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[Wolfstar]

The five cats watched from their hiding spots, watching as the clan cats quieted down to hear their leaders speak.

~~Time Speak~~


The Gathering had gone well, and the five clans had gone back to their territories. Soul stretched his limbs as he walked out of the lavender he was hiding in. He watched as his friends did the same from their own spots. As he was about to walk over to them, a faint mewling reached his ears. The tom froze, hearing the sound repeatedly. Soul looked towards the direction the sound came from, and started walking towards the area. The edge of the Gathering Island was where he found the source, under a briar bush. He grimaced at the bush, but looked under to see a kit. His eyes widened at the sight of the kit. Frail, nearly as skinny as a twig, and… Odd looking. He reached forward and picked the kit up by the scruff, seeing that the kit was merely a couple of days old. Soul padded back with the kit, calling Hawk over as he couldn't see the other three. The tom walked over, before narrowing his eyes at the strange ball of fur.


“What is that?” questioned Hawk, looking at the kit before looking back at Soul.
“A kit! Someone must have brought it here! We need to return her!” He said, watching as his friend returned his gaze to the kit.
“She was left here for a reason, Soul. She isn't wanted! Put her-
“I’ll raise her then. Every kit deserves a chance,” Soul was content with his decision, and wanted Hawk to help raise the kit. The black and white marked tom was determined to raise the kit, knowing that he has always wanted to do so, yet he never had a chance since Briarthorn fell into the gorge.
“You? Raising a kit by yourself?”
“Why do you think I'm asking you?”
“Are you serious Soul!? Look at this kit! No tail, small, her pelt, she’s odd!” Hawk was dumbfounded, wondering why his friend was asking him to help raise the kit instead of Sun or Dew.
“Then her name shall be Oddkit! Come on Hawk...”
“Ergh, fine, but you owe me Soul!” The brown tom wondered how his friend actually convinced him to help raise the kit with not many words. Overall though, Hawk was happy that Soul can actually, and finally, raise a kit.

[Shadow Sharpfang]

(I donno what I should post XD)

[Wolfstar]

(Meant to put time-skip at the end of that. Well, where should we skip to?)

[Shadow Sharpfang]

(Hmm, perhaps your guys could meet up with some of mine over the course of the next week or so, to make things a bit more interesting before they leave?)

[Wolfstar]

(That sounds good. The two I'm going to find to be amusing are Burningsky and Soul, since they're both Ashclanners, or Soul and Mintpaw. I'm not sure really. Which characters do you think should meet over the next week?)

[Shadow Sharpfang]

(I agree with the two Ashclanners meeting up. We could have more than one going at once though, so maybe someone else can have a run in with one of the apprentices?)

[Wolfstar]

(Either Hawk or Storm. Sun and Dew would do well with meeting one of the warriors. So Hawk and Mintpaw, then Storm and Hollowpaw?)

[Shadow Sharpfang]

(Okay! And perhaps Sun and Dew could get to know Dawnscar or Icepetal later on. Are we good to skip, then?)

[Wolfstar]

(Yeah. Which one of us should start?)

[Shadow Sharpfang]

(I will, but I'm not sure which characters I should be using. Burningsky, Mintpaw, and Hollowpaw, is it?)

[Wolfstar]

(That's alright with me, we may do the other character interactions later. I'll be using Soul, Hawk (with Oddkit), and Storm (?))

[Shadow Sharpfang]

(Yep, that sounds good! I had half my post ready on my laptop already, but I guess I'll have to start over now. T-T)

Mintpaw had the day off from training that day. She had been working hard to get ahead in preparation for her departure, and this was her rewards. She pranced out of camp with her head high and tail in the air, flaunting her privilege to the other apprentices. "Haha, you guys all have to work," she muttered under her breath as she slipped out of the entrance and into the territory. Upon exiting, though, she realized she didn't actually have anything planned to do, so she decided to roam for the time being and just enjoy the free time she had on her paws.

Burningsky had attempted to disregard her responsibilities the past few days, but after some scolding and an unpleasant knock on the head, she relented. Upon conceding she was given a wealth of tasks, partly to make up for what she didn't do, and partly just as punishment. She groaned as she wandered about, searching for a thick, broad leaf with which to carry herbs in. "I'm not a medicine cat, why do I have to look for stupid plants? Those birdbrains, don't they realize I don't even know what I'm looking for?" she grumbled quietly as she searched.

Hollowpaw was sitting by a thin stream, looking into the water as he pondered over something or other. The water reflected his featured and distorted them until he wondered if that really was his own face he was looking at, or merely some strange apparition in the water. He was thinking so hard about whatever popped into his head that he turned out the world around him, which wasn't uncommon for him to do. In fact, it was more rare that he was actually paying attention to his surroundings.

[Wolfstar]

Hawk was chasing a kit through Oakclan territory, and he was running as fast as he could to catch the kit too. "Oddkit! Get back here! Hey-" he stepped on a large pebble and stumbled before resuming the chase. "The things I do to keep that ash rabbit happy!" He eventually was able to get in front of her and stop her, angered and amused as the kit giggled. Hawk relaxed as his gaze drifted to a lavender bush, happy that the bush was there. Otherwise, he might have carried the kit by her stub of a tail for the rest of the day.

"What exactly are you looking for?" Soul asked from a tree, walking along the branches as he followed Burningsky. "I may help, my uncle was a medicine cat. Pretty good one too, might I add," his expression held no emotion as he followed. He made sure he didn't fall or loss his step as he walked among the branches and leaped onto branches from other trees.

Storm had sat down across the stream from Hollowpaw. He was silent, until he started humming a small tune. The tune itself was calm and peacefully, it even seemed that the small breeze carried his tune as he hummed. He had nothing to think about at the moment, even though memories from the journey kept going to and fro in his mind. Storm paid no attention to the memories, remembering when he was more brighter and happier during those times.

[Shadow Sharpfang]

Mintpaw heard talking and footsteps and she paused, looking around. "Hey, is someone there?" She called, padding toward the source of the sound. She didn't smell any scents she recognized. Did that mean there was an intruder? Intrigued by the idea, her tail began to swish and she lowered her body to the ground, moving forward in a stealthy crawl, planning to pounce on anything that moved.

"Urk." Burningsky looked up. "Oh, it's you." She eyed Soul for a few long moments before moving along. "I can't remember what I needed. I didn't think they seriously expected me too." She searched her memory for bits and pieces of the lecture she had been given before she left. "Uh... There was some kinda root, and something gold, and maybe something prickly. No, that's not right." Irritated, she sat down with a thump. "Agh, I just don't know."

Preoccupied as he was, the sweet, soft humming pricked at the edge of Hollowpaw's senses and he lifted his head, unsure if the sound bothered him or calmed him. He didn't notice Storm for a few minutes as he listened, but when he did, he blinked. "Oh. Hello," he meowed, recognizing the cat quite easily as one of the five he was to be travelling with.

[Wolfstar]

Hawk stiffened and pushed Oddkit into the lavender bush. "Here's a lesson, Oddkit. This is for sneaking, stay in there and be quiet. I'll let you know when you can come out. You'll also get to see me attack another clan cat, you know how they are." When he received a nod from her, he rubbed himself against the lavender bush and hid underneath another, waiting for the clan cat to appear.

Soul thought as he jumped down from the tree. "Comfrey root... goldenrod... and stinging nettle?" he asked, tilting his head to the side, trying to remember all of the herbs the tom had used when he was still considered a clan cat. (Thank you Enter the Clans book-)

The tune faded, and Storm returned the greeting. "Hello Hollowpaw. What brings you out to the stream today?" he asked, his gaze on the apprentice for a few moments before he looked back at the stream. "A day like this one I used to know in my prime, although that was moons ago," he chuckled.

[Shadow Sharpfang]

Mintpaw couldn't see or smell anything so, with a huff, she straightened again and plopped her rear onto the ground. "Hm, I guess I'm hearing things? That's weird." She got up again and looked around, just to be sure. Then she continued plodding along, pausing on her way to admire a colourful beetle's wings.

Burningsky listened, thinking. "Mm, I really don't know, but maybe. Know where I can find those, Raccoon? Oh, and I also needed some of that one they give to the nursing queens, know the one?" She paused mid-step and placed her front paws on the truck of a tree. "Do you see that leaf up there, the big one? I want it." She wasn't inherently bad at climbing, but she was too lazy, and perhaps too proud, to attempt it.

Hollowpaw also looked back down at the stream. "The sound of the water helps me think," he answered, sticking his paw into the current, causing his reflection to disperse. It was cold. He removed his paw and licked it dry. Then he gazed up at Storm again. "And why are you here?"

[Wolfstar]

Hawk stalked forward from the bush, looking around before standing up. He walked away from the lavender bush, before catching a familiar scent. "I know that one. Oddkit, stay where you are," he ordered before walking off. Soon enough, he found Mintpaw. "You're pretty loud, and seem to ignore what you've heard rather quickly," he said, sitting down.

"Borage is what they give to queens," he responded. Soul looked up the tree, spotting the leaf and ignoring the nickname. "Go get it if you want it then. Why do you want it anyway?" he asked. The question seemed to confuse, yet interested him. The last time he heard a cat wanting a leaf was when one of the kits had spotted a large leaf and wanted it.

"Thought I would go for a swim, since I used to be a Birchclan warrior," he looked up again at Hollowpaw. "Then I found you... I used to remember when the river would run fast, not as fast to be swept away, but enough for the challenge. It was fun to relax in the calmer streams during Green-leaf, it beat the hot sun, and kept you cool for awhile."

[Shadow Sharpfang]

Mintpaw looked over her shoulder and mewled in surprise when she saw Hawk. "O-oh! You! Hi!" She wasn't sure how safe she felt around the scary tom so she backed up a little, scaring the beetle away. "Well, I kinda figured it was nothing because I couldn't smell anything. That's all." She was sidetracked as the beetle buzzed in a circle around her face before the wind carried it away.

Burningsky huffed. "Can't you get it?" she asked, rearing up onto her hind paws so she could get a closer look at it. "I want it so I can carry the plants in it. I don't want them in my mouth, they're probably gross." A childish assumption, but she wasn't a very mature feline.

"Was there ever a drought during green-leaf?" Hollowpaw wondered, unable to fathom how the Birchclan cats would have managed with their water sources dried up. Then he moved on from that topic and said, "It's odd how the clans have different talents. Birchclan cats are born with the resources they need to swim. Thick pelts, strong legs, am I right? Oakclan cats are supposed to be strong climbers, but I was never fond of scaling trees, if I'm being honest. I never quite knew where to put my paws."

[Wolfstar]

"That's because I hid my scent with lavender. Most cats use lavender when they want to ambush another, or just being upwind of their target," he responded. Hawk looked around before standing up again. "Let's go back to the lavender bushes, it'll be hard to explain if you're spotted with me. Alright?"

"You have four legs, you have claws, get it yourself," Soul responded. He sat down and kept looking up the tree. "Besides, it's better to climb a tree than getting down and up from the ravine." The thought of the ravine made him stiffen.

"I've wondered about climbing myself when I was young. Climbing one for the first time was odd for me, it's an Oakclan specialty I guess," Storm scratched his side. "Oakclan being the clan of the climbers and brave. Willowclan of the fast and peaceful. Birchclan of the swimmers and loyal. Cedarclan of the sly and tough. Ashclan of the tunnelers and mysterious lastly."

[Shadow Sharpfang]

Mintpaw nodded. "Oh, that makes sense! I'll have to remember that!" she said, excited to learn this new technique. "Okay, let's go!" She hopped to her paws and started padding towards the sweet-smelling bushes, apparently forgetting to be cautious.

Burningsky sighed. "Oh, fine. But you have to help me find those herbs, alright? I have no idea where to even begin looking!" She readied herself and jumped, clinging to the trunk. From there, she scurried up the tree. She was far from being nimble as a squirrel, but she was efficient enough. She snatched the leaf she wanted, careful not to tumble out of the branches, and then she inched her way back to the ground, one paw at a time, until the ground was below her.

"Out of everyone, I envy the Ashclanners the least. Tunnelling sounds like a frightening thing. The world around you could collapse and you'd be left for dead. But I suppose that's why they train. They're good at what they do." He pawed at the water some more, watching as the light reflected off of the ripples in odd ways. "What do you think?"