#skyrumble

Rumble takes Skywarp to a human restaurant. She enjoys it. He enjoys it. The humans don’t.

Skywarp is big enough that Rumble can hide under her wings, or go in her cockpit. He frequently uses these places to hide. Skywarp wants something in return for being used as a living hidey-hole, though, and negotiates while Rumble is in her cockpit. (The negotiation ends with kisses, probably.)

Top to bottom, left to right!

Parsleystar, Stormclaw, Mintswirl, Shellpaw Burdockheart, Tumblefern, Honeydew, Zazu Algaesky, Pinedash, Beamsnow, Kitecrash Skyrumble, Oakshimmer, Acornpool, Asphodelfang Ashpelt, Gingerfleck, Sorrelfur, Barleyclaw Foampaw, Basspaw, Seedpaw, Podpaw, Specklepaw Jaykit, Dovekit, Swallowkit, Sparrowkit, Ploverkit, Cormorantkit Lynxfur, Sakari, Pondfang, Shadowbloom

Mintswirl let out a little puff of air. Shellpaw eyed them, his paws hard at work on the poultice for the infection in Burdockheart's bone.

"Are you okay?" Shellpaw asked eventually.

"Being a healer is exhausting," Mintswirl answered simply. Shellpaw nodded.

"At least the infection in Skyrumble's tail has healed." Mintswirl hummed in agreement. "It may not have finished healing, but it's on its way." Mintswirl considered this for a moment, then purred, reached over, and patted Shellpaw's head.

"Thank you, Shellpaw. You're a very good apprentice."

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔

Skyrumble flinched in surprise as Asphodelfang stormed up to him.

"I like you, and I think we should be mates," she informed him sternly. He stared at her, gaping.

"Oh. Uhh.. okay. I like you too?" He stammered. "I would... I would really like to be mates. Yeah."

"You have not been with us long, but you have proven yourself a loyal cat and skilled warrior. Sorrelpaw, from this day on you shall be known as Sorrelfur. We celebrate your skill and tenacity, and we welcome you as a full member of ButterflyClan."

Sorrelfur raised her head proudly. She had done it- she had proved herself a true member of the Clan, worthy of being here. No one could deny her her place. She belonged.

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔

Shellpaw was feeling stressed. He could not properly express how stressed he was feeling.

Skyrumble's and Pondfang's tail wounds had become infected. Podpaw had caught whitecough, and Acornpool and Basspaw had caught yellowcough. Lynxfur had gone out for too long and came back with frostbite. Mintswirl and Shellpaw were up at all hours of the night, soothing coughs and pains and anything else they could manage. They were running low on supplies, and newleaf was a whole moon away.

Shellpaw had asked Mintswirl if leafbare was always like this, and they had only shrugged and said that these sorts of things tended to come and go in waves.

Shellpaw just... really, really, really needed a break.

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔

Gingerfleck blinked in surprise and the grey tom in front of him blinked back.

"Oh!" The tom said finally, dropping the mouse he'd been holding. "I'm sorry, is this your territory?"

"Ah- yes, it is."

"I hadn't realized. That's my bad! I was just looking for food for my kits, I hadn't realized I'd crossed into anyone's place."

"You have kits?" Gingerfleck asked, surprised. The tom looked quite young- barely older than Gingerfleck himself.

"Yes! Jay and Dove, they're the lights of my life. Their mother didn't survive their kitting, I'm afraid, but..." the tom trailed off, a shadow of sadness crossing his face before he shook it off. "Well, they seem alright without her!"

"My Clan has a warm place for your kits," Gingerfleck hedged. "We don't have a lot of food, but you seem like a good hunter. I'm sure if you're willing to help out, we could figure something out..?"

Skyrumble hissed, his claws flexing as Mintswirl handled his tail. "I need marigold petals- Shellpaw, do you remember what marigold does?"

The apprentice nodded, the bright yellow petals in his mouth as he hurried over. "They stop bleeding and... uh... Infection?"

"Correct! Chew them up and place them on the wound." Mintswirl turned their attention back to Skyrumble. "It looks fine for now, but I'd recommend that you take it easy for now. I don't want it getting infected, especially not right before leafbare."

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔

"Hi!"

Acornpool let out a little shriek as a brown tom leapt in front of the patrol, his tail waving excitedly. Asphodelfang rolled her eyes.

"You guys are ButterflyClan, right? I've trained so, so hard and I'm finally ready to join!"

Asphodelfang snorted. "Sorry, you've... what?"

"Trained! I know it's tough out here, but I can catch food and I'm perfectly okay with sleeping outside!"

"Well, Parsleystar was okay with allowing Algaesky and Honeydew in," Acornpool hedged. "Maybe she'd be okay with...?"

"Stan!"

"...Stan."

"If he joins, he'll have to change that name. Stan. Whoever heard of a name like that?"

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔

Burdockheart led Barleypaw along the DogwoodClan border, casting nervous glances across the meadow into the shaded copse of trees. She bristled upon noticing a grey shape up ahead, and Barleypaw, taking note of her body language, tensed as well.

"Hello," the cat mewed, and Burdockheart relaxed slightly when she realized this was just an apprentice.

"What are you doing on our border?"

"I... I don't want to be in DogwoodClan anymore. They don't like me there." The apprentice flattened herself against the ground, looking up at Burdockheart and Barleypaw with wide, pleading eyes. "Please! I just want to be around cats who care about me! I don't have anyone in DogwoodClan!"

Burdockheart glanced down at Barleypaw, who was staring at the DogwoodClan apprentice with sad eyes. "Alright, then," she sighed. "What's your name?"

"Sorrelpaw."

"Skyrumble, you're a young warrior. But I know you will train my son the best you can."

"-And the mouse says, well of course not!" Skyrumble joked. Tempestroar snorted.

"That was awful."

"Hey, you laughed!"

Tempestroar shoved him, and he shoved her right back. They scuffled for a moment, batting at each other playfully.

"Ha ha! I've got you now, Tempestroar!" Skyrumble said, pinning her to the ground. The grass behind him erupted as a giant dog emerged.

"Skyrumble!" Tempestroar shrieked, and twisted out from underneath him and launched herself between him and the dog. The dog didn't hesitate, and latched onto her and shook her body. Nausea swelled in Tempestroar's throat. The dog let go suddenly, and Tempestroar yowled as she went flying into a tree. She felt something crack, and was blinded with pain shortly after. She would come to hours later in the medicine den, Mintswirl hovering over her, and be told that she had broken a bone in the ordeal.

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔

Algaesky limped over to Burdockheart, who perked up at the sight of her.

"You've been released!" she joked. Algaesky laughed.

"Mintswirl says that the fever's gone," she told Burdockheart, settling next to her with a grunt. "But my leg isn't going to heal any more than it has. Apparently, I have to re-learn how to walk and such." A dark shadow crossed the she-cat's face. "They say that my leg will be weak for the rest of my life, and that I'll probably have chronic pain from here on out."

Burdockheart pressed herself against her friend. "I'll help you," she reassured her. "We can work together on this. I promise. I'll never leave you to deal with this alone."

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔

Beamsnow stared blankly at the little red body laying limply in the center of camp.

"Papa?" Asphodelkit whispered, and he jerked his head down to look at her. "Are we gonna die too?" He blinked at her and her brothers, and his heart cracked a little more.

"Oh, no, darling," he whispered back, curling around his kits. "No. Applekit was... he got sick. Very sick. Mintswirl did their best, but sometimes... sometimes StarClan's calling is too strong. But you three are alright. I'll make sure that you are. I promise."

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔

"Hello," a voice said. Skyrumble whirled around, fur puffing out, and stared at a tabby she-cat. She blinked at him, amusement in her eyes. "Are you one of the Clan cats I've been hearing about?"

"Ah- yes!" He stumbled over his words, eyes wide. "I'm Skyrumble. How... how can I help you, miss?" The she-cat seemed even more amused, and Skyrumble felt his fur grow hot.

"My name's Tumble. I'd like to join your Clan if I could."

"Well, Parsleystar would have to decide about that, but... well, I'm sure we could find a spot for you. I mean, you look very... Muscular. Um. Strong! You look strong." Tumble laughed out loud, and Skyrumble just about swooned.

"I'm a bit too old for you I think, but thank you."

"From this day forth you shall be called Skyrumble. We honor your drive and your passion, and welcome you as a full warrior of ButterflyClan."

Skyrumble felt a purr rumbling in his throat, but the cheering was so loud he couldn't hear it. He met his mother's eyes over the crowd, and felt his heart swell at the pride in them. I've done it, he thought. Cloud, I've done it. I hope you have your own warrior ceremony, wherever you are.

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔

"What happened?" Mintswirl gasped, hurrying over to Algaesky's side.

"A fox happened," Lynxfur grunted. "It surprised us both, but it got Algaesky bad."

"Not bad," Algaesky correct, grunting. "I'll be fine." Mintswirl made a sound low in the back of his throat.

"It's way too early to say that for certain," he frowned at her. "You've only just gotten injured. You'll have to be off your leg for a while." Algaesky nodded, accepting this quietly.

"You're lucky," Mintswirl told her. "It could have gone very, very badly, just the two of you against a fox."

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔

"Ah, Burdockheart?" Burdockheart looked up at Beamsnow, who stood before her with a nervous expression on his face. "I... need you to do something with me. Please."

"Of course," she said, and gulped down the last of her mouse. "What is it?"

"I... can't tell you. Please, just come with me."

Burdockheart frowned at him, but stood anyways. She followed Beamsnow out of camp and they walked for a while. It's only when the DogwoodClan border is in sight that Burdockheart's apprehension grows so strong that she halts.

"Beamsnow, what are you doing? Why are we here?"

Beamsnow didn't answer, instead slipping over the border. Burdockheart's ears flattened, betrayal striking through her heart like lightning. She watched her former apprentice slink into a bush and listened to a whispered conversation, the words too quiet to hear. When Beamsnow emerged, her heart lurched. A pair of tiny white scraps hung from his mouth. Newborn kittens, mewling pathetically for their dam. He set them down in front of Burdockheart and gave her an apologetic look, then slunk back into the bushes and emerged with two more.

"Their mother can't care for them," he told Burdockheart quietly. "We... I never intended for this, but... they're mine, Burdockheart. I can't just leave my kits."

"Oh, Beamsnow," Burdockheart breathed. She wanted to say more, to ask who their mother was beyond just a DogwoodClan she-cat, but Beamsnow looked so distraught... "I won't say a word to anyone," she swore instead. She bent down to lick the tiny kittens he'd placed at her paws. "What are their names?"

Beamsnow sagged, a sigh of relief escaping him. "Applekit, Aspenkit, Acornkit, and the little she-kit is Asphodelkit." He nodded towards each kitten in turn.