Restoring order and bringing hope...

[Wolfwings]

Heavy with worry and grief, the MistClan leader trudged the last few steps into her camp. Her sturdy white paws felt like stones, weighed down by the rash turn of events. Despite her remorse, she knew that as a leader, she had a duty to her clan. Mourning could wait for later, once she reassured her Clanmates.

Leaping to the top of the high rock, she called her cats together.

"Cats of MistClan, please gather beneath our high rock for a Clan meeting!" She allowed a few moments for everyone to file in and come to stand beneath the ledge. "I understand that a considerable number of you are probably feeling a little hopeless and sad and I assure you, my feelings could not be more similar..." "Although this is a terrible time, there is still a war on the horizon...and we must do our very best to maintain as normal a routine as possible so that we are ready for it..." "To that end, several of our apprentices MORE than deserve to be made warriors." "Umberpaw, Ripplepaw, Icepaw, Bristlepaw, Nyria, Amara, and Giddypaw...please step forward!"

She waited for them patiently, a smile spreading over her maw.

[Bristleclaw]

She slipped through the waterfall sadly, a ripple of mourning with every pawstep. Blindsong was gone, and though Bristlepaw hadn't known her well, she had known that her soul was pure and that she'd meant no offense.

But her name was called.
Bristlepaw raised her head, and all the sadness and grief shone like stars in her intense gray eyes. Even the thought of becoming a warrior only cheered her up a little bit.

She had been an apprentice of MistClan for at least ten moons now. MistClan was her home, and she would die defending it in the coming war. The dark cloud loomed over all of the Clans, and she thought that this ominous cloud wouldn't go away until BoneClan was destroyed.

"Yes, Lillystar," she mewed, sounding extremely kitlike and extremely unlike herself. She hadn't witnessed a death since she was a kit, and so that young and frightened kit resurfaced now. She stepped forward to stand before her leader, her eyes downcast.

[.::Umberwings]

One unnaturally small she-cat patiently awaited their return at the entrance of the medicine cat den. Blazingly bright feral yellow hues flicked as one by one her fellow clan members filed into the camp, her happy look the moment that the thought of Rustshade’s return vanishing to something a little more troubled. What had happened? Something was certainly wrong, an air of sadness and tragedy hanging over the returnees.

Loss. That was what the medicine cat apprentice sensed, loss and broken bitterness. Someone had died.

Urgently her gaze flicked over the others, but no…no all her fellow Mistclan cats who had gone to the Gathering had returned. From another clan, maybe?

At Lillystar’s call the delicate black she-cat rose to her paws and padded forward. Finally. Finally, after so so very long…

Moons and moons. The tiny bumbling black she-kit who had been found by Whisperstar had grown into a slender and tiny-framed she-cat, graceful and walking the fine line between this world and Starclan. It…was where she felt truly happiest at, a position so many would find truly miserable.

Rustshade..

There was happiness, a shining star in her life. But was it not wrong?

…no.

Forgiveness. Love. Umberpaw closed her yellow hues and lifted her head the moment a breeze slowly wafted through the camp. Gentle murmurs, soundless calls of acceptance and love, flicked unheard through her ears, the words and songs of the Starclan cats so few ever heard.

“Lillystar. There is a newcomer to the clan.”

With a slight smile adorning the apprentice’s maw as she settled at the high rock, head lightly inclining towards the nursery. After the meeting was done, of course, would she tell Lillystar everything.

[Battledream]

Fire.

Even as the roar of the waterfall cascaded around the returning she-cat, fiery determination burning within the amber hues of the huge Battledream. Such senseless violence, on the eve when the clans were to meet in peace, was a terrible blow to the ideals the she-cat held dear. She cleared the waterfall with simple ease, padding into the camp with the same fierceness of the warriors of the Lionclan of old.

This must end.

Standing there, amber eyes slowly circled the camp; from Lillystar on her High Rock, to the gathering apprentices, to those others who had went to the gathering and witness the crime committed.

‘Even if I must give my life…’

This was her clan. Her home. And Battledream both lived and died to protect it.

‘Starclan. Allowed Warfox’s clan mate the peace she so dearly deserves.’

The blind calico hadn’t even been of her own clan, yet Battledream vowed, deep within her scarred, guarded heart, that the she-cat’s senseless death would be avenged.

Positioning herself near to the High Rock, the massive she-cat settled herself to silently witness the ceremony.

[nymara]

Black and white, yin and yang. Each stepped through the waterfall.

Both she-cats had striking gray eyes, identical to those of their half-sister--Bristlepaw.

Nyria glanced around for Andromeda, while Amara's eyes searched for Battledream. Finding her mentor, she rested her muzzle on her sister's head, gave it a quick lick, then padded slowly to sit beside the huge she-cat.

"This is horrible," the light sister mewed, while the dark one sat beside her--as a result of not finding her own mentor. "Why would one do such a thing?" Nyria asked, and they leaned against each other. Suddenly in unison, Nymara looked up at the white twin's mentor, Battledream.

But now, Nyria and Amara were to be warriors. Warrior cats, destined to defend their Clan with their lives. Each twin flicked their gaze to their leader, Lillystar. What would be so different? Perhaps they'd each get an apprentice later on in life. Perhaps they'd lead patrols; perhaps one would be made deputy.

But that would come later in life, and right now, Amara thought that her mentor, Battledream would be the best choice for deputy.

[Goldenblaze]

<sub>A whisper, soft.. Silent, all but to the ears of Umberpaw. No.. Soon to be a full adult. The thought enlightened the dark and rusty colored tom, already warrior-made and mature by many moons. He was growing large and tall, the rather opposite of the small Umberpaw. He gave her a drifting lick between her ears, a soft sigh, and words almost inaudible. "Congratulations, my dear.." He whispered softly. It was subtle.

Not yet was he sure that the young medicine cat wanted to spend the rest of her life with him; he had to be careful, lest he started something. But something else tugged at his throat, and he sighed a gentle 'I love you' before giving her a fleeting look and walking away. He would watch this ceremony, then as promised, he would help Tinderspark find his sister. It was a promse the young tom intended to keep...</sub>

[Ripplemist]

Padding through the waterfall behind Rustshade, Ripplepaw kept her head low, gazing at the ground as feelings of grief and sadness for the blind she-cat stayed with her, like the rest of her clanmates who had gone to the Gathering. She hadn't known Blindsong very well, but she had always seen her whenever the clans gathered and had thought of her as a friendly, sweet she-cat who easily made friends with whoever talked to her. Her fur bristled in slight rage as she thought of the idiotic tom who had struck her. She was murdered for nothing! If she ever saw that so-called 'Dual Void' again, she'd make sure to hook whatever gray matter he had in his head with a sharp claw and drag it out of his ears or something.

She totally would.

Snapping back to reality at the sound of her name being called by Lillystar as well as several other apprentices, her spirit rose a little at the prospect of being made a warrior. After being a cat of MistClan for 12 whole moons, today was the day that she would be a full warrior of her clan. Raising her head, she bounded over to the Highrock and seated herself next to Bristlepaw. Ripplepaw's bushy tail flicked in excitement despite the death at the Gathering, but she noticed that the fellow apprentice and friend was still grieving for poor Blindsong. The smaller- yet older- cat gave her a nudge, attempting a smile, for Bristlepaw's mood was starting to affect her.

"C'mon, Bristlepaw, we're going to be warriors! Cheer up a 'lil, you're making everyone feel bad."
She raised her gaze to look at Silverpelt, shining in the sky above them as she continued to speak.
"Blindsong is gone and she's up there with StarClan now. It was a horrible thing to happen at a Gathering, and completely senseless too, but what's done is done. And now we're going to be warriors and we'll fight for our clan in the upcoming war..... and woo."
Sighing, she plopped down onto her belly, and dragged one paw over her ear, catching a troublesome tick and slamming it on the ground in victory. "Blaaah, I sound like my mom now," she said, laughing slightly as she sat back up. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her two best friends from kithood greet each other and act like a lovestruck couple together.

Together.

Together, huh.

Pushing away a slight twinge of jealousy, she shrugged to herself. She was happy for them if they did get together. After all, they were best friends with her and perhaps more so with each other.

But wait, it was forbidden.
Umberpaw was a medicine cat.

Blah, so what? It didn't matter, did it?
Shaking her head to clear it out from now-cluttered thoughts about clan rules and such, she returned her attention to Lillystar, eagerly awaiting the warrior naming ceremony.

[Bristleclaw]

<sub>As Ripplepaw sat next to her, Bristlepaw instinctively bristled--it was her nature when a cat around her age. But if the huge she-cat was to ever make friends besides Battledream and Wishclaw, she'd have to be nice; she'd have to change her nature. If she ever wanted a mate she'd have to change her nature. Of course, there weren't many toms in MistClan for her to be mates with, and Bristlepaw was not one to switch over to the 'other team'. The gray-blue femme said to 'cheer up'. She realized she was being all depressing and she sighed, then looked back at her closest friend her age with a smile.

"I'm sorry," she mewed, shrugging. "It's just, no one I know has died that way since my mother was killed." Her tail flicked and she brought it around to curl it around her forepaws neatly. Her mother would be so proud of her...She was from a foreign place, but they had the same Clan structure, and Bristlepaw's mother would have been so proud.

Nightwings would have been so proud.

She was about to become a warrior...wait a tic. She was about to become a warrior! Bristlepaw glanced around for Wishclaw, her insane but friendly mentor. Perhaps the crazy fae would get a chance to meet the few toms and maybe have kits...what would that make the huge Norwegian Forest Cat? Apprentice-in-law? She glanced around at Ripplepaw and laughed. "If our mentors have kits, what will that make us?" she meowed, a chuckel still audible in her gruff voice.</sub>

[.::Umberwings]

Ah, Rustshade.

The black she-cat nudged him gently, so gently, brief in repast but there was no denying the joy she felt in seeing him.

“Thank you.”

A smile, but already the tom was drifting away, his soft, so soft, whisper swirling to her ears only and causing the voices that generally haunted Umberpaw’s waking like to dim into the background. He…loved her?

“Me too.”

Love. Love and happiness and so so much pride…

Umberpaw shifted, looking away and padding to Ripplepaw’s side, tail flicking through the air in a rare outward sign of her joy.

“Finally, huh Ripplepaw?”

She shot Bristlepaw a comforting smile over her best friend. Although she didn’t know the large apprentice very well it was nothing to stop the feeling of comradely that she felt for the other.

And together, they waited.

[Battledream]

Battledream looked down at her apprentice with pride. Ah, it felt like only yesterday that Amara had become her apprentice, but already, here and now, she was to become a warrior. Hell yah, she was proud.

Amber orbs shifted over the twin, black and white, polar opposites.

“There are many kinds in the world. Some are like Lillystar, noble and brave. Some are like young Umberpaw over there, caring and dedicated. But there are those who walk the dark paths, are malicious and dishonorable. Those who forbid Starclan’s way and seek to harm those who us who follow them. The world takes all kinds to make it whole, and there must be a balance between both sides.”

That was perhaps, the most anyone in the clan might have ever heard the massive she-cat say at one time. But she fell silent again, hues leaving the two to-be warriors to look to Lillystar once more.

[Murderpaw]

Fierce yowls and snarls could be heard from the nursery, as Timescar drove one red and white young tom out of it. The cruel Muderkit was actually far too large to be kept in there and had taken to tormenting the queen’s sole surviving kit, and Timescar had finally had it with the tom’s actions, choosing to remove him herself.

Shaking his fur and looking displeased, the scarred young tom bounded forward into camp, orange eyes looking in particular for that one she-cat he enjoyed so much to torment. But he didn’t see Andromeda anyway. Instead, there was a second fave, Ripplepaw, wasn’t her name? The she-cat who had found him originally and brought him into the clan to be accepted by Lillystar.

Hmph.

Stupid she-cats.

Although Murderkit had filled out some he was still a far cry from his adult size, which was already apparently that he was going to be very large. That coupled with his nasty streak and twisted mind…didn’t bode too well for Mistclan as a whole. There were cuts along the kit’s legs, not inflicted from the angry Queen, she had enough sense to keep her own claws sheathed, but from his own claws and fangs. Anger that eh couldn’t take out on the rest of the clan he took out on himself, letting it build up and build up until it exploded.

And now the kit was loose, out from the nursery and amongst the other cats.

He went for Ripplepaw first, silent as death as muscles tensed beneath his red and white pelt as he leaped for her back, claws unsheathed and teeth ready to tear into any flesh he could find.

[nymara]

_{Amara gazed up at Battledream in amazement, while Nyria looked around wildly at Murderkit being chased out of the nursery. She followed him with her gaze, then realized with a jolt he was about to attack Ripplepaw. "Watch out!" she yowled, running to take down Murderkit. Sure, he was just a kit, but he was extremely violent.}

[October]

Timing. Some had it, some didn't. Perhaps October had timing, despite his befuddled and rather little mind. However, he didn't comprehend that timing, that small little factor, as he caterwauled above Lillystar's command to join her. "FRIEND!" He yowled, tackling his young Murderkit 'friend' to the ground, a smile slathered over his large mouth, ignoring the dirty looks he was probably receiving. "You don't want to play with..." He paused as Rustshade turned and gived him a careful look. "HER! Yeah, her! (Really?) and, well, you want to play with ME! I'LL BE YOUR FRIEND!" He screeched, almost distraught like, collapsing upon Murderkit, never wanting to let the young tom go.

"Y'can't go away, you'll leave me all alone! And nobody likes October, nope! Somebody just the other day called me a phycotic freak with a mental disorder! Can you BELIEVE it?? I don't know what a phycotic even MEANS!" He ranted, sitting down upon Murderkit. In fact, it was probably Murderkit himself whom had called the dark insane and young senile tom such things.

[Wishclaw]

"AW. MAH WITTLE APPWENTICE ISH BECOMING A WARRIOR. Fwehe~"

The cream colored she-cat's voice called out to her apprentice, a grin on her maw. She was happy for Bristlepaw, and wondered what her warrior name would be.

"I'M SO VERY PWOUD OF YEWWWW."

[Lucky]

Giddypaw was mad and sad. He really didn't feel like sleeping, or listening to what Lillystar had to say. Then he heard his name and his heart leaped! She started to walk up... then he saw her.

She was still so beuitful. Oh Ripplepaw, why did she have to leave him. His heart lurched with sadness and anger. He decided not to walk with her. He diliberatley kept a small space between them. Maybe she'd try to talk to him. He wasn't goign to hear it.

Instead, he let his thoughts wander from her and to the ceremony. It was time! He kept a smiled on his face as he bowed nervously before his mentor. Yes, Lillystar, ma'am?

[Onyxdart]

Quietly, avoiding the crazy tom and Murderkit, Andromeda crept up to her apprentice, and Amara, and Battledream.

"What has happened?" she asked after favoring Nyria with a slight grin. Because something was wrong here, and if anyone had stated it, she'd been too busy being late, as usual, to hear.

[/center]

[Shadow Spirit]

Lillystar observed her cats with a delicate smile on her soft, white maw. She was beyond proud of them. They had come through so much and she knew who deserved her praise. Now it was her duty to place upon them the highest honor any cat could get. There was also that pesky decision about a deputy, a decision which she thought she might finally have decided about. She was about to begin her speech, when Murderkit came snarling out of the nursery den. That kit was getting on her last nerve. She wasn't sure if it was against the warrior code to force out potential threats to one's clan, but she had to admit, she was considering it.

Putting it aside for the time being, she began again.

"Cats of MistClan, we have been through so much." "We have loved and lost many...honorable Honeymist, sweet Oddeye, generous Blindsong...I wish for you to commit all of these great cats to your memory and honor their places in StarClan..." "Also those that seem to have left us...your dear former leader Whisperstar, Silverthroat, Doubleheart, Icepaw...and so many others...I do not know what has happened to our clan...or to the whole forest..." She paused and gave them a moment to grieve.

"Now we have ceremonies that need to get underway, with apprentices long overdue for their warrior names!" "Please would Ripplepaw, Umberpaw, Bristlepaw, Giddypaw, Nyria and Amara step forward with your mentors..."

[Ripplemist]

"Idunno, their god-mentors or something?"

Ripplepaw laughed at Bristlepaw's question. But really, what would they be? Amusing thought if they were to be the kits' apprentices-in-law. Seeing Umberpaw come over and sit next to her, Ripplepaw rubbed her head against her best friend's shoulder happily.

"Yeah, finally, after so many moons!" she meowed in agreement. "This'll be the last time I'll call you Umberpaw!" Her tail flicked in excitement as she heard Lillystar call out her name once more. "I wonder what our warrior names will be?" she whispered as she rose to her paws and padded closer to the Highrock, listening to the clan leader's words.

True, many of their clanmates had gone missing and Ripplepaw missed them a lot, especially her mentor, Trillium, but this was not the time to be thinking about them. She had gotten used to not seeing them, and the pain of losing them, even temporarily, didn't hit her as hard as it did in the earlier days of their absense.

Without her mentor, she sat down and waited.

[.::Umberwings]

Giving Ripplepaw a nuzzle back was quick, a friendly gesture for her, well, friend. xD

“I know that Lillystar will choose something fitting.”

There was faith in the clan leader shining within Umberpaw’s yellow eyes. She knew Lillystar was a damn good leader, and although a part of her would miss the kindly she-cat who had originally brought her into the clan she could never think of another leader by Lillystar.

Rising to her paws she silently padded forward. Alone, too, like her best friend.

[Shadow Spirit]

Lillystar began the speech that she knew they had all been waiting for.

"I am so proud of all of you...and I am sorry that this had to happen so late, but I hope you are forever happy with the titles that I bestow on you..." She drew a deep breath. "Umberpaw, you have more or less trained yourself...and I am sorry that you had to do so much without your mentor." "I have little clues as to what has become of her, but you have been marvelous in her place." "For that reason I choose to make you our new medicine cat with the name Umberwings, for taking care of us all...as if we were your fledglings..." She smiled kindly at the young she-cat, the one she'd come to depend on so much. "I hope you will do your very best to honor StarClan's wishes and take as good care of your clan as you possibly can."

"Now, for my apprentices..." She regarded those that stood before her. "Ripplepaw, I cannot say what has happened to Trillium, but I do believe that she would be more than happy to see you at this ceremony today..." "From this day forward you will be known as the warrior Ripplemist, as an honor to being this Clan's first apprentice and to the she-cat who died protecting it..."

"Bristlepaw, your mentor...while we may question her sanity at times..." The leader chuckled fondly. "She is no doubt a brilliant mentor and has taught you well and should be honored to have brought you this far." "From this day forward, you shall be known as Bristleclaw, for your excellent sharpness of mind and body!"

"Giddypaw, as your mentor I've had little time to train you and I apolohize for that, but I am sure you can understand why..." "I hope that my mentoring has been sufficient." "From this day forward, your name will be Giddyheart for your undeniably upbeat manner!

"Nyria and Amara, your names were especially difficult for me to decide upon...seeing as they are so unique already." "It is my hope that you love the names I choose for you and that your mentors feel as proud as I do that you are now to be warriors." "So, from this day forward you will be known as Nyriashine and Lilacfrost, for your beauty and spirits!"

Lillystar took a huge breath, trying to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. Oh wait, there was that one thing...

"Finally, we come to quite possibly the hardest decision I have ever made...my deputy." "It has taken moons of deliberation...but I do believe that this decision is the best one that I could make..." "Battledream...I would be most grateful if you would assume the position..." Now the great leader sat back on her haunches, awaiting the frenzy that was sure to follow.

Tinderspark had sidled into this MistClan camp as quiet as a mouse. He knew nothing of the ceremony that was taking place, but he knew enough that he kept silent until Lillystar was finished speaking. Finally broken from his reserved trance, he stood and sought out Rustshade.

"Rustshade was it?" he called to the young tom. "Can we go now?"