Posts by ASPHODELPAW!

i. information

ii. timeline

it all happens so suddenly; one minute, he's safe, warm, surrounded by his siblings. and the next he's being thrust out into a colld, unfamiliar place. why was it so cold? immediately, he wanted to go back, back to the warmth. he didn't like this place.

instincts kicked in, the lanky kitten gasping in the bitter, chilly air and filling his lungs up for the first time. and with this new experience, he found his voice. a sharp, ear-piercing cry split the atmosphere, worthy of the kitten's dramatic nature that he would soon grow into. new scents bombarded him as he sucked in breaths, overwhelming and confusing. yet in the midst of the storm of smells, there was a beacon of light; a milky scent that he instinctively knew was his mother. warmth radiated from her, drawing the wet, cold newborn towards her belly where all of his other siblings were nestled. and with another cry, he'd force himself through the bundle, soaking in the heat. he focused only on the comforting scents of mother and his siblings, on the warmth, and the strange familiarity of it all. his cries turned into purrs, now content to lay at his mother's stomach and nurse, painfully oblivious to the grief and despair hanging over the camp.

asphodelkit, upon poking his head out of the nursery, was quick to spot his brother loitering at the edge of camp. it was almost as if ash had some sixth sense that alerted him of whenever someone was breaking a rule, or in skitter's case, on the verge of breaking one. he wasn't aware that skitterkit was simply watching a mouse. to him, it looked like skitterkit was contemplating making a run for it. and that was enough to send asphodel springing into action, the rule-breaking alarm sounding in his mind, dashing towards his brother with full intention on causing a scene to attract the attention of the warriors and maybe even his mother. "skitterkit! what do you think you're doing so close to- HEY!" his demands ended with an indignant shout as skitterkit launched himself at a mouse asphodel couldn't see, but the confines of camp kept asphodel rooted in his spot. that didn't stop him from shooting skitterkit a borderline murderous look. (he would deny it if anyone called it that, though, because he was a noble warrior who would not use such blasphemous tactics to win a battle!) nonexistent brows furrowed, lips pursed into a disapproving frown, and fluffy tail lashing. "skitterkit, get back here this instant! you know we're not allowed outside of camp-" once again he was interrupted, and the silver-red tabby had to force himself not to huff at the warrior who had done so. respect your elders, he reminded himself, biting the inside of his cheek.

his sour mood seemed to dissipate upon hearing featherlight's offer, gone as quickly as it had come. "oh, i want to learn too!" he squeaked, waving a paw frantically from where he was forced to stay.

asphodelkit had always been an early riser from the moment he'd been born. (which wasn't that long ago.) maybe that was due to him following a "strict sleeping schedule," as he liked to put it, because he'd heard from an npc elder that sleeping made you grow better. and he was going to become a great and powerful warrior someday, therefore he needed as much rest as he could get. so he made sure to be in his nest no later than moonrise. which was kind of hard sometimes when he wasn't actually tired, but he kept to his own established rule of no staying up late because he was a man of his word. in his own eyes, at least.

so he'd already been half-awake before flameseeker had roused. it was the movement from when she got up that brought him fully into the living world. yellow-orange eyes blinked open, watching his mother move to the entrance. he couldn't see the outside of the den too well with his mother blocking his view, but he could've sworn he'd seen a blanket of white covering the ground. could it really be? snow! he's heard so much about snow the past few moons of his life, and he'd been eagerly waiting for the moment he got to experience it for himself. he moved to get up, only to be interrupted by flameseeker's sudden voice. stories about moonstar? he blinked at flameseeker, before trying to peek around her to catch another glimpse of the snow. he's heard stories of moonstar from the elders before. they were often grandiose and overexaggerated for entertainment purposes, but being the naive kit that he still was, he believed every word.

"did you know i'm going to be a great leader like moonstar one day?" he piped up, looking between fallowkit and flameseeker with a smile. it was something the young boy genuinely believed; that he was going to be the leader one day, and have his name go down in history across all of the clans.

aphodelkit's eyelids fluttered open to reveal amber orbs, a small yawn parting his maw. there was a distinct lack of warmth in the nest, an indentation in the moss bed the only remaining sign of flameseeker. and as he shifted around, he noticed that skitterkit and fallowkit were missing as well. his head popped up, gaze flickering from one side of the nursery to the other, searching for his mother's ginger pelt. but his brief search was met with nothing. curiosity piqued, he scrambled to his paws, all weariness from before instantly vanishing. where were they? and what were they doing up so late? didn't they know that staying up late was bad for them?

are you up there, moonstar? a voice drifted from outside of the nursery, followed by another, then another, all of them familiar. his ears perked, trotting to the nursery's exit and poking his head out to find flameseeker and two of his siblings talking about the stars. his mother's question concerned him the most, though. did she not believe that moonstar was in starclan? how could she not? moonstar had been a noble, brave leader, who was more than deserving of a place among the starry plains. his previous worries about getting proper sleep were diminished by this newfound knowledge of his mother's doubts. "of course she's up there, mom!" he squeaked, nudging her with his nose. "why wouldn't she be? you know all of the greatest warriors go to starclan!"

a flash of silver and orange barreled towards the group from out of nowhere, his childlike energy a parallel to his siblings'. he'd been summoned by fallowkit's exclamation of 'let's play a game,' and he had dropped whatever he had been doing before to come join his siblings. he loved games, like most kits did. but unlike other children his age, he saw games as a tool. to him, they were ways to practice your warrior skills. like how 'warrior and mouse' was for practicing hunting, and 'badger attack' was for practicing battle skills. he'd even heard from an elder that moss ball helps with reflexes!

"don't start without me!" he squealed with an equal mix of excitement and indignation, skidding to a halt in front of the group and spraying snow everywhere. but confusion would quickly replace his excitement as crimsoncry explained the game. rolling snow back and forth? how was that going to help him in achieving his destiny as thunderclan's greatest leader? "but what's the point?" he frowned, tilting his head to the side and poking at the snow. "all your doing is rolling snow into a ball! how's that gonna teach us anything about being a warrior? we don't use snow for anything!"

coughing echoed around the nursery, muffled yet loud enough to rouse him from his half-asleep stupor. immediately, his nose wrinkled in disgust, the foul stench of sickness contaminating the air and almost making him gag right alongside whoever was making that racket. turns out that the one making the racket was his sister. orange-tinted eyes widened, his fluffy fur bushing up in alarm, scrambling out of the way of fallowkit as she nearly collapsed right on top of him. his mother's words rung throughout the nursery, but would it be enough to draw the attention of the medicine cats? what if they were still sleeping sound in their nests?

without a word, asphodelkit darted out of the nursery and into the stillness of the camp, emitting a wail that broke the quiet atmosphere. "GUYS! fallowkit's sick and dying! she needs help, now!" dramatically overexaggerated the statement was, fitting to asp's overly zealous nature. and, well, being dramatic about it would surely kick the medicine cats into action much sooner than if he hadn't caused such a scene.

was he allowed to attend this discussion? sheepstar hadn't used the usual call that signaled the beginning of a meeting, which kits weren't allowed to attend unless they were becoming apprentices. there was no 'let all cats old enough to catch their own prey,' only 'thunderclan.' and he was a thunderclanner. so, maybe, just maybe, he was allowed to participate for once. starclan, he hoped so! it was so hard for him not to eavesdrop on clan meetings. he wanted to feel like he was an important part of the clan. which, he would be someday, but until the time came for him to fulfill his great destiny he was stuck as a kit.

with tentative steps, asp padded over to the clanrock, looking up at sheepstar.

the she-cat's call was successful in coaching the boy to turn his attention onto her. asp blinked, padding over to where she sat and looking up at her with rounded eyes. what did she want with the whole of thunderclan? did she have something important to announce? ... was he supposed to hear this, or was this an 'above-six-moons-old' gathering? surely not. she had said thunderclan, hadn't she?

confusion swamped him when she explained what he, and the rest of thunderclan, should do once gathered. say his name and a fun fact abour himself? but- "why?" what was the point? did she not know her clanmates? (actually, that would make sense. he's never seen her around before. was she an outsider that came to thunderclan?) well, he supposed he shouldn't just ignore her request. she was older than him, and everyone always talked about how he should respect his elders. "my name's asphodelkit, and one fun fact about me is that one day i'm gonna be the greatest leader thunderclan has ever seen!"

the moons had come and gone, bringing with them change. winter had settled into the forest, prey was dwindling, sickness hung in the air, and asphodelpaw was now an apprentice. finally, after waiting for what felt like an eternity, he could show everyone what he could do! soon they would all sing his praise and regard him as the mighty warrior he would become. no longer would he be looked upon as a weak, helpless child. no, no, no. absolutely not! he was asphodelpaw now!

thinking about that made him giddy, his stomach fluttering with excited butterflies. asphodelpaw... he liked the sound of that! it had a much better ring to it than asphodelkit.

today, his mentor (who was an npc for now) was nowhere to be found. asphodelpaw scanned the clearing, checking every crack and crevice, even sticking his head into the warriors den to see if they were asleep. but he came up empty handed. ... did they go out on a patrol without him? the thought made him huff, his breath billowing out in front of him as he plopped down into the snow covering the camp floor. great. he had been looking forward to patrolling, or a training session. but no, his mentor had to leave without him, so now what was he supposed to do?

the apprentice fumed for a minute or two, his fluffy tail tip twitching and nose wrinkled into a semi-scowl. then, an idea hit him. straightening up and padding into the center of the camp where everyone could hear him, he cleared his throat. "who wants to spar with me?" if his mentor wouldn't take him out to train... he'd just have to take matters into his own paws!

asphodelpaw was quick to answer his mother's call, bouncing over to her with his tail raised high in the air. one day, that'll be me! he thought as he looked at flamewatcher commanding the attention of her clanmates with authority. yes, he'd become deputy, and then leader one day, just like flamewatcher. it was written in the stars, he knew it.

"i'm coming, too!" he announced, raising his chin high. he could barely hold in his excitement, his amber orbs glittering and his front paws tapping on the ground. this would be his first patrol, and his first adventure outside of the camp. after six moons of waiting and wondering what the outside world was like, he would finally be able to explore it.

who better to take the mic than asphodelpaw himself? well, sheepstar, or flamewatcher, or one of the medicine cats... but he was the next best candidate! he sauntered over to honeypaw, aiming to give her a friendly headbutt in greeting, before he turned to address the growing crowd. "and i'm asphodelpaw, son of flameseeker and cyclonebluster, and thunderclan's greatest leader in the making! ... well, greatest leader after my mom, of course." he added that last part with a small chuckle, sitting down beside honeypaw and flashing the throng of cats a proud smile.

his amber eyes lit up, watching one of his many siblings stomp over to him, any previous irritation melting from his features to make room for the anticipation that sparked inside of him. oh, this was going to be fun. his adoptive sister was nothing short of a spitfire, and while he may tower over her, she had the advantage when it came to physical strength and training. still, this did not uproot his confidence. he raised his chin and stared down at shellpaw, mirroring her smirk with one of his own. "nice to see you too, sis. are you ready to get shown up by your younger brother?"

two others had appeared by the end of his declaration, both of which he wasn't familiar with. the older one remained silent, settling down a ways away from the two siblings to watch. the other apprentice, however, piped up with some lighthearted quips of his own. "a small chance? i think you miscalculated!" came the quick retort from asphodelpaw, sticking his tongue out at oceanpaw.

cyclonebluster's presence and cheers only pushed asphodelpaw to strive even further for victory. he already couldn't afford to lose in front of his clanmates, but if his dad was watching, losing wasn't an option. not that he was afraid of losing. shellpaw may have strength on her side, but he had speed, and that had to count for something!

"alright! ready... set.... go!" the last word was barely put of his mouth before he lunged forward and aimed a few blows at shellpaw's muzzle with claws sheathed.

a call, soft and gentle, invaded the usual flow of chattering on the patrol he was on. ginger ears swiveled towards the sound, something sparking a fire in his amber eyes. without a second thought, the boy was off, heading towards the sound with full intent on lecturing whoever was trespassing. "this is thunderclan territory! you are breaking the sacred code of our ancestors by walking in our lands uninvited, and starclan looks down upon such disgraceful actions!" the mini-speech was... dramatic, to say the least. fitting for asphodelpaw, but unfitting for such a small crime.

if only asphodelpaw knew of this cat's identity. yet he was unaware that he was speaking to a former thunderclanner. his own half-sibling, no less.

"now, state your name and business, or be on your way!"

who the hell would care? aspohdelpaw would care, obviously. the volume of skitterpaw's voice isn't what caused the ginger-and-ehite tabby to storm over with a disapproving scowl. no, no, no. you see, asphodelpaw had since grown used to skitterpaw's rowdiness. his brother had always been exceedingly loud from the moment he was born, moreso than even he was. what really pushed his buttons was the glaring detail of a missing escort beside skitterpaw. "skitterpaw! did you seriously go out by yourself?! don't you know that it isn't safe for newly made apprentices to go out by themselves? what if bloodclan had showed their ugly faces in our territory again and killed you!" there was concern behind his dramatic display, buried underneath overemphasized words and large gestures. he did care immensely for his family, and that included skitterpaw, even if most of their interactions involved him scolding skitterpaw for something.

in reality, asphodelpaw was probably a hypocrite for preaching about safety. he wasn't the most cautious individual in the clan, as his arrogance and delusions of starclan protecting his every move so that he could fulfill his great destiny often lead him to overestimating himself and causing... problems. but, of course, when it came to skitterpaw, things were different. he was convinced that skitterpaw, too, had a destiny. it was just hard to tell what others' destinies were, as he wasn't some kind of psychic. he left that to the medicine cats.

that morning, asphodelpaw had convinced a npc warrior named sparrowtail to take him out to do some hunting. his mentor, once again, was nowhere to be found when asp had arisen from his nest; it seemed as if that was becoming a habit of his mentor's now, to disappear in the early hours of the morning before their apprentice had even awoken. and it was infuriating. how was asphodelpaw supposed to reach his potential and fulfill his destiny if he had no mentor who was willing to train him? it was about time that he took matters into his own hands, and that's exactly what he had done. the young boy had practically begged for a random warrior to accompany him out into the territory for a hunt, until the warrior finally caved and said yes.

they headed out into the territory, and everything seemed normal. birdsong filled the morning air. the chilly winter winds rustled the tree branches above their heads, once again reminding asp of why he was blessed to have such a long, thick coat during the cold seasons. all was perfect. asp had even picked up the scent trail of a mouse! he'd looked over his shoulder to excitedly whisper to his substitute mentor about his findings; sparrowtail smiled and nodded to him, telling him to lead the way.

asphodelpaw and sparrowtail crept through the snowy forest, his silvery muzzle glued to the ground, following the trail as he had been instructed to do, while sparrowtail trailed a little farther behind. they walked for a minute or two, each step bringing them closer to the impending tragedy, though both the apprentice and warrior were unaware of the danger that lay ahead, too focused on the hunt. the scent of mouse was growing stronger. asp was sure that they were getting close. they had to be! he'd catch that mouse, and feed it to the elders while they showered him in compliments and told him grandiose stories of noble leaders-

crunch!

the warrior crumpled to the earth, unable to even make a sound before his life was stolen from him. asphodelpaw paused in his tracks, blinking. had sparrowtail tripped? "sparrowtail, you could've scared the mouse away-" his voice trailed off as he turned around, expecting to see sparrowtail getting up and shaking the snow from his tabby pelt. instead, his eyes met the wild, frenzied ones of peachfang. he recognized the cream-colored abyssinian as one of his clanmates; the scars on his face were unmistakable. he hadn't known the tom personally, but he'd seen him around camp a couple of times. what was he doing here? "...peachfang?"

his gaze drifted down to the body of sparrowflight, lying limp beneath peachfang's claws. sparrowflight's head was battered and hanging at an awkward angle. blood stained the snow a sickening crimson from where it pooled out of his maw. "hey... w-what are you doing?! that's our clanmate! the warrior code-" he was interrupted by the traitorous man, his frantic speech about the warrior code cut short by the malicious words of a cat he once called his clanmate. fear engulfed him like an icy wave crashing over his head, a horrifying, dizzying feeling that he'd never before felt in such a strong magnitude. why was he so scared? he shouldn't be; starclan was protecting him. they had big plans for him, he couldn't die now!

"i-i don't need to run! st-starclan's p-protecting me!" he hated the way his voice wobbled and wavered. it should be strong, confident, bold, like the great warrior he was supposed to be. yet in this moment, he was no longer that brave soldier he imagined himself to be. now, he was a scared child, lost and alone, with a murderer staring him in the face. he should, fight, defend his clanmates, his family. but his paws were frozen to the ground. he wouldn't run, that was true. not because starclan was protecting him, but because his body wouldn't let him.