Let's get back on track...

[Deus Ex Machina]

Mishkia never went too a clan meeting.. So she hurried over too the other gathered cats hopping she wasn't late.

Sitting on the outside of the gathered cats she had hadn't meet any of them and was a bit shy to shy to make herself too comfortable with them.

[Shadow Spirit]

Flowers color her fur...

Lillystar felt that enough of her clanmates were present before her, and she knew that this meeting was long in coming, so she decided to begin her announcements. Taking a deep breath, the tall, mottled leader began to speak.

"My dear clanmates, we have suffered much these past few moons..." "War has claimed the lives of many of our loved ones and has ravaged the land we know..." "I don't think there is anything I can say to alleviate the pains you feel, but taking the clan into its next season of growth should at least help us focus on something not marred by distress..." "Would all the kits ready to be apprenticed please step forward, and Dodgepaw, you as well..."

The weary she-cat watched her cats with soft, golden hues. She knew this meeting had waited too long...and she could feel trouble still simmering in the meadows to the south...

...justice rules her mind.

[.::Umberwings]

Oh, there was harried looking Rustshade too. Umberwings gave her mate the most patient of looks – had he been any other cat; then she’d probably have poisoned him by now. Luckily for him, she was more then tolerant of such behavior, even smiling a bit – such a rare occurrence on the otherwise taciturn she-cat. Mouthing a quick ‘thank you’ towards Firetheory the medicine cat settled with dealing with her mate in the kindest way she felt she could, “I’m doing just fine Rustshade. The fluffbutts are behaving themselves in there, trust me. I’ll be fine.” A warm, rich purr escaped the itty bitty she-cat, completely unbothered by the fact that she, a medicine cat, had broken the code.

“Oh, it certainly does feel like it. I cannot wait to pop them out and actually be able to stalk without waddling like a duck again.” The gravity of Shadowstreak’s whisper, but…but…

Such love she felt for her mate…did it really even matter, by this point? These kits deserved life, deserved everything that could be offered to them and more, so much more…

Was that…? Umberwings looked closer, trying to understand what Silverthroat was doing…what she might be saying to…herself? However, her attention was broken suddenly by the arrival of her best friend, Ripplemist. Allowing herself to laugh a bit, reaching out to lightly bat a paw at the other she-cat upon hearing her teasing tone and those lilting words. What had they been up to, eh? Such a question to ask the heavily pregnant medicine cat, “Need you honestly ask?” Even so, upon hearing Lillystar speak, the words that fell from her mouth, Umberwings fell silent, those brilliant eyes closing as she thought of every cat she had knew and lost since coming to Mistclan. Every cat, from the weak to the strong, each and every soul now lingering within Starclan...

She missed them all; each and every one of them.

[Starpaw]

“Omg yay! Already?” If that wasn’t answer enough for Tealpaw; that, and Starpaw’s sudden bright laugh and race forward to get the best seat right in front of Lillystar. She plopped her white rump down and looked up at the clan leader with shining, bright mismatched eyes – so happy, so pure, so excited to finally be reaching that next, wondrous step. “I’m here Lillystar, Starpaw’s right here and ready!”

Murderkit, silent and dangerous as always, padded like the curved scythe of tales of old forward, his cold, bitter gaze resting on the clan leader while ignoring the chatter of the youngsters about him. So long, too long…had Lillystar helped to create the Monster that lingered within?

[Dodgestrike]

Simple, shy Dodgepaw wasn’t minding at all just sitting back, unnoticed, watching as the rest of the clan gathered. Occasionally, oceanic blue eyes flicked from cat to cat, wanting to just remember this day forever and ever, to recall back everyone that was here. Briefly, his gaze alighted and that young she-cat, the warrior Bristleclaw, and the fur prickled in a strange way down his spine. Gulping for a minute, he quickly looked away, not knowing or asking what that had been.

But then…Lillystar’s words…Dodgepaw’s ears flattened on his head and he flinched, thoughts of his parents returning to him. Oh, how he wished they were here – that they had been able to live to see this day. To see him, standing as the brave leader called him by name, padding forward with a head lifted high – eyes bright with tears he would no longer shed.

It was time for him to stay strong, to grow up and be everything that he could ever be in the name of Mistclan. And, maybe living up to that name, he would find pride in himself – the same pride his parents always had yet he never knew of.

[Deus Ex Machina]

<sup>Mishkia watched, this was amazing, her first clan meeting!
She tried not to be all squirrelly were she sat, but it seemed to fail, she could stop wiggling like a new kit.

Finally she stopped moving so much even if she was unconformable and she pondered wondering if she'd ever get a real clan name,
or trained to be a warrior and help serve her new clan, the Mistclan..
oh how it rang in her ears.</sup>

[Shadow Spirit]

Flowers color her fur...

The large mottled she-cat took a breath and then began her long disertation.

"We have many kits that are more than ready to be apprenticed, and were it not for the war I would have had them warriors already..." she said. "Would Dodgepaw please step up to the high rock?"

Lillystar looked down at the young tom, his stark white pelt broken up only by the bright orange mask around his eyes and the subtle ginger tips to his ears. His vibrant blue eyes looked excited, though the tom was so quiet Lillystar had trouble ever knowing what he felt.

"Dodgepaw, you have suffered so much these past moons, yet you have done nothing less than excel," the leader said, smiling encouragingly, though her heart grieved for him. "You are more than ready to be a warrior and I am now going to make you one." "From this day forward you will be known as Dodgestrike, a full warrior of MistClan." "Do you promise to uphold this clan's ideals and protect your clanmates with your life?"

OOC: I"ll assume he answers yes and they do the whole respectful shoulder lick thing because I need to move on to all the apprentices. @_@

"Now, the list of apprentices is long, so please bare with me and keep your ears tuned," Lillystar continued, flicking her tail. "Shadowstreak, if you are well enough, I would like you to mentor Starpaw." "Are you?"

[/size]

Shadowstreak was dumbfounded by Lillystar's question. She couldn't believe that her leader was offering her an apprentice when she had just barely escaped death moons earlier. Perhaps Lillystar sympathized with her, since her first apprentice mysteriously dissapeared so long ago.

"Hale enough, and I would be honored Lillystar," the tabby replied, smiling warmly at her leader.

"Wonderful, then Starpaw will be apprenticed by Shadowstreak." "Now let me see, Gryfinpaw, you will be mentored by Andromeda." "Rustshade, you are ready for an apprentice and you will mentor Ashenpaw." "Squirrelpaw, you will be mentored by Firetheory." "Yellowflower, you will mentor Mishkia." "Tealpaw, you will be mentored by Binx." "Variouspaw, you will be mentored by Doubleheart." "Medium, you will be mentoring Olivepaw and your sister Contrast will mentor Salmonpaw." "Bristleclaw, your first apprentice will be Dappledpaw." "Ripplemist will be mentor to Leopardpaw, Goldfeather will mentor Windpaw, and Ahava will mentor Sunpaw."

Lillystar took a huge breath, feeling winded just by speaking. She paused, evaluating what she would now say.

"Also, though his behaviors have worried me, I cannot deny Murderpaw the chance to be a warrior...as he is already plenty old enough..." she said, rather anxiously, doing her best to keep her voice level. "Battledream, I deem you his mentor, please keep him in line and see that he doesn't harass any of his clanmates anymore...I hope he can become a good warrior for our clan."

...justice rules her mind.[/center][/color]

[Duskwingflight]

Squirrelpaw eagerly lifted his head when he heard his name being called. He wasn't paying attention much and zoned out, but he snapped back when he heard his name being called. What did she say? My mentor is Firetheory? Then he realized what she had said. He glanced across the clearing looking for his new mentor. He saw his mentor and with a bounce of excitement he practically ran over there and almost knocking over a few cats. He wanted to burst out with tons of questions but managed to hold in a small. "Hi!"

[Dodgestrike]

Excitement. Yes, that was surely a true thing…he wanted this. No, Dodgepaw needed this; to at long last find a true place for himself. A real path for him to follow, without looking back at the painful memories of the past. And, although he would never forget his parents – kindly Oddeye and brave Hawkeye – he knew this was right.

He had come into his own.

Listening to every word, the quiet tom felt a burn of self-pride coil in his chest as he padded forward, murmuring a soft, unstuttered “Yes, until the day Starclan calls me to them, I will.” towards his leader, gratitude toward her burning in his gaze as he respectfully licked her shoulder before falling back so that the new apprentices could have their moment in the light.

A nightlong silent guard followed, if he recalled correctly, and Dodgestrike moved to the far end of the group – ready to do his duty the moment the meeting was over without an argument at all.

[Starpaw]

Even as the newly dubbed Murderpaw growled loudly and shot Lillystar the most hateful of looks, there glancing at Battledream with perhaps but a hint of apprehension towards what the huge deputy might do to him if he went out of line, Starpaw was completely ecstatic. “Finally finally finally, we're real apprentices!” She cheered, her bright clear voice ringing loudly as she rose and play bunny-hopped over to Shadowstreak; tail in the air like a furry banner behind her. “When are we gonna start, when when?”

The lithe young snow white apprentice clearly just couldn’t wait, now could she? Those mismatched eyes, ones that claimed before to have seen those lost in Mistclan, peered brightly up at Shadowstreak, with just a dash of puppy-dog begging enough to tug at anyone’s heartstrings.

[.::Umberwings]

Umberwings gave a soft purr of congratulations for the young apprentices, as well as a smile and flick of her tail towards the new warrior Dodgestrike. He would do so much good for the clan, of that she – as well as many others, she was sure – could see well. And besides, while he might thought that this was going to make his parents proud of him, the calm medicine cat knew otherwise.

They always had been.

Perhaps it was that she was at term, expecting at any time, that lead to these insights. Maybe it was just something that she picked up along her journey to being the feline she was today…who knew, really? Starclan, but there were just some secrets they didn’t share with the felines of the valley – and all was right and proper in the world with that. Umberwings gave a bit of a yawn, glancing towards the sky, before rising delicately to her paws and whispering to her close friends, “After the meeting, if Lillystar needs me I shall be in my den. Tell her that she’s welcomed, alright? Thank you.” Giving Rustshade a pointed look, one of her sharp fierce ones to plainly tell him not to follow, the tiny cat padded back into the den.