A new dawn, the end of a chapter

[Sunstream]

It was a bright sunny day. Birds were happily chirping, and prey was scurrying out of their burrows. It was warm out, a cool wind was blowing making the trees rustle and leaves flutter to the ground.The dawn had been bright, making Sunstream forget the battle that had recently made it's mark on the clan.

It is a new dawn, the end of a chapter.

Sunstream thought as she padded out of her den. Her bright ginger coat sparkled in the beautiful sunrise. She still didn't know what clanmates were left and had to check.

(At least 75 words per post)

[Treekit]

Treekit pounced out of the nursery and tackled a stray ball of moss. He fell to his side a battered it with his hind paws. Accidentally kicking the ball away, he jumped onto it and pinned it down.
"You won't get away from me that easily!" he yowled. He slashed it with his forepaws before wacking it away. Treekit sat up as the ball of moss tumbled through some ferns, out of sight.
"I won the battle!" Treekit yowled happily. "Now everyone can return to BlazeClan," he continued, a note of longing in his voice, remembering the cats who hadn't come back. "Why did they have to leave?"
He glanced around the clan camp, hoping he might see someone.

[Sunstream]

Sunstream was looking around when she spotted Treekit. The small kit was running around with a ball of moss. Sunstream sighed, even the kits could feel the loss of their clanmates.

Treekit is a brave kit Sunstream remarked to herself. He could make a good warrior one day.

The ginger Medicine Cat sighed as she heard to the asking why the others had left. The 6 words tore her apart and the note of longing made it even worse to hear.

Moonclan, why did you let this happen? Sunstream asked her ancestors as she walked over to the tiny kit.

[Treekit]

Treekit looked over as the medicine cat, Sunstream, approached. He had never really paid attention to her before the battle, but seeing the warriors injured and her being the only one able to help them had made him see how important a medicine cat's place is in a clan.
Although he now had to respect her because he had seen her skill, he was set on becoming a warrior. Seeing injured clanmates had made him promise that he would be the best warrior possible. That he would defend his clan for as long as possible and his loyalty would never fail him as it had done with some of the other warriors that had left after the battle.
As the medicine cat walked closer to him, he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. This cat wasn't trained to battle, but would see as much blood spilled as any warrior. One of the main differences was that medicine cats could talk to MoonClan. They had probably told her why the battle had happened- what importance this had to do with clan formation. He couldn't see any good out of it, though. All he had known was one moment his clan's warriors leave camp talking about victory, then some return with heads low and battle wounds scattered through their pelts.
What confused him the most was when he had overheard that not all of the lost warriors had gone to MoonClan. Where would they go? Did they join another clan? Why would they leave?
He wrapped his tail around his paws, frustrated at his lack of knowledge, as the medicine cat approached.

[Sunstream]

Sunstream sat next to Treekit her blue eyes soft. She still had a distant look, she was searching for answers. She was soon out of her moment and looking at the kit.

Sunstream could tell Treekit was frustrated and by putting his reaction from earlier she could see why.

"The battle was a very sad thing. So many were lost and others left blaming us for the loss of their loved ones. But it is a new dawn, the end of a chapter in our lives. It can only make us stronger Treekit. If you work hard and dream big you can become the best warrior ever and make sure there is never a battle as bad as that one."

[Nightstar]

Nightstar, the newest leader of BlazeClan, emerged from her den. She had just woken up after taking a short nap after she had dragged Sunstream's hawk back to the fresh-kill pile.

She looked completely exhausted. Her yellow eyes dull, her pelt a mix of knots, dust, herbs and cobwebs, limping on one paw.

She stumbled toward Sunstream and the small tabby kit. She sat down, holding up a paw to Sunstream. "I've lodged a thorn into my pad, if you would care to loosen it?"

The young leader was going through a huge emotional crisis. She didn't even seem to be there, in the shell of her body. She was off in a different world, her thoughts on the two cats dearest to her who had died in the battle. The two most important cats she had ever known. The old leader of her Clan, Finchstar, had his last life sucked from him in the battle. His body had been buried in a secure part of their territory, along with the bodies of the others who had passed away. He had been Nightstar's idol, the one she looked up to the most. Most importantly to her, he had taken over as her mentor for her last moon of apprenticeship when her mentor had gotten sick from greencough and died. On another note, the Clan's old deputy had been killed with a strong bite during the battle. The Clan's old deputy, Bluewing, had been her mother. Nightstar cared about all the other cats who had died as well, of course, but these two deaths were the most traumatic to her. She could hardly cope with the thought that these two cats were now gone from her life.

StarClan had chosen the black she-cat to be the next leader of BlazeClan. The night after the battle, Nightstar had visited the Starstone and received her nine lives. That as well had caused her more pain, physical and mental. She sighed quietly through her nose, coming back to her senses. She looked up at Sunstream, shaking her paw again.

[Lizardkit]

A small flicker of a black and orange tail could be seen as Lizardkit scampered past. Darting into the ferns where Treelit's mossball had gone she shuffled around until she finally got her paws on the soft green clump.

Picking it up in her tiny jaws she heaved it out and sat it down in front of the little tom.
"Got it!" she mewed excitedly but she realized that Sunstream and Nightstar were before her.
Straightening up she licked her chest with a few embarrassed licks. She knew the way she was behaving was very childish but it was all she could do to keep from thinking of the terrible battle.
Images of bloody, tussling cats were so fresh in her mind that they almost seemed real. Averting her gaze she angled her ears back slightly and became lost in thought.

[Treekit]

Treekit thought about what Sunstream had said for a moment as a black cat walked into the clearing. So many of the cats he knew and looked up to were gone. He hadn't known many of the cats when the battle started, but now it felt like he knew fewer than before. It hurt, but Sunstream had said it could only make us stronger.
But when we're sad, we aren't exactly strong and full of energy- we use it all trying to make ourselves feel better. How does it make sence for weakness to make us stronger. The black cat in the corner of his eye and up to them and asked Sunstream something about a thorn. Maybe it does make sence. When I got cut on a loose thorn, one time, it hurt then-but it healed. It took time, but the wound went away, and I learned not to play near the brambles so I wouldn't get cut again. When we get hurt, we learn from it, and it probably won't happen again.
He looked up at the black cat as she shook her paw. That's Nightstar! The thought erupted in his head. He had never seen her up close like this. She seemed tired, but most cats did after the battle. The battle had taken the previous leader and deputy of the clan, and MoonClan had chosen Nightstar to lead them. Treekit didn't remember much of the previous leader or deputy, but he was certain that Nightstar must be a great cat if MoonClan had chosen her from the other possable cats.
I will be a great warrior one day, he vowed to himself, I will be so great all of MoonClan will be amazed at me. He looked up at the morning sky. After the battle the air was so quiet he was certain he would never hear the birds again, but they were back promising the end the battle had to bring.
Suddenly Lizardkit was in front of him with the moss ball. Seeing that she looked slightly embarassed to be in front of the leader and medicine cat, he wacked the moss ball over her head.
"I bet I can hit it higher than you can!" he challenged. He knew it was childish to act like this, but they still had time before they were apprentices, and Treekit wanted to have as much fun as possable before he had to face his train as an apprentice or be sent into battle as a warrior. But it could wait, for now he just wanted to see faces happy again. After the battle he had become uncertain how long they would be there.
The moss ball landed a few tail lengths away.

[Nightstar]

The black she-cat seemed to take full notice of the two kits for the first time. She smiled, letting out a raspy laugh. "Good thing we still have our kits. They're the future of our Clan." She murmured to Sunstream, clearly amused by the two young ones tossing the moss ball back and forth.

She remembered her childhood, back when she was a kit. She remembered the day that a strange kit was brought into the nursery, and the day that her mother had named her Snowkit. Snowkit grew up and became her closest friend, and when she had to decide on her deputy, of course she chose Snowstorm. She sighed slowly, refocusing herself on Sunstream. "You might want to change my bandages as well, while I'm down here. I'm going to go out patrolling later, with Snowstorm or Wildpaw."

[Sunstream]

"Sure Nightstar, just hang on." Sunstream meowed before going to her den to fecht some dock. She felt bad for Nightstar, the cat was so down. She had lost almost everything, her hero, her mother and Moonclan knows where her father is. Sunstream came back carrying dock leaves.

"This will sting." The ginger cat meowed before chewing leaves, pulling out the thorn, and licking dock into the scratch.

She sighed seeing the shell of the new leader. She remembered her family. Her mother died when she was 3 moons old, Nightstar had been an apprentice already. Her mentor, Dockface, and father, Hawkwing, in the battle.

[Lizardkit]

It seemed as though the whole clan had been lost in this battle. She was so used to the busy buzz of the clan in the morning when patrols were being set and hunting parties were moving out. How could such a simple, happy life be turned upside down in such a futile way? She was so happy before it all started everything was just so peaceful and straight forward.

Breaking away from her thoughts she only just began to focus back on Treekit when the moss ball suddenly went flying over her head. Leaping up she did an awkward side flip, half landing half crashing into the ground. She popped up quickly and scampered after the ball.

"Bet you can't!" She called before clawing it into the air back to the other kit.

The two grown cats seemed to disappear to Lizardkit as she became engrossed in the little game. Even if the battle was something that tore all the clans apart maybe it would bring each clan closer to one another and keep anything like this from happening again. Then again it was in the past and the past was not something to dwell on.

[Treekit]

Treekit couldn't help but ease as Lizardkit took his challange. She had taken the battle harder than him. They had seen the same things, but she was more had been more aware of how much the battle had changed the clan overall. He could tell she missed how it used to be. It was great to be playing with her again.
As the ball landed in front of Treekit, he glanced up to a leaf sticking out of one of the dens a couple tail lengths high. Gathering up his strength, Treekit swatted the moss ball into the air. He watched as it seemed to tumble over the green surface, making it shake lightly. The moss landed back at Lizardkit's paws.
"Try hitting it over that leaf," Treekit grinned. It was a good hight for a kit, but he knew a grown cat could easily hit it over without a problem. He was sure he could hit it higher than Lizardkit- they were litter mates, so age wasn't a variable. Not only that, but he had promised himself to be a great warrior. To make a good warrior you can't just be wise, or kind, or loyal- but you also have to be strong.
I'm going to be the best warrior ever!

[Lizardkit]

Tail tip twitching she noticed Treekit relaxing. At first she thought he was just happy to be playing again but another thought struck her, Is he taking it easy on me?

Watching the other kit toss the ball into the air and over the leaf she scowled, "That's easy."

Stepping back a few tail-lengths she crouched down, wriggled her haunches and dashed towards the lump of moss. Curling her paw under it she hooked it into the air. Her confidence seemed to vanish when the ball barley missed the leaf by a mouse-length and landed beside Treekit once more.

Sitting back she growled slightly irritated at herself, "You've probably had more practice."

Nose twitching she quickly shrugged off the loss and bounced up. There was no time to pout. She wouldn't let her littermate be the best. She would have to try harder. No warrior would ever take her seriously if she gave up so quickly.

[Treekit]

Treekit twitched his whiskers in an act to prevent him from boasting as extiement poured through him.
"More practice?" he echoed Lizardkit, "We play everything together. Where would I get more practice than you?" He flung it back over the leaf, this time it barely glazed it. He was getting better. "Have another try," he encouraged as it fell to her paws. He crouched down, "I'll try to catch it."

[Nightstar]

Nightstar cringed lightly as Sunstream pulled the thorn out of her pad. "Thank you, Sunstream." She murmured, watching the ginger she-cat lap the herbs into her wounds. She glanced over at the kits, a fond look in her eyes.

"Sometimes I miss being a kit." She murmured, swishing her bushy tail around behind her, keeping her paw extended forward. "And an apprentice." She purred teasingly, swiveling her ears. "All the childish crushes~." She gave a catlike smirk, letting out a mrrow of amusement. "How about you, Sunstream?"