Cat OCs please, and no one word responses. Have fun!

Ryefeather(recently recovering from said disease): *watching the gathering from a farther distance, licking his paw*

*a skinny Windclan app bounded over, followed by a pretty a Riverclan app and a cat who looked like her brother*
Rabbitpaw: hey! What’s going on? Where’re Briarstar and Scorchwing?
Minnowpaw: why’s your medicine cat sitting with the leaders?
Ripplepaw: *shyly* is Jaypaw ok? He’s all alone

Ryefeather: *yawns* "What are you...Oh...Scorchwing and Briarstar...Have joined the ranks of Starclan..."

Rabbitpaw, Minnowpaw: What?! *The three apprentices looked shocked, eyes wide in disbelief. Ripplepaw looked back at Jaywing, eyes filled with sympathy*
Ripplepaw: poor Jaypaw. he must be feeling awfully alone . . . *Minnowpaw turned to her litter mate disapprovingly*
Minnowpaw: didn't you say he talks to himself though? that doesn't sound like someone who's alone *the pretty she-cat tossed her head and looked back at Ryefeather* so you're med-cat is now your leader?

Ryefeather: *nods* "Yes...We were struck with illness..."

Rabbitpaw: *nervously* b-but it’s gone now, r-right? Nobody else is gonna get it, right?
Minnowpaw: calm down, Rabbitpaw. It would have to pass between either Thunderclan or us before it reaches your clan
Ripplepaw: are you alright Ryefeather?

Ryfeather: "Right enough...Still recovering.."

Rabbitpaw: *Nervously* r-recovering?! *a tall Windclan warrior came over, her dappled torbi coat shining in the pale moonlight*
Wildflower: what’s all this? Are you bothering a warrior with questions, Rabbitpaw? *Minnowpaw and Ripplepaw snickered to themselves at the sight before freezing as another voice came from behind them*
Foxclaw: and what’re you two laughing at? *the Riverclan deputy looked at the two apps, who bowed their heads and looked away. Wildflower and Foxclaw shared a look before moving to usher their apps away. Wildflower turned back to Ryefeather with an apologetic smile*
Wildflower: I’m sorry about Rabbitpaw. He doesn’t know when to keep his nose out of other people’s business

Ryefeather: "It's no trouble..."

Wildflower: how are you feeling? I heard you were recovering from illness

Ryefeather: "I'm doing better, thank you..." *licks his paw* "Just...Tired...I'm not able to bounce back like I used to."

Wildflower: Ah, I understand. I remember when I caught a fever right before I had my kits. *The She-Cat purred good-naturedly* I don’t think I’ve ever been the same since *Despite the bright conversation, it was clear there was something else Wildflower wanted to talk about; an almost uncomfortable undertone like the Queen was on edge with the conversation*

Ryefeather: *nods* "Yeah...Well, I suppose it happens...Are you alright?"

Wildflower: oh, um, yes, I’m alright! *She looked over at Jaywing* I guess I’m just, well . . . That poor little kitten; becoming a full fledged med cat so young. And he’s blind too . . . *Wildflower sighed, a pitying look in her soft amber eyes as she stared at the blind silver tabby*

Ryefeather: "Indeed...I hope Starclan can guide them...Shadowclan can't take another blow..."

*Wildflower nodded and sighed before dipping her head to Ryefeather*
Wildflower: it was nice to talk with you, Ryefeather. May Starclan light your path

Ryefeather: "And may Starclan light yours as well."

Stoatpaw (The picrew didn't have an option for it, but it's missing one of its front legs) took a spot towards the front of the gathered crowd, sitting tall and proud despite the weakened state of its Clan. It subtly bared its teeth at the scattered groups of muttering cats. ~The nerve of these cats.~ it thought. ~Sure circumstances aren't ideal but who the heck are /they/ to judge?~ The apprentice forced its bristling fur flat. It had spent a long time cleaning itself up to look presentable.

*Cats whisper to one another, staring at the incredibly small amount of Shadowclan cats that had come to the gathering island. Ivystar was talking in hushed tones with the other leaders, Acornheart was introducing himself to the other deputies, and Jaywing was being bombarded with questions from both warriors (adult cats) and apprentices alike. The small blind med cat suddenly ducked away and scampered over to Stoatpaw, almost hiding behind him*
Jaywing: hide me, I can’t take much more of this

(Shoot I thought I replied to this yesterday sorry for making you wait. Also hi again, it's the guy wjho played Weaselspots in one of your earlier roleplays!)

Stoatpaw fluffed up, a bit startled by the company of its former denmate. It held that fluff in an attempt to hide him, giving him a slight tap to the shoulder with its tail in wordless assurance.
"One heck of a night tonight, eh? As if we aren't dealing with enough inside messes." It muttered, glancing down at Jaywing. It was believable that Stoatpaw was talking to itself if anyone heard, but it didn't want to not make conversation.

(No worries! I do the same thing all the time lol)
*Jaywing nodded in agreement and crouched down behind the apprentice. Ivystar looked back towards the med cats, frowning at Jaywing’s absence. She looked over at Ripplepaw (RC med cat app), conversing with him in a low tone. Ripplepaw nodded and stood, padding over the soft pine needles around the gathering island. Seems like they had an informant (Granted, Ripplepaw was always pretty chill and respectful, even to younger cats. Come to think of it, Jaywing was kinda like same way. Huh, must be a grey tabby thing)*

"Think Ripplepaw's got a search warrant." Stoatpaw muttered, watching the RiverClan cat out of the corner of its eye. If it still had its other leg, maybe it'd be able to put up a more defensive shield for Jaywing. Still, Ripplepaw was polite enough. Maybe this wouldn't escalate. Maybe Stoatpaw wouldn't be the one to cause said escalation for once.

Jaywing: eh? What about Ripplepaw? *the smaller cat’s mew was soft and melodic, not the same as any of the clan cats, like the sound of tumbling water. Stoatpaw never actually figured out why that is, because no one seemed to want to talk about it, but whatever it was, every cat took notice. Jaywing blinked his sightless green eyes, oblivious to the strange tones in his voice being noticed by others*

"He's looking for you." it hummed. "Or at least, Ivystar sent him to do something."

Jaywing: *grumbling* Ivystarrrrr *the young cat huffed, fur fluffing up in irritation* I don’t need to be watched by someone like a kit! *Ripplepaw poked his head around a Thunderclan warrior before heading over to Stoatpaw and Jaywing*
Ripplepaw: Jaypaw! *the RC tabby padded over, purring* hello!

"JayWING." The three-legged apprentice corrected forcing its fur flat. Jaywing was spotted now. Not much point in trying to hide him. Stoatpaw leveled out its tone. "Hello, Ripplepaw."

Ripplepaw: ah, right. Sorry, I didn’t know your name yet! *The grey mackerel tabby purred, and Jaywing forced a positive reaction onto his face and held his tail high* Hi Stoatpaw
Jaywing: That’s ok. Not really anyone does know yet *Jaywing sighed and shook himself off* how are you?

Stoatpaw's whiskers twitched. "Could be worse. Could also be a lot better." The apprentice's eyes narrowed. Stoatpaw never had been the most approachable cat. It had been insistent on avoiding outside help during the epidemic, as if the input of a barely 8 moon old apprentice held any weight. Even now, going on 10 moons, its sense of self-importance hadn't quite deflated.

*Ripplepaw purred, almost like he found the two Shadowclan cats amusing. Ripplepaw himself was of warrior age, he just simply hadn’t received his medicine cat name yet. Jaywing laid his tail on Stoatpaw’s, although it wasn’t clear if it was to make Stoatpaw feel better, or more for his own comfort. Despite holding the most seniority among the three cats, Jaywing was both the smallest and the youngest (weirdly, this didn’t seem to bother Ripplepaw - a t a l l - . It was as if he thought it was cute)*
Ripplepaw: I’m glad you’re doing fine! *Ripplepaw then turned to Jaywing, his body and voice clearly softening like you would if you were talking to an app who was only just yesterday a kit (although, to be fair, Jaywing did both look and sound like a very mature kit)* so how are you feeling about being a full fledged medicine cat? Is it difficult?
Jaywing: *forcedly polite* It’s fine. I still have other cats I can go to for advice. My clan mates are very helpful *Ripplepaw eyed Jaywing and Stoatpaw’s tails for a quick second before looking back at the blind apprentice*

"I just hope these cats here get their act together after this Gathering's done. They're muttering like we just waltzed in with foxes for warriors!" Stoatpaw raised its voice a bit, intending to be heard but not quite noticed. It glanced around briefly before looking back to Ripplepaw. "I take it RiverClan's doing just fine?" Why wouldn't it be. The luxury of the river was not one every cat got. Not that Stoatpaw wanted those filthy fish. Blegh.

Ripplepaw: oh yes, we’re doing fine. Plenty of prey swimming in the rivers! *Ripplepaw looked back behind him, looking at the other med cats and their apps. A brown, black, and white calico she-cat was scowling at them, her gaze specifically fixed on Jaywing. The blind med cat blinked, feeling a chill run down his spine at the glare even though he couldn’t see it. Ripplepaw purred in amusement* seems like Pandapaw’s developed a vendetta against you Jaywing *Jaywing frowned*
Jaywing: what IS a Panda anyway?
Ripplepaw: according to her it’s a big black and white bear, but I don’t know if she’s telling the truth or not. She’s not clan born though, and she kept her name from when she was still a loner

Stoatpaw rolled its eyes at Ripplepaw's report before following his gaze to Pandapaw. It briefly bared its teeth back at her. Not even Clanborn thinking she could give them that look. The gall. "Definitely some weird kittypet nonsense if I've never heard of it." it sniffed.

Jaywing: Her brother’s in Thunderclan, right? They went to separate clans? *Ripplepaw nodded as Pandapaw hissed and turned away. Jaywing muttered something to himself, paused, and muttered something again. It was something Stoatpaw was quite familiar with, due to being clan mates with the young mackerel tabby; Jaywing having these little, mostly silent conversations with himself. No one ever acknowledged it, just like they never acknowledged his accent, his appearance, his mannerisms and other strange qualities. It’s as if everyone in Shadowclan had taken a vow to never bring it up. Ripplepaw tilted his head curiously, but before he could say anything the leaders started the gathering*
Silverstar (TC): cats of all clans, let us be grateful to Starclan for finally bringing ALL FOUR clans together once again *A few cats murmured their agreement and approval, but some simply looked at Shadowclan with suspicion in their eyes. Silverstar ignored this and continued* Now! Who wishes to start?

The ShadowClan apprentice was used to Jaywing's mutterings. Every time, it leaned in just a bit, just for that chance it'd get to here what he was saying. Out of pure curiosity. But of course, something always interrupted, and this time that something was Silverstar. Stoatpaw's ears pricked up attentively.
It let out a proud yowl as Silverstar announced ShadowClan's return to the gathering island. At least some cats had the heart to welcome them back. When it had finished whooping and hollering and blowing out its companions' ears, it sat back once again to listen, completely dropping interest in the prior conversation.

*Jaywing hissed and his ears flattened, but he didn’t say anything. Thistlestar (WC) cleared his throat and spoke first*
Thistlestar: well, since my clan doesn’t have a lot of explaining to do *He cast a look at Ivystar, which didn’t seem to faze her in the slightest, before continuing* I shall go first. Everything is fine in Windclan; prey is running good and Wildflower’s kits, Rabbitpaw and Blizzardpaw, have just been apprenticed *Two young cats straightened up, a brown tabby Tom with a small fluffy tail and a very pretty white cat that Stoatpaw couldn’t quite figure out the gender of* That is all for Windclan

WindClan. Not all too exciting, though, for their sake maybe that was for the best. Stoatpaw offered Jaywing a light tap of its tail in apology as cats, some not even WindClan, cheered for the new apprentices.

*Silverstar nodded along, tail swishing contentedly. she then began to speak*
Silverstar: Thunderclan is doing well. prey is also good and our cats are healthy *She looked over at the Riverclan leader* Poolstar? *The grey she-cat cleared her throat and also began to speak*
Poolstar: Riverclan is well. nothing much of note. Ivystar?

Stoatpaw straightened its posture for Ivystar's announcements. No doubt about to be a speech with how much has happened in the past few moons. It glanced to Jaywing.

*Ivystar took a deep breath before speaking, addressing all the cats firmly, yet not hostilely*
Ivystar: Shadowclan has experienced some, rough times. we were plagued by a sickness we were not familiar with, and many of our members, joined the ranks of Starclan *Ivystar paused to let the murmering die down* due to this sickness we lost both our leader, Briarstar, and her deputy, Scorchwing. this had never happened before, but we as a clan came to the conclusion that after the rank of deputy came medicine cats in the power structure. Because of this, I have become Shadowclan's new leader *murmurs arose from the clans once again, and Ivystar waited patiently to continue* my apprentice, Jaypaw, has now become Shadowclan's Medicine Cat. His name is now Jaywing- *immediately, cats began to break out into yowls of shock or protest*
Deerheart (TC): You can't do that to him! Wasn't he only just apprenticed two moons ago?!
Moonshine (WC): he's practically a kit! You're trusting a KIT to be a MED CAT?! *Jaywing stood up angrily*
Jaywing: *Shouting over the noise* I'm not a kit! *The young blind cat began to pad forward to stand in front of all the clans near his leader, but an app Stoatpaw recognized from Riverclan stuck her tail out last minute and caused Jaywing to trip and fall face down. there was a heartbeat of silence before the protesting started up again, even louder than before*

Stoatpaw sat listening to its leader rather patiently considering its previous yowling. It lowered its head respectfully at the mention of Briarstar and Scorchwing, flinching at the reminder of how much chaos that briefly caused.
Then Jaywing was mentioned.
Stoatpaw had expected protest but not to this level. Its ears pinned back. It shuffled to the side a bit as Jaywing stood. ~StarClan's sake these cats have no respect.~ Although the tom couldn't see it, Stoatpaw gave him a firm nod of agreement before he stepped forward.
Square over a cat's tail.
The apprentice bristled with hostility. It took a lot of restraint to respect the gathering truce and not claw that fish eater right then and there. Instead, it stepped toward her just to hiss, before looking over Jaywing. Helping him up or fretting over him would only prove his incompetence further to these cats, it thought. So it simply shot him the sharp whisper of "You okay?"

*Jaywing got to his feet a little shakily and spit out some dirt from his mouth. He hissed, fur bristling before making himself stand tall again*
Jaywing: *hissing* I’m just, *the silver tabby stopped, taking a deep breath before relaxing his fur* fine *The little med cat continued to walk forward, a little slower this time and with an almost ethereal air about him. He seemed, older, wiser even, and walked with the poise of a cat that had seen/experienced many tragedies rather than a small, blind, 8 moon old kitten. He sat down at the base of the tree, staring out at the other cats with a calm, collected expression (He wasn’t ACTUALLY staring, but other cats swore, sometimes Jaywing looked at them with such precision that it was hard to believe that he was blind). He cleared his throat and tilted his head slightly* May I have permission to say something, Ivystar? Other leaders?

Stoatpaw gave the RiverClan apprentice one last hiss before returning to its spot beside Ripplepaw. Its ears pricked attentively.

*The leaders looked at each other for a moment before looking back down at Jaywing*
Silverstar: you may . . . *Jaywing nodded and straightened his head again before addressing the clans before him*
Jaywing: hi. For those of you who don’t know who I am, My name is Jaywing. I’m 8 moons old and I’m blind. I’m also Shadowclan’s Medicine Cat *he paused maybe to think about what he was saying next, or maybe just for “dramatic effect”* I hear your doubts, and I can understand why you say those things, but believe it or not, neither my age nor physical impairments actually are setbacks. I’m a lot more capable than you think *Jaywing paused, ears pricking up as if he heard something. He waited before slowly turning to a bush behind him and slowly stalking over to it. A few cats began whispering to each other, confused and concerned by Jaywing’s behavior. Jaywing ducked into the bush before sharply pulling back with a bundle of something red and furry in his jaws almost as big as he was; an injured, whimpering fox cub*

Stoatpaw sat up, nodding to the crowd as Jaywing spoke as if any cat were watching it. If any cat knew the young tom was capable, it was the cat always showing up in his den for phantom limb complaints and scrapes from getting just a bit too cocky while out hunting. Which made that twitchy little kit actually standing up for himself all the more impressive. A proper smile began to tug at Stoatpaw's lips.
Then, Jaywing paused, and that smile shifted. First to confusion. Why was he so focused on a bush. Then, a look akin to disgust as the cub was revealed. Its fur bristled. What was that beast doing here? Interrupting important matters, that's what. Stoatpaw stumbled over as fast as its three paws would allow. "Careful! Put that thing down!" It snapped.

Jaywing: *muffled* I know what it is! *The small med cat put the fox down, the pitiful scrap of fur trembling and shaking. dirt and something that smelled like blood matted its fur. Jaywing frowned and sniffed it as older cats began to approach the three small figures* it's scared. the blood isn't its own and there's no trace of a mother fox anywhere *Jaywing turned to the leaders and deputies* something hunted down the mother and other kits. it's fox blood, but this kit has no wounds *he looked back at the fox, mumbling* . . . it's alone . . .

"For the best it's alone. Means no bigger foxes are gonna come looking for it." it scoffed. It made no sense to Stoatpaw, Jaywing's sympathy for the tiny beast. Things like that grow up to kill warriors. Its fur prickled at the thought. "What do you expect us to do with it?"

Jaywing: *sharply* I don't know! it just seems awful harsh to kill it! *Jaywing's strange accent came out a little more when he snapped, small tail lashing crossly. one of the Thunderclan warriors scoffed and looked back at Ivystar*
Roseheart: don't you hear this, Ivystar? your new MeDiCiNe CaT wants to spare a fox! this just shows how young and naive he is! *a fluffy Windclan cat, the med cat, stepped forward slightly, looking at Roseheart with stern green eyes*
Marshmeadow: it's not him being naive, Roseheart. it's a med cat's duty to care for the injured *the older cat looked at Jaywing warmly* I believe Jaywing is only thinking of the wellbeing of a living creature *Pandapaw hissed*
Pandapaw: foxes eat cats though. why should we spare a predator of ours?
Jaywing: well, what reason do we have to kill it? *Jaywing sniffed the fox's fur again* it's not hurt, so it's not like it'd be a mercy kill
Pandapaw: so what d'you suggest we do, heal it? hah! have fun getting eaten *Jaywing hissed at Pandapaw, who snarled back and crouched in a fighting stance. Ivystar jumped down between the two apprentices*
Ivystar: enough *both apps backed down, still irritated with each other and claws flexing* Stoatpaw and Roseheart are right. I appreciate your empathy, but we can't risk it growing up and hunting down our cats *Jaywing hung his head, fur fluffed up in agitation and embarrassment* we should kill this fox quickly, before anything else happens

Stoatpaw glared at Pandapaw. Oh the last thing it'd ever want to do was side with her, but she was arguably being more logical. Why was this so difficult and weird? Its eyes darted between the gathered cats, tail swishing back and forth as though it were being surrounded by hostiles. In a way, it was.
"It's either that we kill it or chase it off and let StarClan decide how it fares on its own." It did its very best to level out its tone, but was struggling.

*Immediately the debate started, cats arguing whether or not to kill the little fox. suddenly, a flash of ginger hopped down, and the sharp smell of iron hit everycat's nose. Thistlestar had jumped down, biting into the fox's neck and killing the creature in one swift blow. other cats backpedaled and Jaywing got knocked back directly into Stoatpaw*
Jaywing: uff! *he shook his head, sitting up dizzily like he had suddenly gotten a massive headache*

Stoatpaw, knocked to its bad side, scrambled for balance, nose scrunching against the tangy smell of blood. "StarClan's sake!" It grumble-yelled as it finally regained some footing, still teetering on unbalanced paws. It shot a sharp look at Thistlestar, spitting out a bit of dust before hissing, "Was that /really/ necessary?" It glanced to Jaywing, placing itself almost defensively beside him.

Thistlestar: you, should’ve gotten out of the way *The strong ginger tom wasn’t thin or lean like most Windclan cats; he was strong, more like Thunderclan or Shadowclan. Jaywing’s ears flattened and he hissed*
Jaywing: *Finally losing his composure* well I can’t exactly do that if I can’t SEE you, now can I!? *Thistlestar turned back around, head so close to Jaywing’s that their muzzles were practically touching. Jaywing didn’t flinch, simply blinking slowly. Thistlestar hissed at the young cat, who didn’t flinch at all. Instead, with surprising accuracy, he held the WC leader’s gaze* if you don’t mind, might you think about moving back a few pawsteps? I can’t exactly sense anything around me when all I can hear and smell is your breath

Stoatpaw took in a deep breath. ~Get it together, fleas-for-brains. You're a warrior. You can handle a little crowd.~ it hissed at its own flimsiness. It stared up at Thistlestar, and it was reminded its puffed-up tail might just be justified.
And yet, Stoatpaw's grin returned after a moment, just watching Jaywing. Thistlestar was scary, even a cat like Stoatpaw could admit that. But seeing the shaky little medicine kit hold his own against a cat like that? Well, it supposed Jaywing couldn't really see the beast he was staring up at. It sucked air through its teeth, and wrestled back its pride. ~Scary or not, Thistlestar is challenging ShadowClan's medicine cat. He ought to know better.~ "I'd suggest you listen to our medicine cat, Thistlestar."

(Gathering Report: Disabled teenagers talk down to president of another country.)

(LMFAO-! At this point, it's like a middle schooler and his grade schooler brother)
*Thistlestar snarled, drawing a paw back before getting pushed back by Mintblaze and his deputy. Acornheart stepped between the two Shadowclan cats and the angry leader, pushing his clanmates back a few steps to put some space between them*
Acornheart: Enough. this is a night of peace, not argument *The ShC dep looked at all of the cats before him, standing in between Ivystar and Jaywing (who was in between Acornheart and Stoatpaw, so they were all kinda in a line)* Each clan's leadership decisions are their own and are not something to be meddled with by others. if everyone's reports are done, I believe this gathering is over? *Ivystar nodded, glaring at Thistlestar*
Ivystar: yes. Shadowclan, let's go

As Thistlestar drew back, so did Stoatpaw. Gathering truce. Like that was going to work out every time. The mistletoe that clung to the branches of the trees rustled amongst the leaves they sapped on. Strange that a parasite would be a sign for peace.
But of course, the deputies stepped in and no fight broke out, and claws were sheathed and pelts forced flat. And somewhere at the back of Stoatpaw's mind, it was almost relieved.
Stoatpaw gave one last indignant spit to the ThunderClan cats before whirling around to follow after Ivystar. Wasn't this a fun, welcoming first night back? At the very least it lived up to Stoatpaw's hopes of it being eventful.

(Fun lil fact: I mention mistletoe because I am super normal about plant symbolism. In some druid cultures, mistletoe is used to mark a place where no violence can take place.)

(ooh~ nice!)
*Jaywing padded alongside Stoatpaw, unseeing gaze fixed on the ground seemingly in thought. he muttered to himself, the words mumbled and hardly understandable. this doesn't mean all of it was unintelligible though*
Jaywing: *softly* . . . I can't believe that he would lunge like that . . . I know, foxes are bad. but still- . . . no, no, I know . . . he came at me, I couldn't fight him! . . . oh shush already . . . *it almost sounded like it was a conversation- but, that'd be weird, right? who in the world would he be conversing with? it clearly wasn't Stoatpaw*

The apprentice's eyes narrowed. "You... alright there, Jaywing?" Stoatpaw gave the smaller cat a gentle nudge. "Thistlestar shake you up a little?" It added as a workaround for Jaywing. If it was personal, oh well.

Jaywing: *looking up* what? Oh, um, yes, fine . . . *He fixed his gaze ahead, falling silent for a bit* . . . Hey Stoatpaw? Can I ask you something?

It tilted its head slightly, before joining Jaywing in staring ahead. "What is it?"

Jaywing: *Softly, so only Stoatpaw could hear* it, might sound strange, but . . . You know how cats can have visions? From Starclan? *The grey tabby med cat fidgeted slightly, tail flicking uncertainly* well, I kinda have these, um, voices? In my head? They guide me on what to do, and stuff, but I don’t think any cat has had something like this all the time *he stopped to stare unseeingly at his clanmate, frame looking very small against the vast mountains in the background*

Stoatpaw's brow scrunched. Voices in the head? It couldn't say it was all to unfamiliar with thoughts as vocal as its own, but that wasn't what Jaywing meant, was it. No, if he could have his little muttered conversations with these that was... weird. Different.
"I mean... yeah, I've never heard of anything like that. Then again I'm not a medicine cat so guiding voices aren't exactly my area of expertise." it peered down at him. "Did you tell Ivystar about this? Any of the other medicine cats?" This wouldn't exactly be so out of the ordinary if he had though, would it. If they'd told him it was normal.

*Jaywing’s pelt prickled with embarrassment and he slowly shook his head ‘no’. He shifted his weight and continued in a low tone*
Jaywing: not exactly . . . I, didn’t want to worry Ivystar about it during the sickness, and this was basically only my 2nd gathering ever *Jaywing drew a forepaw across the ground, thinking* the voices, they’re not really bad, they’re just . . . Always kinda there

Stoatpaw thought for a moment. "Well... i think with the chaos dying down, Ivystar should get to know. But otherwise if they aren't hurting anyone or... doing anything to you, I don't see much of an issue." it paused for a moment. "...Thank you for telling me." What an unnecessary addition. Its tailtip twitched.

*Jaywing relaxed a little bit before touching his muzzle to Stoatpaw's shoulder. for a blind cat of 8 moons old, he was certainly skilled on how to navigate the world. he stood up and began walking with Stoatpaw back to the rest of the group. he seemed, maybe not happier, necessarily, but definitely more relieved. he didn't speak for the rest of the journey, but the silence wasn't an uncomfortable one; more like a calming kind of silence*

The chatter of the other ShadowClan cats hardly reached the apprentice's ears. Stoatpaw had never actively sought out friendships. Any cat who so much as tolerated it was welcomed to. Yet here it was, walking silently through the forest with a cat it could almost consider a genuine friend. ShadowClan's (self-declared) future leader and its medicine cat.
~Good to keep that relationship positive early on. Friendly relations with high ranks means less opposition when you join them.~ Ever ambitious was the stoat. With a condition such as its missing limb, Stoatpaw has spent its life clawing for respect and attention. For skill and, indeed, power. A young cat who had to fight to keep its role as a warrior's apprentice before the sickness hit. Before making it step down would only be a detriment to a Clan in need of healthy, willing warriors. It earned its life. It deserved ambition.
But right now. Just for right now, it didn't want it.
Right now, quiet comfort was enough.

(AHHHH, I’M CRYING-)
*Jaywing sighed as they walked through the forest. He stopped walking to face the many small mounds of dirt, each one topped with a single spring of rosemary; Shadowclan’s first official resting place. The young cat stared with such accuracy and emotion that it was hard to believe his bright green eyes were incapable of sight. He walked over to one of the mounds, a large one with 4 smaller mounds surrounding it; Jaywing’s mother*

(ROSEMARY FOR REMEMBRANCE AAAA)
Stoatpaw padded past the mounds with solemn acknowledgment. It gave extra care to adjust the little twig set atop one belonging to its first mentor. Bristlebush had not been the gentlest mentor, but she pushed it to where it was now. She was strong and harsh and imposing. The shining example of a ShadowClan warrior. But, it supposed strength didn't matter much to sickness. Bristlebush was just another body to take and destroy. She'd denied Stoatpaw the right to mope over her. It honored that without protest.
It moved on, trailing after Jaywing to his little cluster of heaps. A family, mother and kits. It tried to ignore the clench in its stomach.

(It's also an herb that in the warriors cannon that they use to cover up the scent of death)
*Jaywing sighed as he touched his nose to one of the mounds, one of the smallest ones, breathing in the scent of earth and rosemary. even with the herbs and freshly turned earth, the stench of death and sickness was still lingering as the young cat fought the urge to recoil. This was Sagekit, a kit he had helped her mother give birth too when he was barely older than a kit himself. Jaywing let out a shaky breath before stepping back to stand next to Stoatpaw. he squared his shoulders, exhaling slowly before speaking*
Jaywing: . . . there's so much death scent . . . we're never going to recover from this, are we Stoatpaw?

Stoatpaw had been trying to ignore the smell, trying to focus on the rosemary rather than the pungent scent of decay. Now that it was acknowledged, it couldn't deny its presence. Its muzzle wrinkled.
"It takes time to recover. One day we will." It assured. And if ShadowClan didn't heal on its own, Stoatpaw would fix it.

Jaywing: *simply* not without taking in loners *The smaller cat tilted his head to "look" at Stoatpaw* our gene pool is too small. Thunderclan may get scorned for taking in so many cats, but in retrospect, they were strategic. too many of our cats are kin; soon, we all will be

It frowned. Unfortunately, Jaywing wasn't wrong. "If it's for the best I won't argue. The problem comes down to finding willing cats." It muttered, tail twitching.

*Jaywing didn’t respond, but he nodded slightly. Fuzzyheart walked over to the two young cats, a stern look on her normally kind face*
Fuzzyheart: Jaywing, Stoatpaw, what’re you doing out here so late?

Stoatpaw pricked up, whipping around to look up at Fuzzyheart “Nothing, Fuzzyheart. Just talking.” It held its tone as stable as possible. Fuzzyheart was a good cat. She didn’t deserve to be snapped at.

*Jaywing nodded and Fuzzyheart tilted her head to the side*
Fuzzyheart: well, come on, lets get back to camp. it's late, and you two need sleep *the She-Cat sighed and licked both cat between the ears, Jaywing flinching uncharacteristically at the touch before heading back swiftly. Fuzzyheart frowned, tail twitching in confusion and concern*

Stoatpaw's face scrunched like a stubborn kit as Fuzzyheart licked it. It turned to Jaywing. "We ought to go. You especially need sleep." Everyone had firsthand experience with how exhausting medicine cat work could be. Still, that was at its absolute worst. Maybe by comparison usual duties were a breeze. Stoatpaw supposed it would never know.

*once again, Jaypaw nodded and didn't respond. he touched his muzzle to Stoatpaw's shoulder and muttered something that the tripod cat assumed was 'good night' before padding off into the med cat den; his den. Fuzzyheart looked after the small tabby tom and sighed before going off to the warriors den and entering it wordlessly. in the dark, the empty camp looked haunted, hollow . . . empty . . .*

For a while, Stoatpaw stood there in the hollow silence.
~We need sleep. They might put us on the dawn patrol.~ The thought never quite made it to the front of its mind.
+Wow. For a Clan this place sure is empty...+ A new tone of thought. A different voice. Less cold. Rather, almost... disappointed. As if it had been eagerly expecting a massive army rather than the reality of Camp looking completely empty. Maybe there was a part of Stoatpaw that remembered when it /was/ like that. Back when it was a kit just barely allowed out of the nursery. When even a small hunting patrol looked like a battalion.
It didn't have time for new trains of thought or fretting over a time moons past. Its headspace was chatty enough and starting to get foggy with sleep anyways. It trodded off to the apprentices' den and slumped into its nest.

*now that Jaywing slept in the Med den, the only other bodies in the app den were Stoatpaw’s kin, a dappled she-cat named Goldenpaw, and an older golden tom with black spots named Leopardpaw. The two young cats were curled up together as if for comfort and they looked almost as if they were simply one big pile of sun colored fur. It was so eerily empty and Stoatpaw could’ve sworn he heard his sister crying softly into Leopardpaw’s body*

Stoatpaw carefully approached the little golden heap. Stoatpaw had never been particularly close with its siblings. Or at least, not nearly as close as they were with each other. It had served it just fine, training on its own without that additional distraction. Still, it made softer stuff like this... awkward to say the least. Somehow it was easier to comfort cats it hadn't known its whole life. At least strangers were easier to get to know. A cat is supposed to know its littermates from the start.
It sat back on its haunches and gently prodded Goldenpaw with its front paw. "You... alright. There?" It whispered hesitantly.

(you there big man?)

(Yes, hello, I am finally back)

*Goldenpaw raised her head, looking up at her kin sadly*
Goldenpaw: oh, *sniff* h-hey Stoatpaw . . . yeah, I- I'm ok . . . *The golden she-cat sniffled, speaking softly as not to wake up Leopardpaw* how was the gathering? I heard there was a fight?

Stoatpaw's tailtip twitched. It wasn't its place to push further. It'd have to live with Goldenpaw's denial of her very obvious not-alrightness. It wasn't about to make the position it already did not enjoy being in any worse. "Yes, the gathering was... rough. The other Clans weren't all too keen on Jaywing taking over as our medicine cat." It stepped back from its littermates to slump into its own nest. "You'd think honorable leaders would have some respect for 'im, taking on a whole Clan so young. But nope! All yowls and complaining." Stoatpaw rested its head on its front paw. "Thistlestar killed an injured fox kit. That pinned some ears." It gripped at its bedding just thinking about it. "It went about as well as we all expected it to. Which is to say badly."

*Goldenpaw looked down, ears drooping*
Goldenpaw: I suppose it was pretty foolish to expect anything different, huh? *the she-cat sighed a sigh belonging to a cat twice her age, her dappled fur making her look like she was glowing in the dark den* How were you? any arguments?

"You know me." It scoffed a half-hearted laugh. Did she know it? If she did, she knew it better than it knew her. "Jaywing needed someone backing him up. He's a good cat. They'll respect him soon enough. They'll kinda have to."

Goldenpaw: that’s not what I meant *the she-cat frowned* did any cat get physical with any cat else?

Stoatpaw shuffled around in its nest. "No blows were dealt. We came close, but no cat was hurt."

Goldenpaw: *relieved* thank Starclan. that would've been a horrible first gathering back *the gold she-cat yawned and touched her nose to her kin's flank* you should sleep. we don't know what's going to happen

"I know, I know. I'm going." It waved a paw and shut its eyes. It was unsurprisingly easy to do so; staying up past moonhigh and all the traveling will do that to you. The sun would rise anytime now. There was no way it was going to get put on the dawn patrol, Acornheart wouldn't do that to it. It hoped. Acornheart hadn't really been deputy long enough for Stoatpaw to be completely sure.
It didn't have long to worry about patrol assignments. Sleep came far too fast. Out like a light.

*The evening passed, and so did dawn. by the time Stoatpaw woke up, it was close to Sunhigh (although with the cloudy skies of leafbare it was hard to tell). the camp was near silent, spare for the occasional hushed tones of cats sharing tongues*

(sorry this took a bit. My sweet sweet punctuality)
The apprentice shook off sleep, brushing its face through the leaves and branches to ensure it rally felt awake. With its little wake up ritual complete, Stoatpaw strode out of the den. It was expectedly quiet, had been since the outbreak. Once it had been unnerving, but now Stoatpaw was sure it'd be more disturbed to wake up to lively conversation.
It trodded over to the fresh-kill pile. Had the others eaten yet? Certainly the elders had been fed by now but it wasn't sure. And it wasn't about to be bothered for it. Stoatpaw backed away from the heap.

(you're ok! I mean, I disappear for, like, weeks at a time TwT)
*Out of the corner of Stoatpaw's eye, they were able to see Jaywing and Ivystar talking. Ivystar's gaze was firm, tail twitching in thought as she listened to what seemed to be a murmured- confession? last night's conversation flooded back to Stoatpaw as he remembered something. "I kinda have these, um, voices? In my head?" Jaywing's words echoed in the tripod cat's mind, along with the memory of them suggesting to tell Ivystar. Ivystar waited for Jaywing to stop talking before replying with an answer that seemed to displease her former app. they were interrupted as one of the 4 remaining kits tripped and barreled into Jaywing, making the (just barely older) grey tabby hiss agitatedly. Ivystar rolled her green eyes to the sky and shook her head, nudging the kit with her nose in a sort of 'go away' gesture. Jaywing muttered something to Ivystar before heading off towards his den, pausing beside Stoatpaw*
Jaywing: well, Ivystar officially thinks I'm crazy, AND now she wants me to go to the Moonpool to figure this out, BUT I can't do that for a while, cause we've still got aftermaths to deal with and we can't lose our med cat right now *Jaywing sighed a sigh that would be more easily attributed to a cat twice his age and touched his muzzle to his friend's shoulder* I hate existing sometimes

Stoatpaw couldn't help but mirror Ivystar's eyeroll with a half-amused one of its own. As it made to move on, as the conversation seemed over, Jaywing caught up.
The tripod apprentice's tailtip twitched, but any irritation that tried to bubble up diffused quickly. It had no qualms with Jaywing and the poor kit was clearly and much more rightfully frustrated. It did startle a bit when Jaywing touched it, but that too settled.
"Well to start, I don't think you're crazy. But I do think Ivystar is right about looking into it." It gave a tip of its head to signal that there was a 'but' to that 'but.' "That being said it would be mouse-brained to send the Clan's only medicine cat, who's already way underage, and I mean to say it strictly as a fact of the matter, off to the Moonpool alone while the Clan is still recovering." It sat itself down to verbalize more of its logistics. "Ivystar *was* a medicine cat, but balancing managing that to back you up on top of leader duties is enough to drive any cat insane I'd guess. It'll more than likely be a few moons before everything's properly on track though, and surely she doesn't expect you to wait that long. Then again, she could just leave her Deputy in charge while you're gone. And surely one warrior could be spared to accompany you."
It took far too long for Stoatpaw to remember this wasn't analysis time. Jaywing absolutely didn't need a twelve step plan for how to keep the Clan from keeling over in his brief absence. He needed comfort and a stars-darned break.
~Still it was a good plan. Don't forget it, just in case.~
"Sorry, I... nevermind. Have you eaten?"

*Jaywing blinked his sightless green eyes up at Stoatpaw, his expression blank, before (probably for the first time since they'd met each other) laughing at the long-winded response. the silver tabby ducked his head and put a paw to his muzzle to try and muffle the melodic noise, but his eyes held the first glint of actual, full-focused clarity inside that Stoatpaw had ever seen; he wasn't spaced out, or mentally wandering, but actually THERE in the moment. it was, nice, although it certainly made him feel older*
Jaywing: *purring* no, I haven't. I wasn't hungry this morning and figured I might as well wait for you

"What?" Stoatpaw bristled, though there was no real frustration behind it. "What'd I say?" There was even a tiny giggle at the back of its throat, near imperceptible to any cat not listening very closely. It was all a front, an upholding of an authoritative presence with nothing to back it up. It was, in a way, Stoatpaw at its core.
It felt so odd hearing such a solid emotion from Jaypaw, recognizing a genuine presence. He almost looked the way a cat his age ought to, rather than the tired false adult Stoatpaw had grown so used to.
Walls were breaking. Stoatpaw wasn't sure how to feel. It didn't mind it, yet it felt so wrong not to uphold its determined status quo.
It vied instead to ignore it and move on. That felt easier.
"There's a finch from yesterday's Sunhigh patrol that still looks good. We can take that to check in on the elders and eat."

*Jaywing nodded and started to pad towards the fresh kill pile with Stoatpaw in tow*
Jaywing: *quickly* no, sorry, it's just- . . . Never mind. forget I said anything *the blind Tom took the finch in his teeth, before suddenly spitting it out after a second* ack- ugh! sorry

Stoatpaw tilted its head. "Something wrong with the finch?"

*Jaywing shook his head quickly, as if trying to shake the taste or scent off, spluttering a bit*
Jaywing: *disgusted* it tastes SOUR or something, and it smells like death - the bad kind of death *suddenly, the blind tabby “looked” up at Stoatpaw with such quickness that the tripod cat was surprised he didn’t break his neck* . . . oh my stars . . . Stoatpaw. The birds.

Stoatpaw's blood froze. "You... y-you think that's what..." It had never quite expressed such clear, genuine terror. Even if it was subtle about it physically, the apprentice still reeked of fear.
~Get it together.~

*Jaywing nodded, his milky eyes wide like miniature moons - if the moon was tinted green, that is. He swallowed, ears flattening and soft neck fur fluffing up. He deepened his stance slightly, almost staggering as if a massive headache had just crashed over him like a wave*
Jaywing: *muttering* stars, will you two shut up? Lemme think! *the blind tabby shook his head and spoke a bit louder, addressing Stoatpaw* the disease came from birds; The birds passed it to the cats who ate them, and then the cats that ate the birds passed it to other cats *the blind cat began pacing, almost tripping over his own still large paws* think about it; the warriors who died were the ones who ate or caught the birds, and the cats who DID manage to recover only had minimal contact with the warriors who caught the birds! It makes logical sense! *the silver tabby stopped, eyes hollow with fear* terrifying, but logical . . .

Stoatpaw's ears pinned. And it was just going to prance over and give that to the elders, who'd already had to isolate themselves so much during the epidemic. Even Stinkbugpurr, a cat so accepting and comfortable with her own approaching mortality, and ever the optimist, had gladly kept exclusively to the elders' den and never come within a fox-length of Stoatpaw when it came in to do its chores. It had taken its toll on her, and the others in the den. And Stoatpaw had almost doomed them to it all over again; its stomach twisted with guilt and every hair on its pelt stood on end.

"That makes sense. Yeah."

(Hey mate, you alive?)

Jaypaw: *seriously* I know what you're thinking, and it's not your fault. the only cats that were even close to the sickness long enough to recognize it are Ivystar, myself, and the dead. you wouldn't've known *the words were wise, kind, but delivered with such intensity you would've thought Jaywing was delivering the news of someone's death* we need to get this out of here. now. I'll carry it, I already touched it, *the blind tabby picked the diseased finch up gingerly by its foot, almost tripping over the strangely dangling bird as he tried to find a way to hold it without grabbing it TOO much. after a few moments of dragging, however, Jaywing seemingly got fed up and grabbed it normally, muttering to himself around the finch's neck*

(Sorry school's been busy)

Stoatpaw shook their head, straightening up. "I know, it's fine." It assured, more to itself than Jaywing.

The apprentice certainly didn't argue with Jaywing's volunteering to carry off the bird. It trailed after him at a slight distance. It didn't want to make it awkward or obvious it wanted as much space between itself and the sickly prey as possible.

(No problem!)
*the two cats padded out of the camp, slinking away before anyone could notice them and beginning to head towards the borders. Jaywing paused after a while, putting the prey down and shaking his head in disgust*
Jaywing: *coughing* bloody vile, that is *the little silver medicine cat would never fail to surprise Stoatpaw with how strange he truly was (what the hell was up with that phrasing?!)- but that was unimportant* Where should we put this? I wanna bury this in a nine fox lengths deep hole and never let it resurface

(OHHHHHH HE'S BRITISH NOW IT ALL MAKES SENSE)

"Probably a good ways away from camp, don't want anyone finding it or attracting foxes. We could even take it off Clan territory entirely, if you think that's best." Stoatpaw suggested, once more sitting itself to trace vaguely at the ground with a claw.

(hehehe it's taking every fiber of my being to have not made him say 'innit' yet lmao)
Jaywing: *distastefully* let's get out of clan territory. further away this thing is, the better *after a few more moments of breathing clear air, Jaywing took up the disease-riddled finch and started up again. his soft grey tail had intertwined itself with Stoatpaw's own as the smaller cat followed the apprentice's steps. he spoke around the finch, voice muffled by feathers* I can't smell well carrying this so 'm following you, sorry

"That's fine." Stoatpaw assured, leading the small tom around a rather pointy looking bush towards the nearest border.

*Finally, they reached the edge of the border. The familiar scent of clan cats stopped and left them alone*
*two crippled kits and a diseased bird; what could go wrong?*
Jayfeather: is there any soft dirt around here? That’d be the quickest thing to bury it in- and we CAN’T drop it into water, unless it’s completely contained water, and even then we probably shouldn’t

"I know, I know." Stoatpaw padded around, scratching at the dirt for any soft patches. The landscape hardly changed, but being so out of range of the familiar scents disoriented the tripod apprentice. It kept its ears pricked and was constantly glancing about. Few Clan paws had ever touched this ground. Could StarClan keep watch over them here? Stoatpaw wasn't often one to rely on spiritual protection -- it could defend itself, thank you -- but it couldn't not wonder. "Jaywing, how far is StarClan's reach off Clan turf? Just curious."

*Jaywing, who had been in the middle of another mumbled conversation, looked up sharply, ears swiveled towards Stoatpaw*
Jaywing: eh? oh, um, I'm pretty sure it's anywhere the stars can shine *the silver shorthair paused, tilting his head before confidently replying* they're here. I can feel them here . . . *the bushes rustled and Jaywing's still kit soft fur stood up on end, but it was only a spider (it was a big ass spider though)*

That brought some solace at least. "Good-" Stoatpaw bushed up at the sound of rustling, claws unsheathed and tail swishing.
It was just a spider.
Stoatpaw instantly felt foolish.
It grunted. "Just bury the bird Stoatpaw~" it grumbled under its breath as it got back to pawing at the earth.
There were few processes, Stoatpaw found, where missing a limb made it any less efficient. Unfortunately, digging was one of that few. It discovered this during the plague and was yet to find a way around it. Having to sit up on its hind legs meant it couldn't walk and dig at the same time, and it was tough to balance and lean over. Made finding a proper place take way longer and leave its paws way sorer. On top of it all, Stoatpaw hated the way dirt got into its claws.
It wasn't sure whether or not to be relieved when it found a patch where its claws scraped through with ease. "Over here looks good." It announced, trying to shake the dirt from its paw.

*Jaywing hesitated for a moment, as if having missed what Stoatpaw said, before snapping his head back over and going over to join*
Jaywing: Perfect *slowly, much more slowly than either cat would’ve liked, they managed to dig out a fairly sizable hole (Jaywing had the rather genius idea to jump in the hole as well and make a small divot to one of the sides, like he was digging a tunnel, and shoved the bird in there). After the bird was securely buried, the silver Tom scrambled back up to stand beside his clanmate. Thankfully, Jaywing was still very light and was able to get out of the hole quickly*
Jaywing: yuck, all I can smell is dirt, death, dirt, diseased bird, and dirt. Did I say dirt?
???: 4 times, actually

It had been a good while. Stoatpaw hoped Ivystar wouldn’t get too upset with the pair’s absence. It was for a good reason, she’d understand when Jaywing explained.
What felt like moons later, the bird was safely disposes of.
Stoatpaw failed to stifle a snort. “Yeah, fou-“ it clamped its jaw shut. Stoatpaw spun around, tail sweeping with instant hostility. “Who-!”

*Jaywing jumped back, almost falling into the hole when another cat grabbed the blind tabby by the scruff and pulled him back. the grey she-cat purred in amusement as she set the kit down, the brown tabby Tom that spoke originally smiling at Stoatpaw. he was younger, maybe around Pandapaw's age, and his white tipped brown tail swished*
???: Hi there. What're clan cats doing outside the clan territories? *Jaywing hissed, ears back, tail lashing as the motherly she-cat gave him a small lick on the forehead. the brown tabby Tom leaned closer to Stoatpaw* what happened to your leg? were you born that way?
??: Pine, that's not polite *the She-Cat looked at the two clan cats sympathetically* I'm sorry, he's not used to talking with other cats

Stoatpaw hissed, standing its ground as the odd brown tom got closer.
The apprentice was very familiar with the leg question. Its first gathering, that was all the other clans' apprentices were asking. It made up this epic story about a badger fight; it could still remember the gleams of admiration in those little 'paws' eyes. It recalled Bristlebush cuffing it over the ear and telling it to quit lying. It had been so angry at her then for ruining its reputation. She always said honesty would do it wonders in the real world. Tall tales would make it worse when the lie got out. It wanted to believe her.
It also didn't exactly like admitting to a bunch of older apprentices that it was just born with a leg so malformed it might've fallen off on its own anyways.

Then again... Bristlebush wasn't around to stop it this time. "No no, it's quite alright." it tipped its tail to the she-cat. "If you wanna know I lost it in a fight. Big fight with a bunch of rogues." It sneered toothily. "Broke it bad but so long as that paw still had claws I was gonna use it. Leg couldn't be saved but I'm still standing. Worthy sacrifice."
~Just play along, Jaywing.~
+Ooh, that was good! Make a note, tell more stories.+
It had to admit, it was much more proud of that than the badger one. Clearly it had improved a bit over the last two moons. It could afford to look smug about it, fortunately.

*The brown loner, Pine apparently, stared at Stoatpaw in awe at the story, while the She-Cat nodded along. Jaywing almost snorted, but managed to stop himself*
??: poor dear. Now, why are you two so far out of your territory?
Pine: *Suspiciously* and, burying prey too . . .
Jaywing: Don’t eat it! Don’t, it’s diseased
??: diseased? What do you mean?
Jaywing: The birds in our territory are infected with some sort of disease. It’s killing cats left and right, and we only just got it contained a week ago

"Jaywing here is our medicine cat. Dealt with it first-paw." It introduced confidently. "I'm simply his warrior escort, here to ensure nothing and *no-one,*" it eyed Pine, "gets the jump on him."

Perhaps it ought to think of a warrior name for itself. 'StoatPAW' wasn't all too threatening. Stoatclaw maybe? Classic, simple, flowed well, had an air of menace to it, and fit perfectly with the whole 'fighting so long as its paw still had claws' story. If they asked, it decided, its name was Stoatclaw.

*Pine gave Stoatpaw a look at the jab, but didn’t comment on it*
??: Are you running from the clan? *the she-cat’s voice was sympathetic, but it made Jaywing hiss*
Jaywing: No! I’m not going to abandon my clan unless I’m the only one still able to be saved *the she-cat took a step back, sitting and wrapping her tail around her paws*
Pine: are you a Kit? Your voice is all squeaky *Jaywing hissed at the loner, whose tail lashed in annoyance as well*

“Of course not! We’re loyal ShadowClan cats, born and raised.” It announced. Of course, many of Jaywing’s mannerisms brought the former in to question, but the nuance of it all was not the point. The point was that Stoatpaw was no deserter. That was the last thing it would ever be.

Stoatpaw once again glared at Pine. “He’s not a kit, show some respect!” It bared its teeth.

Pine: *grumpily* Geeze, sorry *The she-cat gave him a look and sighed*
??: I’m sorry, but I assumed that the reason two cats as young as yourselves were outside your territory burying prey was because you were running away *Jaywing huffed but begrudgingly muttered a little “ ‘s fine” and started burying the bird again. Pine started helping after getting a nod from the silver she-cat, who then looked at Stoatpaw with kind eyes* My name is Squeakers, I live with my housefolk over in that little campsite. Pine is a loner, but he comes around ever so often now that his siblings have left

A kittypet? Wandering off from her housefolk to mess around with a loner?
At least Stoatpaw didn't have to consider her a threat. Especially with a name like Squeakers.
"What brings you out here then?"

(Hey mate, you there?)

(Sorry, vacation happened and I blanked. oooone moment)

(I do actually have a warrior name for Stoatpaw, and it isn't Stoatclaw. It certainly wouldn't come up with it for itself lol)

(Ooh~ pray do tell)

(Stoatsneer ^^ the smug self-importance is not a phase, it's a lifestyle <3)

(Lmaooo Ivystar would do something like that tho)

*Squeakers started explaining how she liked to explore the surrounding territory (while still respecting the clan's and other cats' borders, ofc) while Pine helped Jaywing bury the bird. Jaywing sniffed the air for a bit before making his way over to a bush, yanking out a giant clump of rosemary, and placing one of the sprigs on the pile. Pine tilted his head in confusion at the giant thing of rosemary the tiny med cat had just uprooted*
Pine: what's that for?
Jaywing: to disguise the scent of disease. it wards off death, in a sense
Pine: sooooo, why'd'ya get so much? *the way Pine spoke felt familiar to Stoatpaw, and though they couldn't remember how, they did remember that the voice it reminded them (Stoat and Jay) of belonged to someone they didn't like*
Jaywing: *dismissively* not that it's any of your business, but it's so that we don't get in trouble with our leader for talking with a ROUGE and a KITTYPET

"Just to make sure nobody goes digging it up." There was a prickling in Stoatpaw's voice.
There almost always was, a mild hostility, but this was ever so slightly different.
Recognition.
From where, Stoatpaw couldn't say, but it knew it was there and it didn't like it.
"Jaywing, we're done, right? Should we be going?"

*Jaywing raised his head and nodded, rubbing up against the rosemary bush a few times before moving to stand next to Stoatpaw. Squeakers just smiled at the two young Shadowclan cats and purred with an almost motherly tone*
Squeakers: It was nice to meet both of you! be safe on your way back *Jaywing nodded his head in a kind of farewell motion*
Jaywing: tell other loners not to eat the birds- unless they're trying to die

"You too. May StarClan light your path." Stoatpaw knew kittypets didn't really believe in StarClan, but it had become a sort of ingrained farewell. Bristlebush had been incredibly consistent about it.
It touched its tailtip to Jaywing's shoulder to guide him back towards the territory, giving the loner and kittypet one last dip of its head before carrying away.

*for once, Jaywing didn’t shake off Stoatpaw’s touch, seeming preoccupied by thoughts*
Jaywing: did you rub against the rosemary bush to get their scent off you? If not, that’s fine, we’ll just have to pass through the burial grounds and get you smelling like death

"Mouse-dung, I forgot." It gritted. "That's fine."

(Hello again!)

*Jaywing rubbed his head against Stoatpaw’s body, trying to not only rub some of the rosemary scent onto his clanmate, but also lessen the strength of it on his own body*
Jaywing: there, now we’re roughly the same. Let’s still pass through the death row though *It was funny, the size/age and mental disparity between the two cats. Jaywing held more power and influence, but could literally fit underneath Stoatpaw’s belly. And the disparity between them and their “peers” was even greater; two young cats that acted far more mature than any of the Thunderclan Warriors, grown or no*

(AH PISS IM SO SORRYYYY)

Stoatpaw flinched a little as the smaller tom rubbed up against it. It was an uncommon feeling. It let it happen with a sigh. It wasn't about to get in trouble for doing arguably the right thing. It was insane to the apprentice that that was a risk they had to take.
"Right." It nodded and followed Jaywing towards the graveyard.

(No worries mate XD)

*The Medicine Cat padded through the rows of graves, wrinkling his nose at the smell of death that permeated from each rosemary covered mound of dirt. he slipped back into camp with Stoatpaw, almost immediately startling when someone called his name sharply*
Poisonfang: Jaywing! *the grey tabby flinched and turned to face the cat who'd called his name*
Jaywing: hullo Poisonfang *the cream colored tom scowled, amber eyes disapproving*
Poisonfang: where were you? and you, Stoatpaw? *Jaywing tried not to huff in annoyance at the young warrior's accusatory tone*
Jaywing: tending to the graves to make sure no fox or badger had dug any of them up, why? *Poisonfang suddenly seemed to get awkward at the mention of death, shifting uneasily and sheepishly*
Poisonfang: oh . . . right, uh, Icekit got a bee sting and Ivystar is out, so I was about to go looking for you *Jaywing face-pawed and groaned*
Jaywing: why didn't you start with that? mousebrain

Stoatpaw kept its mouth pressed shut, letting Jaywing do the talking. Its tail bristled a bit. It hadn't done anything wrong; if anything these cats should be THANKING the two of them for getting that bird out. But of course, they didn't know, and Stoatpaw couldn't be angry over their ignorance. At least they weren't panicking over another plague.
"Anything you need me to grab for that, Jaywing?" It looked up at Poisonfang. "Or am I free to go?"

(sorry for slow responses, in a bit of writers block atm so I might just be a while. School is being so mean to me /silly)

(No worries! School can be a pain in the arse sometimes)

(Hey! Just wanted to check up on you real quick. you good mate?)

(yup. things are winding down, still just kinda stuck on writing. one day brain will be braining again i promise o7)

(No worries! take whatever time you need, just wanted to check in. make sure you were still alive, yeah?)

(Hallo. you ok?)

(OMG HI YEAH I BLANKED LEMME UH GET BACK TO YA RQ)

(Heyyyy, you still good?)

(I forgor. In the morning.)

Jaywing: yes, could you get me some blackberry leaves and some cobwebs? I'm going to go deal with the stinger that's probably still lodged in wherever it is in Icekit's body

"I could, if you could tell me which ones are blackberry leaves. I can find cobwebs easy enough." Anyone can find cobwebs.

Jaywing: *nodding* they've got prickly edges, kinda like they've got teeth, and they're kinda fuzzy on the underside. they shouldn't hurt too bad when you pick them up, but you might wanna hold them by the stems anyhow *The little medicine cat's ears flicked towards the nursery, listening to the sounds of Icekit from inside*

It nodded along. This wouldn't normally be something it'd be interested in, but this was important. "Any particular smell?" It stepped awkwardly back towards the camp entrance.

*Jaywing tilted his head, eyes narrowed slightly*
Jaywing: uhh, leafy? kinda sweet, I guess . . .

"Leafy. Descriptive." It snorted. Funny how he knew what the leaves looked like more than smell. "I'll go look. Don't get your whiskers in a twist if I'm wrong though!" It scampered off out the exit.

*Jaywing followed Poisonfang to the Nursery, the young warrior having gone back to his more or less haughty attitude. That's the funny thing about Jaywing; sometimes, he'd describe things by the scent, or the feel, and yet sometimes, he'd be describing stuff as if he'd -seen- it. which, obviously, didn't make sense, since he was blind, but then again, he did say he had guiding voices in his head . . . *
*the Medicine den was dark. ok, maybe that didn't really matter sionce Jaywing was Jaywing, but Stoatpaw could've SWORN the Medicine den wasn't always this dark. like the silver tabby had covered up the light source in the den on purpose to make it dark*

Stoatpaw's nose wrinkled at the sharp mix of smells in the shadowy den. It sat back to paw a bit ahead of it until its eyes adjusted enough to find the herb shelf. How any cat was supposed to pick out such a vague smell between all these other ones was beyond it. It stumbled to the herb shelf and got to sniffing. They all smelled like plant to him. Some sweeter, more floral, some a bit more stale, but all overwhelmingly planty.
+Ooh! That one's nice!+ It stopped on one.
To Stoatpaw, that particular scent stung its nose.
It did recognize the lack of a scent cobweb had. It carefully plucked a twig covered in it off the shelf, wary not to tip anything else over; it did not have the expertise to clean and reorganize anything if it did.
~Leafy and sweet. That could be a hundred things up here. Just tell him you weren't sure. You can stay with the kit while he finds what he needs.~
Not a bad plan. Stoatpaw wasn't getting anywhere on its own. It was entirely fair to be lost. Stoatpaw picked up the cobwebs, ducked out of the den, and headed for the nursery, blinking as its eyes readjusted to the outside light.

*sheesh, going from the dark of the med den to the light of the outside was like a flash-bang, great Starclan-*
*Jaywing was in the nursery, a tiny little stinger dangerously close next to his own paw as he gently licked at the welt. Icekit whined and complained the whole time, her stung paw, like, twice the size of her other forepaw. Jaywing looked over, face set as he treated the Kit that was probably only, what, 2 moons younger than him (like, the age difference between Stoatpaw and Jaywing, but Jaywing being eldest)?*
Jaywing: My description was too vague, yeah?

"Unfortunately. And it's stupid dark in there." It set down the twig. "Anything else you need me to do for Icekit?

Jaywing: keep her off her paw, no matter what she says
Icekit: *whining* but it's hard to stay standinggggg!
Jaywing: *snippily* don't even think about it *Jaywing shook his head before turning back to Stoatpaw* just, gimme one second. be back in a jiff *the tiny Medicine Cat left the nursery, leaving behind a dramatic kit and her two younger kin;*
*kits that were barely old enough to eat solid prey, and without a mother to give them milk*
*Jaywing slipped back in, with some leaves and a leaf wrap leaking some sticky sweet liquid*
Jaywing: ok, back. Icekit, hold out your paw to me *the fluffy white kit did as she was told while Jaywing began to chew up the leaves* ok, Icekit, I need you to stick your paw in that liquid over there. it's called honey. it'll smell like a treat, it'll be really tempting to taste, -Do not lick it off- *the kit looked at the golden honey, leaning down to take just a little taste from the leaf, only for Jaywing to snap at her* don't even think about it
Icekit: *huffing* fine, hmph! *she stuck her paw in, scrunching her nose up at the sticky feeling* it feels gross!
Jaywing: *ignoring the complaint* hold out your paw again *he spit out the chewed up Blackberry leaves onto her paw, patting down the poultice with a leaf before wrapping it in cobwebs* there. stay off it as much as you can. the honey should sooth the pain, but it'll probably hurt for a few days

Stoatpaw nudged the kit to keep her balanced. "It's not SO bad. I've been doing it since I was your age." It wasn't sure if or not that was any kind of encouragement.
It stepped back from her again when Jaywing returned and let him work.
As Jaywing informed her to stay off her paw, it leaned in with a tiny mischievous smirk. "If you don't you might end up with a stump too." It let out a little snicker.

*Icekit gasped in horror, as if that would be the worst outcome in the entire world- "truly a fate worse than death", as Jaywing would occasionally grumble during frustrating or annoying tasks, and she immediately laid down*
Icekit: I'll stay off it! I promise! *Jaywing nodded before picking up the leftover honey-wrap and moving to leave. his ear flicked back and his head tilted slightly in Stoatpaw's direction before his tail flicked as if to say, "follow me, I hafta tell you something"*

Stoatpaw lifted its head. "M'kay." It glanced back at Icekit with another stupid grin before slipping out of the nursery after Jaywing.

*Jaywing headed back to the medicine den, placing the honey back inside almost haphazardly, before coming back out to stand by Stoatpaw. he seemed a bit, scattered, almost? but his tone was hushed and quiet*
Jaywing: *softly* can, can I run something by you? please?

"Sure, what is it?" Stoatpaw's ears remained pricked at attention, and it stayed on its paws.

*the silver tabby's ears flicked and swiveled (the equivalent of looking around) before he lifted a paw up to make it look like he was cleaning honey off of it*
Jaywing: y'know those two really young kits? the ones that were sleeping in the corner while we were dealing with Icekit? They're not even old enough to eat solid prey, and there's no queen to feed them *the young medicine cat's tail swished nervously, worry clearly filling his chest*

"Icekit's mother can't nurse them?" It leaned in a bit to keep the feel of secrecy.

*Jaywing shook his head solemnly, milky green eyes looking like tiny green-tinted moons*
Jaywing: she'd gotten sick, remember? she healed, thankfully, but it stopped her ability to nurse kits *the younger cat sighed and hung his head at his paws* I, had been thinking about what to do, and, um, well one of the voices gave me an idea
**Ah, so THAT's why Jaywing was confiding in Stoatpaw first**

"Right." Its head hung a little lower. It hadn't kept up with all the side effects. Maybe it was a little caught up in other things. It stilled its shuddering. "And... what was that idea?"

*Jaywing traced his paw over the ground, the residual honey making the dry dirt stick to the sleek silver fur*
Jaywing: well, he'd said that a while ago, when he was in Thunderclan, a warrior who claimed to be his mum hadn't produced milk- because, y'know, not an actual queen, nevermind, not important, um *the young cat shook his head before getting back on topic* right, he and his siblings had been nursed by another queen who was producing milk. so, if we were able to find a queen who had either just kitted, or was still producing milk . . . *Jaywing lifted his head to "look" at Stoatpaw, his eyes seeming just a tad more blue than normal as he trailed off his sentence (though perhaps that was a trick of the light)*

"If we don't have one of those in ShadowClan... perhaps we could ask the other Clans? They're not allowed to reject endangered kits. Unless they entirely don't have a Queen to foster the kits, they'd have to help, right? We can bring this to Ivystar. I'm sure she'd be troubled with this too, right?"

*Jaywing nodded, tail swishing uneasily*
Jaywing: The only queens I know of though are expecting, not post kitting. I mean, we could try and ask Wildflower from Windclan, but that's really far away and I think she's too far post. mouse dung, if only we had someone like Ferncloud in Shadowclan! *Ferncloud? who's that? Jaywing paused mid step, staring ahead blankly- er, more blank than usual*

“Well we can’t look outside the Clans, can we.” It huffed. It chose not to ask about ‘Ferncloud’. It assumed it was some medicine cat ghost-vision thing.

*Jaywing snapped back to reality and nodded, sitting down. he flexed his claws a few times before cringing and sighing. his ears drooped and his posture became more of a slouch*
Jaywing: *whispering exhaustedly* Starclan, help me now *the little blind med cat turned his head to face Stoatpaw's general direction, body still slumped reluctantly* how'd you feel about taking a trip to the Moonpool with me?

Stoatpaw jumped. "I- Am I even allowed? In there?"
~Why not? You may as well know the way and get a look if you'll be back someday.~
Stoatpaw regathered its composure. "I'd be honored. If Ivystar allows it."

*Jaywing seemed to get at least a little but happier at that and nodded*
Jaywing: I'll go and ask, then we'll reconvene *the tiny cat padded off to Ivystar's den where he knew undoubtably that's where the she-cat was. Ivystar wasn't made to be a warrior, let's be honest; she was undoubtably a medicine cat through and through. a hunting patrol came back into camp, and by patrol I mean Acornheart and Fuzzyheart, a large squirrel draped on Acornheart's back while both he and Fuzzyheart carried frogs in their mouths. frogs? Stoatpaw hadn't ever eaten a FROG before. sure, they knew Shadowclan once hunted them, but actually eaten one? Acornheart smiled at Stoatpaw as he placed down the squirrel and frog, his ticked pelt dull in the pale leafbare sun*

Stoatpaw nodded to the smaller Tom and looked back at the returning patrol. It shuddered a little. It had considered trying frog once, but it hated how cold and slimy it was. It never liked catching them either, though Bristlebush never let it let easy prey get away. No matter how hard that made it gag. It wasn't very ShadowClan-ly of it to hate their primary prey so much, but that was one flaw Stoatpaw could live with. Stoatpaw simply nodded back at Acornheart and waited on Jaywing.

*It felt like for-fckin-ever before Jaywing came back, followed closely by Ivystar. The leader beckoned for Stoatpaw to follow her into the medicine den for a privet conversation, nudging aside a large knot of ivy that had initially covered the skylight. y'know, when the den wasn't pitch black, it was actually kinda pretty*
Ivystar: Jaywing has filled me in on your plan to go to the Moonpool. I'm alright with it, that's fine, but are you sure you can do this? this is normally a trip done by grown medicine cats *Ivystar paused, eyeing both Jaywing and Stoatpaw up and down* which you to are definitely not

"I think Jaypaw is mature enough. And I'm plenty skilled to keep him safe should anything go wrong." It asserted, tail twitching. It was perfectly capable. They were both perfectly capable. Perhaps it should ask about other precautions. But that might make Ivystar actually consider those, and it would rather prove its worth on its own.

*Ivystar blinked and silently brushed her tail over Jaywing's ears, making her former apprentice let out a barely audible noise in his throat Stoatpaw could only assume was a stand in for a reproachful scowl. Ivystar ignored him, however, still looking at Stoatpaw*
Ivystar: I'm sure, but your competence was not what I was questioning. First off, you don't even know the way to the Moonpool- and don't you dare tell me that the voices'll guide you, Jaywing, I'm not trusting your fate up to something that could very well just be auditory hallucinations *Jaywing shut his mouth, tail curling around his paws and ears folding back* Second, you two are 8 and 10 moons old respectively; this journey is physically taxing for some warriors to make. and lastly, most _pressingly_, *the leader paused, narrowing her eyes at the two young toms* you two have a knack for making enemies. not that it's necessarily your fault *(she definitely thought it was their fault)* but you still do

“Jaywing would’ve had to have gone at some point, right? Besides, who else would take us? You have duties here, don’t you?”
~And it’s not our fault other cats are such mousebrains.~
It couldn’t say that out loud. But it hoped the slight eye roll at that statement got the point across.

*Ivystar frowned deeply at Stoatpaw, clearly irked by the tone she was being spoken to in, but knowing the (for the most part) the little tripod was right*
Ivystar: like that. That’s the knack and snark I’m talking about *The leader then turned to address Jaywing, who was “looking” down and seemed distracted* Jaywing, *the silver tabby snapped his head up, straightening. Ivystar sighed* Do you think you’d be capable of leading your and Stoatpaw’s trek?
Jaywing: yes, Ivystar, I do *his air had suddenly gone from scattered, to completely in control. Ivystar paused, narrowing her eyes, before sighing and putting a paw to her muzzle and closing her eyes*
Ivystar: *tiredly* then you have my permission to go *the leader began to leave before looking at them over her shoulder with a scowl and stern tone* I would like you two to note that if we weren’t short on warriors, I never would’ve let you go alone together! But, desperate times *the white and black she-cat exited the den, leaving Jaywing and Stoatpaw alone*

Stoatpaw dipped its head and watched her go. When she was gone and hopefully out of earshot, it looked over at Jaywing. "Did I have a tone?"

*Jaywing purred and walked deeper into the den to start grabbing things*
Jaywing: maybe a little *the little med cat paused as he rolled some herbs into a wrap before his voice went soft* Stoatpaw? You don't, think I'm mental, do you?

"Of course not. I thought that was normal medicine cat stuff. Like, why else would Ivystar've made you her apprentice?" It sat down.

*Jaywing was quiet for a bit, thinking, nodding slowly, but seemed to have mentally split himself again; body on autopilot, mind wandering elsewhere*
Jaywing: There's not really anywhere else for me to be put, but, thanks. anyways, I'm making us some traveling herbs for the journey. that being said, do you think we should wait to eat them at the edge of our border, or here in camp?

"Border. We probably ought to eat some real food here if anything." That, and the longer it could go without munching on leaves, the better.

(sry, got held up)

*Jaywing nodded, finishing up the first leaf wrap and beginning to make the second one. he was quiet for a while, focusing on not only his work, but probably whatever conversation was also going on in his head at the same time. y'know, that's an interesting thing to think about; how many voices was Jaywing talking about when he said 'voices' plural? like, was it 2? 3? MORE than 3? actually, that'd explain a lot of his scatterbrained-ness*

"You got any prey requests? I can go grab you something to eat while you do all this." Stoatpaw WOULD'VE asked Ivystar for permission to eat, but it had no intent of bothering her any further.