It’s Been Far Too Long (OPEN / Clan-Wide)

Subject: It’s Been Far Too Long (OPEN / Clan-Wide) Mon May 13, 2019 1:53 pm

It had been a very long and difficult journey back home from the lake where the Clan cats had been swept away to, and Scorchstar almost whimpered with relief at the familiar feeling of marshy mud sinking under the weight of his large paw. Of course, all land had been soft and unstable, but it still didn’t have that marshy smell or sticky texture like home did. After a few moons away from the forest, he and his surviving Clanmates were finally back home in ShadowClan territory.

All around them, the marshes had overflowed, and several large pools and puddles of flood water scattered the land. It would be very bad if a kit got stuck in one of them, or even an apprentice. He turned his head to address his Clanmates. ”Be careful where you place your paws. Warriors, carry the kits from here on out. Apprentices, stay close to your mentors or another warrior.” He felt a prick of sadness when addressing his fellow ShadowClanners, missing the many faces lost to the floods, including his son Poppyheart, his daughter Mothpaw, and his older brother Crowfur, all three of which had been sent back the way they came on a mission to save any remaining Clanmates in the mountains beyond Highstones. Hopefully, with StarClan watching over them, they will all return home soon.

It didn’t take too long at all for the cats to reach the thorn barrier that protected the heart of their territory. However, there didn’t appear to be a tunnel amidst the brambles anymore. Scorchstar blinked in surprise and padded along the thorny wall, pinpointing where he just knew the tunnel used to be that led into camp. Alas, the brambles had all been tangled and sewn together tightly to close the gap. It seemed the flood water had done this to them.

The large Tom turned his attention back to his Clanmates. ”It seems the floods have entangled the brambles and sealed up the entrance to camp. It looks pretty tight, but I’m sure that with everyone working together we can open it back up. Warriors and apprentices, you all will help me pull the brambles apart. Be careful not to cut yourselves too badly.” His amber gaze then shifted to Thornbriar, the only queen among the group. ”Thornbriar, would you please keep watch of the kits? I don’t want them getting too close, they could really injure themselves if they aren’t careful. Asterspark, you can help Thornbriar,” he added, glancing to one of his remaining living kits.

”Alright, everyone, let’s get this tunnel open.” Turning back to the thorns, Scorchstar fastened his teeth into one of the thicker brambles and began tugging, finding it was holding fast. Soon enough, however, with enough tugging, he managed to snap it free from the smaller brambles tangled around it, and he tucked it into the thicket on the side of the tunnel to keep it out of the way. Then, he went for the next bramble and repeated the process.

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Sparkfire the ShadowClan Warrior ~ #cdbf38
Honeysong the ShadowClan Queen ~ #3bbb9d
Bubblekit the RiverClan Apprentice ~ #8ebb7b

Current Events
Sparkfire has returned to ShadowClan with her mate Honeysong and her adopted son Softkit.
Honeysong has followed Sparkfire back to ShadowClan and has given up her medicine cat title.
Bubblepaw has begun her training under her mother and mentor Flashlight.

The clan leader's words brought him back into the moment and he once more stared at the thorns and brambles with disdain. Another obstacle to be quickly overcome. After flicking Silentpaw's pelt with his feathery tail, the calico tom padded past both Asterspark and Thornbriar to whom he offered a twist of his head. Asterspark, despite his lax demeanor, had proven to be a level-headed and trustworthy warrior of the moons. It would be an honor to work alongside him in the future. And Thornbriar, a queen wrought with both experience and time. He'd always longed to know her more. Her grizzled appearance might have offset some, but he knew how misleading appearances could be. As he padded up alongside Scorchstar, he gave the clan leader a genuine half-smile. Their future together was uncertain. But for the sake of the shreds of respect he still held for the large tom, Burntstag still followed the leadership. For these moments. Besides, it was undeniable they needed to tear apart the barrier. So with a hitched hiss, he raised up onto his hind paws and brought all the force of his claws down into the thorns and brambles. They threatened to stick to his long coat as he fought them, bothering the warrior slightly, but he he was relentless in his pursuit. Soon, the clan would gather up what little scraps of moss would make a halfway decent nest. Once this was done, the rest would come. And Shadowclan would sure need it.

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It’s Been Far Too Long (OPEN / Clan-Wide) Img_0310

⌘ Auburnflare // Tier 2 Warrior // Thunderclan // SteelBlue ⌘
✿ Littlesplash // Tier 2 Medicine Cat // Riverclan // MediumAquamarine ✿
⁂ Heatherfrost // Tier 2 Warrior // Windclan // MediumOrchid ⁂
✲ Crabpaw // Apprentice // Shadowclan // FireBrick ✲

☆☆☆ Ask me about my past characters for lore, or Moonstone Journeys. ☆☆☆

Guest

Littlesun had to stop herself from padding after her now ex-mentor Asterspark, a cease in action that had Littlesun saddening a bit at the thought, but in a way, she will be closer to all those she cared for now that they were home and she could settle in the warrior's den, with her brother. Littlesun stepped towards the bramble barrier, tugging at them despite how they scratched and poked her nose, her mind lost to the rushing waves of thought. Never would she get to see her brother, Slatestrike again, yet her heart refused to fill with as much grief as she thought to be normal. She was numbing to death and destruction, having witnessed it time and time again always in vast quantities. She stuck close to Scorchstar and Burntstag, her leader a tom she had learned to respect and look up to despite her numerous worries and insecurities.

She still doubted him of course, feared him especially for it was him and his clan, alongside every other cat that she and her brother lived with that had slaughtered everyone they had ever known. She could never forgive them for that, but she could just brush it aside. Littlesun heaved and ho'd as she helped her clan-mates re-open the bramble-tunnel, setting them on top of Scorchstar's pile as she worked.

Asterspark felt as though he were about to collapse with exhaustion by the time the cats returned to their territory. Learning that their camp was one entangled thorn wall away, he softly moaned and slumped down into a hunched sit next to Thornbriar, his friend and strong crush. He was relieved that Scorchstar had asked the two of them to watch over the kits together. He couldn’t help but pretend Thornbriar was the mother and himself as the father, the two kits not related to either one of them their children. It was a nice feeling. Hopefully that dream could become a reality one day....

Asterspark turned to look at Thornbriar, and immediately his chest and belly began fluttering. For being such a rough-and-tumble molly, she was still very beautiful in her own special way. He couldn’t help but endlessly gaze at her. She was so strong and fearless, and she didn’t tolerate any needless nonsense — which of course made it all the more fun to tease her with his antics. He was growing infatuated with her. He was growing to love her.

Did she feel the same? Probably not. The thought saddened him to no end. His first love had perished at a young age, before she was even a warrior, and his second love probably didn’t even love him back....

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Sparkfire the ShadowClan Warrior ~ #cdbf38
Honeysong the ShadowClan Queen ~ #3bbb9d
Bubblekit the RiverClan Apprentice ~ #8ebb7b

Current Events
Sparkfire has returned to ShadowClan with her mate Honeysong and her adopted son Softkit.
Honeysong has followed Sparkfire back to ShadowClan and has given up her medicine cat title.
Bubblepaw has begun her training under her mother and mentor Flashlight.

Coldgaze had kept quiet most of the way towards the Shadowclan camp. When the group had parted with Riverclan she'd felt as if something had broken inside of her, she now had no one. Her sadness had quickly transformed into anger the closer they had gotten to the camp and it hadn't helped that the ground was filled with mud and that she'd almost gotten stuck with every step she'd taken.

After what felt like ages they finally arrived but ofcourse their troubles didn't end there, the entrance to the camp was apparently blocked, just great. She let out an irritated sigh as she quickly went up to where this entrance apparently been. At first, she'd thought about just sitting down and not moving a muscle but she now wanted home more than ever so she had decided that she'd work hard and do exactly as she was told to and maybe, just maybe she'd get back to Riverclan quicker.

She started clawing at the brambles and thorns, not really caring if she got hurt. Each swipe became more and more aggressive, she'd had more anger to get rid off than she'd originally thought and well, this was better than taking it out on another cat. Remember Coldgaze, if you behave yourself, you get home. Behave well, go home, it's easy, she thought as she kept clawing at the brambles, they were getting looser and looser with each second.

Wildstrike felt so much better now, he was mostly healed after all. Upon reaching the Shadowclan territory he looked around, immediately noticing the changes, they weren't huge but they sure were noticeable. When they reached the outskirts of the camp and saw that the entrance was clogged up with brambles and thorns. He listened to his brother's orders before he too walked up to where the entrance once had been and like his brother, he decided that he'd tug at the brambles instead of clawing wil- he had to jerk his head to the side to avoid getting clawed at by the former Riverclanner, Coldgaze was her name if he remembered correctly. "Hey there, calm down a little," he chuckled. The she-cat just looked at him quickly and quickly gave him a half-hearted sorry before continuing to claw at the barricade. He looked at the cream-tabby for a few minutes before he continued to tug at the brambles.

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~~Shadowclan Deputy~~

It’s Been Far Too Long (OPEN / Clan-Wide) Tworc110

☾Coldgaze☽ Warrior Of Riverclan [Tier 2]
☾Wildstrike☽ Deputy Of Shadowclan
☾Birdkit☽ Unborn

She nodded, accepting Scorchstar's orders. Granted, she'd rather be assisting in tearing a new path through the thorns, but her leader was right. Right now there were bigger priorities, and the other warriors within their group were more than capable. Besides, she was fairly certain Asterspark wouldn't be able to handle Tigerkit alone.

Curling her tail around the rowdy kit in question and settling down beside the others, she drew them nearer as she watched Burntstag pass her. She nodded to him respectfully when their gazes met. She didn't mind the tom. In fact, she rather liked him. The calico carried with him a sort of intensity that she had no choice but to acknowledge. Something told her he'd make a solid leader some day, if things ended favorably for him.

The feeling of eyes boring into her pelt turned her gaze away from the warriors working towards regaining their access to camp. Meeting Asterspark's gaze, she flicked her ear and narrowed her eye suspiciously. "You need something?"

If he was planning to drop more awful puns on her she had no qualms about showing these kits how to properly cuff someone obnoxious over the ears hard enough to shut them up.

Silentpaw was only half paying attention to her father's words, her mind lost somewhere else. Mothpaw was gone, somewhere off in the territory playing hero alongside their uncle Crowfur and a small cluster of other clan cats. The thought drew a hint of bitterness up from somewhere deep inside of her. How could she just... leave like that? After they'd been separated for so long? After they'd lost their mother?

Didn't Mothpaw realize that she could be lost just as easily? Just as quickly?

Her face gave away no hints towards her inner turmoil, but it was clear by the distance in her gaze that she was in fact somewhere entirely different right now.

Inside, she was struggling.

It wasn't until she felt a brush of movement that she snapped back into the present. Watching Burntstag leave her side, she realized they'd finally reached their destination.

They were home.

Seeing the calico and the rest of her clanmates start tearing at the thorns blocking their way, Silentpaw wasted no time in following suit. Padding forward, the small white she-cat slipped in beside the others, wiggling her way inside of the gap they'd already begun to form. Taking advantage of her slim frame and small paws, she began to work on the back of the tunnel as the others continued to widen the entrance enough for a full sized cat to squeeze inside.

She might as well use her stunted growth to her advantage.

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^{_{★☆★ Take what you can ★☆★}}

It’s Been Far Too Long (OPEN / Clan-Wide) QNTjwT2

Salmonkit had decided to go with the large black fluffy cat he had jumped on. He liked him! He was big and goofy and had carried Salmonkit some of the way back. It was a big world, and his paws grew weary. The aging grey tabby kit approached the camp with the group. Cautiously, he crouched, inching towards the trees along the edge of the camp. His eyes narrowed, as he spotted a leaf. Slowly, he began creeping up to it, ready to pounce.

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Astra inclinant...

.: Coyotegrin :: Kestrelchirp :: Quailprowler : Singedfox :.
#9966ff : #cc3300 : #6699ff : #993366 : Bold
WC T5 Warrior : WC T3 Warrior : TC T2 Warrior : SC T1 Warrior (Perma-NPC)

"When there's nothing left to burn, you have to set yourself on fire."

Discord Hiatus : Feral Litter Sign Ups/Interest Check : Plot Page

Asterspark jolted, eyes widening and ear tips growing hot with embarrassment. He quickly averted his gaze, clearing his throat loudly. "U-Uhh!... S-Sorry for starin'. I, uh ... it-it's just, uh ... you're kind of ... pretty t' look at...." Oh, great StarClan above, did he really just say that?! He moaned loudly and laid down on the ground, only to faceplant right into the ground to hide his face away from his crush. Stars, he was so hopeless when flustered!

"You're all doing a great job, everyone! Keep it up!" Scorchstar mewed, pride filling his chest and resonating in his voice as he watched his Clanmates chip away near-effortlessly through the thorn barrier. Little by little, the gap was widening more and more. It wouldn't be long before they all were back home within camp where they could rest after a long couple moons of being away for so long.

Suddenly, the air was filled with a strange sound. It sounded like sucking mud, snapping roots, and creaking wood, the same sound a falling tree in the marshes would make. The subtle movement caught his eye. Several fox-lengths away, he spotted a lone pine tree slowly tilting to the side. The rain and flood water must have softened the mud too much to support its weight anymore. Thankfully, it was far away, and it wasn't tilting towards any of them. So long as everyone stayed where they were, the trunk wouldn't fall on anyone, and no one would be hurt.

Wait a second.... What was that playing so close to the tree? Was it a squirrel or chipmunk?

No.... It wasn't a squirrel or a chipmunk....

Great StarClan above, it was a kit!

"Look out!" Leaping immediately into action, Scorchstar sprinted as quickly as he could to the kit. He didn't take any time to recognize who it was, or why it wasn't with Thornbriar and Asterspark. All he knew was he needed to get it out of the falling tree's path now, and with the mud completely sucked away from the snapped roots it was falling fast. Please, StarClan, let me make it in time!

He skidded to a halt in front of the kit, standing between it and the massive falling tree. He glanced behind him, gasping when he saw the trunk was nearly on top of them. He knew he wouldn't be able to carry the kit away fast enough, especially with how slippery the mud was over here as compared to right next to the thorn barrier. He could already feel his large black paws sinking into the mud under his weight. Thinking fast, he grabbed the kit's scruff as quickly as he could and tossed it off to the side towards his other Clanmates, sending it flying a good few tail-lengths away before tumbling another couple whisker-lengths. It was safe.

But he wasn't.

Shutting his eyes tightly, he braced himself for the impact of the trunk.

It crashed down with a loud, squishy thump, and Scorchstar disappeared underneath the prickly pine needles.

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Sparkfire the ShadowClan Warrior ~ #cdbf38
Honeysong the ShadowClan Queen ~ #3bbb9d
Bubblekit the RiverClan Apprentice ~ #8ebb7b

Current Events
Sparkfire has returned to ShadowClan with her mate Honeysong and her adopted son Softkit.
Honeysong has followed Sparkfire back to ShadowClan and has given up her medicine cat title.
Bubblepaw has begun her training under her mother and mentor Flashlight.

Okay.

That caught her off guard.

"Pretty to look at?" She repeated, staring at him skeptically. Did he really just say what she thought he said? She already knew he was stupid, not to mention a little bit blind, but seriously... this?

She opened her jaws to respond with some scathing remark, but fell short. What did she say here? Turning her gaze away and awkwardly pawing at the ground, she mumbled an uncomfortable "... Er, thanks I guess?"

However, her awkwardness was short lived as she soon realized that one of the kits was missing.

The twisted sound of a tree beginning to uproot followed by Scorchstar's cry immediately jerked her attention away from the kits surrounding her to the chaos unfolding a fair distance away.

And the kit that was about to be crushed.

"No!" Leaping to her feet, Thornbriar swept the kits forcefully towards Asterspark with her large tail and bolted towards the falling tree without another word. She couldn't let another kit die, not like this. Not on her watch! She willed her muscles to work harder, her body to move faster, but she was too late. She watched the huge black tabby get there first, witnessed him throw the kit to safety, and finally, watched the tree finally give way, collapsing atop of him.

Cold dread flooded her, making her stomach sink and tighten.

No.

"Scorchstar!" She called, skidding to a stop in the slippery mud beside the tree. There was no response. Immediately she began using her hulking weight to shove heavy branches and prickly needles out of the way. Amidst the mess of pine needles and mud she could just barely make out what appeared to be dark fur.

Looking back, she called out to the remaining warriors. "Get over here, now! Help me with these branches, I think we can save him. Move! ... and someone grab that kit!"

Burrowing in, she began straining to reach Scorchstar, swearing up and down to Starclan above that she'd save him.

She couldn't let another cat down.

Not like this.

Silentpaw had been making solid progress on the back of the thorn tunnel, and had just begun to break through to the other side when frantic shouting drew her to a pause.

What was going on?

Taking care not to completely shred herself as she gingerly padded out from the hole they'd created, she popped her fuzzy white head out and looked around. The others had stopped working on the tunnel, that much she could tell. And her sister's mentor was no longer with the kits. Wiggling free further, she realized her father was also missing.

After that, it didn't take long to figure out what had happened.

The same numbness as before, from when she'd found out from her sister and uncle that Minnowcall had been killed, washed over her.

Her mother had drowned in the flood, her father was trapped under a tree, her sister was off in the mountains doing stars knew what, and here Silentpaw was. Alone.

She had to help.

In a flash, she was streaking away from the thorn barrier. Judging from the size of the tree, she wouldn't be able to help free her father but...

Changing direction, she scooped up Salmonkit, trotting over towards her older half brother and depositing the kit beside him. She had a plan, but she'd need help. She turned and dashed to Burntstag's side, nudging him.

"Come with me, please." She said in a rushed tone before she was off once again, not even checking to see if he was following. As soon as she was beside the tree, she began to tunnel into the foliage, burrowing into it almost like a squirrel. "D-dad, can you hear me?" She called out, fear making her voice quieter than she'd intended.

With her small size, it didn't take her long to slither her way between the branches, carefully avoiding the smaller twigs and needles and the potential damage to her or her father they could inflict. "Dad!" she tried again, this time louder. Nearing where Thornbriar had been trying to shove her way through with brute force, Silentpaw wiggled her way past it, finding the heavy branch that had the dark tom pinned.

There was no way that she was going to be able to lift it.

That's why she needed help.

She couldn't tell from under here if Burntstag had followed, but she hoped...

She just had to will herself to speak up.

"Burntstag if you're there, w-we... we can get him out I think. He's not trapped by the trunk, just... a branch. I can't lift it though. It's way too big for me. You have to break or move some of the others so that bigger cats can get in here and lift it enough to pull him out... He's... unconscious I think. But if we just drag him out like this I think we might hurt him more. It looks like Thornbriar already has one out of the way, c... can you get the others to help?"

Her voice was soft and she was pretty sure the only ones that would be able to hear her were Burntstag and Thornbriar, but that was fine. They were both loud enough to be able to relay the information.

Setting to work herself, she began trying to displace some of the mud around her father, doing her best to keep it away from his face.

This would all be for nothing if he ended up suffocating in muddy swamp goop from being unable to lift his head.

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^{_{★☆★ Take what you can ★☆★}}

It’s Been Far Too Long (OPEN / Clan-Wide) QNTjwT2

Coldgaze froze as she heard how a tree began to uproot and the sound of Scorchstar calling out for someone to look out.
She was snapped out of it as she saw how other cats started rushing away from the tunnel. She turned around and saw Scorchstar laying under a branch of a fallen tree, at first she once again thought about not helping out, after all, it had been Scorchstar's suggestion that she should have to join Shadowclan as a punishment.

Comon' Coldgaze, just help, you don't have to like someone to help them, he'll surely die without help. she thought and then with a deep sigh she started walking towards the other cats and the fallen tree.

Wildstrike spun around quickly upon hearing his brother cry out. He saw how his brother tossed a kit to the side before a tree fell over him, a branch pinning the leader down. "Noo!!" he cried out as he started rushing towards Scorchstar, just a few seconds after Thornbriar, he reached Scorchstar and stopped, slamming his body into the branch that had fallen over his brother, but ofcourse the branch didn't budge. "No no no, NO!", he wouldn't let his brother die like this, he had survived the floods, he'd lead them back to Shadowclan and so much more before that, he couldn't die now!

He felt so helpless, unsure of what to do, he was the deputy, shouldn't he be trying to keep everyone calm now and come up with a plan on how to get Scorchstar out safely? Why had he been chosen as deputy? He wasn't one to bark out orders to others, he didn't know what to do in situations like this, everyone seemed to know what to do, except for himself.

He shook his head, he needed to think clearly, he began following Thornbriar, pushing and dragging branches out of the way so they'd be able to reach the large tom easier.

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~~Shadowclan Deputy~~

☾Coldgaze☽ Warrior Of Riverclan [Tier 2]
☾Wildstrike☽ Deputy Of Shadowclan
☾Birdkit☽ Unborn

Guest

Scorchstar shrieked before firing off with the speed of a Windclan cat, sending her heart to her throat in shock. Looking up she watched in shock as Scorchstar grasped a kit and threw it out of the way of a falling tree, only to get crushed under it in turn. Littlesun couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't see what was right in front of her anymore. Not what was right, anyway. She was back at four-trees, each bush and living bodies were now dead, each one replacing the cats she had grown with until she was separated from Duskpaw and Dawnpaw. The tree Scorchclaw was under was replaced by a branch, right on top of the great rock. Littlesuns paws were covered with her mother's blood. At that moment, Littlesun had never felt more terrified. Never had she felt more alone, always having the support of her siblings, but they weren't here right now.

Littlesun took a step towards Scorchstar, blood clogging her webbed toes and continuing to rise up her legs like a rising tide- A clan-mate barrelled past her, very much alive, shocking her out of her flash-back of terror. Littlesun didn't dare look down, fearful that she would continue to watch as blood engulfed her as if she was never really brought back to reality. Shaking her head she stomped down her feelings, as deep as they could go before she launched herself into the fray. She couldn't let him meet the same fate as Lichenmask, her father that she still loved so dearly despite the awful feelings that plagued her with each of her memories of him. Scorchstar was better than her dad, he was worth her time and loyalty. Not unlike the Stars that seemed bent for revenge.

Littlesun ripped and dragged, pulled and heaved as she struggled desperately to save him. He couldn't die!

Burntstag watched with wide eyes, inherent nature causing his muscles to twitch in reaction to what was happening before his eyes. But Scorchstar was faster and the logic behind his own inability to stop the events kept him rooted in place for a moment. Something like a creeping clarity seemed to build in the pit of his stomach. It cooled the initial fire that shot through his veins as a reaction. Even if the Shadowclan leader had several lives left, this could not simply be a coincidence. Within their first few moments back, after all the clans had already endured, their leader was losing a life right here at the camp, their home. Claws tugged at his conscious as he fought the conflicting thoughts, something akin to pleasure and the loss of a cat who had sacrificed himself for another. How noble. Silentpaw's nudge brought him back. This was her father, after all. And Scorchstar had contributed to raising him in some way as well. Immediately, he followed the younger cat without question.

"I need cats to break these branches so we can get him out! Now!" Burntstag had slipped in after Silentpaw and he admired the way she was calculating, decisive, and actually came up with a plan before charging in. Even more so, he appreciated how she turned to him and he was happy to oblige to the aid. Wildstrike displayed his lack of leaderly ability and the warrior had no issue picking up the slack. After his own declaration of instruction, the calico slid in as much as the snagging on his fur would allow and used his weigh to break the branches he could, clawing and tearing at those which needed some persuasion. He supposed they could not stop until Scorchstar was freed. Although would it be that bad if a leader with an eye for the future would be the one to take his place? Hopefully, Scorchstar did not take these extra lives for granted. There was plenty of opportunities.

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⌘ Auburnflare // Tier 2 Warrior // Thunderclan // SteelBlue ⌘
✿ Littlesplash // Tier 2 Medicine Cat // Riverclan // MediumAquamarine ✿
⁂ Heatherfrost // Tier 2 Warrior // Windclan // MediumOrchid ⁂
✲ Crabpaw // Apprentice // Shadowclan // FireBrick ✲

☆☆☆ Ask me about my past characters for lore, or Moonstone Journeys. ☆☆☆