Post by ♏aple♢ on Sept 7, 2015 19:36:36 GMT
When you get to the end of your rope, Tie a knot and hang on.
Life. What was life? Starlingfur felt as though she'd had this conversation with herself before as she sat near the center of camp, overviewing the construction efforts. It was innocence and beauty. Hardship and perseverance. A string of random events that made you who you were without even thinking about it. It was this. Cats working paw in paw to survive, forming bonds thicker than any blood along the way. It was pushing through even the darkest hours because you just know there will be light at the end. And if you didn't know, it was others reminding you. Urging you to keep moving. Carrying you when you fell. Or no- perhaps this was clan life. Working as a unit. Living as a unit. Keeping eachother alive and giving hope, just by existing.
It had been three weeks since the gathering. And these cats were a clan already.
Some had it in their blood. Clan values bred into them just as surely as the color of their eyes. Some had learned it through seasons of hard work. And others still were just learning, walking blindly on unsteady paws but so eager. Nobody knew what they were doing. Half held it- for saving face or keeping others from panicking. At least some had to seem like they knew what they were doing. But the other half shouted it from the treetops. Like a bird's call, searching for their own. The comfort that they weren't alone in this. But nobody here was alone. Not any more. Patrols, repairs, playing with kits and teaching the young. Three weeks had been more than enough time to become a family. Or to at least become something.
Their leader grew more confident- more certain in her goals with each day. Starlingfur faltered and fell, but she would not sink. She had a support system. Cats who protected her, and now cats that she wanted to protect too. She would do good by these cats or Starclan would strike her down where she stood. No oath may have been made. No declaration to Starclan, and not a single life lay in her soul but the one. But Starlingfur knew. This was what she was meant to do. Starclan or no. Clanborn or no. Kits or no. She had been born a rogue, selfish and callous. But Starlingfur was a warrior now. No- a leader. And she would lead these cats to victory.
It was becoming harder and harder to climb the branch leading to the leader's den with each passing day. But she scaled it now, standing at the center and calling out for all cats to hear.
"Let all cats old enough to heed my words gather here beneath the High Branch for a Clan meeting!"
Certainty rang clear in her words, and they echoed through the forest. Somewhere far, a flock of birds took flight. The words were traditional- and yet at the same time not. Every cat needed to hear what she had to say however, not only those old enough to hunt.
As she looked down from her perch, Starlingfur felt an odd sense of pride swell in her heart. This had once been Dawnclan's home. She had stood at the base of this branch so often as Blackstar had called meetings. Dawnclan was no more now, and the camp was still in ruins. And yet now, moons after its destruction, recovery was right before her eyes. Cats were here. Building. Working. Living. It felt... Strange, to be up here herself. To have all eyes on her- looking to her for support, guidance, faith. Strange, but right.
They were a clan in all but name- both the names of the cats, and that of the group itself. But all of that was going to change.
"This marks our first clan meeting. Our first gathering- as a true clan- in what will be our new home. No more will we live as rogues, fighting tooth and claw for every scrap of food and the pelts on our backs. We will be warriors. But before we are to become warriors, there are certain rites to be preformed." She had planned these words for days on end, agonizing over every word as she tore at the earth and moss. Starlingfur was a cat about planning. Strategy. And now it seemed, a strange kind of order. She'd never been ceremonious. But after consulting with the senior warriors and those that remained clanborn among them, she had decided that maybe that was what she needed to be. What these cats needed her to be. And maybe what she needed herself to be. They would have structure.
"You have honored me with the position of leader. I won't take the name Starlingstar until I receive the nine lives of a leader. It wouldn't be right." Although, so many before her had done the same. In the chaos after the journey, many leaders were fresh and without their lives. They knew not where to go to commune with Starclan, yet took the suffix of star even so. Perhaps that had been part of their downfall. Perhaps Starclan had been angry. It was too late to know now. "However, I will do everything in my ability to lead this clan the way it deserves. I may not have been born into a clan, but... Starclan strike me down if I won't live by the laws of our ancestors and fight with my last breath to give us, and future generations, the lives that they have a right to lead." Copper eyes shone out over the clan- her clan. Righteous and full of a bright passion. Oh yes, the moons had changed Starlingfur. But perhaps some things had changed for the better.
"I cannot lead us alone, however." she paused, looking throughout the clearing. Her gaze traveled over every cat, considering and thoughtful. "Every clan must have both a leader and a deputy." A medicine cat, as well. Although.. Honeyheart's clan had been the lucky one in that regard. For deputy on the other hand, there had been many candidates. Experienced cats. Cats who she trusted. "I say these words before Starclan, so that the spirits of our warrior ancestors may hear and approve of my choice." She'd thought long and hard about her options. But in the end, Starlingfur had found that one cat in particular fit the bill perfectly. "The new deputy of our clan is Thunderstar. He has requested a change of name however, and by Starclan's grace we honor Shadowfrost as our new deputy!"
Blackstar had seen something in the tom. Enough of something to name him leader in her stead when he'd had no experience and only one half-trained apprentice to his name. But Thunderstar- now Shadowfrost as he'd requested the night before, had stood by her loyally these past three weeks. He hadn't questioned her judgement, and had seceded when she'd fallen into the place of leadership despite his having been a leader himself. Caring about what was best for the clan over foolish pride was a sign of a cat who wanted the best for their clanmates. Starlingfur meant no disrespect by that, but it was true. She and Shadowfrost had never been close before the collapse. But the stoic tom showed signs of being able to do what was necessary, and had worked hard to help these past three weeks. They hadn't spoken of this before now- even in such times, the naming of a new deputy would be a surprise. But she had a feeling that he would do well in this position if it was accepted.
A deputy wasn't the only thing that needed naming, of course. There were warriors. Apprentices. Kits. The clan itself. But one step at a time. "There are many others among us whose names will be changed to reflect their new lives as warriors- be they old or new. Hollow, Bracken, Cavernpaw, Heavypaw, Crescent, Feather, Sinister, Pool, Rose, and Mistle. Please step forward."
She'd observed these cats in articular over the past three weeks- when she hadn't been busy with queen or leader duties. Or perhaps her observations had counted as leaderly duties? She'd.. never been the best with names. Giving them, learning them, remembering them. But Starlingfur had thought hard on what names to give these cats. She'd watched their talents and mannerisms, noted their skills and weaknesses. She hoped that they, along with Starclan, would accept and approve of her choices.
"I am proud to welcome all of you into our clan, and now name you warriors officially. Hollow, from this moment forth you will be known as Hollowfern. Starclan honors your bravery and kindness, and we welcome you among our ranks. Bracken, we now name you Brackenthorn. Starclan honors your determination and respectfulness, and we are glad to have you with us. Dixon, from this day onward you shall be known as Bramblenose. Starclan honors your selflessness and hunting prowess, and the warriors den welcomes you."
Each warrior stepped forth in turn, and that same pride burned in her heart. It made her... Giddy, almost. How old was she now? But this was her first ceremony. Her clan's first ceremony. She had a right to be excited, as did every cat here. However, there were more names to be given. "Cavernpaw. Hollowpaw." she locked eyes with the two apprentices as the elder warriors returned to their ranks. They were full grown, easily the size of (if not larger than) several cats here. "I think it's high time you were awarded your warrior names." Starlingfur looked through the crowd, locking eyes with first Firecloud and then Crooked-Eye. These cats were lucky to have mentors that were not only experienced, but also still living. "I, Starlingfur, leader of our clan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn." Starlingfur repeated the age old words, looking down at the young toms with approval.
"Cavernpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" she waited for the tom's response, and then continued.
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Cavernpaw, from this moment you will be known as Cavernstorm. StarClan honors your strength and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of our clan." She'd had to ask Crooked-Eye about the tom prior to the ceremony. He was a closed off one, but Crooked-Eye had said he was a good cat. And one fully deserving of his warrior name. And through her observation of his patrol performance, Starlingfur agreed.
"And Heavypaw, do you too promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" She questioned the younger tom now. He was just barely warrior aged, but large and strong.
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Heavypaw, from this moment you will be known as Heavyclaw. StarClan honors your thoughtfulness and battle prowess, and we welcome you as a full warrior of our clan." Her eyes fell on Firecloud, now. She'd learned that the senior warrior and former deputy of Breezeclan had been the tom's mother, and mentor for a time. They seemed rather estranged, but Heavypaw was clearly a stand-up cat. One worthy of a place in the warrior's den.
There wasn't much of a warriors den period at this point in time. But cats were working hard, and now that the clan had moved fully into this camp things were going better than ever. No longer would these cats just be rogues working together. They would be warriors. But warriors weren't all that this clan held. Queens, apprentices, and kits were among them as well. And they deserved a name just as much as any other cat. "Sinister, please step forward." Starlingfur didn't approve of the one-eye'd she-cat's name. What kind of parent would name their kit such a thing? After her talk with Crescent, she'd taken on a slightly different approach to how names should be viewed. And this she-cat would have one that suited her better, even if Starlingfur wasn't exactly the most creative with such things. "You say that you are aged eight moons. It's time you were apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Patchpaw. Your mentor will be Rookshadow. I am certain that she will pass down all she knows to you with flying colors." she called out, locking eyes first with Patchpaw and then Rookshadow. The two she-cats had something in common- both lacked an eye. Such disabilities could be deadly in an environment such as the clans, but Rookshadow was a survivor. A fantastic warrior, loyal friend, and a wonderful mother. Starlingfur knew that she would be a fine mentor, and no cat would be better suited to training Patchpaw. She smiled before turning her attention back to the remaining cats.
"Crescent and Feather, please come forth." Feather was heavily expecting, and after learning of the presence of permanent queens, Crescent had been more than eager to take that over the life of a warrior. "Crescent, you have expressed the desire to live as a queen, and we value your experience. From this moment on, you will be known as Swanstrike. Starclan honors your experience and warmth, and we welcome you as a queen of our clan." Starlingfur had learned about Swanstrike's life watching kits, and had no doubts that she would do wonderfully with the future generations of their clan.
Feather was a slightly different case. The she-cat was barely warrior aged. She had next to no hunting or fighting experience, but had expressed no desire to live permanently in the nursery. "Feather, once your kits are apprenticed you will be training alongside them. From this moment until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Featherpaw. When the time comes for you to learn our ways, you will be appointed a mentor." And that mentor would likely be Starlingfur. She'd been the one to first find Featherpaw in the forest, starving and frightened. She reminded her of.. someone she'd once known. And Starlingfur felt protective of the she-cat. For now, she would live as a queen. But in six moons time she would begin earning her full name.
Three wiggly kits still sat at the base of the branch. No doubt they hadn't enjoyed waiting until the end for whatever would come to them. Pool, at four moons, along with Rose and Mistle who were half her age, were all orphans. And all too young to become apprentices. But leaving them without clan names while their comrades earned theirs wouldn't do. "Pool, Rose, and Mistle. Though you are not becoming apprentices, you deserve clan names just as much as the rest of us. From this day until you take your place in the apprentice's den, you will be known as Poolkit, Rosekit, and Mistlekit." she smiled. She'd heard what had happened to these cats. They deserved better. And they would get better, now that they had a place where they belonged.
They all would. Each and every cat in this clearing- Starlingfur would be certain that they all found a true home here. Companionship, safety, structure, love. But a nameless clan would not foster clan beliefs. Until they had a true name to call themselves, they would be nothing more than structured rogues. Unlike the names of cats, the name of their clan would echo for generations. Long after she had lost every one of her lives (if she did indeed earn them), and long after every cat here had joined the ranks of Starclan. If they were lucky and had faith, that was. It would be a rallying cry. Something that cats could be proud to call themselves, and a word that would always mean home. It was the hardest name of them all to decide. But in the end, Starlingfur could have thought of not a better name than this.
"We cannot refer to ourselves as 'this clan' and 'our clan' forever. A proper clan has a name. A title. It's what sets us apart from every other cat out there, be they loner, rogue, tribe or even other clan. It is what links us to Starclan, and what holds us together. The brambles that bind us, the forest that shields us. It is time for us to take our place as true warriors under Silverpelt. And so with high hearts and higher hopes, I name us Cedarclan." She'd thought long and hard on the name, and had conferred with her inner circle extensively on the matter. "For what better to name ourselves after than the trees that surround us? The massive and ancient cedars that set us apart from every other clan clan in the basin- perhaps every other forest in the world? We will be strong. We will be resilient. We will last through every battle, season, year, and century. We will tower above all else, pillars of loyalty and strength in a world wrought with destruction. We will never falter, for we are warriors. Alone we may bend or break, but together we are strong enough to match even the greatest forests. We are warriors of Cedarclan!" She called perhaps the loudest yet. As if the forest itself felt her words, birds shot to the sky with her joyous yell.
This was the beginning of something beautful. Something grand. Something full of light and hope. The turning of a page, the beginning of a story. Starlingfur felt the resonance in her heart as she looked out over her cheering clan. Each and every one of them had become part of something today- though it may mean something different to every cat. But for certain was this. Today, they had created something much larger than themselves. For this sunny Green-Leaf day- with their broken dens and worn paws and blue skies and hearts oh so high- would be a day remembered by history.
3070 words | Starlingfur | Sunhigh |
