[ti]Open[/ti]Don't Bring Me Down

[LupTacco]

Bearstar murmured a few words with Sabletail and Silverspot, confirming their reports before nodding to herself solemnly. So much for a return to peace; it would seem MistClan had a new adversary, one that had no intention of leaving. Leaping up onto the ledge over her den, she let out a sigh before calling the clan, "Let all cats old enough to cross the waterfall gather here for a clan meeting." She looked out over the cats, her gaze lingering on the adoptive family of one cat in particular, and on his mentor.

"Before we go on, I have been informed that the river has seen fit to take another life from us. Halfpaw was swept away, and no patrol has been able to find him in the water or on any of its shores. Though we do not have concrete evidence he is dead, his scent is gone, and Murkpaw has provided an explanation."

The brown-furred leader bowed her head, though her gaze seemed to be empty, and it hardened defensively as she looked up again, catching sight of the river behind her clan. At this rate, perhaps that stream will be the end of us all. "In better news, there are still cats among us ready to finish their training, and to begin it. Leafpaw, Blackpaw, Blazepaw, and Quillpaw- come forward."

"Leafpaw, Blackpaw, and Blazepaw. You have had the great fortune to grow up together, uninterrupted by anything else. Your bonds strengthen each other, and your arguments have only brought you closer together. MistClan is grateful for your combined spirits. Leafpaw, you are the leader of your siblings, lifting them and yourself up- and that will be reflected in your name, Leafspring. Blackpaw, your cleverness and lowkey nature have not made you the lesser of your litter, but a unique equal to them both- you will be known as Blackbrush. And you, Blazepaw, are the heart. Your emotions burn strong as the wind- for that, you will be Blazegale." She greeted the three sibling warriors, giving them a few moments to enjoy their new titles before moving on.

"Quillpaw, you hold your head above everyone. But, there is strength to be found in firm principles. You are as steadfast as a tree, so your name will be Quillpine," Bearstar nodded, folding her tail over her paws and allowing the apprentices to enjoy their new names together before she went on to the kits to be moved up.

"Tonight, Sabletail and Silvermist both have children of their own ready to begin their training," the leader flicked her tail, beckoning the kits forth, looking towards the medicine cat's den and swiveling her ears in a gesture for the little tom kit there to step forward as well.

"Venomkit, you will be known as  Venompaw until you complete your training. Lionburr will train you- he is an excellent fighter and a brave warrior."

"Applekit, as Applepaw you will train with Flametail. He is full of charity and bravery, qualities we can always use more of in the clans."

Moving on to Silvermist's kits- minus one, now that Halfpaw was missing- she continued with the ceremonies.

"Dandeliondrift, your patience and willingness to listen and forgive are admirable. Gourdpaw, you are already a kind young tom, but he may help you learn how to handle all the troubles in life."

"Webpaw, you have never let things you cannot change stop you. You are a remarkably strong cat already, and someone serious but kind at heart like Dogear will be a fine mentor for you."

"Spiderpaw, you have admirable ambition for someone so young, but take care not to let it guide your paws in dark directions. Briartuft is an intelligent and humble she-cat, and I believe you could both learn from each other how to recognize your achievements."

"And Owlpaw, though you are quiet, you do your best to keep an eye on your family. Pebbleshade, I believe you are ready to train another apprentice- your unique experiences in life may help this young tom protect others."

So many apprentices, but not quite all. Bearstar turned towards Frostfall and Daisypetals' den, where a ginger-furred tom was waiting impatiently. "Maplekit, join these other apprentices at the front. You are ready to begin training, as well." She waited for him to stand before her before continuing, "You have recovered quickly- in fact, you seem to be stronger now than before you were injured. As you have started your training late, you will need a mentor capable of keeping up with you. Roseheart is sweet to many, but her claws remain keen; learn from her all that you can and prove that not every good heart is gentle.  Tonight, you will not be returning to the medicine cat's den or the nursery- you will be joining these young cats as Maplepaw, in the apprentice's den."

The clan called each cat's name a few more times, echoing through the caves like bursts of wind, but to the leader's ears they sounded somehow hollow. Still, she had to keep up some kind of face, calling the meeting to a close with a dignified voice, "That is all for tonight. Tomorrow it will be a new day, and for several of you, a new experience." Retreating into her den, the MistClan leader slumped against the smooth stone and wondered how tired Mothstar had been at the end of his leadership, or how Owlstar felt beneath that powerful aura she always brought with her.

[Ava]

With red, puffy eyes and her fur wet with tears, Petalpaw trudged out of the apprentice's den. She sat down quietly as Bearstar declared the death of Halfpaw, and though she tried her best to keep tears from rushing down her cheeks again, she couldn't help it as she quietly sobbed again. It was quite embarrassing to do so in front of Bearstar and the rest of the clan. No matter how much she cried, it seemed like there could only be more tears to shed. Why had such bad things happened to them, and what had they done to deserve it? Halfpaw was a gorgeous, kind, good cat who was supposed to live a long and happy life, but he was dead? 

The only thing that stopped her sobs was her brother earning his apprenticeship. She smiled the best she could, covering the pain that was obvious in her sweet amber eyes, and called out her brother's new apprentice name louder than the rest of them as he was announced last. Her dear brother deserved it after his siblings got to go and be apprentices without him. He was such a kind tom and Halfpaw should've been here to watch as the tom he saved during the flood became an apprentice at long last. And so, with Halfpaw again in her mind, she began to quietly sob and quiver.

[Mama]

Spiderkit padded out of the nursery with his siblings, his fur all neatened up and styled against his will. But, it was his big day! And, same with his siblings, they counted too. Halfpaw hadn't visited in a few days, so he just assumed he was planning a big surprise. "Count on him to do something cool!" He chirped to his mother with a grin, then looking to his littermates on the topic of their older brother. With a head held high, the tom strutted with a bit too much flair, before quickly correcting it to refrain from a scolding. Sitting down, his tail curled around his body peacefully. His eyes swept around for a certain large wildcat tom, before the meeting started.

"Before we go on, I have been informed that the river has seen fit to take another life from us. Halfpaw was swept away, and no patrol has been able to find him in the water or on any of its shores. Though we do not have concrete evidence he is dead, his scent is gone, and Murkpaw has provided an explanation."

It took a pause for him to process it. Gone. His brother was gone. Dead. Or if still alive, trapped in the current of the river. His ears pinned back, and he felt tears sting his face. He didn't want to think he was never coming back. But who would take care of them when Silvermist was sick? And now in a different den, they'd all planned to move nests together to stick close. Getting to his paws before his name was even called, he took off back to the nursery with clouded eyes. He didn't want to be an apprentice anymore.

---

Venomkit glanced to her father, the deputy of Mistclan, with a sharp and calm look. Her eyes flickered around to the other cats at the news of the dead one, unfazed. Not her issue, was it? She wasn't close to him, or his family, and though it was a bit of a bummer to not be able to face off in a spar potentially, she wasn't too upset. Even so, she dipped her head for a moment of silence before her name was called to get her mentor. It was an older tom named Lionburr, and her nose twitched slightly in annoyance as she padded to him and touched noses quickly. "So, when does training start?" Was all the tabby mewed.

[Dragon]

Silvermist sat behind her kits giving each of them a quick grooming to make sure they looked their best. She had been so busy with her kits she hadn't heard the rumors about her son Halfpaw. But she had noticed he hadn't stopped by the nursery lately which was odd but she just figured his training kept him busy. That was until the Bearstar called the clan forth and broke her heart by telling the clan that Halfpaw was dead. "NOOOO," she yowled. "Your lying he can't be dead I don't believe you." Tears were streaming down her eyes. "How...How did this happen?" Her mew had grown weaker and she began to shake from crying so hard.

---

Webkit stood there proud with her tail curled around her paws knowing she would be made an apprentice today along with her siblings. But what she hadn't expected was to hear that her older brother Halfpaw was dead. She heard her mother cry out and refuse to believe his. Webkit just sat there shaking violently. She felt so cold all of a sudden. She didn't want to believe her beloved brother was gone and she would never get to see him or talk to him again. Finally, tears began to slide down her face but still, she didn't make a sound.

---

Maplekit watched everything and didn't let any reaction cross his face. He felt nothing for the death of the cat that had saved his life. The only thing he felt was that he had wished it hadn't happened until he had been able to prove to the clan that he was better than Halfpaw in all ways.

---

Tumblefoot stood in the back of the gathering. Hearing that the young apprentice Halfpaw was taken by the river made him flinch. He could hear the kits mothers reaction and saw her fall apart. He felt bad for Silvermist and her other kits. Today was supposed to be a special day for them. But it was ruined by the death of their adopted brother.

---

It took everything in Silvermist to push down the pain and the sadness from finding out that the young tom she had welcomed into her family had joined Starclan way too soon. But she knew she had to for her kits sake. Looking down she saw Webkit shaking something horribly and at first, she thought her daughter was having a seizure. But then she saw the tears streaming down her face and her heart broke again. Silvermist quickly wrapped her tail around all her kits. "It's going to be ok. Halfpaw is with us still watching over us from Starclan and we will see him again." Tears continued to stream down her face but she swallowed and forced them back. She had to remain strong for her kits.

---

Finally, Webkit spoke after her mom had told her that Halfpaw would be looking out for them from Starclan. "I... I don't want him in Starclan," her voice cracked. "I want him here... to... to welcome me as an apprentice." Webkit felt her mothers tail and shrugged out of it. She didn't want comfort right now. She wanted to remember her brother. She shoved everything she was feeling down until it was just a tiny ball. She stopped crying and stood watching as some apprentices were made into warriors. Her icy blue eyes spotted a she-cat who looked like she had been crying to. Had she known her brother? But she didn't have the chance to go over and ask her. She heard Bearstar call to Gourdkit. She looked up to see him be made an apprentice. She was up next. That moment as she walked up front ready to take on her new name and meet her mentor she made a vow. She would live her life to the fullest and never forget Halfpaw. She would make sure no one ever forgot her kind-hearted brother.

---

On the outside, Maplekit looked as calm as could be but on the inside, he was boiling with rage. Was Bearstar going to forget about him? He should have gone before those stupid kits. Finally, he heard his name called. Maplekit padded forward with his head held high not looking at anyone but Bearstar as she spoke. He smiled when his leader stated that he seemed stronger than before he broke his leg. He wanted to laugh but he kept it in. Of course, he was stronger he had been training with Sootface in the Dark Forest. He bet he was stronger than most of the apprentices. When he heard his mentor was to be Roseheart he did his best not to show his disappointment. She would be to easy on him. Good thing he would still have his nightly visits with Sootface.

[GnawingOnIce]

Murkpaw slithered like the snake he was out of the apprentice’s den, close behind Petalpaw, at Bearstar’s summon. He had been perfectly calm the past few days that Halfpaw had been gone. He’d mostly been back and forth from contemplating his feelings for Petalpaw, comforting Petalpaw, and conversing with his sister about the best course of action to take. Such was the life of he.

He sat beside Petalpaw, and as expected, Bearstar announced the death of Halfpaw first. He watched, unfazed, as cats around him wailed and whined. He twitched an ear at the words of Silvermist. “No! You’re lying, he can’t be dead, I don’t believe you! How… how did this happen?” And he watched as the newly-made apprentices, who had been Halfpaw’s siblings, cry. Murkpaw almost wanted to stroll up to them and tell them that it was him. He had done it. He had torn Halfpaw’s throat out and thrown his body in the river. But he knew better than that. It made him want to laugh, only he and his sister knew the truth. It made him feel special, superior.

Turning his attention back to Petalpaw, he stayed silent as her body shook with her sobs and gently stroked her flank with his tail. A silent message of it’s okay, I’m here. He leaned down and rubbed his cheek against hers then looked back up again at the cats around him. He didn’t need to worry about them or about anyone else, really. If anything or anyone ever got in his way, all he needed to do was pull the strings and things would work out perfectly.

Tags;; Mist cats; Ava for Petal
Notes;; n/a

[Deleted]

Lionburr lowered his head when he heard that Halfpaw was taken while being so young. That poor young apprentice.

He lifted his head when Bearstar started speaking of apprentices turning to Warriors and kits turning to apprentices. That was a much happier thing. The fluffy orange tom wrapped his tail around his paws and chaired the new warrior's new names.

When he was called to be Venompaw's mentor he went over and touched his nose to hers. He gave a quick purr when Venompaw asked when would training start. She seemed in a hurry to get it started. "Soon enough. Don't you want to pick a nest first in the apprentice's den? We can start after that. Or if you don't we can start sooner," he whispered to the new apprentice could hear him. He watched the other kits become apprentices and get their mentors.

@mama


---

Snowstorm sat beside her mate when she found him sitting near the back. She made her way over and sat beside him. She felt so sorry for her friend Silvermist. The two bonded while they were both in the medicine cat's den together. She purred a bit when there was new warriors and apprentices made though.

[Rai]

 Dandeliondrift | M | MistClan

An apprentice of his own finally? He wondered curiously why now, why not before, but he quickly shrugged the thoughts off. Among other things he rarely bothered to think to critically of Bearstar who surely had reasoning behind every decision, but it did catch him quite offguard; he had almost missed this meeting as well in his determination to beat his previous days prey count. 'Good thing I decided not to go hunting...'
It was terribly unfortunate of Halfpaw's news. He hoped it had been swift, whatever it was that had torn the apprentice away from them so suddenly. To drown, he felt, must be peaceful at least, but even as he had the thought it was overwhelmed by the fear of struggling for air and Dandeliondrift swept his tail over his paws in silence to hush the thoughts.
The outcry of Silvermist snapped him from the brief melancholy of a lost clanmate and he carefully rose to his paws and on wiry legs made his way across to settle down nearby with a light flick of his tail-not touching nor speaking but making his presence known well in case she required a friendly shoulder.
He wasn't the best at this sort of thing, but an attempt was made.
He'd hunt down his new apprentice soon...

[gingersnapsdacat]

Daisypetals padded out from the medicine den, quickly making his way over to where Silvermist and the kittens sat. If it were any other ceremony, he would happily stay beside his den, tending to the sick and injured. This ceremony, however, he was not going to miss. `Any other day he would be a medicine cat, but today, he was going to be a proud father watching his kits receive their apprentice names. 
"Halfpaw was swept away, and no patrol has been able to find him in the water or on any of its shores."
Daisypetals felt his blood run cold. Halfpaw...the kindhearted, strong, young tomcat was...dead. How could that be possible? The medicine cat had seen how strong of a swimmer Halfpaw was during the flood. And he was not exactly a clumsy cat either, so it was unlikely that he would have fallen into the river. 
"Your lying he can't be dead I don't believe you."
He wrapped himself around his mate and kits, trying to comfort them. This was supposed to be their special day, not the day that their brother was taken from them. Why would StarClan do this? What good was it to take away an innocent apprentice? He watched helplessly as Spiderkit ran back to the nursery. 
"I will talk to him," he sighed, getting to his paws.
He followed after the crying kitten, tail dragging the ground. Finally finding his son, the fluffy medicine cat lay down beside him, silently trying to be of some comfort. 
"Halfpaw....he is in StarClan," the medicine cat mewed, "And...I know that you cannot see him, but he is there. He is watching over you, and Webkit...and..." 
Daisypetals trailed off, looking at his paws. 
"Halfpaw would not want you to be hiding away. If he were here, he would be telling you to go out there, and recieve your apprentice name in his honor."

[Fireflake]

Pebbleshade~

Today was already a peculiar day for Pebbleshade. His cough had finally cleared up and he'd slept straight through the night, leaving him with a sense of peace that used to be the norm and was now a rare treasure. The lingering feeling that something would go wrong had faded somewhat. Today clan life moved forward.

Or not. Another cat taken by the water... Silvermist's screech and the sobbing young cats sank his heart. Pebbleshade wondered if he should try to comfort them, but just as he stepped toward the mother he saw Buckleap lean over and meow something. Other cats had already padded over to offer their support anyway. His addition would only be overwhelming. Pebbleshade looked away, gritting his teeth and hoping there was no more news like this.

The tom, muscles tensed slightly, watched the ceremonies and offered a congratulatory head dip to his former apprentice as the other tom, Flametail, received an apprentice of his own. Thinking about it, he really had to congratulate Foxeyes on earning his warrior name, even if he didn't fully approve of him speaking out to change it.

Pebbleshade's mind had wondered so far into that ceremony, in the barn, that hearing his name in the current one caught him off guard once again. A look of fright flickered across his face. He took a deep breath and looked at the small, soft tom, and his former sense of calm returned. He hadn't made a stellar first impression on either of his previous apprentices, so he wasn't going to mess up this one. Assuming he could help it, of course, given that the young cat's older brother had just died. He dipped his head and touched his nose lightly to Owlpaw's.

Buckleap~

Buckleap flattened an ear and glanced to Silvermist at the news of Halfpaw's death. He soon looked back to the leader. His gaze couldn't be torn away from his apprentice's warrior ceremony. The younger tom had worked hard for moons in preparation for this day. A smile settled into his expression at the name-- Leafspring-- and wouldn't go away no matter how much he licked his whiskers.

He glanced back at Silvermist when she was mentioned again. He'd forgotten that her kits were becoming apprentices this moon. What an eventful day it must be. The tom shouldered aside a few other warriors and strolled forward. He hadn't been sitting far, so it didn't take long for him to sit directly behind her. Buckleap leaned over and muttered quietly, "The feelings will dull. You just have to let them run their course. Maybe... hold a vigil for him by the river?"

He cleared his throat and leaned back again.
"Anyway, congratulations on the kits. They're their mentors' problems now."

[Dragon]

Silvermist had leaned against Daisypetals for comfort when he approached her but when Spiderkit rant back into the nursery she wanted to run after him but knew Daisypetals would be better at convincing their son to come out. She watched as Webkit padded forward and became Webpaw. Tears glistened in her eyes wishing more than ever that Halfpaw was there to see his siblings become apprentices. She knew he would be the first to welcome to and help them make nests in their new den. But now there was no one there to welcome them. She hoped Halfpaw was happy where ever he was.

Buckleap padded over and whispered into her ear. She nodded and leaned her head against his shoulder. "I know but I just can't believe it he's gone." Silvermist buried her face in his fur letting a sob out. A vigil that was a great idea. She lifted her head and looked at Buckleap  "Yes, will you sit vigil with me Buckleap? I'd feel better knowing you were there with me." Maybe she and all of her kits could go there tonight and sit vigil together.

"Thank you Buckleap, I can't tell you how much I appreciate your words." He was so sweet he was kind and caring. She couldn't ask for a better friend.