#brushnibble

“Well,” Beaverspots glanced at his back leg. It was also covered in herbs. “Not dead, thanks to you. What are you doing here?”

“Eh, got badly hurt too.” He raised his front leg. “Yer leader and Wanstreaks got me patched up.” 

“You mean Streak - swan.”

“Er, yeah. Streakswan,” He dipped his head in apology. “Sorry, what’s a swan?”

“You don’t know?” Beaverspots tipped his head curiously. “Well, what about ducks? Swans are like them, but white and have long necks. They’re from our old territory.”

“…Have ye got a weird animal name too?”

“They’re not weird,” The warrior sighed. “But my name is Beaverspots.”

The stranger looked at him expectantly.

“…They’re brown, like my pelt, and they eat trees to build dams over rivers.”

“Now, how do I know you aren’t pulling my leg?” The stranger paused, looking at his front paw. “Or what’s left of it anyway.”

“I can’t exactly show you,” He meowed with a tinge of regret. 

While he didn’t mind explaining, it was still strange to meet someone who may never even knew an ounce of their old home. Someone who didn’t know of the strange birds, or the soft rocks by the river. Someone who’d never meet his precious clanmates, now gone.

But they’re all still here somehow. He fondly remembered his visit to the Moon Falls. The lecture from his first mentor for being a handful. The pride and love behind the licks his mothers gave. The attempts of his littermates to tackle him (they never got past 4 moons). All those moments… Until the moon could no longer light the crystal.

“Er, right. I forgot to tell ye my name,” The stranger, finally sensing the awkward silence, meowed. “Sorry ‘bout that. It’s Bluff.”

Bluff? Like a lie? Beaverspots tipped his head. So much for saying my name’s weird.

But he’d say that for another time— he had a more important question.

“Well, Bluff,” Beaverspots meowed. “Did you know those cats?”

“The rogues who ambushed ye?” Bluff meowed. “Nay, but I’ve seen ‘em around the area for a while now. I jumped in because...”

“Because?” Beaverspots prompted him.

Bluff paused, then the young tom’s voice grew serious. “Ye remember that whole speech before the skirmish?” 

The warrior furrowed his brow as he recalled the exchange. The rogues accused them of taking their territory.

“What about it?”

“Those cats claim territory for fun,” Bluff’s blue eyes narrowed. “They never eat prey, only take trinkets.”

“Now, I’m a wanderer— never had a territory of my own,” He continued. “But to disrespect the cats who need it to survive? Never liked it.”

“So you’ve been following them— wait.” Beaverspots frowned. “How long have you been on our territory!?”

“Er…” Bluff smiled sheepishly. “Like I said, I’m a wanderer. I go wherever, even if ye clan cats have borders. Of course, I try not to take much, unlike those rogues.”

“Still,” The warrior sighed. “If prey wasn’t so plentiful, that’d be a problem.”

“Ey, don’t get yer fur in a tangle. I did save yer life, eh?”

“I guess.”

“Don’t worry,” Bluff dipped his head. “Once my leg works, I’ll be out of yer clan’s fur.”

Beaverspots nodded, and his mind slipped into thinking again. How many trespassing cats have they missed? 

Our clan’s still small, so of course we can’t cover ever bit of territory…

He glanced at Bluff. He noted the muscles within his pelt and the scar along his eye.

“So why are you a wanderer? Isn’t it hard?”

“Eh?” Bluff blinked in surprise. “Er, it isn’t too hard. Sure, I’ve got no place to call home but… I like it that way.”

Bluff looked around the den. Crystals dotted the walls, and herbs were neatly stored along stone shelves. Meanwhile, Brushnibble and Streakswan were still fast asleep.

“There’s many things to see in this world. All sorts of cats to meet. Ye see, I’ve been to a cave like this once, but the rocks don’t glow. The fish and worms do. Though I wouldn’t recommend eating ‘em. Taste too funny.”

“But, er, it does get lonely sometimes,” He admitted. “Maybe that’s why I talk too much.”

“Well, I thought that was interesting.” Beaverspots meowed. “We never had any glowing fish in our old home, or found any here.”

“Heh,” Bluff seemed to enjoy the attention.

“Still, I’m surprised you’ve never seen a swan!”

“Ey, give me a break,” Bluff laughed. “Maybe I did, but I don’t bring a tour guide along.”

They stopped as a cat stirred in a nest. It was Brushnibble.

She yawned. At her spot near the den’s exit, the first rays of dawn were starting to show. She looked at them in surprise. “Hold on, have you two even slept?”

“Eh?”

“It’s already morning?”

“Great StarClan.”

“Well, in our defense,” Beaverspots meowed. “I was asleep for most of the day.”

“Aye, me too.”

“No, I found you awake already!”

“Nay. A lie.”

Brushnibble sighed and curled deeper into her nest. In her sleep, her dreams were already filled with their voices. If she had to listen more, she’d go insane!

Previous Moon Event - Sunbathing

“Uhm, three,” Badgerpaw timidly raised his paw. “I don’t have battle training yet…”

“Still! Three warriors!” 

“We don’t even know where they are, Beaverspots,” Brushnibble meowed.

“You said they smelled like kittypets,” He looked outside. “Then of course, we’ll start near the twoleg place.”

“It’s not that simple–”

“Well, I’m going either way!” He snapped. “It’s better than doing nothing and only finding more traces of them.”

He leapt out the exit, and the cats sighed.

================================================

“You think I’ll let you go alone?” Brushnibble hissed after catching up to him. He was a fast runner, she’ll give him that.

“Of course not,” He purred, then looked at the ground. “Look, paw prints. Do they smell like the rogues?”

“...Yes. Still fresh.”

He scanned the tall grass. They must be nearby. 

Finally, after all the reports we’ve gotten. Windstar believed they were just passing by, but after that stunt… Who knows what they’re up to!

He paused as his blue eyes met green eyes, hiding in the grass.

“There–” He yowled as sharp claws dug into his back, and the force sent both cats tumbling forward.

He kicked off his attacker and swiped at them. As the cat backed away, he turned to Brushnibble. She had dodged another rogue’s attack, and slammed him right into the ground.

Five more figures emerged from the grass, leaving the two warriors surrounded.

“There you are,” The rogue leader hissed. He had a brown marbled pelt, and a green collar that matched his eyes. “You lowlifes took our territory!” 

“Your territory?!” Beaverspots yowled. “You weren’t even here when we arrived!”

“Ever heard of a vacation?” Another cat scoffed. Her cream pelt wasn’t as shiny, but she did have prey bones affixed to her collar. “We leave to visit Nancy’s for a few weeks, and a bunch of cats have pissed on the lawn!”

“What— Hold on,” Brushnibble meowed. “If you wish to make any claims on the territory, you can speak to Windsta—”

“I’m not here for negotiations!” The leader hissed. “I’m here to send a message. You’re the youngest cats in that group, right?”

A black burly cat stepped closer. His amber eyes raged like fire.

“Your pelts are going on our list of trophies.”

Beaverspots leapt aside as the tom slammed his paws onto the ground, but he hissed as another cat bit down into his back leg. He kicked himself free, and came face to face with the same green eyes from earlier.

“Your threats mean nothing!” Beaverspots leapt straight at the leader, who screeched as the warrior dug his claws into his shoulder. 

Before Beaverspots could subdue him, claws tore into his pelt. He tasted both dirt and blood when he realized the leader was on him instead.

He struggled against the cats holding him down. Through his uninjured eye, he watched as Brushnibble shook two cats off her. She tried to run to Beaverspots, but another two blocked her path.

I can’t die, I can’t die–

“Not very tough, are you?” The leader raised a paw, claws ready to slash his stomach.

A blur of gray knocked the rogue off him. With a yowl, Beaverspots twisted and slashed the other cat holding on him.

As he stood and shook off the hazy feeling in his eye and leg, he found that the stranger had already killed one of the rogues. On the other side, Brushnibble had driven out two more.

“Tch, you– Hey!” The leader yowled. Shaken by their losses, the rogues had started to scatter. “Where are you going?!”

“I suggest ye join them,” The gray tabby growled.

“Tch!” 

He fled as Brushnibble and the stranger stepped closer.

“Yeah! Get out of here!” Beaverspots meowed. Though he tried to smile, things suddenly grew blurrier, and he couldn’t stand anymore. “Good thing… You......”

“Beaverspots!”

Previous Moon Event - First Patrol

First, it started with the night before. Windstar suggested he’d try sleeping in his new nest before his ceremony. The kit completely expected the nursery and apprentice dens to be different but… 

StarClan, Badgerpaw didn’t know why it bothered him so much. The sound echoed differently. The air felt colder.

If only he could run back to the nursery– or even the herb storage! But he had to be strong. He was almost an apprentice, and he didn’t want to disappoint Windstar.

Unfortunately, the lack of sleep made things worse. He knew that at the final act of a ceremony, cats would cheer the new name of their clanmate. He’s even heard it from inside the nursery.

But standing in the middle of the clearing, surrounded by everyone— It was much, much louder than he prepared for. 

Did Beaverspots or Brushnibble feel that way before? 

But he remembered that when he scampered out and congratulated them, both looked much prouder, more energized than ever.

…Maybe not.

And now, there was a single prey hanging from his jaws. Scrawny. Messily killed. It paled in comparison to Brushnibble’s three catches.

He almost wanted to collapse, all his energy drained.

“Don’t worry, Badgerpaw,” Brushnibble meowed gently. “It really does take time to master a skill. Tomorrow, I have a plan to help.”

“More hunting?” Badgerpaw’s tail twitched nervously.

No, no, I sounded too nervous. He silently cursed at himself. Brushnibble’s being so nice, I need to get my head together!

"Ah..." Brushnibble hesitated, clearly showing more hunting was, indeed, her original idea.

“It’s... Just... Moss gathering!” She reassured him. “Simple but it helps a ton. Trust me!”

Badgerpaw's ears fell.

"Sorry, Brushnibble," He meowed. "You don't have to keep adjusting for me..."

"Whaaaat? What adjusting? Haha..."

Even for someone as oblivious as Badgerpaw, it was painfully obvious.

"Okay, okay..."

"But it's my job as a mentor to teach you in the best way possible," She smiled at him. "Sure, maybe Beetail would disagree... But if you hadn't said anything, I never would've thought of using moss. I forgot that father... had me cut moss first. It really trains your control over your claw muscles."

"So it's not adjusting. Just improving the training plan I have," She meowed. "After all, I'd want to continue being a mentor once you've graduated."

Badgerpaw nodded, a little more at ease. It was nice to know how Brushnibble started, but he also added a mental note on the new moss-usage he learned of.

“Moss does help the clan,” His ears perked up slightly. “So other than bedding, fixing broken bones, and stopping bleeding... It's now for training, too.”

“Yes!” Brushnibble gave him a strange look, but her smile didn't falter. “It’s still something important like hunting.”

However, the wind shifted, and the two cats stopped in their tracks. A strange scent was in the air. Some prey was left behind, but by whom?

“Stay behind me,” Brushnibble meowed gently as they approached. It didn’t smell like a fox nor dog…

In the grass, all they found was a mauled body of a rabbit. There were clear signs the creature struggled, with its various wounds and terrified gaze. Its chest had been sliced open, only possible with the precision of a cat’s claws. 

It looks like my catch, Badgerpaw shivered. Is this like one of my dreams? Did I do something wrong? 

“…Rogues,” Brushnibble lashed her tail after inspecting the corpse. “Who does this without bothering to eat..?”

The wind once again shifted direction.

“They’re not here,” Brushnibble nudged her apprentice. “We should go before they come.”

“Are we not going to stop them?” Badgerpaw asked in confusion. Was his first patrol ending so early?

“We’ll need more cats for that. Beaverspots and Beetail should be back by now.”

Previous Moon Event - Muscle Memory

“Now, try not to fall into the water,” Nightsplash swished her tail to slow her down.

“Ah, sorry, sorry…” The young warrior ducked her head. “I just want to see them… Badgerpa— Badgerspots, do you think you’ll see your old mentor?”

“Of course,” He hauled himself up the slope. “She died a noble death. She deserves to hunt in StarClan.”

“Don’t get your hopes too high,” Beetail meowed. “The main question isn’t whether they’re in StarClan or not. It’s whether you even meet them.”

“What?” Both former apprentices stared at the senior. 

“Windstar decreed this ceremony because it was something you did from the old clans, didn’t he?” Brushnibble tipped her head.

“When I became a warrior, the Moon Well did nothing for me.”

Would my parents not want to see me…? Brushnibble’s ears and tail fell.

“But that was the old StarClan,” Nightsplash quickly said. “Maybe ours are more, you know, lax about who sees who.”

“Now come on!” She pointed her muzzle up the slope. “We should be there by Moonhigh.”

They reached the crystal in time. Under the quarter moon, everything softly glowed, and the chime from the crystals sang alongside Brushnibble’s heart. 

Please let me see them… Please let me see them!

The new warriors closed their eyes and touched their noses to the crystal.

“Brushpaw?” 

She opened her eyes.

Before her stood two cats. The gray she-cat was large, with a fluffy striped pelt. The other was a white tom with sleek fur and black splotches.

“I-It’s you!” She bounded up to Morningray. “Father!”

She dug her muzzle into his fur. The scent brought her back to her days as a kit; the times she fell asleep listening to his stories, or when she played mossball with him and Nightsplash. 

Although her ceremony happened after the clan’s destruction, she remembered his proud yowl for her new name. All the times he purred when she showed him the prey she brought back. All the times he fiercely protected her during the journey. 

“Brushpaw!” He purred and licked her forehead. “Or should I say Brushnibble? Made a warrior so early!”

“I’ve missed you so much,” She meowed softly. “I just… wish I could see you, everyday. Like back then.”

Most of her time was spent exploring the new territory, providing for the new clan. It was somethin she enjoyed without a doubt. But when the night fell and her paws were empty… The only feeling left was—

“Hey,” He licked her forehead. “I’m still with you everyday. I saw you chase off that fox last moon!”

It’s still not the same… She thought but simply nodded, sinking deeper into his pelt. After a few heartbeats, she slowly pulled away and turned to the other cat.

“Are you… Hawkwhisper?”

“Yes it’s me, dear,” The tabby purred, and the two cats touched noses.

Just like Morningray’s stories, her voice was as silky as the moonlight, and within her pelt was the strength that could drive out badgers. In her eyes shone all the love Brushnibble was never able to witness.

“I wish I could’ve been with you,” Hawkwhisper meowed. “Oh, you were so tiny back then. I watched every pawstep you made. Now you’ve grown into a fine warrior— a wonderful fighter. I couldn’t be prouder.”

“See? You do take after your mother,” Morningray laughed. 

“Just be sure to eat a bit more, dear,” She playfully swished a tail at Brushnibble’s belly. 

But I’m not that thin! The young warrior licked her chest in embarrassment. “I just want everyone to have a good meal first…”

Her parents simply purred, and Brushnibble’s ear flicked when she heard a cat from behind her.

“Nightsplash!” Morningray bounded past Brushnibble and pounced on his sister. 

“Hey!” She playfully hissed. They rolled across the stardusted grass. 

“Of course that’s their idea of a reunion,” Hawkwhisper’s whiskers twitched in amusement.

Brushnibble knew the two siblings were partners in crime. Their uncanny coordination allowed them to hunt all sorts of prey (or prank all sorts of senior warriors). Most importantly, it was Nightsplash who raised her and pulled Morningray out of his grief. 

“I’m glad you’re all happy here,” The young cat meowed softly. 

In the safe haven of StarClan, they could be as carefree as kits. There was no sickness, no twolegs.

The two eventually ended their play fight, with Nightsplash as the victor. 

“So Hawkwhisper, how are you doing?” The deputy looked at the she-cat. Poor Morningray was still under her paw.

“Less sick, but the lack of fighting is awful. Not even a spirit fox to yell at,” She rolled her eyes but playfully cuffed Morningray’s muzzle. “Unfortunately this rascal joined me…”

“Stop ganging up on me!”

“Anyway…” Hawkwhisper looked at Nightsplash and Brushnibble. “How are you two finding your new home?”

“The crystals make the camp so pretty,” Brushnibble purred. “And it feels great to be out in the meadows. I never knew rabbit tasted so good.”

“It’s comfortable and safe,” Nightsplash nodded in agreement. “Though Windstar and I have been doing border patrols lately. There are some traces of rogues, but they haven’t shown their faces yet.”

“Ah, those guys. We could tell you more but…” Hawkwhisper gave a nervous glance at Morningray. He simply flicked his tail.

“Come on, it’s nothing ChimeClan can’t handle. I even think Brushnibble can fight off three at once.”

“Father…” 

“Hey, where’s my vote of confidence?” Nightsplash meowed, taking the attention off her niece.

Morningray simply lifted his paws, showing nothing but air.

“You–” Before she could bite back, her face fell as she noticed the moon’s position in the sky. Soon, the crystal would no longer be lit, and their reunion would end.

“Hey,” Morningray wrapped his tail around her and pulled her close. Hawkwhisker guided Brushnibble closer, and both cats joined in. 

“Do you remember what you once told me, Nightsplash?” 

Nightsplash’s whskers twitched. “That as a kit you–”

“No, no! I’m being serious!”

“...That while it may not be the same,” Nightsplash finally meowed. “Our clanmates will be there for us.”

“And some day,” Brushnibble continued. “Our time apart will be nothing to our reunion ahead.”

“Yes,” He purred. “We’ll always be here in StarClan, and perhaps those words are too simple… But I hope they comfort you the same way they did for me.” 

Morningray licked Brushnibble’s forehead as Hawkwhisper curled a tail around her. The moon will soon fall out of view from the cavern, but she squeezed her eyes tight. Let her carry the memory of their warmth forever.

Previous Moon Event - The First Gathering