#marigoldflip

Even though Icystar wished to avenge her fallen clanmate, she knew doing so could potentially be suicidal. After all, they had no idea how many cats were involved and the clan had very few warriors, which she couldn’t afford to lose any more of. Instead, all focus was put on increased protection. The borders were patrolled more frequently and cats that weren’t warriors were required to bring at least two warrior escorts with them whenever they left camp.

Bluegale didn’t mind. She hardly left camp anyway. The elderly Shadowdusk was more resistant to it, though, reminding everyone that he used to be a renowned GlintClan warrior back in his day and knew how to defend himself. Well, that was all he would say as he obediently followed his escorts. It was all yowl and no bite from that tom.

Mulberrystripe would’ve had similar thoughts moons ago, but now more than ever was she grateful for the extra warrior escort. She needed those extra paws to help her gather herbs. Since the arrival of the injured loner, she’s been visiting the Herbal Garden a lot more frequently and seeking medical advice from the other clans’ healers. A broken jaw was something she was not well equipped to treat and much less the great severity of her patient’s case. She’s surprised the jaw was still intact in the first place. It was basically hanging by a thread! And to make matters worse, the whole injury has become infected…

Now that fall was fast approaching, the need for herbs to help fight off the infection was more dire than ever. With her mind going over a list of what she needed, Mulberrystripe set off for her upteen time to the Herbal Garden. Scrubpelt and Marigoldflip were tasked as her escorts for this round.

The Lead Healer was usually one for chatter to make time pass faster during the walk, but not this time. All she could think about were the poultices she had to make and the herbs she needed. Plus the worst-case scenarios. She was only broken out of her thoughts when Scrubpelt walked up beside her and bumped into her side to get her attention.

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, I’m fine,” Scrubpelt reassured her, “I think you need to talk to her.” His cobalt-colored eyes looked behind him, gesturing to Marigoldflip, who made up the back of the patrol. If the young she-cat had heard them, she did not make it known. Her attention was solely focused on the ground in front of her.

“Is she feeling ill?” Mulberrystripe asked, scanning Marigoldflip’s demeanor for any signs of heat exhaustion or any other condition.

Scrubpelt shook his head. “No, no. It’s more of, uh, well the feelings side of things. She’s been acting all mopey since, you know… She blames herself for the whole thing. I’ve tried talking to her, but nothing’s getting through. You were her first mentor, so I thought maybe you’d do better at getting her out of that rut she’s in.”

Oh.

She gave him a nod. Without another word, the two slowed their pace down to match Marigoldflip’s own. When Mulberrystripe was walking side-by-side with Marigoldflip, Scrubpelt took to the back of the patrol to give the two she-cats some privacy and to keep guard of their surroundings. Marigoldflip was still woefully oblivious to what was going on around her.

It would’ve been easier for Mulberrystripe if she had taken notice and brought it up. The healer struggled to form words in her mouth to strike up a conversation. Why was this so hard? For StarClan’s sake, this was her former apprentice! Why wasn’t she the first to notice that Marigoldflip was struggling emotionally after Bonebracken’s death? They used to talk a lot back then in LogClan, but now, in TallClan… it was like they barely knew each other…

“Is there something you need?”

Mulberrystripe flinched a bit, caught off guard by Marigoldflip’s monotonous voice. The young she-cat continued to walk as usual, her eyes still fixed on the ground before her. A small side-ways glance towards Mulberrystripe sent the message that she was waiting for a response.

Ouch. Her sharp words stung Mulberrystripe like a wasp sting. Was Marigoldflip always this snarky?

“Scrubpelt told me you’ve been having a hard time since Bonebracken’s death.” Behind them, the tom gave a slight, meaningless grunt at the mention of his name.

Marigoldflip rolled her eyes. “You seriously needed someone to point out the obvious to you? As my mentor for the majority of my apprenticeship, I’d thought you’d know me better than the guy who was only involved for like about 2 moons or less. I guess all those herbs have been clogging your brain.”, she bitterly scoffed.

Now, Mulberrystripe felt like she had been smacked hard against the face, claws raking her skin off. She bit down the hurtful anger that wanted to spew from her mouth. “Look, Marigold, I know you’re going through something complicated, but that doesn’t give you the right to talk to me like that, much less anybody else! Especially when we’re trying to help you!”

Marigoldflip came to a complete, unexpected stop, halting everyone else as well. Scrubpelt nearly bumped into them! With her fur bristling and ears folded back, the young warrior turned on Mulberrystripe. “Don’t talk to me like that! You’re not my mentor anymore!” she yowled.

“I’m trying to talk to you as your friend, but you’re the one being difficult! If I have to, I’ll start talking to you as your superior!” Mulberrystripe retaliated, trying her best to keep her fur flat.

“Hey, you two. Stop it. We have company.”, Scrubpelt suddenly hushed them.

They followed his gaze and the point of his tail tip down to the forest that laid beside the side of the mountainous trail they were on. It was hard at first to see through all the shrubbery and long grass, but after a bit of squinting, they finally noticed it— there was a cat down there! By the way they were sniffing the ground around them, they hadn’t noticed the clan cats watching them nor heard the arguing going on seconds before.

“Should we see what they want—“

The words were barely out of Scrubpelt’s mouth before Marigoldflip went barreling down the mountainside, making a beeline towards the lonesome stranger. Scrubpelt and Mulberrystripe were quick to follow after her, picking up speed when they saw her bodyslam the cat onto the ground before biting down deep into their scruff. It wasn’t hard to miss the blood that began to stain the cat’s long, spiky, and white fur. The cat— which upon closer inspection was a she-cat roughly around Marigoldflip’s age— yowled and writhed in pain as she tried desperately to get Marigoldflip off of her, but the warrior held her ground, keeping the she-cat pinned to the forest floor as she bit down harder on her scruff.

It was only until Scrubpelt grabbed Marigoldflip by the scruff and pulled her off that the young she-cat was finally freed. Without a heartbeat of hesitation, she fled, disappearing into the trees and out of TallClan territory.

“LET GO OF ME! YOU’RE LETTING HER GET AWAY!” Marigoldflip screamed as she struggled underneath Scrubpelt’s body weight, claws raking the dirt.

“What in StarClan’s name were you thinking!?” Mulberrystripe confronted her. “We DON’T attack intruders!”

“What if she’s Bonebracken’s killer!? Or what if she knows who did it!?”

“And what if she wasn’t!? You would’ve seriously hurt an innocent cat!? Or worse, kill her!? You’d be no better than the ones who killed him!” Tears were falling from Mulberrystripe’s eyes at that point, blurring her vision.

Silence. That was all that followed until…

“Go back to camp. Scrubpelt will help me finish this patrol. I can’t bear to look at you right now…”

- - -

Moon 5 Summary

Ant’s injury has become infected!

The clan has encountered Splinter, a loving rogue!

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FIRST

FIRST

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———

“Have you seen Icystar?” Sapflow asked the newly made warrior when he came to relieve her from her vigil. He had woken up this morning to an empty nest.

Marigoldflip nodded. “She and Mulberrystripe left camp not too long before sunrise.”, she explained.

“Oh… Did they tell you where they were going?”

The moment the question left his mouth, the sounds of giggling could be heard coming from the rocky path that led to the camp’s entrance. It was none other than Icystar and Mulberrystripe. The two were walking closely side-by-side with their tails entwined and their eyes focused on only each other. They didn’t notice the other two cats until they nearly bumped into them.

“Oh! Good morning, Sapflow! Marigoldflip!” Icystar cheerfully greeted the two, still sticking close to Mulberrystripe.

“G-Good morning, Icystar!” Sapflow returned her greeting before asking, “Did something happen? I noticed that you left…”

Marigoldflip took this as an opportunity to make her exit. None of the older cats paid her any mind as she made her way into camp. After her vigil, she was in need of a long day’s rest.

“Nothing of the sorts,” Icystar reassured him, “I apologize for making you worry. I didn’t want to wake you up. I was showing Mulberrystripe the best place to see the sunrise.”

Mulberrystripe nodded and she began to ramble on. Something about watching the sun rise back in LogClan. Sapflow wasn’t sure. He tuned her out. He tuned both of them out as all three of them began to make their way back to camp. Sapflow trailed behind the pair. At some point, Icystar and Mulberrystripe were only talking to one another and Sapflow was long forgotten….

Icystar • 53 moons old • Ambitious

Mulberrystripe • 58 moons old • Competitive

Sapflow • 55 moons old • Wise

“I heard there was trouble in lover’s paradise.”, Scrubpelt said in an attempt to break the silence between him and Sapflow as they patrolled the border together.

The aforementioned deputy had been eerily quiet and distant these last few days, which was out of character for him. Scrubpelt already had an idea about what was troubling him. Most of the clan knew too, actually. It wasn’t hard to miss when Icystar and Mulberrystripe came back that morning so close together with their tails entwined and stuck in their own little world, while a sulking Sapflow trailed behind them like a sad puppy. On top of that, Scrubpelt knew what happened firsthand from Marigoldflip, his former apprentice, who recounted what had transpired before she came back from her vigil.

Sapflow didn’t say anything. Nor did he acknowledge what Scrubpelt had said as if the tom hadn’t spoken or wasn’t there at all.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Scrubpelt asked. One last attempt at trying to get Sapflow to speak.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Sapflow finally responded, “We still have two miles of border to patrol, so I suggest you focus your attention on that instead.” He never looked away from the path in front of him. He had his back turned to Scrubpelt, preventing him from reading into his face, but Scrubpelt knew body language. The tip of Sapflow’s tail was flicking and the furs on his body were prickling with frustration.

“No need to get snippy, pal! I’m just trying to help!” Scrubpelt defended himself, “If you ask me, I think this whole TallClan thing is a sham. An excuse for Icystar to be with her “lover” from another clan without breaking the Code.”

Scrubpelt’s words struck a nerve within Sapflow. In a hot flash, the deputy turned on the older warrior.

“How dare you insinuate that!” he spat, his claws dug at the ground to stop him from slashing Scrubpelt’s face in a fit of anger, “It was StarClan’s will for us to form TallClan! I was there when Icystar received the order and when she was blessed with nine lives from Cavernfur, who is not only our clan’s Spiritual Guide, but also my ancestor no less!”

Through gritted teeth, he gave Scrubpelt a warning, “Don’t you ever disrespect Icystar like that again. If I find out that you did, I’ll make you regret it…”

Scrubpelt held his ground through all of this, showing no fear at Sapflow’s threat. With a scoff, he rudely brushed past Sapflow and began walking away from him to continue the path of their patrol. “Understood, but don’t come crying to me when I’m proven right! Clearly, my help is unwanted…”

Sapflow didn’t say anything in response. He was left utterly speechless after what just transpired. His entire body trembled with anger (and fear) of what Scrubpelt had said to him. Icystar wouldn’t be capable of doing such a thing! He knew her since they were kits in the nursery! Even if this relationship of theirs required no romantic love from either of them, she was a loyal cat.

At least, that’s what he’s hoping…

Scrubpelt • 96 moons old • Troublesome

Sapflow • 55 moons old • Wise

FIRST

Summer continued to drag on in the valley and life continued to be as boring as usual in the clan. That is until Scrubpelt caught the scent of intruders crossing into TallClan’s territory. This was to be expected. It wasn’t uncommon to see loners, rogues, and travelers passing through this part of the valley or making temporary camp here. However, that was back then when Stars’ Touch was a neutral territory between the clans. Now that a clan has settled down in the area, that would not be tolerated anymore.

Border patrols now had only one motive in mind: chase out anyone who shouldn’t be here.

This time, it was Marigoldflip’s and Bonebracken’s turn to patrol the border and so far, it has been dreadfully boring. No one has caught a whiff of intruders to the point that Marigoldflip wondered whether Scrubpelt had been mistaken. The senior warrior was really old now. Perhaps his age was starting to show. ‘Or maybe he’s always been bad at distinguishing tracks.’, she jokingly thought to herself.

Gossip was the only thing that helped kill time and fortunately for her, she had a lot to share. Well, most of it came from Scrubpelt. He had a lot to say about the comings-and-goings of their leader, deputy, and healer. He’s been yapping about it to any cat who would listen in the past moon or two. Everything Marigoldflip had been told was against her own free will, since no one stayed around long enough and Scrubpelt hardly bothered with Bonebracken. She had only been the older tom’s “apprentice” for the last moon of her training, but she guessed that was enough to get in his good graces. Only pro she found of this is that it made clan life more eventful.

“And that is what’s been going on between Icystar and Sapflow. Or what Scrubpelt believes at least.”

“Oh, that’s interesting…” That was all that Bonebracken said. His eyes were glued to the ground before them.

The two continued to walk. Unfortunately, in awkward silence.

“So, what do you think?”

“Oh? Uhm,” he stuttered as he searched for words, clearly caught off guard that Marigoldflip cared about his opinion, “I-I don’t really focus on stuff like that. Oh! W-weren’t you Mulberrystripe’s apprentice? Y-You know, when she was still a warrior? Have you talked to her about… all that?”

Now she was the one who didn’t know what to say. Her silence worried Bonebracken and he began to mumble an incoherent apology for stepping over a personal line.

“N-No, it’s okay! Don’t apologize!” Marigoldflip reassured him. “I needed a few seconds to think. Now that you mentioned it, I never thought about asking her. I-I don’t think I will, though. She’s been busy lately and so have I. Only times I’ve interacted with her so far since we came here is whenever I’m feeling ill or if she needs my help.”

Some of that was half of the truth. To be honest, Marigoldflip was avoiding her as best she could. The young cat hated to admit it, but she was still hurt that her former mentor had eagerly chosen to leave LogClan behind for TallClan. She didn’t even think about the apprentice she had spent so long training and bonding with. Had Marigoldflip not followed after her, she knew she’d be a quick forgotten memory. Perhaps that’s the reason why she has been tolerating Scrubpelt’s claims for so long. How could a cat so easily leave behind the clan they were born in and their family if not for something greater— love.

She didn’t want to think about this anymore.

“Anyway, enough about them! Tell me about you and Bluegale!”

“W-What?” Bonebracken replied, dumbfounded. His eyes darted around anxiously, as if expecting the mentioned Lead Mediator to show up at any moment.

“Don’t act dumb! I’ve seen how close you’ve two been lately! You’re practically prancing around her every day! And it looks like she enjoys your company too!” She teased.

Bonebracken’s face looked flustered.

“So? What about it? Any chance there’s going to be kits in the nursery?”

That was enough to get him to burst! Tripping over his words, he began to bashfully rebuke her claims, “H-Hey! It’s n-not like that! I don’t l-like her! I-I mean, I do! B-But— grah! Y-you know what I mean!”

Marigoldflip rolled her eyes. She opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, that’s when she smelled it. “Wait! Do you smell—“

“AHHH!!!”

Bonebracken’s petrified scream cut her off. She followed his trembling, horrified gaze down to a rocky ditch their path was leading them to. Down below, propped against a boulder, was a cat, scarred and bloody all over. Without hesitation, Marigoldflip sprinted down the stone incline that led into the ditch to inspect the mauled stranger.

“A-Are they a-alive?” She heard Bonebracken whimpered, still frozen in place from where he stood.

Just as he said that, the cat wheezed and gurgled what resembled a grunt. It was then that Marigoldflip realized what exactly she was looking at. The cat wasn’t just propped against the boulder. Their whole face was smashed against it and to her utmost horror, their lower jaw was hanging loosely.

“Go get Mulberrystripe!” She yowled.

Bonebracken flinched, taken aback by the ferocity of her tone. He hesitated. His trembling body still stuck in place.

“Get Mulberrystripe!! NOW!!!” Marigoldflip ordered again, much harsher this time. Her claws dug at the ground, ready to push herself out of the ditch and fetch Mulberrystripe herself if Bonebracken didn’t move. Fortunately, he turned tail and ran. And that was the last time she saw him.

—

When help didn’t arrive as fast as she would’ve liked, Marigoldflip carried the injured cat on her back, similar to how one would give kits badger rides. If anything, she wished it could’ve been just like that. Although the adrenaline coursing through her body was the one thing that kept her standing, she could feel her aching legs trembling under the weight of the adult cat on her back. It didn’t help that the sun was burning down on them and all of her senses were clogged by the smell of blood.

She cursed Bonebracken’s name with what little strength she had left to speak. That foolish tom! She could already envision what must’ve happened when he arrived back in camp. He was too distraught for words. All he could say in between his ugly sobbing was just word vomit. At least his distress would send a patrol out looking for her and she was hopeful she would bump into them soon.

She should’ve known something was wrong when her arduous trek finally came to an end at the entrance of camp, where everyone was peacefully enjoying the last of the sun’s warmth before it set for the day. The panic and urgency only set in when they noticed who she brought with her. Her body and mind were too tired for her to notice that something was amiss and everyone else was too caught up in this new development in their relatively boring lives to notice it as well. It wasn’t until nighttime when the stranger was well-bandaged up, finally receiving the medical attention she needed, and Marigoldflip was explaining her unusual findings to Icystar when they realized.

“And Bonebracken? Where is he? I haven’t seen him since you two left on patrol this afternoon.”

Marigoldflip’s heart dropped.

“W-What do you mean? I-Is he not here?”

—

Maybe it would’ve been best if Marigoldflip had been the one to get help. Or maybe not. He wouldn’t have been able to live with the guilt if she died in his place. Then again, she wasn’t him. She wouldn’t have gotten lost in the territory, too petrified by fear and shock to see where she was going. Everything would have worked out in the end.

What would Daydream think of him? His heart ached when he suddenly remembered his former mentor. Sure, she only trained him during the last days of his apprenticeship and they hardly knew each other before that, but she had been the only cat in his life who truly believed in him without a doubt. Was she going to be mad? Ashamed? He sure knew that everyone back in GlintClan wouldn’t be surprised this was his end.

“Bonebracken?”

He flinched upon hearing his name. He didn’t know who was behind him, but he could guess why she was here— to guide him to StarClan. He didn’t turn around to face her. He didn’t want to.

“It’s time to go, dear.”

Tears fell from his cheeks, falling and vanishing into the pool of blood that laid in front of him. Just a few inches away laid his body, covered in several battle wounds, from head to toe. All the blood was coming out from a wound in his neck, the fatal blow.

“C-Can y-you give m-me just a f-few m-more minutes? P-Please?” He pleaded through his sobbing. “O-Or a-at least un-until s-someone gets h-here? I-I don’t want to l-leave m-me-my body here. I-I’m sc-scared n-no one’s going to f-find me. C-can’t I-I send t-them a message or lead them h-here?”

The sound of pawsteps could be heard heading their way. The usually quiet night air was interrupted by the sound of several cats calling out his name. Daydream’s stood out in particular.

“You don’t have to worry about that.”, the voice reassured him.

Now that he knew that his body wouldn’t be left undiscovered, the idea of staying here any longer made him anxious. He didn't want to see how everyone else would react. He wouldn’t be able to handle it. Especially not Daydream’s or even Marigoldflip’s reactions. He hoped the latter wouldn’t blame herself or be too mad with him. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, and turned around.

FIRST

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⚔️ - The best fighter in the clan is Mulberrystripe! She was one of LogClan’s best fighters (and warriors in general) before leaving to become a healer. Despite her new position, she still keeps her fighting skills up to shape and has plans to teach these same skills to any apprentices + heirs she has in the future!

The only other cat that gives her a run for her money is Marigoldflip! Which makes sense, because she used to be her warrior apprentice. Plus, with her fierce nature, this makes Marigoldflip a force to be reckon with.

As for the cat who’s the worst fighter, I feel bad about saying this due to his fate, but I’d like to imagine it was Bonebracken 😭 He’s never been the fighting type and that was the one thing he struggled with a lot as an apprentice. He much rather preferred hunting and helping around in camp.

Now that he’s gone, the worst fighter title has been given to Bluegale. Sure, she’s a mediator, but I like to imagine cats who chose the path of a mediator at the start of their apprenticeships are given some level of battle training, just in case! It becomes a “no excuses” requirement after a certain event later in the future.