Actual Clangen Playthrough (most recent update)

[medicine cat]

Sorry to restart the playthrough, I just didn't check the game itself for updates so I've been missing out on a few features. Therefore... We will be participating with Expanded mode!

Here are our starters;

MOON 0 (GREENLEAF):

Mantisstar’s ears twitched as she surveyed her clan, satisfied with the camp she and her loyal clanmates had curated together over the last few days. She looked over as a familiar raspy voice cleared its throat, and she saw Halffoot limping over to her. 
“Report on the clan activities,” Halffoot started as he sat beside her. “Everyone is settling in well. Skypaw is getting treated for a small scrape from sparring and practicing with Splashbumble this afternoon.”
“Sounds like they work well together,” stated Mantisstar. “I’m sure it’s been hard for him to adjust having to move clans after just being made an apprentice.”
“You look like you’re thinking about saying something,” Halffoot said. 
“Well…” Mantisstar twitched an ear. “I spoke with my father last night.”
“Stemstar?” Halffoot raised a brow. Stemstar was the leader of the clan Mantisfoot and her followers had come from. He was killed by rogues, forcing Mantisstar’s new smaller clan to flee.
“He said he’d be watching me. And he’d help me lead with tireless energy. But… I don’t know, Halffoot. I already feel so tired.”

“A common feeling for being so young and leading a clan,” Halffoot said. “But you can’t let that stop you. A tired leader will make for tired warriors. They need you to be strong, Mantisstar.”
Mantisstar flattened her ears. “I… I guess so. But I just hope to do a good job.”
“You could always be doing worse. The clan seems happy, despite their circumstances. Gillshiver he’s in love with the new territory.”
Mantisstar shifted uncomfortably. How could Gillshiver be so happy when they had all lost their clan so recently? It made no sense to her. She almost envied the joy that he had.

“Anyway,” Halffoot continued matter-of-factly, “I’m curious about whether there’s other clans around here. We should be setting up patrols to see what we’re dealing with. I don’t want another situation where we’re ambushed by rogues we didn’t even know existed.”
“That’s a good point,” sighed Halffoot. “Would… Would you mind organizing a few for me?”
“Already worked on it,” Halffoot said. “They’ll be leaving momentarily.”

Meanwhile, Lavendergrass sat at the entrance of the medicine den and watched as Skypaw bounded back to Splashbumble to continue practicing. He smiled with satisfaction, feeling grateful that Starclan selected him as medicine cat. Not much could stop him.
“Lavendergrass!” called Weedpelt excitedly, coming toward him. “Did you hear?”
Lavendergrass jumped at the voice, his heartbeat quickening as the pretty gray she-cat approached him. “Hear what?”
“I was listening to Mantisstar earlier as she spoke to Halffoot. She heard from Stemstar last night! Isn’t that amazing?” she asked. “I think.. I think Starclan approves of what we’re doing.”
“Yes,” Lavendergrass said with a smile. “I think so too. But I don’t think they’d approve of you eavesdropping on our leader.” He winked at her jokingly, and she rolled her eyes.
“Fine, fine. But you can’t blame me for being excited!”

[medicine cat]

MOON 1 (greenleaf)
LEADER
MANTISSTAR ;  White she-cat with light gray spots. Gloomy.
DEPUTY
Halffoot - Gray tom with stripes and heterochromia. Strict.
MEDCAT
Lavendergrass - Short-furred tom with heather blue eyes and a speckled light ginger coat. Childish.
WARRIORS
Weedpelt - Gray she-cat with yellow eyes and a medium pelt. Righteous.
Gillshiver - Tom. Brown ticked coat with silver eyes. Charismatic.
Splashbumble - She-cat, Warrior. White-and-gold pelt with golden eyes and long fur. Arrogant
APPRENTICES
Skypaw- Rosette tom with white patches and gray eyes. Charismatic.
KITS
Jumpkit - White-and-brown kit with emerald green eyes. Sweet.

Splashbumble sauntered through camp, casting side glances at her clan members as she walked. She padded up to Mantisstar, sitting beside her friend. 

    “How are things, Mantisstar?” She asked, brushing a friendly tail against the leader’s. “We haven’t talked much at all since you took over this clan, you know.” Stretching out, she basked in the Greenleaf sun shining down between the leaves of the trees. “Tell me what’s been going on, why don’t you?”
    “Well, I chased off a rogue today…” Mantisstar began, her fur still bristiling a little at the thought of the event. “I didn’t get a good look at him, but he looked all white. It’s disconcerting to think we’ve already got cats checking out our territory when we just got here.”
    “It’s just because we’re not on the map yet,” asserted Splashbumble, fluffing up her fur. Once they get their fill of MantisClan’s claws, they won’t be messing with us anytime soon. Hmmph.”
    “How about you?” Mantisstar asked, looking over at her friend. “How’s apprenticing Skypaw going?”

    “Ah. Skypaw’’s injured,” Splashbumble commented uncomfortably. 
“Injured?” Mantisstar flattened her ears. It seemed like he was a pretty clumsy cat.
“He’s sweet, but can be rather clumsy. His problem is he gets overexcited about being a warrior and pushes himself too hard. He ran too fast over harsh ground practicing with me this afternoon and he’s hurt his paws. I’m hoping Lavendergrass can do something to treat him before he hurts himself even worse.” She shrugged. “But I think he can still practice stalking if he’s careful. He doesn’t seem too excited about patrols now that he’s hurt his paws, but he’s been doing great until now.”
“I’m sure Lavendergrass will take good care of him,” said Mantisstar. 

Indeed, the two cats looked over toward the medicine den and Lavendergrass walked with Skypaw, seemingly having put some crushed herbs against his paws to soothe them.
“Don’t push yourself,” Lavendergrass said, speaking with a surprising softness in his voice. “If you want to be a strong warrior, it’s going to take you longer to get there if you keep winding up in accidents like this.”
“I’ll be more careful,” Skypaw sighed, tiredly flopping on his side on a comfortable-looking patch of moss.

    Mantisstar smiled as she watched the interaction. “You know, Splashbumble, I was pretty worried about Lavendergrass being a good medicine cat. You know how he is. But.. He seems really dedicated to his job. It’s like he’s a different cat when he’s working. Makes me excited to see how our clan develops as warriors.”
    “Me too,” confessed Splashbumble. She beamed with pride, especially proud at her own development as a warrior as of late. 

 

[medicine cat]

MOON 2 (greenleaf)
LEADER
MANTISSTAR ;  White she-cat with light gray spots. Gloomy.
DEPUTY
Halffoot - Gray tom with stripes and heterochromia. Strict.
MEDCAT
Lavendergrass - Short-furred tom with heather blue eyes and a speckled light ginger coat. Childish.
WARRIORS
Weedpelt - Gray she-cat with yellow eyes and a medium pelt. Righteous.
Gillshiver - Tom. Brown ticked coat with silver eyes. Charismatic.
Splashbumble - She-cat, Warrior. White-and-gold pelt with golden eyes and long fur. Arrogant
APPRENTICES
Skypaw- Rosette tom with white patches and gray eyes. Charismatic.
KITS
Jumpkit - White-and-brown kit with emerald green eyes. Sweet.

    “And then… I took down a whole pack of rabbits that day,” mrrped Splashbumble proudly, telling Skypaw stories of before she joined Mantisclan as they waited for the medicine cat. “I tell you what, I was one of the most talented cats in the old clan! When you get more experienced, I’ll show you all my secrets.”
    Lavendergrass rolled his eyes as Splashbumble told Skypaw her tall tales to her apprentice. Even so, he said nothing, continuing to wokr on his herbs until finally interrupting her.
    “Alright, alright, let me get a look at those paws,” he said to Skypaw, coming closer to the young apprentice. Skypaw’s pads looked much better now. “Looks good. But you’re gonna have to be careful from now on. Don’t try to run like a herd of deer.”
    “Understood. Thanks, Lavendergrass!”

    “And as for you,” Lavendergrass said, turning to Splashbumble. “You’re going to be in quarantine for a few days while I treat you with herbs.”
    “What? Why?” Splashbumble asked, almost offended by Lavendergrass’s statement. “I just have a rash. It’s greenleaf allergies, I tell you.”
    “It’s fleas,” Lavendergrass corrected her. “You can’t be in close quarters with other cats. You’re going to have to sleep separate and can’t go on patrols willy-nilly. Got it?”

    “Does that mean I can’t get training?” Skypaw flattened his ears, distressed.
    “I’m sure there’s someone who’s willing to help you,” the tom said comfortingly to the apprentice. “Why not ask one of the other warriors? I’m sure they’re itching for an apprentice.”

    Skypaw’s nodded and sighed as he walked outside of the medicine den. He’d missed out on valuable training time in Greenleaf’s peak. One specific cat could tell it was getting him down, and therefore she approached him one day.
    “Hey there, apprentice.” Skypaw looked up to see Weedpelt, and he meowed a greeting at the she-cat. She sat down beside him. “Your paws sure look a lot better.”
    “They feel a lot better too, he responded, looking down at them. “I finally feel like going out and training again.” He flattened his ears. “But Splashbumble has fleas so I can’t patrol with her.”

Flattening her ears, Weedpelt thought for a moment. “Well, that’s no good.” Skypaw was already a little behind, and having an incapacitated mentor wasn’t going to help his case. Her ears perked up after a moment, and she looked over at him. “I know! Why not go training with me? I’d be happy to help you catch up and get you back in training.” She smiled over at him.
“Really?” Skypaw was unsure; he’d only ever worked with Splashbumble, and attention from Weedpelt made him flustered. She was a very pretty she-cat!
“Of course. It’s a warrior’s duty to help everyone in their clan,” she explained. “I’m by no means the best in the clan, but I don’t think it’s fair to have you sit by. Some training is better than none, right?”
“I guess you’re right.” Skypaw trotted behind her, following her out into the forest to train.

“Now,” Weedpelt sat down across from Skypaw. “We’re going to practice battling. We can’t have you getting beat by some silly neighboring clan, now can we?”
    “..No, we can’t,” Skypaw said.
“Exactly,” said Weedpelt. Now, you’re a pretty quick cat. You’re going to use your speed to your advantage because that’s probably going to be your biggest help in battle, okay? I’m going to pounce at you, and you’re going to roll out of the way. And… Go!”

Halffoot set up a patrol the next day with Skypaw, Weedpelt, Gillshiver, and himself. They paced along the border when they found a strange patrol, seemingly renewing their scents over the border. Skypaw’s fur fluffed up with tension.
“Calm down,” Halffoot hissed at him. “It’s PopClan. They’re on their side of the border.”
“But I’m not excited to talk to them…” Weedpelt mumbled. It seemed inevitable they were going to cross paths, and Skypaw was not ready for the thought of his first battle.

Finally, the cats met each other, and there was an awkward stare between the two groups. Finally, Gillshiver piped up.
“Hey there. Beautiful greenleaf this season, isn’t it?” he asked. Oh no, Skypaw thought. But Gillshiver kept going. “I’m Gillshiver, and these are Halffoot, Weedpelt, and Skypaw. And you are?”
The cats began to converse with them, and after a short conversation, they returned to their tasks. 
“That was actually really good, Gillshiver,” Weedpelt said. “I think we’ve actually improved our relations with another clan for the first time.”
“No problem. Just the art of negotiation,” he winked. 

 

[medicine cat]

MOON 3 (leaf-fall)

LEADER
MANTISSTAR ;  White she-cat with light gray spots. Gloomy.
DEPUTY
Halffoot - Gray tom with stripes and heterochromia. Strict.
MEDCAT
Lavendergrass - Short-furred tom with heather blue eyes and a speckled light ginger coat. Childish.
WARRIORS
Weedpelt - Gray she-cat with yellow eyes and a medium pelt. Righteous.
Gillshiver - Tom. Brown ticked coat with silver eyes. Charismatic.
Splashbumble - She-cat, Warrior. White-and-gold pelt with golden eyes and long fur. Arrogant
APPRENTICES
Skypaw- Rosette tom with white patches and gray eyes. Charismatic.
Jumppaw - White-and-brown kit with emerald green eyes. Sweet, compassionate

    “Splashbumble?” Jumppaw asked her one day, poking her with a little white paw as she sunbathed. “I have a question.”
    “And I have an answer,” purred the warrior. She looked over at Jumpkit with a smile as she swished her tail. “What’s on your mind?”
    “What’s the life of a warrior like?” she asked, scooting closer. “What do you do?”
    “Oh, it’s an exciting life,” said Splashbumble. “You hunt prey bigger than you are, you get in tough fights, and you protect the clan. You can even be a warrior one day!”

    “But what if you don’t want to be a warrior?” Jumpkit asked, lowering her head. 
    “Like as a medicine cat?”
    “Y-yeah.” She looked down at her paws. “I don’t like the idea of fighting. I like just regular helping…”
    “Well, why don’t you asked Lavendergrass?” Splashbumble responded, tilting her head to one side. “I’m sure he’d be happy to talk to you.”
    “Maybe..” she said quietly. “I don’t know if he’ll like me.”

Mantisstar took a walk with Splashbumble one evening.
“I’m wondering what to do with Jumppaw, Mantisstar confessed as they strolled under the moonlight. “She’s such a gentle kit. I don’t know what warrior would be compatible with her.”
“Well… Actually, I talked to Jumppaw today,” meowed Splashbumble. “She mentioned some interest in being a medicine cat.”
“A medicine cat?” Mantisstar thought. “We need more warriors, so I hadn’t really considered that.”
“I think Lavendergrass would like an apprentice anyway,” meowed Splashbumble. “Just something for you to think about.”

    The next day, Splashbumble padded over to Lavendergrass at dinnertime. “Hello, Splashbumble,” he said without looking around.
    “How’d you know it was me?” she asked, sitting beside him with her prey.
    “Could recognize your pawsteps. How are the fleas?” he asked, expecting that was the reason for her visit. “They back?”
    “Nope. Completely cured, I think,” purred Splashbumble. “Clean and fresh now,” she said.
    “Thank Starclan. I hated crushing those herbs I gave you.” He grimaced at the thought of the bitter herbs’ taste. “What were you doing last night? I saw you and Mantisstar come back really late,” he commented. “Is everything okay?”

    “That’s actually what I was coming over to you about,” she said. “She was thinking of giving you Jumpkit as an apprentice.”
    “I wouldn’t be opposed,” he shrugged, before eyeing her a moment further. “As long as you trade prey with me. That grouse looks delicious.”

    So Mantisstar holds Jumppaw’s ceremony, naming her as Lavendergrass’s apprentice. Her eyes beam with pride.

Meanwhile, Halffoot is getting old as well. He wonders what it'd be like to be leader, but is content being with a deputy.

[medicine cat]

MOON 4 (leaf-fall)
LEADER
MANTISSTAR ;  White she-cat with light gray spots. Gloomy.
DEPUTY
Halffoot - Gray tom with stripes and heterochromia. Strict.
MEDCAT
Lavendergrass - Short-furred tom with heather blue eyes and a speckled light ginger coat. Childish.
WARRIORS
Weedpelt - Gray she-cat with yellow eyes and a medium pelt. Righteous.
Gillshiver - Tom. Brown ticked coat with silver eyes. Charismatic.
Splashbumble - She-cat, Warrior. White-and-gold pelt with golden eyes and long fur. Arrogant
APPRENTICES
Skypaw- Rosette tom with white patches and gray eyes. Charismatic.
Jumppaw - White-and-brown kit with emerald green eyes. Sweet, compassionate

Skypaw nervously groomed his fur, fixing his reflection in the stream by the grotto. Did he look dazzling? Not too dazzling, hopefully. He flattened his ears with dismay.
“What’s up, kid?” Gillshiver’s voice shook Skypaw from his thoughts, and the apprentice looked back to see him standing there. 
“Just nervous. My warrior ceremony’s tonight,” Skypaw sighed. “I don’t know what I’m doing, and Halffoot is already barking orders at me. He requested I get him some fat mice on the next hunting patrol.”
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” meowed Gillshiver, sitting down to look at his reflection beside Skypaw. “You’re being named a warrior at only 11 moons. That’s something, isn’t it?”

“I just want to be a good warrior,” Skypatch sighed. “But I’m still figuring myself out.”
“You remind me of myself when I was your age,” said Gillshiver. “Your confidence will come. And when you’re unsure, I give you permission to copy me,” he winked.

That evening, Mantisstar called together her warriors.
“Skypaw, you’ve served well and trained hard under your mentor. Despite a few rough patches in your training, you’ve stayed optimistic and helpful no matter what. You’re a kind and adventurous young warrior, and I will name you Skypatch.”
“Skypatch! Skypatch!” cheered the warriors. Despite his uncertainty, Skypatch couldn’t help but beam as his clanmates exploded into shouts and congratulations.

The next evening, Mantisstar looked as if she was going to fall asleep right there as she ate dinner with Lavendergrass and Gillshiver.
“You look like you’ve been hit by a monster,” Lavendergrass said. “What’s the matter?”
“Leading’s just… exhausting sometimes,” sighed Mantisstar. “I love my clanmates, but it’s scary having everyone under my responsibility.”
Lavendergrass seemed to stare off for a moment, in thought, then he looked over at Mantisstar. “Maybe with Skypatch as a new warrior, we’ll have more support. Have you talked to Halffoot about it?”
“Halffoot is Halffoot,” Mantisstar said quietly. “He’s all business, and he’s not the easiest to open up to.”

“He’s always been like that,” Lavendergrass said. “Starclan help us if he’s ever leader. Nobody will ever have any fun. You alright, Gillshiver?” The tom suddently asked, and Gillshiver raised his chestnut brown head. 
“H-Huh?”
“You were staring off.”
“O-Oh, yeah,” mumbled Gillshiver. Mantisstar watched him- he’d been staring in the direction of Weedpelt.

[medicine cat]

MOON 5 (leaf-fall)
LEADER
MANTISSTAR ;  White she-cat with light gray spots. Gloomy.
DEPUTY
Halffoot - Gray tom with stripes and heterochromia. Strict.
MEDCAT
Lavendergrass - Short-furred tom with heather blue eyes and a speckled light ginger coat. Childish.
WARRIORS
Weedpelt - Gray she-cat with yellow eyes and a medium pelt. Righteous.
Gillshiver - Tom. Brown ticked coat with silver eyes. Charismatic.
Splashbumble - She-cat, Warrior. White-and-gold pelt with golden eyes and long fur. Arrogant
Skypatch- Rosette tom with white patches and gray eyes. Charismatic.
APPRENTICES
Jumppaw - White-and-brown kit with emerald green eyes. Sweet, compassionate
KITS
Guppykit ; A pale tabby tom with grey eyes. Attention-seeker.
Condorkit ; A tortie she-cat with icy eyes. Lonesome.
 

Skypatch grew quickly into his warrior build, his muscles thickening as he took on more responsibilities of protecting and fighting for the clan. He began to even notice a she-cat looking at him now and then.

Emerging from the den one day, though, he stretched in the leaf-fall sun and was interrupted by the sounds of loud chatters and gossip. He tilted an ear in the direction of the commotion, and heard Weedpelt talking with Lavendergrass.

“I can’t believe he did that.”
“Well, how can we be sure they’re even his?” Lavendergrass said, tilting his head to one side. “I mean, it’s not like he’s a looker…”
“Come on, Lavendergrass. Just look at those kits, it’s obvious they’re his. And you know if any other cat had brang strange kits to camp, he would’ve been the first to criticize him. It’s hypocritical.”
Skypatch’s tail twitched with curiosity. Who could Weedpelt be talking about? He looked around camp, to notice that Halffoot was uncharacteristically absent. Could he… no way.

“Where’s Halffoot?” Skypatch decided to ask, approaching Weedpelt and Lavendergrass.
“In the nursery,” Lavendergrass said uncomfortably. “He’s got two new kits. He brought them into camp today and refused to discuss where they came from.”
“Can you believe it? Our stickler-for-the-rules deputy has Half-clan kits,” hissed Weedpelt. “I hold nothing against those little kits, but Halffoot’s hypocrisy leaves a bad taste in my mouth. How on earth are we supposed to trust him?”
“Just wait until Mantisstar gets hold of him…” mumbled Lavendergrass

Just then, Mantisstar returned from patrol with Gillshiver and Splashbumble. Loud mutters of discomfort from the clan bubbled up.
“I’m going to go talk to Mantisstar,” Lavendergrass volunteered. “This is a mess.”

Upon being updated on the situation, Mantisstar took a deep breath and decided to speak to Halffoot herself. Padding into the nursery, there she saw Halffoot, curled up with two kits- one tortoiseshell, and one marbled and light grey.

She couldn’t help but stare for a moment as she saw the kits curled up against him so tenderly. He was softly telling the kits stories, stories of Starclan. He stopped when he looked up and saw Mantisstar in the doorway, ears flat and unsure.

The tom flattened his ears, as if he were bracing himself, ready to bare his teeth. “Mantisstar.”
But Mantisstar’s eyes were softer, and she slowly approached him. “Halffoot… You know I love you.” She smiled, cautiously approaching him. “You’ve been the closest thing to my father since I lost him.” She spoke with genuine care in her voice, curling up beside the old warrior and leaning close to the kits. “What are their names?”
“The tortoiseshell is Condorkit. The marbled tom is Guppykit.” Halffoot remained guarded.
“Guppykit?” Mantisstar giggled. Halffoot was not amused.

“Look, I’m not here to punish you,” Mantisstar said softly. “I just… Please tell me what happened.”
Flattening his ears, Halffoot let out a low grunt. “...If you tell a soul, you’re never going to see me or my kits again. But I met their mother while we were looking for a territory. That rogue you chased off those moons ago.. That was her.” He sighed. “So do what you want with me. But I’ll protect my kits.”
“I’m not doing anything to you, Halffoot,” began Mantisstar, “...But I think it might be best for you to go back to the role of a warrior.”
Halffoot sighed. “Suppose you’re right. I’m getting too darn old to be a deputy anyway.”

So that evening, Mantisstar called a clan meeting. She had a decision to make, and she sent a prayer up to Starclan.
“Halffoot has decided to step down from being a warrior,” Mantisstar explained. “Therefore, I hereby declare the new deputy of Mantisclan to be… Splashfoot.” She waited anxiously for her clan’s approval. Splashbumble was her best friend, but was the least prepared probably to be a leader. But the warrior code stated she was the only one fit for the job, since she was the only cat to have an apprentice.

“Splashbumble?!” Are you mousebrained?!” Halffoot scolded Mantisstar as she brought him fresh-kill that evening. “You might as well have picked Skypatch for the job! She’s only been a warrior for barely over a year!” He hissed.
“I trust her more than any other cat!” Argued Mantisstar.
“You can’t just pick cats because you like them, you pick them because you think they’re fit for the job!”
“She’s the only cat who’s had an apprentice!”
“And you’re going to have two fresh apprentices right here,” hissed Halffoot, gesturing to his kits. “You’re a fool, Mantisstar.”

The kits slowly grew, their personalities slowly beginning to show. Guppykit clung close to Halffoot, not wanting him out of his reach for more than a couple seconds. Meanwhile, Condorkit often walked around following her brother, watching him. This made Halffoot secretly favor Condorkit.

One day during a patrol, Gillshiver and Mantisstar come across a kittypet who’s interested in joining the clan. Her name is Bunny.
“That’s not a very intimidating name,” says Mantisstar. “How about Bunnyshade?”
“That sounds awesome!” says the kittypet. “It’s a pleasure.”

Bunnyshade is surprisingly prepared to be a warrior, and is an impressive climber so she’s often used to hunt prey in trees. She’s a bit naive and a little overly curious sometimes, but is great for conversation. She takes great interest in hearing Lavendergrass talk about his herbs and hearing about Starclan.

[medicine cat]

MOON 6 (leafbare)
LEADER
MANTISSTAR ;  White she-cat with light gray spots. Gloomy.
DEPUTY
Halffoot - Gray tom with stripes and heterochromia. Strict.
MEDCAT
Lavendergrass - Short-furred tom with heather blue eyes and a speckled light ginger coat. Childish.
WARRIORS
Weedpelt - Gray she-cat with yellow eyes and a medium pelt. Righteous.
Gillshiver - Tom. Brown ticked coat with silver eyes. Charismatic.
Splashbumble - She-cat, Warrior. White-and-gold pelt with golden eyes and long fur. Arrogant
Skypatch- Rosette tom with white patches and gray eyes. Charismatic.
APPRENTICES
Jumppaw - White-and-brown kit with emerald green eyes. Sweet, compassionate
KITS
Guppykit ; A pale tabby tom with grey eyes. Attention-seeker.
Condorkit ; A tortie she-cat with icy eyes. Lonesome
Weedpelt nervously paced back and forth in the middle of camp, tail thrashing wildly in thought as she talked to herself.
The  she-cat flicked a golden ear and tossed her gaze over to Weedpelt. “Hello, Weedpelt. What’s troubling you?”
Weedpelt flattened her ears. “Something… unexpected has come up, Splashbumble. I.. I might be expecting kits.”
“Really? Oh my,” mewed Splashbumble. “What makes you say so?”
“Lavendergrass was checking up on the warriors today, and I’d mentioned to him some nausea I’d been having. He put a paw on my belly, and… well…” she said quietly. “I’m not moving to the nursery yet, I want to continue helping the clan. We’re already a set of paws down with Halffoot and his kits. But I have responsibilities, Splashbumble. Who’s going to help the clan? I was hoping to apprentice Condorkit or Guppykit this Newleaf.”

“You’ll have plenty of opportunities,” said Splashbumble, huddling up as a cool breeze hit her. “Who’re you having kits with?”
“I’d.. I’d prefer to disclose yet. I spoke to him and he wanted to wait until the kits are born,” she said. “But the kits are full MantisClan kits, I’ll tell you that much.”
Splashbumble’s whiskers twitched in interest. “Huh. Okay. Well, you’re at least a little excited, aren’t you?”
“Of course I am,” said Weedpelt. “I want to raise strong warriors. I just want to do it right. But Jumppaw was being annoying about it, I have to admit. Asking me all sorts of questions of what carrying kits feels like. For research, she says. But I’d rather not talk about it and act as a warrior for now.”

Skypatch limps home from a patrol one day, having been attacked by a large dog. Lavendergrass rushes over to him, inspecting the young warrior. 
“He’s going to have to stay in the medicine den until he heals,” asserted Lavendergrass.
“This is going to be a hard leaf-bare with so few warriors…” whispered Mantisstar. “I hope he heals alright.”

Condorkit and Guppykit’s personalities slowly emerge as they get a little bigger. Condorkit grows into an energetic she-kit, constantly trying to wrestle and play with Guppykit. Meanwhile, Guppykit is an eager-to-please, sensitive kit who cries a lot.

[medicine cat]

A little collage of Mantisclan's warriors (and Skypaw!)

First row; Mantisstar, Halffoot, Lavendergrass

Second row: Weedpelt, Gillshiver, Splashbumble

Third row: Skypatch, Jumppaw, Bunnyshade

[medicine cat]

MOON 7 (Leafbare)
LEADER
MANTISSTAR ;  White she-cat with light gray spots. Gloomy.
DEPUTY
Halffoot - Gray tom with stripes and heterochromia. Strict.
MEDCAT
Lavendergrass - Short-furred tom with heather blue eyes and a speckled light ginger coat. Childish.
WARRIORS
Weedpelt - Gray she-cat with yellow eyes and a medium pelt. Righteous.
Gillshiver - Tom. Brown ticked coat with silver eyes. Charismatic.
Splashbumble - She-cat, Warrior. White-and-gold pelt with golden eyes and long fur. Arrogant
Skypatch- Rosette tom with white patches and gray eyes. Charismatic.
APPRENTICES
Jumppaw - White-and-brown kit with emerald green eyes. Sweet, compassionate
KITS
Guppykit ; A pale tabby tom with grey eyes. Attention-seeker. Son of Halffoot.
Condorkit ; A tortie she-cat with icy eyes. Lonesome. Daughter of Halffoot.

Lavendergrass paced through the medicine den before sunrise. Jumppelt slowly roused from her nest.
“Good morning, Lavendergrass,” she meowed. “Have you been up all night? What for?”

“Oh. No reason. Just things on my mind,” Lavendergrass confessed. “Nothing to do with you or your training. Don’t worry.”
“I want to help,” Jumppaw insisted with a yawn in between her words. “Have you heard from Starclan?”
“It’s a personal matter,” Lavendergrass shut her down. “Please. Don’t worry. It’s nothing to do with Starclan.” He finally went to sit at the door of the medicine den.

“Weedpelt’s coming in this morning for her kits to be checked on,” he finally said after a moment. “Make a nest for her to rest on for her examination.”
Skypatch, still recovering from his broken leg, raised his head. “Good morning.”
“Good morning, Skypatch,” purred Jumppaw. “Can I get you anything?”
“Focus, Jumppaw,” ordered Lavendergrass.

Before the morning patrols returned, Weedpelt entered the den and Lavendergrass felt his heartbeat quicken as she saw her. “Good morning, Lavendergrass.”
“Hiya, Weedpelt. How are you?” he got close to her, flicking his tail. “Looking healthy.”
“Tired a lot of the time,” confessed the she-cat. “Splashbumble didn’t want me to go on patrol today, but I thought I’d ask you first.”

“Come here, then.” Gesturing Jumppaw over with his tail and patting the nest for Weedpelt to rest on, he felt Weedpelt’s belly with his paws. “Tell me what you feel, Jumppaw.”
“A small litter,” Jumppaw said. “But definitely coming along. At least one pretty big kit.”
“Well done,” said Lavendergrass. He then turned to Weedpelt. “You need to move ahead to the nursery, Weedpelt.”
“But I want to continue to help the clan! We’re already short two warriors this leafbare with both Halffoot and Skypatch unable to patrol.”
“You’ve got to be careful!” Lavendergrass scolded her. “Please. We’ll take care of you. Just for a moon, move to the nursery. Relax.”

Begrudgingly, Weedpelt obeyed, settling into the nursery with Halffoot. 
“Gosh, her belly is huge!” Condorkit whispered to Guppykit, and Weedpelt flattened her ears. This was going to be a long moon. 

Weedpelt woke up the next morning to little shouts. Opening an eye, she saw Guppykit at the door of the nursery. “Hi Gillwhisker! Hi Splashbumble!” He meowed, waving a little paw.”
“What’re you doing, Guppykit?” she asked sleepily, yawning.
“Saying hi to the dawn patrol! They’re so brave,” he meowed. “I want to be like them one day.”
“If you work hard, you will be,” Weedpelt meowed, amused by the kit’s enthusiasm for something so mundane as going on patrol.

As the days passed, Weedpelt got better used to the presence of Condorkit and Guppykit. Condorkit padded up oo her one evening while Halffoot was napping.
“So Halffoot says you’re gonna be a mom,” she said. “You’re gonna have kits.”
Weedpelt nodded. “I am. I have to wait a bit, but they’ll be here soon.”
“I’m a little jealous,” Condorkit confessed. “I want a mom, too.”
Weedpelt flattened her ears, a pang of guilt in her chest. She’d judged Halffoot for having these kits, but she’d never considered the effect of being half-clan would have on Condorkit and Guppykit. Smiling softly, she took Condorkit by the Scruff and placed her between her paws. “Well, I can be your stand-in mom, for a while. I’ll be here in the nursery still by the time you’re an apprentice.”
“That’d be nice…” Condorkit said, yawning.

Weedpelt sat with Halffoot later that day as Condorkit and Guppykit played. 
“Your kits are very sweet,” purred Weedpelt, finally deciding to talk to him after mostly days of awkward silence. 
“They’re something else,” Halffoot said, his voice uncharacteristically soft. “There’s so much unique about the both of them, though their upbringing’s been identical. Condorkit’s so curious and brave- and pretty smart, too. Always asks how I’m doing. But a very independent little she-cat. Wonder what goes on in that head of hers.” He twitched a whisker. “And then Guppykit stays close to me most of the time. If it weren’t for Condorkit dragging him out to play, he’d probably be content to bat at my tail all day. He’s got a soft heart.”
“I hope my kits turn out like yours,” meowed Weedpelt.

Over time, Weedpelt finds herself bonding with Halffoot and his kits- she tells his kits bedtime stories, teaches them the code, and shares bad jokes with Halffoot. They come to find themselves unexpected friends.
 

[medicine cat]

MOON 8 (LEAF-BARE)

Unfortunately, Weedpelt died in kitting along with her kits, despite Lavendergrass’s best attempts to save her. All of the clan’s warriors took the death hard, especially Halffoot, who became grief-stricken with the loss. He found it hard to even look after his kits, and the other warriors teamed up together to help take care of them.

“Dad’s not playing with us much anymore,” Guppykit complained one day to Gillshiver while Gillshiver helped give him a bath. “Ever since Weedpelt went away, it’s not the same. Why’d she go?” He looked up at Gillshiver with wide, grey eyes.
Gillshiver was quiet with thought for a moment. “...Sometimes, Starclan takes cats up to Silverpelt. Nobody really knows why,” Gillshiver said. “I think your Dad is wondering why too, and it makes him sad.”
“Well, doesn’t he get that it makes me sad too?!” Guppykit shouts. “I miss Weedpelt. I want her to come back, Gillshiver!”

“When Starclan takes a cat, they don’t give them back, Guppykit,” Gillshiver said softly. “But where they take them is somewhere wonderful; it’s always warm and sunny, and there’s always food.”
“I want to go too!”
“You will, one day,” Gillshiver explained. “But for now you’ve got to take care of your dad and sister, okay? Sometimes the bravest thing a warrior can do is be there for others.”
“...I guess so,” sighed Guppykit.

Jumppaw went to check on Halffoot one day amid his grief.
“Hey, Halffoot. I brought you some prey,” said Jumppaw softly. “Hungry?”
“Not particularly,” Halffoot said. 
“That’s fine. Take your time, I’ll leave it here in case,” Jumppaw said soothingly. She moved to sit beside the old tom. “I know you’re taking Weedpelt’s death hard.”
“I don’t even know why. That’s the stupid part,” grumbled Halffoot. “I never really spoke to her before she joined the nursery. I didn’t even like her that much. But seeing her interact with my kits, and getting to know her… She was like a daughter to me. And it makes me all the more angry that I didn’t get to know her when she was a warrior, too. And I’m angry she lost her kits. We can’t even have that piece of her? How is that fair?”

"I... I don't know," confessed. "But I'm here for you, Halffoot."

Lavendergrass, too, silently took the death of Weedpelt hard. Being a medicine cat, he never let her know how he felt, but he was in love with her. Who wasn’t in the clan, though? He asked himself. She had a pure heart, and she was beautiful. And he would never have her.
“I miss you, Weedpelt,” he said quietly, whispering up to the stars.
To make matters worse, Bunnyshade is hit by a monster crossing the thunderpath with Mantisstar. She receives a broken leg and joins Skypatch in the medicine den. Jumppaw receives Frostbite and is also incapacitated.

[medicine cat]

MOON 9 (Greenleaf)
LEADER
MANTISSTAR ;  White she-cat with light gray spots. Gloomy.
DEPUTY
Halffoot - Gray tom with stripes and heterochromia. Strict.
MEDCAT
Lavendergrass - Short-furred tom with heather blue eyes and a speckled light ginger coat. Childish.
WARRIORS
Gillshiver - Tom. Brown ticked coat with silver eyes. Charismatic.
Splashbumble - She-cat, Warrior. White-and-gold pelt with golden eyes and long fur. Arrogant
Skypatch- Rosette tom with white patches and gray eyes. Charismatic.
APPRENTICES
Jumppaw - White-and-brown kit with emerald green eyes. Sweet, compassionate
KITS
Guppykit ; A pale tabby tom with grey eyes. Attention-seeker. Son of Halffoot.
Condorkit ; A tortie she-cat with icy eyes. Lonesome. Daughter of Halffoot.

Lavendergrass dragged his shrew from the fresh-kill pile over to Jumppaw, holding it in his paws as he took a bite. She’d been given Frostbite from collecting herbs when it was too cold, leaving her incapacitated with Skypatch and Bunnyshade in the medicine den. But today, she wasn’t eating.
“Eat, will you?” Lavendergrass nudged her. “You’re not going to get any better sitting there taking in nothing.”
“I don’t know, Lavendergrass. I’m Just thinking,” she said quietly.
“About what?”
“Have… you heard anything from Starclan?”
Lavendergrass shook his head. “Not a word.” Admitting it pained him; he never expected to hear too often from Stemstar, but the fact Weedpelt hadn’t sent him any messages gave him a pang of sadness in his chest. Was she angry that he couldn’t save her when she was dying?

“Me neither,” Jumppaw sighed. “And that’s what’s worrying me. I’ve never heard anything from Starclan. What if they’ve been telling me something and I’ve… just missed it somehow?” She asked. “What if that’s why I got hurt? What if it’s why we lost Weedpelt or why Skypatch or Bunnyshade broke their legs? What if-”
“Stop right there,” Lavendergrass hissed. He was doubting himself, but he refused to let Jumppaw be hard on herself, too. “Prophecy’s a very delicate matter. Jumppaw. You’re not some failure or committing some sin because Starclan hasn’t sent you anything yet. Heck, even if they had, what they say doesn’t make sense half the time anyway.”

Mantisstar brought fresh-kill to Halffoot in the nursery. “Here, it’s rabbit. Your favorite, right?”
Halffoot looked up at his leader. “You didn’t have to do that for me.”
“I did,” Mantisstar said. “It’s the least I could do.” She came to sit beside him. “How are you?”
“Struggling,” confessed the tom. “But I’m worried about Guppykit. He seems to be really shaken up with the deaths and sicknesses lately. Keeps asking if Weedpelt’s coming back.” He tucked his head into his fur. “I don’t know what to do sometimes.”
“We’ll figure it out,” Mantisstar said softly. “It’s hard, but.. We’re going to find a way. I know it.”

Mantisstar developed a runny nose, and Lavendergrass began watching her closer. The last thing he needed was losing another warrior.
 

[medicine cat]

MOON 10 (Greenleaf)
LEADER
MANTISSTAR ;  White she-cat with light gray spots. Gloomy.
DEPUTY
Halffoot - Gray tom with stripes and heterochromia. Strict.
MEDCAT
Lavendergrass - Short-furred tom with heather blue eyes and a speckled light ginger coat. Childish.
WARRIORS
Gillshiver - Tom. Brown ticked coat with silver eyes. Charismatic.
Splashbumble - She-cat, Warrior. White-and-gold pelt with golden eyes and long fur. Arrogant
Skypatch- Rosette tom with white patches and gray eyes. Charismatic.
KITS
Guppykit ; A pale tabby tom with grey eyes. Attention-seeker. Son of Halffoot.
Condorkit ; A tortie she-cat with icy eyes. Lonesome. Daughter of Halffoot.

 

Walking out into the clearing one day and looking around, her runny nose now gone, Mantisstar looks at the cats around her; Bunnyshade and Skypatch lay outside the medicine den, broken legs splinted, and looks to Halffoot, somberly watching his kits play. Jumppaw did a lot more for the clan that we gave her credit for, she thinks to herself.

Splashbumble came to sit beside her leader, looking over at her. “You okay?”
“It’s just getting hard to keep hope,” Mantisstar sighed before looking over to the she-cat. “Have you spoken to Lavendergrass?”
“He’s not taking it well,” confessed Splashbumble. “He said there’s still cats he trusts he can rely on, but I know it’s hurting him. He relied on Jumppaw more than anything.”
“I’ve never seen an apprentice be so dedicated,” said Mantisstar. “She will certainly have a great reward in Starclan…”
“Yeah.” Splashbumble rested her head on her paws. 

But all in the clan is not lost- new relationships are beginning to form. Condorkit, Skypatch and Splashbumble sunbathe on some rocks in the newleaf sun.
“So, you excited to be an apprentice?” Skypatch asked Condorkit, leaning in close to the tortoiseshell she-cat.
“It’s about time I get to do something around here,” Condorkit said, puffing out her chest. “I’m going to be the strongest warrior of them all, y’know?”
Skypatch smiled. “I bet you will.”

“Say, Skypatch, do you have a mate?” Condorkit asked inquisitively. “It seems like nobody around here does, but dad said he used to.”
“Well, answer the question,” Splashbumble teased Skypatch. “Do you?”
“U-Uh… Um… No, I do not,” Skypatch stuttered out, shuffling a weak paw over the other. “I’m… without a mate, Condorkit.”
“And you, Splashbumble?” Condorkit asked.
“No, Condorkit, I can’t say I have one,” mrrped Splashbumble with laughter at Skypatch’s reaction. “Maybe one day.”
 

[medicine cat]

MOON 11 (Greenleaf)
LEADER
MANTISSTAR ;  White she-cat with light gray spots. Gloomy.
DEPUTY
Halffoot - Gray tom with stripes and heterochromia. Strict.
MEDCAT
Lavendergrass - Short-furred tom with heather blue eyes and a speckled light ginger coat. Childish.
WARRIORS
Gillshiver - Tom. Brown ticked coat with silver eyes. Charismatic.
Splashbumble - She-cat, Warrior. White-and-gold pelt with golden eyes and long fur. Arrogant
Skypatch- Rosette tom with white patches and gray eyes. Charismatic.
APPRENTICES
Guppypaw ; A pale tabby tom with grey eyes. Attention-seeker. Son of Halffoot. Apprentice to Skypatch.
Condorpaw ; A tortie she-cat with icy eyes. Lonesome. Daughter of Halffoot. Apprentice to Gillshiver.

In a much needed brighter turn of events, a clan meeting is called by Mantisstar.
“Cats of MantisClan, It’s been an extremely hard leafbare and newleaf. Which is why it’s high time for some good news before Greenleaf. Firstly, we have a warrior returning to duty after a nasty injury at the beginning of Leafbare. Skypatch, step forward.”
The young tom brought himself forward, the sun shimmering down on his pelt. “Due to the hard work of Lavendergrass and our beloved Jumppaw, he’s been able to make a full recovery.”

MantisClan, in desperate need of some good news, burst into yowls of excitement and congratulations. Skypatch absolutely beamed and basked in the attention, overflowing with joy to take up his responsibilities again. Mantisclaw waited for the cheers to die down and addressed Skypatch, shaking him out of his moment.

“And with that, Skypatch, I would like to present you with the honor of apprenticing a young aspiring warrior. Guppykit, please step forward.”

Guppykit came forward, smiling up at him. 
“Guppykit here will be your apprentice,” meowed Mantisstar. “I hereby declare Guppykit will be named Guppypaw from this day on. Skypatch, you have great passion for the ways of a warrior, and I’m sure you’re dying to involve yourself in them again. Therefore, I ask you to take Guppypaw along with you.”

“Now, Condorkit,” continued Mantisstar. “I want you to come forward.” With a flick of her tail, she sent a signal, and Gillshiver stepped forward.
“Gillshiver will be your mentor as you train to be a warrior. From now on, you will be called Condorpaw. I trust you will train hard to become a warrior.”

The cats of Mantisclan erupted into cheers for the apprentices- loudest of all being Halffoot. Mantisstar looked over at her former deputy with surprise; Halffoot’s eyes shone with a new resolve and vitality that she hadn’t seen since before Weedpelt died.

A few evenings later, Mantisstar came to visit Halffoot and offered to share tongues with him.
“You seem.. happy, Halffoot,” Mantisstar began. “It’s like the stars have shone down on you.”
“How could I not be? Look at my kits. They’re the newest apprentices of MantisClan, and they very well may help bring us out of this time of shortage we’ve been in. I’ve raised them well, and I am so excited for others to see what they can do. I mean, have you seen Guppypaw? I never took him as a fighter, but I saw him practicing with Condorpaw the other day. He’s something else!”
“I’m excited too,” Mantisstar admitted. “But most of all, I’m happy to see you smile again.”

As their confidence grew, Guppypaw and Condorpaw’s personalities emerged to their clanmates. Guppypaw was an obedient young warrior, always happy to follow Skypatch’s orders and copy his every move. Condorpaw, on the other hand, grew into a rebellious young she-cat who Gillshiver often had issues controlling.
The only cat Condorpaw really seemed to listen to was Guppypaw, and the two of them grew even closer. Guppypaw could often make Condorpaw laugh when nobody else could.

But again, Gillshiver had issues with her. He complained to Mantisstar that Condorpaw was often unhelpful and he had to break up a spat between her and Guppypaw on a patrol once.
 

[medicine cat]

MOONS 12-13 (Greenleaf)
LEADER
MANTISSTAR ;  White she-cat with light gray spots. Gloomy.
DEPUTY
Halffoot - Gray tom with stripes and heterochromia. Strict.
MEDCAT
Lavendergrass - Short-furred tom with heather blue eyes and a speckled light ginger coat. Childish.
WARRIORS
Gillshiver - Tom. Brown ticked coat with silver eyes. Charismatic.
Splashbumble - She-cat, Warrior. White-and-gold pelt with golden eyes and long fur. Arrogant
Skypatch- Rosette tom with white patches and gray eyes. Charismatic.
APPRENTICES
Guppypaw ; A pale tabby tom with grey eyes. Attention-seeker. Son of Halffoot. Apprentice to Skypatch.
Condorpaw ; A tortie she-cat with icy eyes. Lonesome. Daughter of Halffoot. Apprentice to Gillshiver.

The first moon of greenleaf passed by without much significant. Mantisstar realized she’d kept the clan together for a year, and Lavendergrass congratulated her for keeping the clan together after a hard first year.

By mid-greenleaf, though, some events stirred up!

Splashbumble realized she was expecting, but decided to keep the news to herself for a while because she doesn’t want to cause any disappointment if something were to go awry like what happened with Weedpelt.

Meanwhile, Bunnyshade felt much better in herself and was able to start moving again. She began chasing butterflies around camp, laughing because it reminded her of back when she was a kittypet.

Lavendergrass slipped while walking on a steep rock and dislocates a joint, incapacitating him from medicine cat duties. 
Skypatch came to visit him, bringing him some vole from the fresh-kill pile.
“You took care of me when my leg was out of whack,” Skypatch began, “So I thought I’d bring you something.”
“That was my job, SKypatch,” Lavendergrass said. “You don’t owe me anything.”
“But still. I wanted to check on you.” He flattened his ears. “I don’t want to lose any more clanmates.”
“It’s just a slipped joint, Skypatch,” meowed Lavendergrass. He gave him a reassuring bump of the head. “I’ll be fine.” He smiled, swearing that he could hear Jumppaw whisper encouragements in his ear now and then.

Condorpaw was caught talking to a PearClan cat one day, and Halffoot came barreling in, claws extended and yowling as if he were in battle, to scare off this cat. They went in a full out sparring, and Halffoot threatened the young cat within an inch of his life if he were to ever come into MantisClan territory again. Guppypaw crouched in the bushes, marvelling at his old father’s fighting skills.
“Dad, what’s wrong with you?!” Yowled Condorpaw angrily.
“I will NOT have my daughter talking with a Pearclan tom,” hissed Halffoot.
“It’s not like it’s nothing you’ve done before! My mother was a rogue!” snarled Condorpaw. “It’s none of your business what I do!”
“Keep making foolish decisions like that, and I’ll make sure you’re not ever promoted to warrior,” hissed Halffoot. 
 

[medicine cat]

MOON 14 (Greenleaf)
LEADER
MANTISSTAR ;  White she-cat with light gray spots. Gloomy.
DEPUTY
Halffoot - Gray tom with stripes and heterochromia. Strict.
MEDCAT
Lavendergrass - Short-furred tom with heather blue eyes and a speckled light ginger coat. Childish.
WARRIORS
Gillshiver - Tom. Brown ticked coat with silver eyes. Charismatic.
Splashbumble - She-cat, Warrior. White-and-gold pelt with golden eyes and long fur. Arrogant
Skypatch- Rosette tom with white patches and gray eyes. Charismatic.
APPRENTICES
Guppypaw ; A pale tabby tom with grey eyes. Attention-seeker. Son of Halffoot. Apprentice to Skypatch.
Condorpaw ; A tortie she-cat with icy eyes. Lonesome. Daughter of Halffoot. Apprentice to Gillshiver.

Splashbumble moved into the nursery, surprising the cats of the clan. She kept quiet about who the father was initially, unwilling to share the details with her “nosy clanmates”, as she called them.

“Condorpaw. Hey, Condorpaw.” Big silver paws poked at Condorpaw in camp as she tried to understand the herbs Lavendergrass told her to fetch while his joints were sore.
“What do you want, Guppypaw?”
“Wanna go play some moss-ball?” the smaller tom asked, tilting his head to one side.
“I’m kind of busy here.”
“You sure don’t look like you’re having fun, though.”

“You have a point,” sighed Condorpaw, putting down the herbs and facing her brother. “Where do you want to play?”
“Outside camp. They’ll think you’re busy collecting herbs. Nobody’s gonna say a thing!”

Taking the ball of moss, the brother and sister ran out of camp to play. They were just getting into an intense game when Guppypaw flattened his ears and looked behind Condorpaw.
Whirling around, dismay came over her as she saw Gillshiver.
“It was my understanding that you were helping our medicine cat, Condorpaw,” Gillshiver said, trying to sound patient.
“Yeah? And I was taking a break,” spat Condorpaw, raising her tail defiantly. Gillshiver sighed, quickly swiping the moss-ball from her paw. 
“What am I going to do with you, Condorpaw?”

Meanwhile, Skypatch arrived on the scene, smiling over at Guppypaw. “Hey, Guppypaw! How’s about some hunting practice today?”
“Mm… Not really feeling it today,” said Guppypaw.”
“How about if you do, I’ll play some Mossball with you.”
Thinking about it, Guppypaw nodded. “...Alright. Not such a bad idea.”

Sighing, Gillshiver approached Skypatch in camp later and plopped down beside him. “I don’t know how you do it, Skypatch.”
“Do what?” The tom asked, twitching his ear. What could he possibly have that Gillshiver didn’t have? Gillshiver had it all together in his eyes.
“Handle your apprentice so well. Condorpaw’s… a mess. She’s got so much capability, but she’s so hard to sit still and teach, and I feel like nothing I say resonates with her.”
“You’re an easy to get along with guy, Gillshiver. I think she might be taking that for granted. You have to make it transactional. Give her rewards for listening, and earn her respect. Then she’ll do the work without the rewards. At least that’s how I was at her age.”
“You know, that’s not such a bad idea, Skypatch. I’ll take your advice.”
 

[Stranger]

11 hours ago, medicine cat said:

MOON 8 (LEAF-BARE)

Unfortunately, Weedpelt died in kitting along with her kits, despite Lavendergrass’s best attempts to save her. All of the clan’s warriors took the death hard, especially Halffoot, who became grief-stricken with the loss. He found it hard to even look after his kits, and the other warriors teamed up together to help take care of them.

“Dad’s not playing with us much anymore,” Guppykit complained one day to Gillshiver while Gillshiver helped give him a bath. “Ever since Weedpelt went away, it’s not the same. Why’d she go?” He looked up at Gillshiver with wide, grey eyes.
Gillshiver was quiet with thought for a moment. “...Sometimes, Starclan takes cats up to Silverpelt. Nobody really knows why,” Gillshiver said. “I think your Dad is wondering why too, and it makes him sad.”
“Well, doesn’t he get that it makes me sad too?!” Guppykit shouts. “I miss Weedpelt. I want her to come back, Gillshiver!”

“When Starclan takes a cat, they don’t give them back, Guppykit,” Gillshiver said softly. “But where they take them is somewhere wonderful; it’s always warm and sunny, and there’s always food.”
“I want to go too!”
“You will, one day,” Gillshiver explained. “But for now you’ve got to take care of your dad and sister, okay? Sometimes the bravest thing a warrior can do is be there for others.”
“...I guess so,” sighed Guppykit.

Jumppaw went to check on Halffoot one day amid his grief.
“Hey, Halffoot. I brought you some prey,” said Jumppaw softly. “Hungry?”
“Not particularly,” Halffoot said. 
“That’s fine. Take your time, I’ll leave it here in case,” Jumppaw said soothingly. She moved to sit beside the old tom. “I know you’re taking Weedpelt’s death hard.”
“I don’t even know why. That’s the stupid part,” grumbled Halffoot. “I never really spoke to her before she joined the nursery. I didn’t even like her that much. But seeing her interact with my kits, and getting to know her… She was like a daughter to me. And it makes me all the more angry that I didn’t get to know her when she was a warrior, too. And I’m angry she lost her kits. We can’t even have that piece of her? How is that fair?”

"I... I don't know," confessed. "But I'm here for you, Halffoot."

Lavendergrass, too, silently took the death of Weedpelt hard. Being a medicine cat, he never let her know how he felt, but he was in love with her. Who wasn’t in the clan, though? He asked himself. She had a pure heart, and she was beautiful. And he would never have her.
“I miss you, Weedpelt,” he said quietly, whispering up to the stars.
To make matters worse, Bunnyshade is hit by a monster crossing the thunderpath with Mantisstar. She receives a broken leg and joins Skypatch in the medicine den. Jumppaw receives Frostbite and is also incapacitated.

I didn't know the kits could die in a kitting as well, I thought the most was that the parent just died? 

[Modiano Urania]

5 hours ago, YourLocalStranger said:

I didn't know the kits could die in a kitting as well, I thought the most was that the parent just died? 

kits dont die in a kitting, the devs dont plan to to add stillbirth or miscarriage. I assume medicine cat used a generator

[medicine cat]

I used a generator!! ^^
Basically what I do is I roll a D20 (or a 1-20 RNG). Kits have a 10% chance of dying, and Queens have a 5% chance, with certain factors raising that chance (was the pregnancy "early"? was the queen stressed? how competent were the med cats etc)

 

More chapters coming today :3

[medicine cat]

MOON 15 (Leaf-fall)
LEADER
MANTISSTAR ;  White she-cat with light gray spots. Gloomy.
DEPUTY
Halffoot - Gray tom with stripes and heterochromia. Strict.
MEDCAT
Lavendergrass - Short-furred tom with heather blue eyes and a speckled light ginger coat. Childish.
WARRIORS
Gillshiver - Tom. Brown ticked coat with silver eyes. Charismatic.
Splashbumble - She-cat, Warrior. White-and-gold pelt with golden eyes and long fur. Arrogant
Skypatch- Rosette tom with white patches and gray eyes. Charismatic.
Condorpaw ; A tortie she-cat with icy eyes. Lonesome. Daughter of Halffoot. Apprentice to Gillshiver.
APPRENTICES
Guppypaw ; A pale tabby tom with grey eyes. Attention-seeker. Son of Halffoot. Apprentice to Skypatch.
KITS
Mothkit ; A golden and white tom with long fur and yellow eyes

Lavendergrass’s joints healed as leaf-fall began. One breezy day, Mantisstar came to sit with him.
“You’re looking much better,” she said.
“Feeling much better, too,” responded Lavendergrass, stretching and shaking out the leg that had been bothering him. “I think I’ll be able to go out and get herbs again.”

Just then, a shout is heard from across the clearing for Lavendergrass.
“You’re needed in the medicine den,” grunted Halffoot.
 Not wanting a repeat of what happened to Weedpelt, Lavendergrass bolted away from Mantisstar without a goodbye. He rushed into the medicine den, where Splashbumble lay, contractions starting.

“Splashbumble!” a voice yelled from the entrance of the nursery. It was Skypatch.
“Not now, Skypatch,” Lavendergrass said. “This is an urgernt matter.”
“No, let him come in,” Splashbumble said. “He’s the father of my kit.”
Without waiting for the approval of Lavendergrass, Skypatch quickly bounded into the nursery, joining at Splashbumble’s side.
“Well, that’s unexpected,” Lavendergrass mumbled to himself as he began making preparations in the nursery.

After a short and almost painless birthing process, Splashbumble gives birth to a tiny tomkit with golden and white fur like his mother.

MantisClan seems to all breathe a sigh of relief at the birth of the healthy kit.
“The first clanborn citizen of MantisClan,” meowed Splashbumble proudly. “We’ll call him Mothkit.
“He looks just like you,” Skypatch purred proudly.

Over the coming days, Skypatch spends nearly all of his time with Mothkit and Splashbumble, tending to Splashbumble’s every wish.
“I wonder how he’s doing in there,” Mantisstar commented to Gillshiver. “I know Splashbumble can be a handful sometimes.”
“I hope he gets a move on and starts actually training me again,” Guppypaw loudly complained.

This isn’t much helped by the fact Condorpaw gets her warrior name early, for saving Mantisstar from a fox. She’s named Condorfuzz.
“I wouldn’t quite advise that,” Gillshiver told Mantisstar before her ceremony, but Mantisstar doesn’t listen.
 

(Left to right: Lavendergrass, Guppypaw, Gillshiver, Mantisstar, Splashbumble, Halffoot, Bunnyshade, Skypatch, Condorfuzz)

[medicine cat]

MOON 16-17 (Leaf-fall)
LEADER
MANTISSTAR ;  White she-cat with light gray spots. Gloomy.
DEPUTY
Halffoot - Gray tom with stripes and heterochromia. Strict.
MEDCAT
Lavendergrass - Short-furred tom with heather blue eyes and a speckled light ginger coat. Childish.
WARRIORS
Gillshiver - Tom. Brown ticked coat with silver eyes. Charismatic.
Splashbumble - She-cat, Warrior. White-and-gold pelt with golden eyes and long fur. Arrogant
Skypatch- Rosette tom with white patches and gray eyes. Charismatic.
Condorfuzz ; A tortie she-cat with icy eyes. Lonesome. Daughter of Halffoot. Apprentice to Gillshiver.
Guppyflash ; A pale tabby tom with grey eyes. Attention-seeker. Son of Halffoot. Apprentice to Skypatch.
KITS
Mothkit ; A golden and white tom with long fur and yellow eyes

 

Guppypaw’s resentment began to grow at the fact his sister was already a warrior and he hadn’t become one yet. 

Condorfuzz and Halffoot went on patrol together one day in Leaffall, tracing along the border. But as they walked, they saw a neighboring clan- CicadaClan.
“Now’s your chance,” Halffoot said under his breath. “Show them how strong MantisClan is.”
Unsure but willing to please her father, Condorfuzz let out her rage in snarls and puffing up her stature, driving off the cats.

Halffoot’s training got tougher for Guppypaw, though, giving him task after task to help him gain experience. Guppypaw found himself resenting his father, glaring at him across the clearing. He held no ill will toward his sister, but must everyone put so much pressure on him?

Guppypaw grew even more tired of his father’s pushing and constantly being undermined by him. He resolved to push himself by training tirelessly day by day until he was promoted to being a warrior. Finally at 12 moons, his hard work named him as Guppyflash. He was childish, but very smart and a talented hunter. Skypatch watched him with pride.
“You’re going to be a great warrior,” he meowed. “I remember what it’s like to finally get your name. You deserve it.”

Mantisstar watched warmly as she sees her young warrior congratulate his former apprentice, and came to talk to him soon after. “You know, Skypatch, I remember giving you your warrior name. Doesn’t seem like many moons ago you were that age.”
“Funny, isn’t it?” Skypatch meowed, looking over at her.

"It is. But I'm proud of you," meowed Mantisstar. "I'm very proud of how our clan's handled hardships this year. We're finally growing back, I think."

[medicine cat]

MOON 18 (LEAFBARE)

LEADER
MANTISSTAR ;  White she-cat with light gray spots. Gloomy.
DEPUTY
Halffoot - Gray tom with stripes and heterochromia. Strict.
MEDCAT
Lavendergrass - Short-furred tom with heather blue eyes and a speckled light ginger coat. Childish.
WARRIORS
Gillshiver - Tom. Brown ticked coat with silver eyes. Charismatic.
Splashbumble - She-cat, Warrior. White-and-gold pelt with golden eyes and long fur. Arrogant
Skypatch- Rosette tom with white patches and gray eyes. Charismatic.
Condorfuzz ; A tortie she-cat with icy eyes. Lonesome. Daughter of Halffoot. Apprentice to Gillshiver.
Guppyflash ; A pale tabby tom with grey eyes. Attention-seeker. Son of Halffoot. Apprentice to Skypatch.
KITS
Mothkit ; A golden and white tom with long fur and yellow eyes

Mothkit was growing into a gentle and peaceful kit. He became rather inquisitive, venturing out of the nursery to ask other cats questions aside from just Splashbumble.

Condorfuzz, meanwhile, took a long walk on her own one day in the snow. She came back coughing and sneezing, and upon inspection, Lavendergrass flattened his ears. 
“Looks like you’ll be out of commission for a bit, Condorfuzz. You’ve got whitecough.”
“Whitecough?” She protested. “But I feel fine!”
“You sure don’t look it. C’mon, rest in the den. At least you’ll escape Halffoot’s harping at you.”
Condorfuzz curled up in a nest in the den, smiling at the joke. “Suppose you’ve got a point.”

Guppyflash began to spend time with Skypatch as warriors rather than just mentor and apprentice, and the two became good friends. Guppyflash would come and visit Skypatch in the nursery as he spent time with Mothkit and Splashbumble, and Mothkit came to take quite the liking to him.

“I heard dad trained you as a warrior,” he meowed, looking up at him.
“That he did,” Guppyflash said, proudly raising his head.
“Do you think you could train me? Dad says he can’t since I’m his kit, but maybe you could.”
“Well, you could always ask Mantisstar,” chucked Guppyflash. Mothkit continued to barrage him with more questions, continuing with various follow ups such as “what is StarClan like” and “where do kits come from”, much to Guppyshade’s dismay.

[Modiano Urania]

How did Jumppaw die?

[medicine cat]

4 hours ago, Modiano Urania said:

How did Jumppaw die?

She died of Frostbite! My apologies, I forgot to write it. I was super mad, I really liked her and thought she had great potential as a med cat.

[medicine cat]

MOON 19-20 (LEAFBARE)

LEADER
MANTISSTAR ;  White she-cat with light gray spots. Gloomy.
DEPUTY
Halffoot - Gray tom with stripes and heterochromia. Strict.
MEDCAT
Lavendergrass - Short-furred tom with heather blue eyes and a speckled light ginger coat. Childish.
WARRIORS
Gillshiver - Tom. Brown ticked coat with silver eyes. Charismatic.
Splashbumble - She-cat, Warrior. White-and-gold pelt with golden eyes and long fur. Arrogant
Skypatch- Rosette tom with white patches and gray eyes. Charismatic.
Condorfuzz ; A tortie she-cat with icy eyes. Lonesome. Daughter of Halffoot. Apprentice to Gillshiver.
Guppyflash ; A pale tabby tom with grey eyes. Attention-seeker. Son of Halffoot. Apprentice to Skypatch.
KITS
Mothkit ; A golden and white tom with long fur and yellow eyes

Skypatch and Guppyflash padded through the territory together, whiskers twitching as they chattered.
“Did you hear?” Guppyflash stareted.  “Mantisstar’s pregnant.”
“Didn’t expect that one,” Skypatch said, flicking his tail. “But yeah, Splashbumble mentioned it to me. I guess she’ll be handling clan duties in the meantime, then. I’m going to be in the nursery watching Mothkit while she works. What’s up with you, though? You’re looking tense.”

“Condorfuzz unloaded on me about dad today. She and him are either best of friends, patrolling together, or are constantly fighting. It’s one or the other all the time.” He shrugged. “And then they both complain about the other one to me. Dad was complaining to me the other day, lashing his tail and sharpening his claws. Meanwhile, Condorfuzz talks like she doesn’t want to even be in the same clan as him.” He shrugged. “I don’t get it.”
“Parenthood can be stressful,” Skypatch commented. “I’m only just raising Mothkit as a tiny kit and I find myself worn out by him a lot of the time. Splashbumble doesn’t get it. I think you’re the only one I feel relaxed with sometimes.”
“Mothkit isn’t half bad,” said Guppyflash. “I’m sure you’ll get along better as he gets bigger.”
“Yeah, I sure hope so,” mumbled Skypatch. “If your relationship with your dad is any indicator, I’m not all that optimistic.”

Mantisstar moves into the nursery as Newleaf comes into bloom, and Halffoot retires as an elder. Splashbumble holds the ceremony for him.
“Your clan honors you and the service you have given us. I call upon Starclan to give you many moons of rest, Halffoot.”
The old gray tom dipped his head gratefully. “Thank you, Splashbumble.”

Meanwhile, Condorfuzz rested in the medicine den with Lavendergrass tended to her sprained paw.
“Thanks,” Conforfuzz mumbled uncomfortably under her breath. She wasn’t used to gentle care from other cats.
“It’s my job,” replied Lavendergrass. “Can’t have you limping around camp. Besides, you work pretty hard. I get what it’s like to feel like you don’t get enough credit.”
Raising her head proudly, Condorfuzz felt a little bit of happiness in her chest. At least someone appreciated her hard work.

But the clan erupted into whispers and chatter as Gillshiver brought two kits into camp!
“Gillshiver?” Splashbumble asked questioningly, stepping forward. “What’ve you got there?”

“I humbly ask for you to accept these kits into your clan,” Gillshiver said, putting them down. His usually energetic voice was soft and respectful.
“Gillshiver, where did they come from?” Splashbumble asked, but Gillshiver’s eyes told her what she needed to know.
“Gillshiver, we’ve already got Mantisstar expecting kits, and Mothkit, too. We don’t need half-clan kits.” Her voice was cold.
“But Mothkit will be an apprentice soon,” argued Gillshiver. “And I’m sure Mantisstar won’t mind two more kits in the nursery. Please, Splashbumble. Give them a chance.”
“...Only because we need more warriors,” Splashbumble said. “But you’re the one that’s going to have to deal with Mantisstar in the nursery.”

So Gillshiver took his kits to the nursery.
“Mantisstar…” he began. “I discussed it with Splashbumble, but I need to discuss with you too. This is Maplekit and Beamkit. I humbly ask for you to accept them as Mantisclan kits.”
Looking at the little kits, Mantisstar took pity on them. “...They can stay, Gillshiver.”

Maplekit was a tortie with pretty sage eyes and a sweet disposition. Beamkit looked like a lighter pelted version of his father, with a small ticked pattern and gray eyes. He was daring. Gillshiver found himself favoring his sweet daughter, but he didn’t ever admit it.
 

[medicine cat]

MOON 21 (NEWLEAF)

Mantisstar’s kits were born, much to the curiosity of the clan. Tuftkit had long, tufted fur. He has a ticked pelt and gold eyes. Meanwhile, Rimekilt was a more tan/gray color and has a marbled pelt and blue eyes. The kits were obviously not any tom in the clan’s kits, so the clan gossips about whose kits they could be.

The two brothers were polar opposites- Tuftkit was a noisy and loud kit, while Rimekit iwas extremely quiet and doesn’t talk to anybody. Tuftkit found much joy in pestering the cats of the clan, namely Halffoot.

This made for a very noisy nursery! When Tuftkit wasn’t talking, Gillshiver’s son Beamkit was talking. It caused both Gillshiver and Mantisstar to have some issues sleeping.

Meanwhile, Splashbumble held an apprenticeship ceremony for Mothkit.
“As my son, I couldn’t be more proud of you,” she mewoed down to the young tom. “I hereby name you Mothpaw, and I assign you to work alongside Guppyflash. I trust him to use his knowledge and passion for the art of being a warrior to teach you well.”
“It’s an honor, Splashbumble,” Guppysplash said, puffing out his chest.

Mothpaw became a mediator at heart, like his mother. He was quick to make peace, even standing up to Guppyflash or Condorfuzz if the two were arguing. He became rather interested in lore, as well, often sitting with Halffoot and listening to him talk about what life was like when he was a young warrior.

Lavendergrass watched Mothpaw interact in the clearing with his mentor with melancholy in his eyes.
“What’s the matter, Lavendersplash?” Bunnyshade asked, twirling her tail as she rested in a nest. She was nursing a mangled tail after a tree fell on it.
“It’s just not right, Bunnyshade. That should be Jumppaw and I.”
“Still thinking about her?” She questioned.
“Of course I am. She was so intelligent to be so young. Mantisclan is really, really missing out on a good medicine cat without her around.”
“We already have a good medicine cat,” Bunnyshade meowed with a smile.
“But I’m old,” Lavendergrass said, walking back to his herbs. “I’m not going to be here forever. I sure hope this new batch of ktis has one with an interest in StarClan.”

Speaking of Starclan, Starclan came to MantisStar while she rested with her kits in the nursery one night. Fur bristled the back of her neck and she found herself in a beautiful starry scene, with a familiar face across from her. She almost couldn’t recognize it, squinting at the figure’s shimmering fur. But then it hit her- the cat was unmistakable.

“Jumppaw!”
The she-cat’s soft voice echoed all around Mantisstar as she opened her mouth to speak. “Hi, Mantisstar. It’s.. It’s very good to see you,” she said with a smile.
“Oh, it’s good to see you!” Mantisstar bounded over, nuzzling the she-cat. “We all miss you so much, Jumppaw. Especially Lavendergrass…” Her voice was light and joyful- more joyful than Jumppaw had ever heard it when she was alive.
“I.. I bring a message to you from StarClan,” Jumppaw said, pulling back to look Mantisstar in the eyes. 

“Oh, I never thought to even consider that. Of course that’s why you’re here,” Mantisstar said, a little embarrassed. “Whatever you have for me, Jumppaw, I’ll follow it to the letter.”
“It’s good tidings,” meowed Jumppaw. “MantisClan has seen much loss and struggle in recent moons. A trail of light will seep across the camp, starting with the eyes of silver.”

Mantisstar thought for a moment, wondering what this could mean. But when she looked back up from her thoughts, Jumppaw was already fading away. “No! Wait! Jumppaw… Jumppaw, come back!”
But Jumppaw was gone, and Gillshiver awoke in the nursery. The kits were already crawling all over her, and Gillshiver gingerly picked up Beamkit and Maplekit. “Sorry, Mantisstar. I”m trying to teach them about manners.”
“No.. no, it’s fine…” Mantisstar said, still deep in thought about what Jumppaw had said.