#icwws

I instantly wanted to do this when I saw it so here we go.

Rootkit is found and adopted by Cowbirdsoar about a moon before the infection happens in Grouseclan. So double clan loss trauma...

But its not all bad, she gets to grow up with her cousin Madtomkit and her friend Nighthawkpaw in a cave by the sea.

She follows in her adopted father's pawsteps as a healer. It's tricky business, navigating with two healers and only four cats. She even takes up some hunting, though she's not the best. She eventually gets two baby sisters in Plumekit and Rhubarbkit. She is the one who takes them home so Cowbirdsoar and Brambleclash can deal with the infected.

She carries a lot of guilt about their mothers death.

I think she'd be named Rootwing or Rootrobin to match the bird names that the majority of the cats have.

And for a happy ending, Root and Cowbird find a cure. Though they lose more clanmates on the path.

I made this version to post on my Instagram and tiktok, and wanted to share it here

Hello! Welcome to "It Comes When We Sleep" a Clangen virus challenge of my own making.

Grouseclan, a once prosperous clan was struck by a sudden illness. The cause is currently unknown, but it seems to work differently on each cat.

This will be a mostly text post based story with asks and art sprinkled in!

This is an experimental blog so I'll be trying different styles

Current Moon: 10

Current infected: 6

Current Survivors: 6

Asks: Open

(Main)Updates: Friday

Moon 0- The Beginning Moon 1 , Moon 2-1, Moon 2-2, Moon 3, Moon 4-1, Moon 4-2, Moon 5, Moon 6-1, Moon 6-2, Moon 6-3, Moon 6-4, Moon 7-1, Moon 7-2, Moon 8, Moon 8.5, Moon 9-1, Moon 9-2, Moon 9-3, Moon 9-4, Moon 10-1, Moon 10-2 , Moon 10-3, Moon 10-4 Infection Guide

Leaf bare-Part 3

True to his word, Cowbirdsoar leaves at sunset. He emerges from the cave into the fading sunlight. He steps carefully into the bright snow, shivering as it meets his paw pads.

"Be careful," He mews to Madtomtuft, "There could be ice underneath."

She steps beside him. "I doubt it's cold enough for that."

He rolls his eyes, but doesn't press it. It's only her first leaf bare, he reminds himself. "Just be careful, please."

"Alright."

They carefully make their way up to the meadow. Under the last traces of daylight, they creep through their old territory. Despite himself, Cowbirdsoar stops when they reach Grouseclan's former camp. The dens were little more than scraps now. The snow had buried the nursery and caved in the Leader's den. No den, was safe, not even his den. The sturdy oak log that he slept had been split in half. The infected in there must have grown through the walls. He shivers. If I had stayed there…

Madtomtuft noses his shoulder. "Let's keep going," She whispers. He nods, casting one last glance at the camp before leaving.

They continue through their territory, and Pipitclan's before eventually finding the cave. He motions for Madtomtuft to sit down. He speaks quietly, "I need you to keep guard." She opens her mouth to protest, but he raises a paw. "The cave is well protected, except for this entrance. If an infected comes while I'm in there… I need you to be able to warn me, okay?"And be able to run if I can't.

She flicks her tail with irritation. "Fine." He smiles at her and steps towards the cave's entrance.

The dark, endless maw welcomes him. Jagged, gray teeth stick out from the roof, threatening to destrly any predators. Or cats Starclan rejects. He brushes the thought out of his mind and walks into the cave. The inside of the cave is just as dark.

He traces along the rocks as the cave grows tighter and tighter. It's a tight fit, but he manages to squeeze himself.

He emerges into The Guardian's cave. There, he sees the ancient bones of Guardian, curled up in xyr eternal slumber. The only light in the cave comes from the mushrooms that grow over xyr bones. Xyr giant skeleton easily outpaces even the infected. He tries to focus elsewhere, but his eyes keep drifting back to xyr head. Xyr skull is almost the size of his body. If xe were alive, xe could easily crush him.

Green Leaf- Cowbirdsoar 

Part 4

It had been a quarter moon since the cats had begun building the cage. In that time they had managed to make the walls up to their bellies. 

But they had run out of brambles. Which meant while Nighthawkflicker and Madtomtuft went hunting, Cowbirdsoar and Brambleclash were gathering.  

The two older cats decided to gather near the forest, where the Flurryclan and Grouseclan border markers used to be. There, they found some brambles, but there weren’t enough to really help.   

“We could always actually go into the forest.” Brambleclash suggested.  

Cowbirdsoar scraped at the dirt. “I don’t know. Even if the markers aren’t there... it’s still Flurryclan territory.”  

“If Flurryclan is here, they are probably in hiding too.” She put her tail on his back. “Which means that they won’t exactly notice if we take some of their brambles.”  

If. The word felt rotten. If Flurryclan were still here. If the clans hadn’t been irreparably shaken by this tragedy. Cowbirdsoar swallowed down his unease. “Fine, but we go no further than two fox-lengths, okay?” 

“Okay.”  

The forest was darker than the open field they had come from. The thick trees spread their branches high above the cats' heads, weaving together a green canopy. The forest floor was no better. All kinds of plants fought for what little sunlight made it through the leaf cover. But there were no bramble bushes. At least none that they could see.  

Cowbirdsoar frowned. “We’ll have to go deeper.”  

“Don’t act so down, we’ll find those brambles.” Brambleclash bumped her head into his shoulder.  

He pulled away from her touch. The whole situation made his pelt crawl. He was trespassing like a rogue. Even if they needed these brambles, what would Starclan say? Would they finally talk to him just to admonish him? 

 “It’s not the brambles I’m worried about,” he said under his breath. He raised his voice so that she could hear him. “Let’s just get it over with.”  

The two walked silently through the undergrowth. It was incredibly quiet, which just added to the tension.  

Cowbirdsoar spotted a bramble bush growing by a younger oak tree. He nudged Brambleclash before moving to the bush. Together, they used their claws to dig and pull out the bush. Their trespass would be worth it after all. 

Behind them, they heard a single, almost quiet word, “Protect.” That was all the warning they got.  

TW BODY HORROR AND GORE (Images and descriptions)

Leaf bare-Part 2

Cowbirdsoar spends every moment possible with Plumekit. He brings her prey, water, and herbs. He's been trying different combinations to soothe her infection. Juniper berries for pain, thyme to calm her down, marigold for joint aches, celandine for her eyes. The herbs help her symptoms, but they do nothing for the cause.

"Sometimes it takes days for catmint to fix greencough," He tells himself. But each day, he feels his heart sink further and further.

Plumekit for her credit is quiet. She spends her days half-asleep, cuddling her tail. She doesn't snap at her dad or shoo him away. Instead, she takes whatever he gives her and curls back up. Sometimes she hisses, but she always apologizes after, burying herself into her nest.

When he has to leave her, he spends as little time in camp as possible. While Nighthawflicker's anger had lessened, their clanmates' pity had not. Every time he can feel their eyes on him.

He knows what they think: "Poor Cowbirdsoar." "The old fool can't find a cure." "Why did Starclan ever trust him?"

The last thought snaps him out of his pity. Starclan. How could he forget? He peeks out of camp, his eyes fixed on the clear, black sky. Small, gentle lights twinkle back at him, while a growing crescent smiles. It's almost the halfmoon. If I could just get to Guardian's bones. I could talk to Starclan, ask for a cure. There's no way they'll turn me away now. And if they don't know, I could try to visit Annefruit or Shrubjay. Both have been healers since I was an apprentice.

He sat up, grinning. Starclan will save us- they will save Plumekit.

The next morning, he calls a meeting. The air is tense and he can feel their eyes burn his pelt. Vultures, his mind calls them. He tries to shake off the feeling, though his mind clings to it.

"I'm going to visit Starclan tonight!" He squeaks out, breaking chatter of his mind. "I need you to watch the camp- and watch over Plumekit until I return."

His clanmates share a glance.

They're scheming. Shut up, he hisses back.

"We can do that." Madtomtuft smiles at him. "But, don't you need an escort?"

He smiles a bit. An escort? Stars, the last time I had an escort was… I was an apprentice. He sighs. "Yes, I- I suppose I do. Is that you offering?"

She brushes up against his cheek. "Of course."

He brushes back against her, inhaling her scent. "Okay, okay." He put his paw on her neck, grounding himself. "I suppose that leaves Brambleclash and Nighthawkflicker in charge… unless one of you wants to come?"

Both she-cats shake their heads. "It'll be a lot easier with just you two," Nighthawkflicker says.

She's planning something. He digs his claws into the cave. No, I won't become paranoid, he insists.

"Alright, then we'll leave at sunset." He brushes against his niece again. "Make sure you eat before."

She rolls her eyes. "Yeah, and you make sure you do the same." He chuffs softly.

Cowbirdsoar 

Part 1 

Cowbirdsoar lays in the healer's den, basking in the cool morning air. His- the kits lay against his side. He curls his tail over them.  

Last moon, he tried to get them to sleep on their own. He and Madtomtuft cleaned and added moss to the apprentice’s den. But after spending the night in it, they refused to return. No bribery or insistence would change their minds.  

Cowbirdsoar knew he could force the issue, but that would do them no good. So, instead he chose to accommodate them. He brought the moss from the apprentice den and added it to his own nest.  

That made the comfortable nest the three of them lay in now. He yawns into the empty air and stretches. Rhubarbkit squeaks against him, while Plumekit just curls further in on herself.  

He looks down at them, his golden eyes shining. They are mine... Stars it is wrong, but they are my family. He looks at the cave roof and imagines Starclan looking down at him. He imagines the face of his mentor, the one he had made his oath to. He can see her scowling at him. I promise I am still loyal, He says to the visage. I will never take a mate, never have kits. But let me have this selfishness.  

The visage stares through him, it says nothing, but a lightness creeps into his heart. He rests his head against his kits.  

“Are you up yet?” Madtomtuft calls from the entrance. He narrows his eyes at his niece, making a shushing motion with his tail. She covers her mouth and backs away.  

Leaf fall- Brambleclash

Part 1

Cowbirdsoar refused to leave the den after they got back. Brambleclash tried to soothe his nerves... but she wasn’t enough. Even though she had been the one to deliver the killing blow, he seemed to carry the death on his head.  

So, she did what she could; she supported him. Every day, she would bring him prey and wet moss. She would groom his ruffled fur and help him entertain the kits. It was exhausting, but there was no other way. If she didn’t care for him... that wasn’t something she planned to think about. She was a good clanmate and that meant that she would help him.  

And of course, help the kits. They still made her a little uneasy, especially Rhubarbkit. But they were kind of cute. They played mossball with each other and cuddled up to Cowbirdsoar every chance they got.  

The worst part of it was trying to hide him. When the guy has his own den, it’s hard to keep cats from looking there.  

But Brambleclash considered herself a clever cat. She took the two older girls to explore the territory. The changing season brought forth a plethora of colors. There were leaves falling, lizards sunning, and even some fish closer to camp. Hopefully, it would be enough to distract them.  

Nighthawkflash immediately abandoned the other two to chase the lizards. It wasn’t out of malice, more a need to blow off steam. Cowbirdsoar’s withdrawal had affected everyone, whether they could admit it or not.  

Brambleclash nudged Madtomtuft. “Why don’t we walk along the beach?”  

The younger warrior scrunched her nose. “What if we run into any of the... the infected?” she asked quietly, as if her voice would summon them.  

“I patrolled earlier, if we’re quiet, we should have no problems.” Brambleclash rested her tail on the other’s back.  

Madtomtuft weighed her options. She dug her paws against the stone as she thought. “I guess we can then.”  

The two walked down to the beach together. Despite Brambleclash’s confidence, they still stayed close to camp. Madtomtuft would even peroidically stop to make sure that Nighthawkflicker was still in view.  

It’s good that they have one another, Brambleclash purred to herself. Despite the cold that the ocean carried, her pelt felt warm. She breathed in the fresh ocean air and shook her pelt. The sun on her spine felt amazing. She wanted to lie down right now, like a big lizard, but Madtomtuft didn’t seem in the lying mood.  

Speaking of... up ahead, Madtomtuft had stopped in her pawsteps. Brambleclash hurried to meet her. “What’s going on?” She meowed curiously.  

Without a word, Madtomtuft raised a paw and pointed at a bright orange, half-submerged object. It kind of looks like a cats back half. Brambleclash carefully approached it. Whatever it was, it was dead.  

Madtomtuft followed her lead. She sniffed at the object, pushing it a little. Something clicked or snapped within it. Which sent her racing out of there like a bat out of hell. She kicked up a cloud as she ran. Brambleclash would have lost her if she had not fallen on her face halfway out.  

That was a story she would definitely pass on to Cowbirdsoar and the kits.  

First <- Previous <- Next