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The Rise of WillowClan

Fernstar: WillowClan Camp

Lifting her head, Fernstar purred as she addressed her Clan. "Blackpelt has had a vision of the Moonpool and we begin our journey a dawn. Brambletail will be responsible for organizing patrols and daily camp activities in my absence. The highest priority is to make sure no one gets hurt while Blackpelt is away, as we do not have a medicine cat apprentice. I do not know how long the journey will be, and I will ask StarClan to watch over the camp." Glancing back at Blackpelt as she jumped down from the tree stump, she padded towards the fresh kill pile, grabbed a mouse and headed towards her den. She needed to get all the sleep she could before her journey. Her paws were itching with excitement and her mind was racing as she imagined what her visit with StarClan would be like. As she drifted off to sleep, she re-ran through all the normal camp tasks to make sure everything would be okay while she was away. Among all the excitement, leaving her Clan behind without a medicine cat make her pelt prickle. . .

The Rise of WillowClan

Hey guys. I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm still around but I probably won't get around to posting for a few days. I am in the middle of the trip from California to Oregon and I am moving into my brand new apartment in 2 days, which means unloading a giant Uhaul and lots of exhaustion. Look for a post within the next 4 days or so

The Rise of WillowClan

Fernstar: WillowClan Camp

Upon emerging from the elder's den, she was pleased to see her warriors had returned from their patrols. Maplestream and Blackpelt were able to help her complete most of the work in padding the dens, and glancing over at the fresh kill pile, she let out a purr of amusement, it looked like her Clan would not grow hungry while she was away. But as she neared the medicine den, she spotted Spidernose and Duskwing outside, looking concerned. Padding towards them, they told her about Moosepaw's twisted paw and Sunfur's snake bite. Although she was confident in her medicine cat's abilities, she still felt the need to go check on her injured cats. Quietly brushing through the den's entrance, she sat down next to Moosepaw and glanced at his paw, which he was holding above the ground cautiously. "Catching that rabbit isn't something just any apprentice could do. I take it your hunting training is going well. The only thing you have left to learn is how to stay steady on those big paws of yours." She grinned at Moosepaw as she padded towards Sunfur laying in another nest a few tail lengths away. "How bad is the bite?" She said flattening her ears with concern. "You're one of our strongest warriors and our hunting patrols can't be short right now." Not wanting to seem insensitive, she ran her tail over Sunfur's shoulders comfortingly and sighed. "I hope it heals soon. Let me fetch you something from the fresh kill pile, you deserve it." Grasping the groundhog Sunfur had caught in her jaws, she padded back into the medicine den and laid it next to his nest. Giving him one last reassuring grin, she turned and padded out of the den and towards the center of camp. I have to address my Clan. . .

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join in the center of camp for a Clan meeting!" She jumped to the top of the tree stump in the center of camp and waited for her Clanmates to gather underneath it. To her surprise, Moosepaw and Sunfur made their way to the medicine den entrance, their gaze intent and sharp despite their injuries. After all cats had gathered, she shook out her pelt and continued with a strong meow, "Something of great importance has been called to my attention, and it is something that you all should know. Blackpelt, come stand with me. Tell your Clanmates about your vision, and what has to be done next."

The Rise of WillowClan

Sorry I've been MIA the last few days guys. I've been spending time with my Dad before I move and I haven't been on the internet that much. I'm back now though!

The Rise of WillowClan

Sunfur: WillowClan Medicine Den

Sunfur winced as he flopped down onto the cold floor of the medicine den and his injured paw pressed against the ground. He glanced around the medicine, drawing in the smell of herbs and berries he knew nothing about. I hope Blackpelt has the right herbs for my paw. I couldn't tell if that snake was poisonous. . . After catching his breath, he noticed that Moosepaw was also being treated, holding his paw cautiously above the ground waiting for Blackpelt to retrieve the correct herbs. His paw was swollen and he could feel a warm stinging sensation in his foreleg. As painful as the bite had been, he was glad he had caught the snake; if it was going to bite him, his Clanmates could bite into it now. Despite the dangerous situation with the border patrol, and the two injuries, the hunting patrol had managed to bring back multiple pieces of prey and the Clan would not go hungry tonight. After his paw was healed, he would have to make it a point to bring a piece of fresh kill to Spidernose. He would never have made it back to camp if it weren't for her.

Turning his attention to Blackpelt, he seemed. . . distant? Maybe that was just the medicine cat way. Twitching his ears he sat up in his nest and meowed amusedly, "Hey Blackpelt, should I expect to be treated before I expire and walk among StarClan?"

The Rise of WillowClan

Sunfur: Hunting Patrol

Sunfur lapped at his foreleg trying to curb the bleeding, worry flowing through his pelt as he hoped the snake that bit him wasn't poisonous. Leafbare had made it hard for Blackpelt to find herbs and he wasn't sure the Clan had the herbs to treat a snake bite. He glanced up at Spidernose who was shifting around anxiously not knowing what to do. "I can most likely get back to camp if you could support the side I was bitten on. Three of my paws still work after all." He tried to muster a grin to reassure Spidernose that is might not be as bad as she thought. "Someone will come have to come back for the snake though. We can't afford to waste prey, not to mention it's against the Warrior Code. He leaned against Spidernose's side and hopped along with his good paws. As they passed a small section of forest where the trees thinned, Sunfur heard a yowl in the distance and jerked his head in the direction of the noise, ears pricked and eyes watchful. He wondered if what he had heard was trouble, or just Duskwing scolding her apprentice for missing a piece of prey or getting himself hurt. He hast a worried and confused glance towards Spidernose and asked "Should we go see what that is?"

The Rise of WillowClan

Maplestream: WillowClan Territory

Maplestream shivered against the damp spray from the rushing rapid as it misted against her pelt. It was cold enough already without being damp to make it worse. Fernstar had asked her to help strip the dens of old bedding and dispose of it into the rapids like usual. She would gather more moss and bracken on her way back for the warrior's and apprentice's den. She would have rather been out hunting but she was in such a deep sleep that she had missed the morning call. She sighed and realized it was her own fault; it wouldn't happen again. As she noded her way past the tall grass that bordered the banks of the rapid, she disturbed a mouse from it's digging in the dirt and it darted away, too fast for Mapleshade to catch it. Not to mention she didn't want to risk falling into the rapids. No cat would survive that. . . As she pushed the last of the old moss and fern leaves over the edge, she turned and made her way towards the trunk of an oak tree where she could see moss growing thick on one side. She stood on her hind paws and began shredding the trunk with her claws ans the moss fell in bunches at her feet. It was soft and dry and hope bounced in her heart as she thought what it would be like sleeping in fresh warm bedding tonight. She began clumping the moss into a large pile and filled her jaws with as much as she could carry in one trip. As she padded closer to camp, her ears pricked and her pelt bristled as she heard what sounded like hissing in the distance. Tucking the moss close to the roots of a nearby tree, she sprinted in the direction of the commotion.

Exploding through the undergrowth, Maplestream's eyes widened in horror as she saw Stormheart, Hawkpaw and Brambletail circling around a fox, avoiding it's snapping jaws and getting frenzied blows in where they could. Two warriors and an apprentice wasn't enough to drive a fox from the territory. Should she try to help on her own, or race back to camp to get help from the others? Thoughts racing, she had an idea. Darting as fast as she could towards the fox, she gathered all the strength she could from her hindquarters and leaped onto the fox's shoulders digging all four paws in as hard as she could and sunk her teeth into the fox's ear, shaking her head back and forth vigorously. The fox spun in circles desperately trying to throw her off, but Maplestream was ready and jumped away landing beside Stormheart. Darting beneath the fox's belly, she raked her claws along it's underside to distract it and make it turn it's back towards the rest of the patrol. Yowling above the fox's growl she flashed her gaze towards her Clanmates. "KEEP FIGHTING! But while you're at it, yowl as loud as your lungs will let you! We have to be loud enough to attract the attention of the hunting patrol! With four more cats to help us, the fox won't stand a chance!" Baring her teeth and swiping at the fox's muzzle, she hoped Duskwing and the rest of the hunting patrol would hear their cries for help.

The Rise of WillowClan

Sunfur: Hunting Patrol

Sunfur shook his head, a bit irritated that he couldn't scent any prey on the land around them, but only the fish in the stream. He had nosed his way through the undergrowth that grew beside the stream banks, in between tree roots and surveyed the branches of the leafless trees nearby. No cat would stand a chance of catching birds with no leaf cover to hide behind. Birds are way too quick when they already know you're there Sunfur thought with annoyance. "Maybe we should head back towards Moosepaw and Duskwing to see if prey is running on their patch of land, because there certainly isn't anything here" He said padding towards Spidernose. "No point in wandering around not using our paws for something." He gestured with his tail for Spidernose to follow him as he padded back in the direction he came. Gazing up at the sky, he noticed that the sun had emerged from behind the clouds and was beaming down soft sunlight upon the frozen ground. He couldn't wait for the sun to melt the snow so he and his Clanmates could stretch out in the center of camp and enjoy the warmth. It had been way too long since he had been able to sun himself and just relax. Keeping his Clanmates fed and warm during leafbare was difficult, but it also meant that he could depend on somecat other than himself, and he was grateful.

Being lost in his thoughts, he wasn't paying attention to where he was putting his paws and suddenly felt the snow shift under his paws and felt a large pile of dirt underneath. Before he could remove his paw, he felt a a stabbing pain in his foreleg. Wailing in surprise and pain, he forcefully removed his paw from the fallen snow and noticed a snake burst from the pile of snow and slither quickly towards the undergrowth nearby the banks of the stream. Seizing his opportunity, he used all the force he could muster from his hindquarters and launched towards the snake. The snake didn't hear him coming and Sunfur was able to slam his paw down on it's head with his claws unsheathed, killing it quickly. Noticing the pain in his leg again, he slumped over and began licking the blood from the puncture wound. Even though he was hurt, he was relieved that the snake hadn't gotten away and that he was able to catch another piece of prey for the Clan. I need to get back to camp now and go see Blackpelt for some herbs. I don't know if that snake was poisonous or not. . .

The Rise of WillowClan

Fernstar: WillowClan Camp

Fernstar admired her medicine cat for keeping such good track of the herbs the Clan would need, but she wondered where they would find them all. With the snow covering almost every inch of ground and the harsh winds tearing through undergrowth, she worried if the herbs they would need survived this long into leafbare. Remembering the task she had set herself to do this morning, she stood, arched her back and politely asked, "When you're done getting the traveling herbs together, do you think you could help Maplestream and I re-pad the den walls? She is removing the old padding right now but new plant material needs to be collected and weaved into the bracken walls. Gathering moss would be helpful." Padding towards the den entrance, she meowed to Blackpelt, "We will leave tonight after the hunting patrols have come back with prey and the border patrol returns. After the dens are padded again, the camp should be well kept enough for us to be gone one night. I will be removing old bedding from the dens with Maplestream, so please bring all the moss you can find back to camp." Exiting the medicine den and emerging into the center of camp, Fernstar spotted Maplestream placing all the old moss and fern leaves from the warriors den in a large pile beside her. Without saying a word, she padded into the apprentice's den and begun doing the same. The moss smelled musty and unpleasant from the dampness of snow and extensive use. Merl will be happy she gets a new nest, I can hear her complaints already. I'll go there next. When the pile had gotten large enough, she instructed Maplestream to dispose of the old bedding by dumping it off a nearby gorge into one of the large rushing rapids. It was a very quick and convenient way to dispose of it all, and wasn't that far from camp.

She couldn't help all the feelings of excitement, nervousness and questions mulling around in her head about visiting the cats from StarClan. All the stories she had heard about cats of legendary importance to the old Clans, and they had deemed her worthy of StarClan's blessing and the nine lives of a leader. Her paws itched to get going to the Moonpool, but she knew for now she had to focus on her duties in camp. After the apprentice's den was stripped bare, she piled the old bedding by the camp entrance for Maplestream to dispose of next and padded towards the elders den. I wonder how Merl is doing with this cold? Maybe Blackpelt could give her some chamomile after I re-pad her nest to give her some warmth. Although her attitude was gruff most of the time, Fernstar could see how grateful Merl was to have her Clanmates around; and she shared the elder's gratitude. It was because of Merl the Clan had Brambletail, who was such a strong deputy. She wished the hunting patrol would return soon so she could offer the elder she-cat some prey. StarClan let them come back with prey to fill my cat's bellies. . .

The Rise of WillowClan

Sunfur: Hunting Patrol

Sunfur stared intently at the rushing water in the river, straining his eyes to see any fish that might swim by. It was the only prey he didn't know how to catch and he was determined to find some kind of technique to do so. Fish were large animals that could comfortably feed multiple cats at once, and that was exactly what the Clan needed right now. He had tried so many ways to catch one, but nothing had ever panned out. He had even tried swimming in the stream to catch them. Where are our RiverClan ancestors when we need them? Those cats could teach the entire Clan how to catch fish and swim to new reaches of their territory. Seeing something reflect against the sun in the water, Sunfur unsheathed his claws and slammed his paw through the water aiming at the center of the fishes' body. Splashing water everywhere, he scratched the fishes' back but it was too fast for him to sink his claws in. "Mouse dung!" Shaking his fur out, he turned away from the stream and padded towards the roots of a large oak tree turning his gaze upward to spot any potential birds. Sadly, he heard nor scented anything. Looks like a groundhog is all I'm good for today. Lashing his tail in annoyance he started making his way back towards the rest of the patrol, being sure to remain quiet as not to alert any prey items scuttling in the undergrowth.