"Couldn't they?"

[Fernear!]

A mate, a family and her clan. That was all that was on the leader's mind right now. Her disgruntled feelings and thoughts wove between and through each other creating a jumbled mind. Fernstar was not worried, per se. Her feelings for Rainefrost had not been confirmed, but in her heart she knew that if Rainefrost wasn't in her life some essential part of herself would be lost. But, female leaders were not allowed to have a family. Their duty must be to their clan and if she had kits, as she desired to, then she would have to step down from her leadership position.

Her silver tabby paws dragged along the frozen stones of the twoleg path. The little runts of stones had begun their thawing process and became loose from the ground; little clumps of ice-snow clung to their sides as the sun beat down on them. Fernstar knew that her clan was not dead, for she had seen but had not spoken to some of her clan mates. Taking a seat toward a boulder, she lay down to collect her thought.

"Your loyalty to Rainefrost can stay strong, maybe if he feels the same way we could be mates.. But I don't think I could back down from being leader, I don't think I could have kits." She sighed. Her eyes weren't drawn up at anything. They just kept looking attentively at the ground.

"I wonder what would happen if I did have kits, would they have to have a different mother? No, that is one thing I wouldn't.. Couldn’t do. I wouldn't want them growing up not knowing who their mother was, or not being raised by me. But that would be the only way to continue to be leader and have kits." She paused before whispering her conclusion. "I guess I won't be having kits..."

After she closed her mouth, a trio of rooks danced in the sky above and around the grey tabby. Her eyes drew toward them passionately. There were some things in life that couldn't keep Fernstar from smiling. Taking in deep breaths and long exhales the she-cat lay with her head upon her outstretched legs waiting for something to happen. She wanted to talk to someone, though things needed to be done in the camp. She had to hunt. She had to also give two apprentices their mentors.

Shutting her eyes tightly she hauled her body up and began to move back to the camp with her tail and head low. This is not a time to be sad! You must be excited and thrilled that your clan is growing! There will be new apprentices, new mentors! And at that her outlook on the situation changed completely. The young cats of her clan may seem like her kits, couldn't they? The she-cat sure felt like it was so.

Passing slush-covered patches and snow-covered foliage Fernstar traveled across ThunderClan's territory. No signs of prey were seen, no dens, no droppings and no signs of rodent life. But this soon changed. As Fernstar stepped on a thin stick, its crack aroused a wily squirrel and it climbed up into the bare canopy.

After the squirrel sighting, Fernstar made her way into the cavernous camp, got to the high ledge and sat down for a short moment before calling to her clan mates.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather below the High Ledge!"

[/blockquote]

[c e d a r *]

A lightly colored head poked its way out of the medicine cats' den, and out came one paw, then three more. Her thick fur was matted, and she blinked sleepily, her blue eyes glazed. She heard Fernstar's call, and instantly shot awake. Pushing her head back into the den, she called out to Mudpaw. "Mudpaw, Fernstar's calling, come on," she chuckled, blinking away the sleep that still loomed in the depths of her blue eyes.

Cedarclaw sighed happily, and trotted to the edge of the High Ledge. Wrapping her tail protectively against her paws, she looked around. Not many cats had gathered, and she watched her den, awaiting her apprentice to come out. Smiling, she looked at Fernstar. "Good afternoon!" she called out cheerfully, her eyes scanning the leaders face for any signs of unhappiness. "What's going on right now?" she asked curiously.

The still crisp wind ruffled her fur even more, and it bothered the she-cat, who began to lick it vigorously. She gave a disgruntled sigh, as she realized nothing was happening, and her fur kept sticking out in certain places. Shrugging nonchalantly, she looked back up at Fernstar, awaiting the leaders reply. Soon it would be Newleaf, and the prey would be plentiful, the air would have a renewed scent to it, and sickness would calm down the slightest.

[Fernear!]

The leader's azure eyes went down to her loyal Medicine cat, Cedarclaw. She smiled and reminisced the few memories the two had spent together.

"Hello, Cedarclaw. What a fine day this is, don't you think?"

For the few moments that spanned between the Medicine cat's words Fernstar was thinking about how she'd answer. She wouldn't dare lie, Cedarclaw seemed to keen at reading body language for that.

"Not too much, I just came back from a little walk." She mewed gaily. "Leaf-bare is almost finished. ThunderClan seems to have diverted sickness, thank StarClan! And how are you?"

Her eyes continued to gaze at the she-cat with a blithe smile upon her maw. Her tail curled around her chilly paws while crisp air blew frigid coldness about the ledge. The stones were cold and hugged with mid-winter snow and ice. Despite the mild melting, snow still resided throughout the lake territory.

Her mind was now bustling with the past wisdom of her mentor as the reminder about the ceremony she was holding reappeared. Badgerpelt had trained her with not only physical experience but mental, also. Fernstar sent a passionate praise towards the deceased warrior and quickly looked into the sky where stars will appear in no time, it seemed.

Large feathery clouds lay amongst the blues of the sky as the duration of the ceremony advanced. She began to question which cats should become the mentors of the current apprentices; there were many she could see as a mentor. Her gaze was now clouded over with her recent thoughts which made her look queer and almost blind. But this did not hold its reign for very long. Soon the leader bounced back and gave her ashen chest a lick. Her chest looked overly pale today making her look almost like a kittypet, that is, if you look past all of her scars and minute mats.

To sum up her current thoughts, Fernstar posted a reminder to herself to compose the patrols for the day. She'd have to see which cats would attend the ceremony before that, though. She hoped to see a few cats, for she had not seen many for moons. One of which she yearned to see more than the others. But she couldn't let her tangled heart come before her clan now, this time was for Nightpaw and Icepaw.

[/blockquote]

[c e d a r *]

Cedarclaw smiled, and pricked her ears, listening to her leaders response. "Ah, yes it is a lovely day," she agreed, nodding her head, and exhaling softly. The small amount of snow on the ground chilled her paws, and she wished she was back in the warmth of the medicine cats' den, but then again, each time something happened in the clan, it was a joy to see, so she was apprehensive of whether or not she wanted to be here. As Fernstar mentioned the small amount of sickness in the camp, Cedaclaw nodded, and let out a sigh of relief. "Soon I'll only have to worry about kitting," she chuckled. "No more worry about greencough, whitecough, or fever," she meowed.

Looking off into the horizon, she smiled, knowing that soon the frigid winds and small snow showers they had right now would give way to warm weather, sun, and plentiful prey. She had slacked off on her eating habits, allowing the other warriors time to eat. They needed it more, right? She continued staring, and finally drifted out of her daze, shaking her head roughly. "Lovely, lovely day.." she mumbled. She loved late Leafbare. It gave way to plenty of kits, of the clan was lucky, which meant more warrior, but more mouths to feed, and more cats to treat. She smiled, and she quietly looked back to her den.

Her life had a rough start to it, but now she was loyal, and highly trusted, and she liked the position she held. She was authoritative, and yet she could be quiet, and no one would notice. She was depended on.

[mudmask]

The calico apprentice blinked sleepily as she heard her mentor’s voice, faintly calling her name. Groaning, she wondered why all the noises and scents of the den weren’t greeting her as usual this morning. Inhaling deeply, she immediately began to cough up the moss she had just gotten caught down her throat. Mudpaw must have been so tired after last night she had collapsed, muzzle down on the nest, and slept all night. Pushing herself to her paws, she blinked away the streaming sunlight that shone in from the entrance to the den. Her leader, Fernstar, was calling a clan meeting. Any other apprentice that had traveled to Moonpool last night would have wearily stumbled out into the open and half listened to the announcement, but Mudpaw leaped to her feet, and suddenly all of her drowsiness evaporated like a puddle of water in Greenleaf. Quickly grooming herself so that she looked presentable, she of course had to tell Fernstar about the dream, she got rid of the mats in her fur and padded out of the den a fresh smelling, the calico yawned and padded over to her mentor. Her tail brushing Cedarclaws, she mewed, “Good morning Cedarclaw. Sorry I slept in, but the journey to Moonpool left me more tired than I expected it to…”

Turning her gaze to Fernstar, she dipped her head and gave a curt nod of good morning. Her leader had never done her any wrong or bad, but somehow, Mudpaw was nervous around her, like she had to be a perfectionist. Mudpaw didn’t understand how Cedarclaw could be so fluid and friendly, and not always show respect and obedience. Maybe that was one of the reasons she was a medicine cat instead of a warrior, so she could stay obedient to the stars as much as she wanted. Oh, look at yourself, you sound like the kit you were before you became a medicine cat! Giving Fernstar a smile, she then turned back to Cedarclaw and decided to give Fernstar a chance.

[Rainefrost]

•´¨*•.¸.**.::* R a i n e f r o s t *::.**.¸.•*¨`•

'Twas yet another gorgeous afternoon upon the vast stretch of soil titled to Thunderclan. The rich sunlight cascaded down from Oakpine's forest canopy, sheeting the ground below in thick, golden splotches of radiance that began to melt the snow, turning it to slush. Birds chirped greetings to each other, gliding effortlessly afloat the air above with high spirits. The world seemed to turn more gradually, with a slowness only one just as slow could fathom, even though the endless sphere of time never ceased all at once.
Sometimes Rainefrost wished it would. All he could have wanted was just a little time to rationalize his puzzled thoughts and put them into an order in which he could understand. He had been wandering a lot lately, occasionally forgetting to fulfill his duties as Warrior; his once trivial thoughts were now withdrawing him completely from the others. With his awkward return, he felt that Starclan stared down on him in dismay. Dissatisfaction. Had he done something wrong? Did he rightfully deserve to feel this way?

Fernstar.
His thought train skipped over to Fernstar all of a sudden. She was all he held on to, although he didn't see her as often as he had hoped. He'd seen her life lose its bearings and come undone from its security blanket, and as quickly as it had, gravity seized it and sent it tumbling over the edge. Everything from that point was a blur of monotonous days that blended into predictable nights, and the lack of diversity had mended his memory into a string of continuous track, with no milestones to determine specific dates. But at least she recovered and hadn't needed to pass on her great leadership; at least she was safe now, having more loving clan members than before; at least she made everything worth being here for. How he loved her, in a way indescribable and beyond the most fanciest of words. If only Raine had the dignity and place to be closer to her.

His pawsteps were nimble, dainty, as he walked along the sedge and brush of the woodland, trying to break into his once optimistic and perky self. There was a ceremony on this cold but lovely afternoon, and he certainly wasn't going to miss it; he more than definitely was to attend this event for the sake and well-being of the clan he had come to love, and it would take no less than the world crashing down on his head to stop him from going.

With an abrupt change in disposition, the male's pace increased from a dawdling walk to a flighty dash. It was quite difficult to maintain such speed in the close confines of the Oakpine forest, where trees and roots still laid about unexpectedly, and while he had to pause every so often to dodge a tree, his movements reminded him vaguely of a deer. His back was not nearly as flexible, but it sufficed through the tangle of roots at his feet. He slipped, still, but he had not crashed to the ground once, and that was a plus in his book. At the speed he was moving, his mind did not have time to linger at trivial thoughts - the only issue on it was getting to the ceremony, not flattening himself against a tree.
After a short while, though, he emerged exhilaratingly from the grove, tail lashing freely about the air, his smooth, dusty facade sporting a gentle smile of recognition. His cheerful, fast-paced bound transitioned awkwardly into a choppy lope, and then into a trot that was not as graceful as the male could have made it. Finally, with a break in momentum that threw his body forward a few paces, he brought his lithe frame to a sudden, disjointed stop. Slowly, but oh-so surely, his vision solidified itself and the blur of colors became figments that made sense.
He instantly saw the lovely medicine cat Cedarclaw and her apprentice, Mudpaw, already in the clearing below, ready to hear the latest piece of information that Fernstar was to put forth. Fernstar..
Rainefrost took a moment to gaze softly upon the fae, her sleek hide glimmering slightly in the sun that touched her slender, feminine frame. He could've easily mistaken her for an angel, if not some other brilliant creature. An absolutely beautiful she-cat, she was.

"Good day, everyone," he mused, averting his eyes from the High Ledge to those who had gathered beneath it. His voice was chipper, a little raspy due to the season and the unusual dryness hindering his throat, yet charming and good-natured as ever. He grinned adorably, gingerly ambling over to them. He periodically glanced over at Fernstar, out of the corner of his vivid emerald eyes, to see that she was all right; it had been a while since he'd seen everyone.

He took a seat in a dry patch, where snow or slush failed to engulf. He curled his feathery tail around himself, focusing his attention toward his leader from a good distance, awaiting the warriors-to-be to arrive. He felt very good about himself now.

[Silvercloud]

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather below the High Ledge!"

The familiar words echoed and rang in his ears. Icepaw forced himself out of his nest."What now?"Grumbled the tom as he stood. The arctic white tom swayed on his paws for a heartbeat or two. He felt sick, truly sick. Perhaps all of his pretending had led him to believe that he was. It was just a trick of the mind right? He had felt like foxdung all morning long, since he awakened from yet another nightmare.

Had a patrol reported something that Fernstar though necessary to share with the clan? Or was it a ceremony of some kind? Did he even have to go? Now that was a mouse brained question. If he didn't show some cat would come looking. Growling Icepaw stalked away from his warm, soft , comfy nest coldly. If only the sun wouldn't have come. Not today at least.

The long furred apprentice pushed his way out of the den. The brambles snagged on his thick pelt, effectively holding him there. Icepaw dug in his paws into the ground and tugged. The branched released him and he was positive that some of his snowy fur remained clutched by the bramble tendrils.

Icepaw snorted with utter disgust. Why was everything going so wrong this morning? Was he cursed or something by StarClan. What had he done so wrong as to deserve this?!

Icepaw could feel the warm rays of the sun bathing his back. Newleaf was not far off. Leafbare was drawing to an end. Many cats were gathering below highledge. Their voices and scents mingling with others. Dread filled him and his heart. His stiff limbs felt heavy, as if rocks were tied to them. How couldn't let them stare at him.

Trying to force a happy and curious look about him he quickly crossed the clearing and padded to a corner, as far from the others as he dared without rising suspicion. His blue eyes gazed unseeingly at the ground the entire time. All he had to do was prevent others from looking at him directly in the face and he'd be fine sitting in his corner. Something told him though that he would not be allowed to sit peacefully alone.

[Fernear!]

Fernstar's smile stuck to her maw though her eyes were filled with surprise and a hint of joy. It was seemingly impossible to keep the lovely thought of having a mate off her mind. Nevertheless, her heart was beginning to race with excitement. The ceremony would officially begin seeing as the apprentices receiving names was either present or near by.

"On this fine Leaf-bare day, I am glad to announce that two of ThunderClan's very patient apprentices will be receiving their mentors; please step forward, Icepaw and Nightpaw. They have had their names for quite some time, yet they've been without a mentor for moons. Today, they will receive these mentors and will begin their training to become warriors!"

The leader was glowing with pride. It had been many, many suns since she last felt this emotion. She could see the snowy pelt of Icepaw, yet she could see nothing of the ebony pelt of the other apprentice, Nightpaw. Perhaps she's in her den... The thought didn't worry her too much, Nightpaw was deserving of what she would receive today, hopefully she'd appear. If not, the leader didn't know what she'd do. You couldn't give an apprentice his or her mentor without the cat being present, could you?

Looking down into the camp at the warriors who sat on the golden stone, Fernstar really began to think about which cats would become mentors. She saw Rainefrost, the only warrior below who hadn't a mentor besides herself. He was a good, loyal warrior and she was sure he'd be able to handle becoming a mentor. But, of course, there were other warriors who weren't present; Berrysplash, Duskwing, Tundrafir, Sweetfeather and Mudstorm. The other cats either had his or her own apprentice or had not been seen since the start of Leaf-bare. Fernstar missed her good friend, Mudstorm. Maybe she'd arrive at the ceremony before she gave the apprentices their mentors. Before dropping what Rainefrost had said, she thought about answering but decided against it because she had started the ceremony. She'd speak to him after the ceremony, hopefully.

[sorry for the quality, it's not my best work >.<]

[/blockquote]

[c e d a r *]

Cedarclaw yawned as well, and twisted her lithe bodice toward Mudpaw, her blue eyes shining happily. "I'm surpised you woke," Cedarclaw whispered in her apprentices ear. "After this, you can catch up on more sleep, I too am still feeling like a rock after the journey," she mumbled, yawning. She was surprised herself, for she really felt like placing her head on her soft paws, and drift off to sleep, but her self-control allowed her to stay awake, which was fortunate, for she got to see more apprentices find their allotted mentors, where they would soon become warriors.

Something Mudpaw would never be able to do. She admired her apprentice for that one reason, for staying strong to the life of a medicine cat. It could be hard, and Cedarclaw never knew what to think of the life of a warrior.

She came to Thunderclan, and chose the life of a medicine cat right away. They didn't have one at the time, and she knew all the herbs that were needed. She was given the choice to become a warrior, but she followed her heart, which hardly ever made the wrong decision, and has yet to fail her. She looked slowly to Icepaw, and smiled. He didn't look like he was feeling very well.

She gestured to Mudpaw to follow, and she went to go up next to the tom. "Icepaw," Cedarclaw started quietly, "Are you feeling alright? You do not look good, from the sight of me," she meowed, nosing the toms pelt. Her kind eyes stared into Icepaw's eyes. "You don't have to lie, after your ceremony, come and tell me how you feel," she whispered.

"Mudpaw," Cedarclaw meowed quietly, "I'd like you to keep an eye on Icepaw for right now, observe how he looks, if anything seems odd," she meowed. A test, slightly, to see how observant her apprentice really was. Sighing, she managed to keep an eye out for Icepaw as well, and also listen to Fernstar. The she-cat swayed slightly, keeping back a yawn, having to dig her ivory claws into the ground, her eyes watering. The Moonpool had kept Mudpaw and herself away from the camp until dawn of this day, and she knew she was just as tired as her apprentice. It was beginning to show.

[Silvercloud]

Icepaw tensed as he heard a cat approaching him. The silver and white fur along his back and neck began to rise and stand up on end. Cerdarclaw was coming. Of all cats it had to be her! Her apprentice too. Icepaw refrained from getting up to go to his leader. He might as well get it over with.

Icepaw sat there and waited for the tabby and her apprentice to approach. As the medicine cat began to sniff him he felt his muscles tighten and a growl was beginning to rumble in his throat despite himself. He knew that she was to be respected and it was her job after all. His fur prickled with unease.

He turned his head away from the she-cat and he felt his lips tighten and curl back into a snarl. Angry retorts were precariously close from slipping between his jaws. The medicine cat wanted a closer examination of him after the ceremony. How was he going to get out of this one? Say he was fine when it was a lie and she had noticed?

Did StarClan hate him or something? He couldn't sit here quietly, oh no it was a ceremony for him!!!! Nightpaw too of course. Anger, rage, fury and other emotions swirled inside of him like a brewing storm. He pushed himself to his paws and padded toward his leader. The sooner this was over the better.

Icepaw didn’t bother to sit, he’d just have to stand right back up anyway. Content to stare at the cold ground beneath his paws he waited for Fernstar to continue on. Who would be his mentor? Would it be Fernstar herself? The deputy? Or some other ThunderClan warrior? There weren’t many to choose from. Icepaw shifted his weight uneasily as the silence lengthened. He could feel the eyes of the assembled cats singing his fur, making him all the more nervous. He felt a lump form in his throat and his chest tightened. His stomach twisted and he felt sicker than before. Was it just his nerves making him feel sick?

((Sorry it's so late, school has kept me away.))

[Fernear!]

[ooc; we'll have to go on without Nightpaw, unless she comes :P]

Fernstar's gaze followed Cedarclaw as she stepped up to Icepaw and then back to her apprentice, whispering something inaudible. Fernstar sighed for she thought she knew what she may have said. Icepaw was a little different from the other cats and was more mysterious, not as known you could say. Even Fernstar herself did not know very much about Icepaw. Perhaps it was a good thing, but a leader she know everyone in the clan.

"Icepaw and Nightpaw please step forward."

Her voice was full and confident but she worried that she may have seemed like a fool calling to an apprentice who was not present. Her eyes darted from side to side, she was hopeful that no one noticed these minute movements. A minute had passed and yet Nightpaw did not appear; now she was worried. After the urge to cry out passed, the leader started up her train of thought yet again and after a moment's time, she had thought about what she'd say if the apprentice did not come before her mentor was given.

Petite paws kneaded the rock ledge while muscles tensed under grey tabby fur. She was no longer worried, and would not be for some time she hoped. Looking out across what ThunderClan territory she could see, Fernstar caught a sight that excited her. Melting snow! Newleaf was almost here! Her clan had not suffered but nevertheless the cold was finally gone for a few moons.

"Icepaw, from this day forward you will be training as a full warrior apprentice of ThunderClan. Your mentor shall be Rainefrost."

Her mind was flying, no other warriors had arrived, she thought she had picked a very skilled warrior whom was very loyal. Rainefrost would train him well.

"Rainefrost, I have no doubt that you will be a wonderful mentor; teach him all you know."

She hesitated before continuing with Nightpaw and her equally absent mentor. Nevertheless she'd announce their partnership to the cats below. Maybe word will travel to them, Fernstar would also talk to them in due time.

"Nightpaw shall also be known as a full warrior apprentice. Her mentor will be Tundrafir. May he teach her well and her teach him alike."

Standing up and preparing herself for the descend down the ledge, she paused to call out the cats' names:

"Icepaw! Nightpaw!"

[/blockquote]

[Silvercloud]

Icepaw obediently stepped forward and stood proudly. As the she-cat mentioned his mentor's name his ears turned toward the tom. He identified him and picked him out by scent. He gave a small and grief, curt nod before turning to his mentor. They'd touch noses and move off to a corner.

All he'd have to do is not trip, and not puke. Just keep staring at the ground and look shy. No cat'll notice. Icepaw walked cautiously toward his new mentor, one paw step at a time. He tried to hide this by looking sheepish. His ears were slightly flattened with embarrassment though for him it was false.

Icepaw sensed that he was only a whisker's length away, give or take. Hopefully Rainfroste would make up for what he didn't dare cover. Icepaw forced himself to stand tall and reached blindly for his mentor's nose. He felt a sense of panic and he prayed to StarClan that it didn't show.

The air around him felt tense and he could feel the eyes of numerous cats boring into him. His icy fur felt like fire that he couldn't snuff out. He felt uncomfortable and he felt a lump form in his gut. He was hot, but all of his sense registered frigid and bitter cold. There was the hint of Newleaf in the air but no way could if feel like Greenleaf.

What was wrong with him? Perhaps it was just his nervous making him feel this way? Would Cedarclaw force him into her den if he refused? Had any other cat picked up on his discomfort? A cold shudder rushed through him and it was doubtfully caused by the chilly air.