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AshenClan

The Clan focused on surviving.

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Within the leader's den, the small cream tabby lay, his eyes closed tightly and back turned to the front of his den. Sweetstar, the ever confident and charismatic tom that his clan looked to him as, currently didn't wish to wake up. Even in his sleep, the pungnant ordor of illness crept into his den, pulling at his mind and making his heart heavy. If he wanted in the selfishness of his heart, he probably would have stepped down a long time ago if he knew tragedy affer tragedy would begin to plague the cats he had barely managed to keep together. He felt... trapped. The starry cats that he had seen moons prior had pushed him into this role, Stone his predecessor amongst the spirits that Sweetstar was unaware existed, had put his hopes on him. But how exactly could he keep his clan strong? How could he keep everyone safe? What drastic measures did he have to take now?

Ears flattening against his skull, the small tom had let out a heavy sigh. There was no use in "sleeping" any longer, he needed to face his clan eventually even if he really didn't want to, today was another day, another day that he needed to push himself through. Getting to his paws and giving his limbs a quick stretch, the tom gave his pelt a few swift licks as exhaustion hung heavy over him from his useless worrying throughout the night. Stepping out from his den, his pale eyes swept over the camp, forcing an ever present smile on his face that more or less became a mask. His clanmates needed him to remain optimistic and strong, now was not the time to wallow in self-pity. Anyways, Stonepaw needed to begin training, though Sweetstar was quite fond of the young cat and gladly taken him under his wing... It still hurt to look at him, he reminded him too much of Stone. Nonetheless, he was still his apprentice, and like all the apprentices, he needed to be groomed into becoming a fine warrior. Yet before Sweetstar could even go to the apprentice's den to see if he could get Stonepaw, the small cream tom's gaze shifted over to the sunning rock near his den in which his smile threatened to collapse into a deep frown. Turtledapple...

Turtledapple's form lay at ease upon the sunning rock, her olive-colored eyes half opened as a purr of contentment left her muzzle. The fluffy warrior commonly did this as the sun began to peek through the trees, it happened to warm the rock early on in the day which was perfect for sun bathing! However, feeling a pair of eyes sizing her up as well as approaching pawsteps, Turtledapple's eyes opened fully as her gaze settled upon Sweetstar-- wait, Sweetstar?! The tortie quickly scrambled to her paws, fixing a broad grin on her face as she said cheerfully, though nervousness tinted her tone, "Morning Sweetstar! Nice day isn't it? I have to say, you look quite handsome this morning, have you been trying-" Her words came to a sudden halt as Sweetstar lashed his tail, a familiar sign of irritation which made Turtledapple quiet down immediately, slowly sliding off of the sunning rock and upon the dirt flooring as Sweetstar spoke, "Have you even checked in on Otterpaw? Went hunting? Anything?" Turtledapple glanced over to him, winking as she prodded the small tom with a paw, "Oh c'mon Sweetstar! I just woke up, you can't expect me to already be doing so many things so early in the day!" The leader glared at her, "I didn't give you a apprentice to neglect him Turtledapple." The warrior looked aside, "...Alright, alright. Sheesh. I'll go get Otterpaw and try going hunting with him," She then playfully flicked her fluffy over Sweetstar's nose, "Don't get your tail in a twist so early in the morning, yeah?" With that, the young she-cat padded off to the apprentice's den, which Sweetstar's disapproving gaze followed the young warrior. He feared she really was taking this all as a big game.

Cindercloud's green eyes slightly opened as she could hear the familiar bickering of Sweetstar and Turtledapple within the camp's clearing, though this in turn made a sigh leave her muzzle. She already heard Sweetstar complain multiple times to her about Turtledapple's lazy behavior, although she couldn't really say much on the topic herself. The pale silver tabby slowly got to her paws within her nest, her breathing slight with each movement. She felt slightly weaker today than usual, granted it had been a few moons since she had been confined to the medicine cat den as to not risk spreading her illness to anyone else, she was restricted to camp which didn' t really sit well with her. At the very least, she could watch her wonderful kits here and enjoy the time she could spend with Whitetail, so she really couldn't complain.

Her heavy eyelids peered outside of the den, her now skinny frame trembling slightly from the effort as she felt tempted to walk to the freshkill pile. She felt bit hungry today, so perhaps that was an improvement? However, the warrior's gaze turned over to Sweetstar as she caught the leader's somber gaze upon her, his usual smile gone and she could see the stress in his expression. Offering a weak smile, Cindercloud spotted recognization in the small cream tom's eyes as he immediately looked aside. She knew he was worried, however she had no intentions of letting herself wither away just yet.

Cindercloud's ears perked as her green gaze turned on Bluepaw, pride swelling in her chest. She was proud of all of her little ones, to think they would soon become brave warriors gave her nothing but happiness. Purring, the silver tabby responded warmly, "Good morning Bluepaw," She looked over her daughter, though pausing as soon as she spotted an unkempt patch of hair upon the she-cat which she leaned over and promptly licked down the spot of fur, saying between licks, "You should keep better care of yourself Bluepaw! I can't keep licking down your fur for you." Of course, this was merely Cindercloud being the doting mother she is, she absolutely adored all of her adorable kits... She probably still saw them as such.

Leaning away, satisfied, Cindercloud then said with a gentle tone, "Make sure you learn all you can, alright Bluepaw? Oh, and still be nice to your siblings, don't give any trouble to your mentor either, alright?" Though she perhaps knew her daughter already knew this already, she just wanted to make sure. Her children gave her a little bit of energy back just seeing them as apprentices now, it gave her some motivation to keep holding on.

Sweetstar's pale gaze shifted to Emberflight as the warrior glanced over to Cindercloud and Bluepaw. He waved his tail in silent greeting to the ginger she-cat, after all with the usual argument or nagging he would give to Turtledapple, he found it relieving that some warriors seemed to be a bit more mature than the young warrior was being. Making his way over to greet his clanmate, upon getting close enough the small cream tom had spoken up, "Good morning, Emberflight." As usual, he had his mask of a warm, confident smile upon his face. He honestly needed to keep himself in character and not allow his worries to eat at him, besides he still had his clan to lead, but any converation to get his mind off of worrying would certainly help him. He was already stressed enough as it is.

Turtledapple paused as soon as she spotted Sweetstar moving away from the sunning rock. The tortie felt tempted to go back and lay within the sun rays again... But she'd rather not face an angry Sweetstar. So, instead she continued her way to the apprentices' den and upon reaching the outside she had poked her head in and promptly meowed as loud as she could, "Oi! Otterpaw, get out of there!" She felt far too lazy to simply do the proper way and sit and wait, besides with this reasoning she could possibly get the other apprentices up as well and through that, all of them will be able to be with their mentors. Wasn't she just the most considerate cat ever?

Cindercloud's eyes shifted upwards in a moment of distraction as she spotted the familiar red pelt of her mate. Whitetail, the tom she had completely fallen for and still loved him dearly. A smile crossed her muzzle as she spotted him coming over to both her and their daughter, sitting up a little bit straighter as to keep herself from looking too weak. She wasn't a fool, she knew Whitetail was worried. The fact alone that he had dropped two mice at her paws accompanied by the look he had given her was enough for her to give in. Normally, Cindercloud would have refused as to her it was no excuse to take more than one since everyone else needed to eat as well, but earlier it had been her intention to eat anyways so she couldn't really protest. She wouldn't bother saying anything in front of any of her kits as well... They didn't need to be worried too. After all, they became apprentices just a few days prior, dampening their bright spirits now would be cruel.

Purring softly, Cindercloud had gently pressed her nose to Whitetail's cheek, a silent appreciation for him simply being here. "Morning, Whitetail." At the very least, her voice seemed a bit stronger today, not at all weak and feeble yet.

Sweetstar glanced briefly in Whitetail's direction as the red-furred cat had passed by, his attention however shifted briefly to Briarsplash as it seemed more of his warriors were waking up, leaving him feeling relieved. His ears perked however as Eagleblaze had spoken, eyes turning to his deputy though he felt a sense of appreciation knowing that she had been on guard during the night. It made him feel like at least that was one good decision that he had made regarding all of the choices he had firmly decided upon so far, he had no regrets about making Eagleblaze his deputy. However, his smile had threatened to drop as she had asked if he had rested well, but he quickly recovered, chuckling, "As well as I possibly could. It's nice actually not having to move from place to place." However, he was lying between his teeth as usual. He hadn't slept at all, worry eating at him throughout the night... He couldn't admit that in front of his clanmates though.

Turtledapple grinned as Otterpaw had walked out of the apprentice den, olive-green gaze bright like that of a kit's. Part of her was relieved that he did wake up or else she would have to squeeze herself into the den to drag him out. Her body was far too big to fit in there after all. "Good morning Otterpaw," She glanced over her shoulder to Sweetstar, "Our glorious leader told me to bring you out training, so we'll do just that! Training." Turtledapple really was just making this up as she went along, honestly she was probably going to lack off with her apprentice if she could. She would bother Icefang or Stormstrike... However Icefang still was within the warriors den and Stormstrike... well, she was sick. She didn't allow herself to be too worried... But she was deeply concerned about her ill friend. For now, she couldn't allow herself to linger too much on that. Training came first!... Whatever that entailed exactly was a mystery with Turtledapple.

"C'mon, let's get going before Sweetstar-- I mean, before it gets too late, yeah?" With that, the young she-cat turned away, beckoning Otterpaw to follow with a flick of her fluffy tail. No doubt this could probably mean trouble with how much mischief Turtledapple could get herself into.

Sweetstar's gaze turned to Clovershine as the medicine cat had approached. The small cream tom waved his tail in greating to the older cat, though a deep chuckle leaving his muzzle at the white tom's words, "If overworking myself is sleeping in, then I fear I may have been 'working' too much." It was a light, friendly joke but it was obvious to some that even observed Sweetstar that the leader was lying. He hadn't slept well since the time they settled into their new home, his eyes although bright were tired. But at the very least, he wasn't ill and still had all nine of his lives. Being younger also helped the small tom have enough energy to keep up with his clan, but the problem almost seemed insurmountable. If anything, Sweetstar had almost felt tempted to seek out the strange starry cats that referred to themselves as StarClan again, when he rarely went to sleep, he now would always see them in his dreams, but they never spoke now. They only watched him, expectations within their gazes that seared his pelt. It unnerved him, and just remembering it made his pelt feel like it was crawling. He wouldn't speak about it just yet to Clovershine, aware that the medicine cat and his apprentice had a closer bond to StarClan than he would ever have. The message was clear enough already to Sweetstar anyways, the future and hope of this clan heavily lay on him. He couldn't afford to make mistakes... Not now.

His thoughts however only seemed to be negative, and that threatened to make his bright, warm grin go away as he said in a more serious tone, "Instead I should be saying that to you, don't work yourself too much Clovershine." The clan can't afford to lose you. That was a thought he didn't want to consider if they lost their medicine cat... That just sent chills through him, but he brushed it aside. Clovershine was fine now, but he was worried. The currently sick cats he did hope would recover.. But even that felt slim.

Cindercloud's attention turned to Dovepaw, spotting the dark gray pelt of her second daughter, the she-cat had purred as she approached, "Good morning Dovepaw." This of course would be accompanied by a soft nuzzle upon the head from Cindercloud. Both of her adorable little daughters were here, which truly made her happy alone by the smile upon the silver tabby's face. All that was missing was Stonepaw, her only son. Knowing that he perhaps was still asleep had made a soft sigh leave her, but she did feel equal pride over each of her children. "Did both of you sleep well?" She looked between her daughters, checking to see if they were lacking sleep. Even if Cindercloud was sick, she intended to keep caring for her children.

[Turtledapple: waiting on Otterpaw]

Sweetstar regained his grin at Clovershine's response to his joke, rolling his eyes at it in amusement. However, upon getting a response for his more serious concerns, the young leader's smile seemed to be a bit strained as he chuckled, joking once more, "Oh, StarClan knows I have enough worries for the next hundred moons!" His expression switched to one of forced confidence, "I'm sure all of this will pass soon." Stay optimistic, right? That is what Stone would have done. The small tom had little faith in himself however, his predecessor had been strong enough to at least lead AshenClan to their new home, Sweetstar would now have the pressure of filling in the leadership position that Stone had left behind.. However he was almost certain that if Stone was still alive, the clan would be far better off than it is now in his care. In all honesty, Sweetstar had little faith that he actually was fit for this leadership role... why specifically him? That was a question that he commonly called out in his dreams whenever he spotted the starry gray pelt of Stone amongst the cats that stared at him with expectations and hope. He never got an answer.

"You should probably get something to eat Clovershine," His smile had faded now, "We have a long day ahead of us." He whispered those words as to not allow any of his other clanmates to hear. He didn't need them panicking, the last thing he needed was cats leaving out of fear or losing faith and giving up. Hope was all that they could hold onto, now more so than ever. However, the small tom felt a pit of dread settling in his stomach. Hope really will be all that they could hold onto now in these times.. And he felt like it would be all they had in the future as well.

Cindercloud smiled down at Dovepaw, her gaze warming at her daughter, however with her question along with the concern in her eyes, the tabby had quickly grinned although she felt a pang of guilt at the concern that had been placed in her daughter's eyes, "I slept very well, best sleep I had gotten in moons." That was.. a lie. She hadn't slept too well, the illness made it certainly difficult to get comfortable enough to sleep. She couldn't just say that though! No need to spread worry amongst her family. She gently pressed her nose to Dovepaw's head, "Don't worry about me Dovepaw, I'll be okay." Glancing upward briefly, the she-cat spotted Winterbreeze and had given a brief smile in a silent greeting to her friend, though now her gaze turned to Bluepaw giving her a look to go to her mentor, obviously expecting her to do so.

[Turtledapple: waiting on Otterpaw]

Sweetstar's gaze shifted almost immediately to the sound of Stonepaw's voice, his pale gaze landing upon him as he approached. Perhaps he didn't need to get the tom after all considering he was indeed awake now. However, this also meant that Sweetstar had abruptly stopped talking about the previous subject, not that he would go into the depths of such a subject out in the open when majority of his clanmates were out and about. The small cream tom had immediately made his familiar grin come back across his face, knowing that he had temporarily dropped such a smile from his face a few moments prior. He must maintain it at all times, especially when he didn't feel like it.

"Good morning, Stonepaw. Did you sleep well?" His question ended with a tinge of amusement, however Sweetstar's expression almost tended to waver whenever he said the young cat's name. It brought him memories of Stone, and although he deeply missed his predecessor, he of course wouldn't allow himself to linger on such a thought for long. Besides, Stonepaw was not Stone, even if the two were kin, they were not the same cat. He knew that... he just had to keep reminding himself before he made a fool of himself. Instead, now he focused his mind on the fact that Stonepaw had woken up slightly later than he had expected. Perhaps the previous few days had been a little rough on the young tom? He could take it easy on Stonepaw today... but he had his doubts that the young cat would very much approve if he did, he seemed to be as enthusiastic as his siblings when it came to training.

Cindercloud's heart twinged with a bit of guilt upon her lying, but it was for the best... right? With Whitetail's head resting atop of her's, she did not fight against it and instead willingly leaned into the comfort he provided, her skinny frame barely having much weight to it as it used to, regardless she had purred in response, a smile crossing her face, though her green eyes flashed with the same guilt that lingered within her heart. She really did hope that she could recover, although she had no intentions of dying it still was a weight upon her shoulders.

Her gaze however spotted the dark pelt of her son as he walked out of the apprentice's den and walked over to Sweetstar, which a sense of pride had settled within her once more. She knew Sweetstar had perhaps grown attached to her son, although she didn't have the slightest idea why, she was still proud that her son was being trained by the leader. She really did have high hopes for all of her children though, what mother wouldn't want all of her children to be successful after all?

[Turtledapple: Waiting for Otterpaw]

Sweetstar's confidence almost seemed to waver slightly, though it really did confirm that they only had their hopes to cling onto. Though, he had almost accepted Clovershine's offer to share some prey, Stonepaw's training did come first. The younger, healthy cats needed to quickly become prepared during their apprenticeship, especially more so now with the clan's illness and their unexpected neighbors surrounding them on all sides... Really, Sweetstar felt incredibly uncomfortable with the situation that he had to find a solution to. It was why he had made the camp as fortified as possible, call it paranoia, but the small tom really felt incredibly paranoid about keeping unexpected visitors out. The brambles and thorns that covered basically the whole perimeter of the camp would be incredibly difficult to push past, with the only entrance being the front entrance. Such a design was very paranoid and constructing it had been a pain.. but Sweetstar couldn't help but be as careful as he possibly could be.

Cindercloud's smile threatened to almost drop, but she maintained it despite now feeling incredibly guilty that her daughter also seemed to buy into her lie. It's better this way... right? She really hoped that it certainly would be alright, that this wasn't a mistake getting her family's hopes up... but sometimes she really couldn't be sure. No matter... she had to remain hopeful herself! No need to give into her self doubts now, there was honestly no time for it. However, her question made the silver tabby's expression soften, "Of course, I promise. Soon enough I'll be healthier than ever." She really was trying to put her family's worries to rest as well as convince herself. "Don't worry too much on me though Dovepaw, you need to focus on your training right?" Cindercloud was trying to divert the conversation immediately away from her current state. Any further questions and she would have her doubts spill forth and that was something she didn't want to do.

[Turtledapple: Waiting on Otterpaw]