#axeldawn

A blizzard takes the clan by surprise. Without clear orders from their leader, newly appointed deputy Dancesun orders them to bed down near the blackwater as their remaining leadership decides what to do next.

Taking what little shelter they can find from the screaming wind, debate amongst the lead healer and lead mediator eventually boils over into bitter arguement regarding what to do about their missing clanmates Owlstar, Siltsplash, and Rosehiptree.

[We're so back people. This moon definately got chopped up more than I would have liked it to due to... reasons, but I'm glad to finally give Dancesun his time to shine! He's completely out of his depth but he's going to do his best and follow his Ama's example. I had a little to much fun doing the cold breath in this installment and shockingly despite the incredibly long spans of time between starting and finishing I am quite happy with all of the art. Just... don't pay attention to how different Tundrafrost looks from panel to panel. The shape of his head refuses to obey my me. Dialouge for the next two installments has already been written so I can jump into illustrating them promptly and hopefully get through this monster of a moon.]

As summer fades to a close and the weather shifts colder by the day, Juneaucliff finds himself wishing that his nest wasn't so empty, and seeks advice from his friends on ways to woo a certain red-furred she-cat.

While the older toms aren't very helpful, Kingfur and Cavedew are more than willing to provide their assistance! (red substance is berry juice, not blood)

With a brief thanks for their assistance, Juneaucliff hurries back to camp, now overflowing with confidence and ready to make his move.

Rosehiptree is still just as uninterested as ever... At least when it comes to Juneaucliff.

Songpaw always seems to have herbs stuck in his fur. Juneaucliff watches jealously from across the camp.

Axeldawn takes pity on the poor, embarrassed Juneaucliff, and decides to lend him a paw. Juneaucliff decides to wear the forget-me-nots permanently, so that Kingfur and Peakpatch won't get the satisfaction of seeing him admit to being fooled.

Their bonding is interrupted by Fairbanks, a fierce young tom who wishes to join the clan, but only after he's assured that the fur-braiding and berry blush isn't mandatory.

Back in camp, Weed and Cavedew have some bonding time.

Cavedew, Weed, Juneaucliff, and Axeldawn are all poisoned after ingesting baneberries. Weed catches the symptoms early enough to prevent any immediate deaths, but the affected cats are still at risk.

[I had FAR too much fun doing the lighting and backgrounds for these! Rosehip cleaning Song might also be my new favorite panel I've drawn, they're so cute! If you are a Peakpatch or Jaggedtail fan please say thank you to the discord for bullying me into including them. This moon was not supposed to be as big as it is since the poisoning event truly happened next moon in-game, but it was just too perfect with the herbs getting messed up to not move it to this moon. Baneberries are real and they look very much like wild cranberries at a quick glance. (they also, fun fact, grow in my back yard). Also how are we feeling about the text size? I noticed it was a bit hard to read without clicking so I made it a couple sizes bigger, does it make a difference for yall? Anyway, it's 4am and I'm so tired, so I'm gonna drop this and head for bed. Hope yall enjoy!]

First Moon

Time does not stop, and so the clan must move forward. They welcome Cavedew as their newest warrior, honoring him for his wit. For possibly the first time ever, Siltsplash decides to take a break, and thus his younger brother Erminepaw is apprenticed to Chickadeeblur.

Now an apprentice, Erminepaw is not shy about the fact that he has more interest in hanging out with Songpaw than he does in training to be a warrior.

Unfortunately for Songpaw, this means he won't be getting a break from his new crush anytime soon.

Meanwhile, Kingfur and Sockeyepelt come across a trespassing loner.

Axel is accepted into Loudclan, and takes the clan name Axeldawn.

Short and sweet! Just what we need after last moon! Erminepaw give our poor boy a break he's gonna have a heart attack. It's not like it's Songpaw's first crush, he has a big ol crush on Rosehiptree, but that's different, that's not something that could actually happen, Rosehip's older and cooler and way out of his league, so there's no pressure there. But Erminepaw, Erminepaw is right there with him all the time and now he's tall and he has no concept of personal space and Songpaw doesn't have any idea what to do about it. Also don't believe for a second that Siltsplash didn't know what they were doing. Out of all of Songpaw's possible mate choices in the clan Ermine is their favorite, so they are more than willing to assign him to herb gathering whenever he wishes. Sockeyepelt, on the other hand, has been officially ordered by Chickadeeblur to "give Axeldawn some space". She's just excited to have someone new to fawn over, Juneaucliff, Jaggedtail, and Peakpatch were getting boring, especially with Jagged and Peak spending so much time together. Axeldawn doesn't really mind the attention, he'd just like some time to adjust to clan life first. Anyway, loving seeing all of the people breaking out their detective skills on the last post! The correct answers, at least the ones I was intentionally foreshadowing, were Jagged x Peak, Song x Ermine, and Song x Rosehip. Not all of these new crushes are going anywhere, Song's crush on Rose is obviously fully one sided until he grows up, but they're fun while they last!

First Moon