it." Yellowlily assured him, adding, "And you can sense them, can't you? You'll be able to give us a warning."
Amberpaw nodded and they stopped in a sheltered area to hunt, rest their paws, and drink from a stream.
Amberpaw sat first watch, and he looked at Flintfur, covered in protection, matted with blood, and it felt wrong. He had couldn't remember when the clan had prepared Ashtalon and protection hadn't existed back then, but he knew what they did.
While he waited, he took the conch Yellowlily had left with him, and he submerged it in the stream. It was hard and clumsy, but it held just enough water after he had dragged it back, and he began to wash the protection and blood from Flintfur.
It was hard and several times Amberpaw dragged his body away from where it rested because of the mud puddle, but by the time Quietback and Yellowlily returned with prey, including some for Amberpaw, he was clean.
He glanced at the older warriors, feeling worried that they would scold him for what he had done, but they did not. Yellowlily nodded approvingly and Quietback thanked him, beginning to help him dry Flintfur.
They ate, rested, drank, and then moved on, Flintfur still stiff on their shoulders. It was slow progress and they watched the sky in fear of clouds, but no rainfall came. No Unseen, no rainfall, no anything that was concerning or worrying.
They arrived at the caves after sunrise and their presence was quickly noted, Aphidrise appearing after an unfamiliar cat disappeared into the Burning Caves.
He let out a pained cry when he saw Flintfur's body.
"Flintfur! What- What happened?!" Aphidrise cried, his eyes wide.
Amberpaw had never seen him so shocked, never heard him so loud- Aphidrise was so quiet and calm that half the time he forgot the cat was even there. Aphidrise had been very enthusiastic to volunteer to be a Firekeeper.
"Let's get in the cave first." Yellowlily said, drawing her tailtip over Aphidrise's flank.
He nodded, walking shakily with them, and the rest of the Firekeepers looked shocked when they entered. Everyone had known Flintfur and respected him, it seemed, and Amberpaw did his best to explain, even though he didn't want to.
The inside of the cave was hot, the fire burning bright and hot at the back, and a side tunnel smelled oddly damp, Stoneleaf emerging and letting out a cry of her own before Amberpaw got far in his explanation.
She nuzzled Flintfur and then leaned into Aphidrise, and Amberpaw lost track of the other cats, their names just not registering in his mind.
Two from each clan, ten cats in total, and they held their own, brief vigil for Flintfur, but then it was time.
Aphidrise and Stoneleaf picked up his body and took it to the pit of fire, heaving it in, and something in Amberpaw cringed. He didn't look, didn't want to see the flames swallowing Flintfur up, and then Aphidrise ran off. He came back with bright marigold flowers in his jaws and placed them near the edge of pit, along with hyacinth and periwinkles.
"What are the flowers for?" Amberpaw asked, tilting his head.
"A gift since we can't sit vigil. We decided it together." Aphidrise said, delicately picking up a marigold.
He tossed it into the flames and Stoneleaf did the same, as did the rest of the Firekeepers.
Amberpaw, Quietback, and Yellowlily did the same, Amberpaw picking up one of the purple hyacinths, so familiar to him, and tossing it toward the dark shape of Flintfur.
It landed and soon caught, and the thirteen cats stood on the edge of the fire, until the scent of burning flesh and the heat got to be too much.
Then the Firekeepers led them down the side tunnel, which was longer than expected, and Amberpaw was surprised to find a spring in a smaller cavern, surrounded by moss and a few patches of plants, likely due to the hole in the roof that allowed sunlight in.
They all settled down to rest and Amberpaw saw nests here, along with mossballs, and the flowers, too.
He curled up and took a deep breath, an overwhelming feeling of sadness and guilt filling him, though he knew Flintfur's death hadn't been his fault. One of them had been likely to die, and Flintfur had decided to take that into his own paws so that Amberpaw and Yellowpaw would live.
That was a warrior. That was a deputy. And Amberpaw knew he would do his best not only to live up to Ashtalon's legacy, but Flintfur's, too.
But for now, he listened to the gentle talk of the Firekeepers and curled up on the soft moss, letting himself grieve for Flintfur.
10/29/2025-10/31/2025
Flowers and meanings (in the language of flowers version I use):
#HappyFriday everyone! #Hope all is #Awesome! #Love the #angelstatue at #MommasGoden observing her #YellowLily! ✌💖✌ #Garden #Flowers #Beautiful (at Tenth Power NetworX) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByJQ01InHVl/?igshid=1d8usibbg8h1h
Hyacinthclan had a good realtionship with the seabirds. They always alerted them when something had washed up on the shore and it might be worth checking out, if it wasn't too rotten.
That was what the patrol was doing today, following the whirling specks of birds toward what could potentially be a good a find, their pelts stiff and sticky with Plumsong's experimental mixture to protect them against the rain. It made Yellowlily's skin itched, but if they could avoid what had happened to Flintfur, the deer, and the queen and kits Plumsong had found, she would happily smear herself with whatever the medicine cats shoved her way.
As they hiked over the slick and mossy dark rocks, past the Beach of Stars, past those sacred black sands, and yes, there were black sands beyond there, toward where they were going, but they were different.
"Do you smell that?" Quietback asked, tasting the air, and Yellowlily did.
The scent of meat and salt, a bit of rot to it, but if they were lucky, there would be something the whole clan could feast on tonight. Whatever washed up on the shore could sustain the clan for days, if they were lucky.
Excitedly, Pumapaw bounded ahead, her eager strides eating up the space quickly, and Yellowlily half-expected the apprentice to slip and twist her paw, but she did not. She reached the top of the rise and gasp.
"HUH! Great Starclan, what is it? Quietback, what is it?" she cried, which made the patrol pick up their pace.
Once there, Yellowlily let out a soft mrrow of laughter, remembering when she has brought Ashtalon to see a similar sight and the cat's shock and suspicion at the sight. She hadn't gotten to do the same with Aphidrise while he was still a 'paw, but she got to do it now.
"It's a whale, Pumapaw. It's a large creature that lives in the ocean, far far out. Occasionally, they wash up on the shore when they die. If we're lucky, we can harvest some of the meat." Yellowlily said, not adding she had once seen a whale, a small one, that had been alive.
It had died in the end, but it had been shocking to see it alive, and painful because it was helpless and there had been nothing she could do for it.
"Pumapaw, wait for the rest of the patrol." Yellowlily added when it looked like the apprentice was about to launch herself down the rocks.
"Yes, Yellowlily." Pumapaw said, looking down.
She would be a warrior sooner rather than later, and yet Pumapaw was still very much a kit in ways. There was nothing wrong with it, but sometimes, Yellowlily was afraid that Pumapaw was not ready to be a warrior. Of course, that was for her mentor to decide, so Yellowlily kept those opinions to herself.
They made their way down the beach to the enormous carcass, which had several pieces missing already. The skin was beginning to peel off, having been attacked by sea-dwelling creatures that wouldn't pass up a good meal any more than Hyacinthclan would, but it looked fresh.
"The clan will eat well tonight." Quietback said and Yellowlily nodded her agreement.
There was a feel of majesty around the whale, even dead, as they approached it, the cats so much smaller than it was, and as they approached, Yellowlily caught sight of more cats walking down the beach, a familiar scent catching her attention.
"Hail, Foggyclan." she called out.
Technically, this was Hyacinthclan territory, but when there was a whale to be had, a truce was forged between all the clans so they could partake in the meat, as there was more than enough to share.
"Well met, Yellowlily." the leader of the patrol, the Foggyclan deputy, Icywind, greeted in return.
Her patrol was somewhat larger, consisting of seven cats, but Foggyclan was a large clan and had a longer distance to cover.
Pumapaw watched the other clan suspiciously, but she kept her comments to herself, and as they approached the whale, Quietback's fur rose.
"Pumapaw, wait." he said as the apprentice went forward.
"Why?"
"Something is wrong." Quietback said, and then Yellowlily caught the scent, too.
Bitter, acrid, not something she usually associated with dead whales or anything else, and she didn't like it. They all approached cautiously and surveyed the whale carefully, and it was Aphidrise who found what found the odd thing.
There was a sticky, black substance on the whale in a few places, like it had swum through something, and none of them had ever seen anything like it before, even from Twolegs and their things.
"Is it safe?" Buzzardglide asked, tilting her head.
"The birds are eating it, and I don't see any dead ones." a Foggyclan warrior pointed out.
And that was a point. If it had been deadly, the birds would have either been avoiding it or there would have certainly been dead ones, as it was clear the whale had been being picked at for a few hours now.
So they approached the belly, where there were no black stains and something had already ripped into it, and as the two different clans began to work side-by-side, Icywind had a question.
"What is on your pelts?" he asked, looking them over quickly.
"A mixture our medicine cats made. It seems to work as a sort of protection against the rain." Quietback replied, and they explained as they worked on freeing the meat.
They hadn't been there long, however, when Yellowlily caught another scent on the wind and the birds all began to fly away, and she saw the clouds coming in.
"Another rainfall!" she called out, but there was no time to run for shelter, mainly because there was no place nearby to shelter.
No cave, no crevice, no overhang- Just an open stretch of beach and the waves.
They knew water could protect them, but no one could hold their breath for that long, and there was always the chance of getting dragged out to sea.
"Get under the flipper!" Yellowlily ordered and they all obeyed, dashing under the enormous limb and packing in together.
It worked, luckily, the rain not coming down at an angle when it hit, and they waited it out, seeing an unlucky bird or two hit the ground, looking like that deer, and Yellowlily shuddered to herself. These rains never lasted long, however, and it was over as soon as it started, and as soon as the sky lightened, they crept out.
The whale was fine, having been already dead, but the verdant green of the hills and cliffs had been ruined, though they had noted that plants tended to rebound quickly from the fall.
"What's in that mixture you have on?" Icywind asked, her voice trembling a little.
Quietback shared the information and while the rainfalls had tended to be far apart so far, no one was eager to stick around. Still, they had meat to retrieve, but just as they began to claw into the body, the ground began to shake, and cold washed over them, along with a scent that was foul and cold.
They all froze and then Yellowlily saw the huge prints being pressed into the sand. Big enough to belong to a bear, four of them appeared in the sand, like something was walking across it, but there was nothing there. Nothing to be seen, and yet the low growling and pawprints continued to appear, and a trail of smaller ones began to appear in the wake of the large ones.
Pumapaw gasped beside Yellowlily, fur fluffed up, and the prints suddenly scuffed in their direction, Yellowlily wrapping herself around Pumapaw and pressing her face into her fur. She held still, held her breath, and Pumapaw did the same.
The pawprints came closer and closer, stopping in front of them, and the chill that came with whatever was making them was shocking, but Yellowlily held still and prayed to Starclan that Pumapaw did the same.
To her surprise, they weren't sniffed or anything of the sort, and just when she thought her lungs would burst, the invisible thing moved on, heading away from all the cats, down the length of the huge corpse on the sand.
"No sound." Yellowlily signaled the others, putting her tail to her mouth.
It was a Hyacinthclan signal, but Foggyclan knew it too, and as it got further away, Icywind glanced at her patrol.
"Go for the hills. We're not staying here." she whispered and Yellowlily stiffened.
Breathy whispers were given to the Foggyclan patrol, but it was useless. The patrol began to sneak away, potentially leaving Hyacinthclan to their fate, but they didn't get too far. The ground shook beneath their paws and the prints suddenly began appearing faster, moving by Hyacinthclan, heading for Foggyclan. Yellowlily wanted to help. She did, but she would not risk her own clanmates for the foolishness of the others.
So they could only watch as the cats ran, streaking across the beach, and didn't make it. One of them- Yellowlily wasn't sure who- was snatched and lifted high into the air, screaming, writhing, wailing, fighting, and then-
Then it was over. In a spray of blood with the sound of crunching bones, the warrior was gone, body dropped to the sand, the smaller prints circling it.
Yellowlily could only watch in horror as the rest of the patrol was killed in a similar manner, a few shrieks letting them know that the... Thing... was hurt by those flailing claws, and she did glimpse Icywind and one other warrior pelting away, disappearing the way they had come, so the entire patrol wasn't lost.
They waited, the smell of blood reaching even where they were, and Pumapaw hid her face in Yellowlily's fur as the bodies began to be ripped apart.
Whatever was there was eating the fallen warriors.
They had no choice but to stay and as the bodies were ripped and consumed, Yellowlily felt sick.
It didn't last long.
The scent of blood was thick in the air and then-
There was an explosion, and it was like the world had been washed away, nothing to hear, nothing to see other than the cats right beside her, the body of the whale, and her own fur. Just gray beyond that, as if the world had been filled with a fluffy gray pelt, or fog that was thicker than even the massive banks that sometimes rolled in off the sea.
Yellowlily prayed that her warriors stayed still, stayed where they were, because those things could still be out there, they could still be lurking and waiting, and she could not let what had happened to Foggyclan happen to her clanmates.
And then, suddenly, it was all over. The gray lifted and the sky was clear when it was gone, a rainbow forming, and they all looked toward where the bodies had been.
Nothing, now. Nothing but pawprints and blood. Yellowlily ordered the patrol to stay where they were, but the feeling was gone, the cold was gone, and no new prints pressed into the sand.
She went and checked, but there was nothing. She examined the prints and they were odd. Like cat pawprints, but much bigger, if said cat had extra toes. But they were so big, all four sets, like a bear and her cubs.
"Get the meat, and then we go home." she called to her cats, because despite this tragedy, the clan was still relying on them for food.
And after this, there was no telling when the next patrol would be sent out.
Everyone but Quietback seemed dazed and began to obey her words, Yellowlily glancing around for Icywind and the other cat, but they were both long gone.
Quietback was staring at the waves, his fur on end, and Yellowlily looked, but there was nothing, and she glanced at him.
"What is it, Quietback?" she asked, her muscles coiling beneath her pelt.
"I- Nothing. Nothing, I promise." he said, but he seemed shaken.
Yellowlily looked, but there really was nothing. Still, she stood guard until the patrol was done, and then lead her cats home.
Jackdawnudge's pelt had had felt like it was constantly prickling ever since the meeting Goldstar had called, where Yellowpaw had confessed her nightmares. Amberleaf, too.
He knew, of course, what Quietback had seen, as Wasp had told him and Plumsong (Lester had accidentally been left out of the loop), and he knew it was what he had seen all those moons ago.
He still had not told anyone though, and he had hoped it was just something in his head, but then Quietback and now the two young cats... Jackdawnudge was afraid. Afraid for the clan, afraid for what could come, afraid of the thing in the ocean.
He had been a warrior long before he had been a medicine cat, and he knew that fear was natural. But he had never felt this afraid before.
He kept his worry and his fears to himself, though he had caught Plumsong eyeing him from time to time, and he just hoped Starclan was warning them of a possibility, not something that was most certainly going to happen.
That... Thing... Was more terrifying to Jackdawnudge than the rain, the Unseen, and the Silencings, if he was being honest. Those, they were learning to handle and, with patience and practice, could hopefully live with. This monster lurking somewhere, waiting to rise, possibly even already here... It made his pelt prickle and made him question every shadow, every dark spot, he saw by the water.
Tonight, Jackdawnudge couldn't sleep quite yet, and he slipped from the den, seeing that Tumbledaisy was acting as rainwatcher again. She had been happy for the job; being blind meant hunting and patrolling was rather difficult for her, and she had absolutely no desire to be a medicine cat. She had received training so that she could patrol and hunt, of course, but in the end it still proved to be a difficulty. Jackdawnudge knew that his daughter felt useful taking that watch, even if it meant she slept during the day and often missed some things until late in the day.
Sighing quietly, Jackdawnudge drew the night air into his lungs, glad that Plumsong, Wasp, and Lester had gone to the half-moon meeting without him. He wasn't sure if he would have been able to handle it this time around and he needed to get himself together, but he had not felt like this in a long time.
He sat in the clearing, gazing up at the half moon, and, eventually, Yellowlily emerged from the den.
"Couldn't sleep?" she asked and Jackdawnudge shook his head.
"Me neither." Yellowlily said and drew her tail gently down his side.
"Want to go for a walk? It's a clear night." she asked next and Jackdawnudge had to admit, that sounded nice.
They didn't coat themselves in protection, though Yellowlily did take a conch, and they went for a walk, toward the Beach of Stars. Jackdawnudge felt a little wary of going close to the ocean, but there was something about Yellowlily that immediately made him feel calmer and more settled than he had in days. He had always found her a calming presence, even before they had shared a clan together, and he never minded when she was his escort after he had become a warrior. Even if they didn't often talk during those patrols, just the pleasure of her company made it easier.
Jackdawnudge knew he wasn't a particularly warm cat, that even with his own kits he hadn't been particularly affectionate or anything like that, but he did still love them, even if they were stupid furballs half the time. Same with his grandkits, and his clanmates. Yellowlily always seemed to be the one who didn't mind how prickly he might or how sharp his tongue, or how unwilling he was to up with the antics of the younger cats.
They sat on the cliff overlooking the Beach of Stars and there was no sign of anything strange, anything deadly, no clouds or scent of rainfall, they looked up at the stars.
They didn't talk about Starclan, as Jackdawnudge thought they might, what with the Beach right there. Instead, Yellowlily started pointing out stars and tracing shapes with her paw. Jackdawnudge did the same, arguing slightly with her as they pointed out constellations. The clans they had both been born in had had different constellations and stories, and Hyacinthclan had sort of blended them together, though there were still debates among the founders.
"No, that one is the Grand Oak." Jackdawnudge argued, tracing the trunk and the branches with his paw.
"We always called it the Life River. It all flows together before branching off to bring water to the entire world." Yellowlily said, snorting softly.
"It is a tree." Jackdawnudge insisted, unable to understand who in the world would think that was a river.
Of course, with the majority of their founders having come from Oleanderclan, the stories of Thistleclan were not as well known, the same with the stories of Basilclan and Lavenderclan. But at least those clans had had the sense to recognize the constellation as a tree.
"You have your star story, and I have mine." Yellowlily said and he let out a soft mrrow of laughter.
It was good, sitting here with her, pointing out constellations and swapping stories, his worries melting away, but, eventually, as Yellowlily told him the story of the Starry Magpie (which it was not, it was the Swooping Jay), Jackdawnudge eyed her.
"Why did you ask me to take a walk with you tonight, Yellowlily?" he asked, because the request had been an odd one.
"I enjoy your company, you old furball." Yellowlily said, bumping him firmly.
Then she looked him directly in the eyes.
"And I would like to enjoy it for the rest of the moons Starclan has given us, and in those starry skies, too." she added and it took Jackdawnudge a moment to realize what she meant.
"Are you asking me to be your mate, Yellowlily?" he asked, ears pricking.
"If you'll have me." Yellowlily replied.
"I recall you asking the same of Plumsong not too long ago, and being rejected." Jackdawnudge said tentatively.
His feelings toward Plumsong were... Complicated. He knew the other tom had always been bitter toward him in some manner, for taking over as medicine cat when he had been sick, and for often being the one the clan went to despite him being senior only in age.
"I did. But you can love more than one cat at a time, Jackdawnudge. And just because I fancy Plumsong doesn't mean I feel any less about you. If both of you were agreeable, I'd have you both as my mates and in my nest. Does it bother you?" Yellowlily said bluntly and Jackdawnudge admittedly appreciated the honesty.
"No." he said after thinking about it.
He did love Yellowlily. They had never courted, certainly, and he wasn't very good at that sort of thing, had given up when he had been a young warrior after a few blundered attempts, and while he did love her, he had never thought to ask her to be his mate. They were old now, after all, and their little clan had gone through so much. Then he had adopted his litter and then Gillfeather had found hers and everything else.
"Do you have an answer for me?" Yellowlily asked, and Jackdawnudge was surprised to see a little fear in her eyes.
She was worried about him saying no.
"Yes, I'll be your mate." Jackdawnudge answered and she butted her head against him, purring.
He purred back and licked her head, and they curled up together, conch set aside, looking up at the stars, watching the waves. It was just... Lovely. Peaceful. Jackdawnudge could have fallen asleep here, but that was dangerous, and Yellowlily nudged him when she caught him falling asleep.
"Up you get, you silly old tom. There are nice nests waiting back at camp." she said, smoothing his pelt with a few quick strokes of her tongue.
Sighing heavily, Jackdawnudge untangled himself from her, and grabbed the conch. Together, they padded back to camp, taking the unnecessarily long route just so they could enjoy the stars for a little longer, and they encountered a surprising sight when they were almost back to camp.
They had been out much later than Jackdawnudge had thought, because Plumsong, Wasp, and Lester were returning, and not only that, in each of their jaws they carried a kit.
Newborns, all of them little bundles, two with white fur with dark markings too hard to make out in the moonlight, the other dark with white, and they were mewling pitifully for milk.
Wasp saw them and set her little bundle down.
"Dead loner on the way. Kitting was too hard her. They're mine now." she said briskly, surprising him, and then picked up the kit again.
She continued on her way and Jackdawnudge and Yellowlily exchanged a look, following the group back to camp.
