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overgrowth-wc · 1 year

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Teaselpaw is struggling to adapt to the life of a warrior, but might have an out she didn't think possible. Plus, conspiracies abound.

Teaselpaw was slumped outside the medicine den, watching the comings and goings of her clanmates with heavy lidded eyes. It had been another very hard day of training, and she was exhausted. Although it had been over a moon since she had joined Windclan, she was still struggling to adapt to their way of life. She was physically at a distinct disadvantage compared to her clanmates- her short stature and limbs just didn’t have the reach that most Windclan cats had and relied on in their fighting and hunting techniques, and finding work arounds or different techniques was slow going. To Gorsestorm’s credit, he never got overly frustrated or gave up on her- he approached the challenges with the same vaguely annoyed but dogged determination he seemed to tackle every situation with. But still, they would train until Teaselpaw couldn’t take another step. She much rather enjoyed the evenings after training was done, when she sat with Gorsestorm, Heathernose, and Kiteclaw, listening to stories and learning the different rules of Clan life. Or when Gorsestorm would let her off early, and she’d visit Kestrelcall, listening to both his advice and words about Starclan, something that seemed so wondrous to her. And then nights were spent chatting and laughing with her new friends before bunking down, safe, warm, and loved. So there were definitely a lot of positives, but… there was also the small, unsettling part of her that also just… hated training. Especially battle training- the thought of fighting another cat made her sick to her stomach, and she ate dirt in every sparring match she was in. It was anxiety inducing, squaring up against her friends, as well as embarrassing to fail in front of the other mentors. Palesky and Leafspring, Cinderpaw and Dipperpaw’s mentors, usually didn’t comment, but Shalestar was always trying to help. Her efforts were genuine, and she did offer good advice, but Gorsestorm always seemed tense and irritated whenever she got involved. Teaselpaw much rather preferred hunting practice, which was just her and Gorsestorm- she had yet to catch a rabbit on her own, but at least she could help Gorsestorm and not completely fail. As it stood, she didn’t regret joining the clan, but she was starting to seriously doubt her place in it. And then there were those strange dreams that kept happening…

It seemed almost every night she dreamed the forgotten dream, or dreamt of the tortoiseshell molly who seemed cursed to only ever whisper justice. Teaselpaw was also somewhat disquieted at the idea she knew who this molly was- Cinderpaw had told her the story of Poppypaw and Falconstar, pulling her aside one quiet afternoon when neither of them was busy. It’s hard for Dipper to talk about it, of course, he had said sadly, but Silver struggles too. She practically idolized Poppypaw, and it’s been hard for her to get along without her. That night, when Teaselpaw dreamt of the tortoiseshell, she had been struck by her similarity to Dipperpaw. But how, and why, would I be dreaming of some dead cat I never met? And then there had been that new dream last night, with the stone and the white tom and all the mint. It had left her uneasy and distracted during her training, resulting in her struggling even more than normal. Gorsestorm had dismissed her early, saying that she was no good with a busy head, and to come back when she could focus. Teaselpaw had shuffled away dejectedly at that, ending up outside the medicine den in the hope it’s peaceful atmosphere would somehow rub off one her.

“Do you have a case of feather head?” A voice mewed from behind her, making her jump. Kestrelcall emerged from the medicine den, eyes kind as he sat beside her. “I don’t have any herbs for it, but talking usually fixes it right up.” Teaselpaw blinked at him affectionately. The pale orange tom had been a constant source of quiet support since she arrived, always willing to lend an ear or a bit of advice when she needed it.

“I just… I’ve been having a hard time with training, but I already told you that.” She murmured, looking down at her dirty paws. Her fine, creamy fur seemed to attract dust and dirt, leaving her legs and feet constantly coated, something which bothered her more than she was willing to admit. Kestrelcall nodded but said nothing, watching her expectantly. Teaselpaw sighed, shuffling a bit. “And I’ve been having… strange dreams.” This came out much more hesitant, and Teaselpaw realized she wasn’t prepared to tell the medicine cat she suspected she had been dreaming of his murdered daughter. He had fixed her with a focused gaze at the comment, however, and so she knew she would have to tell him something.

“What kind of dreams?” He asked, tone light, but she knew he wasn’t going to drop the subject. Teaselpaw cast her gaze about before deciding to tell him of the strangest, and most recent, one.

“I was in a cavern, with some glowing, crystal… thing. A white tom was there, and he said he needed my help.” Kestrelcall was looking at her very intently now, and he opened his mouth to ask her-

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather for a clan meeting!” Teaselpaw whipped her head towards where Shalestar had just emerged from her den, relieved at the interruption. A quick glance at Kestrelcall revealed he was distracted, but she knew their conversation wasn’t over. He nodded over towards the gathering cats, however, and she followed him as he made his way to his customary place at the base of the Rock. Teaselpaw joined Silverpaw and Cinderpaw where they sat at the edge of the crowd, curious as to what was going on.

Shalestar was sitting atop the Rock in her typical relaxed way, tail hanging off the side and eyes half lidded. They were gleaming with excitement, however, and that got Teaselpaw’s attention enough to perk up a bit. “What’s happening?” she hissed to Cinderpaw, who gave a confused shrug.

“I don’t know,” he whispered, “but probably something good-” He was cut off by Shalestar, who was ready to begin.

“We have an important ceremony to perform today- Leafspring has informed me that Dipperpaw has completed his assessments and is ready to become a warrior.” Teaselpaw and the siblings could hardly contain their excitement at that, bouncing to their feet to look for their friend. Teaselpaw craned her head to see where Dipperpaw sat next to his mentor, a brown tabby tom with dark green eyes. Leafspring was beaming, sitting proud next to his apprentice, who looked a mix of elated and nervous.

“Dipperpaw, come forward.” At his leader’s command, Dipperpaw made his way to the base of the Rock, Kestrelcall gazing at him with a mixture of love, pride, and sadness swirling in his gaze. Shalestar cleared her throat before calling out so all could hear her clearly.

“Dipperpaw, you have trained hard for the past seven moons to complete your training. Throughout this time, you have continually showed your loyalty, kindness, and perseverance in the face of much adversity.” At this last comment, Teaselpaw saw several cats shuffle their paws or pin their ears back, looking away as if Shalestar had just scolded them. His biggest detractors, then, Teaselpaw thought to herself, shooting them a quick glare. She was happy to see that the rest of the clan looked at least supportive, if not outright excited. Hopefully they all see now that he’s a true Windclanner, just like they are. “You are ready to take on the mantle of warrior.” With this, Shalestar stood, fixing her eyes on the brilliant blue sky.

“I, Shalestar, leader of Windclan, call upon our glorious ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to learn and honor the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Dipperpaw, do you promise to uphold the Warrior Code, to honor the statutes of Starclan, and to protect your clan, even at the cost of your life?”

“I do.” His nerves seemingly settled, Dipperpaw’s eyes glowed with determination as he nodded firmly.

“Then by the powers given to me, I give you your warrior name. Dipperpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Dipperwing. Starclan honors your determination and compassion, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Windclan.”

Shalestar leapt down before Dipperwing, resting her muzzle on his head, and he gave her shoulder a respectful lick. Silverpaw was the first to call out his new name, leading her clan into cheering for their new warrior. Dipperwing gazed at them all proudly, glowing at seeing his clan truly acknowledge him for the first time. The crowd dispersed quickly, however, leaving Dipperwing with just his father and his mentor. The three apprentices pushed past their other clanmates to run over to the small group, tails lashing happily. Silverpaw, of course, was the first to skid up in front of Dipperwing

“Congratulations Dipper! How do you feel?” She purred, kneading the ground in front of her in her excitement. Cinderpaw bumped up beside her, not to be outdone.

“Ma picked a good name for you- it fits you well!” He mewed cheerily. Teaselpaw peeped her own congratulations! before moving to sit down next to Kestrelcall, letting the siblings have a moment with their oldest friend. She glanced at the orange tom next to her, a little concerned at the faraway look in his usually sharp eyes.

“Did you know this was happening today?” She asked quietly, looking to distract him from his thoughts. Kestrelcall blinked, looking down at her with a small smile.

“I did,” he meowed, casting a fond glance over at Dipperwing. “Shalestar told me this morning.” Teaselpaw hummed in response, searching for something else to say. She was interrupted by Kestrelcall’s sigh- he looked like he was about to speak when a voice called from across the camp.

“Owl chick! Come on!” She looked up to see Gorsestorm sitting by the camp entrance, waving his tail impatiently at her. She glanced up at Kestrelcall apologetically.

“Sorry,” she murmured, “I shouldn’t keep him waiting.” Teaselpaw got up to leave, wincing as she put pressure on her aching paws.

“Teaselpaw.” She looked back over at Kestrelcall, who looked unusually solemn. “Come see me when you’re done. There’s something I want to talk to you about.” Teaselpaw nodded, trying to quell the uneasy feeling in her stomach. She didn’t know what Kestrelcall would think about her dreams, but he seemed far too interested for it to be anything good. Her life was already busy and stressful- she didn’t want to add another layer to it. Giving her coat a rough shake, she trotted off towards Gorsestorm, dread pooling in her stomach at the thought of more training.

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To her surprise, however, Gorsestorm did not lead her towards the training field. Instead, he took her to a far-off corner of the territory that they hadn’t gone to on her first tour. Hopefully, you won’t have reason to go there for a while, Gorsestorm had mewed bitterly. Something must have changed since then. Her mentor was uncharacteristically silent for the duration of the journey- he was usually overflowing with instructions, or stories, or snarky comments. Now, Gorsestorm prowled forward like the giant cats of legend he had told her about, burning eyes fixed straight ahead. Teaselpaw didn’t press him, merely concentrating on keeping up with his brisk pace. Eventually, they crested a hill and Teaselpaw started, recognizing the place before her from her dreams.

Dozens and dozens of small stone piles lay before her. The row closest to her seemed to be the newest, as the rocks were not as worn and small as the piles that extended further across the top of the hill. As they drew closer, she even noticed decorations adorning some- feathers, wilting flowers, even animal bones lay before or on the stones. Gorsestorm lead her to the last pile in the foremost row. A striped feather was pinned by the topmost stone, and a small, bushy plant was growing by its base. Mint, like from her dream. It was creeping over to the stone pile next to it, which was decorated with dried poppies. Poppypaw’s grave. And this must be Falconstar’s.

Gorsestorm sat before Falconstar’s grace with a heavy sigh, and Teaselpaw was surprised to see how… miserable her mentor suddenly looked. Gorsestorm didn’t get sad or upset- irritated, yes, frustrated, definitely, but sad? It was uncomfortable to see. She sat beside him, shuffling her paws, before hesitantly reaching out to touch her paw gently to his.

“Are you alright?” She asked quietly, and Gorsestorm shot her a surprised glance, looking like he had just remembered she was there. He let out a gusty sigh, looking down at her paw touching his before looking back at the grave before him.

“Did you know Falconstar was my father?” He asked abruptly. Teaselpaw’s eyes grew wide at the admission- somehow, no one had gotten around to telling her that.

“No, I didn’t.” She said honestly. “I’m so sorry.” Teaselpaw hadn’t known her father, and to be honest she had barely known her mother, but everything she had learned about Windclan pointed to parents being very close to their children. Gorsestorm hummed in response.

“He wasn’t just my father. He was my mentor as well- my whole life, he trained me to be the next leader of Windclan. I was supposed to mentor one of Littlestream’s litter, and then I would replace Shalestar as deputy. But then he was murdered.” Gorsestorm spat the last word with such venom that Teaselpaw jumped, unnerved by the wrathful expression on his face. “And I can’t help but wonder.” Teaselpaw hesitated, before mewing a quiet question.

“Wonder… what?” Gorsestorm paused, looking down at Teaselpaw as if trying to decide something. Evidently coming to a decision, he pinned his apprentice with a deadly serious look.

“If Shalestar was the one who murdered him.”

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Teaselpaw stumbled back into camp behind Gorsestorm, mind still spinning. Her mentor had outlined his whole terribly suspicious theory. Shalestar, coveting the leadership position, decided to capitalize on the accidental death of the previous deputy and her own lucky appointment. Deciding to act before she was replaced with Gorsestorm, the rightful heir, she got the jump on Falconstar when he was out on his evening walk and murdered him. Poppypaw was an unfortunate witness turned casualty, killed to keep her from telling the rest of the clan what happened. And now Shalestar has secured the leadership position for herself and her brats, unchallenged! he had hissed. Teaselpaw shook her head as if to dislodge the memory, unable to wrap her head around it all. Surely Shalestar would never? She thought desperately. This was the cat who gave her a second chance, a home, who teased and laughed and fought and tirelessly strove to lead her clan well. She had never heard a bad word spoken of her, and Teaselpaw admired the gray molly greatly. But if Gorsestorm was right…

“Teaselpaw!” She looked up to see Kestrelcall standing a few paces away, gesturing for her to follow him. It took everything she had to not let out a wail of despair. Too much was going on- and just this morning, she had been so morose about training. Teaselpaw reluctantly shuffled over to the medicine cat, following him into the medicine den without a word. Once settled, Kestrelcall cleared his throat.

“Tell me exactly what happened in your dream.” Teaselpaw did just that, telling him of the whole surreal affair. He nodded along seriously, never interrupting, and she finally concluded with how she was swallowed by mint and awoke in the apprentice den, feeling as if it was still snaking through her fur. Kestrelcall let out a sigh, but there was a glint in his eye that was almost… excited?

“The place you dreamed of was the Mothermouth, and Moonstone inside it.” And yes, there was definitely an eager undercurrent to his words. “The tom, I believe, was Snowdrift, medicine cat of Thunderclan. I’ve been told he’s received an omen from the ancestors- we have reason to believe that medicine cats are in danger. He was told to find a cat in each Clan to help him. Apparently, you’re one of the cats he was looking for. I encourage you to meet him when he asked you to, and let me know if you need help with anything.” Teaselpaw blinked, dumbfounded.

“Me?” She let out a strangled squeak, barely able to speak past the incredulity tightening her throat. “Why me? I’m not even a real clan cat.” The last part came out before she could stop it, and she flinched, deflating as she looked down at her paws. Kestrelcall was silent for a moment.

“You are a real Windclanner, Teaselpaw. Even if you’re having a hard time of it. Tell me, have you had any other dreams, besides this one? Ones that didn’t feel normal?” Teaselpaw hesitated. There were the foggy dreams of course, which had always felt so important but were forgotten so quickly, and those she had been having for moon, even before joining Windclan. And, of course, Poppypaw…

Teaselpaw hemmed and hawed with indecision, before the fight went out of her and she decided to come clean. What more did she have to lose, at this point? And besides, Kestrelcall always knew what to do. “Before I joined Windclan I was having dreams, but I don’t remember what they were- just that they felt important, like I needed to remember. Those haven’t ever stopped.” She admitted quietly. “And then… right after I joined… I, well, dreamed of the graveyard. There was another molly there, a tortoiseshell, and she kept whispering justice, and…” the next few words caught in her throat, and Teaselpaw dared to look up at Kestrelcall. His eyes were closed as if in pain, but when Teaselpaw stopped he opened them. His yellow eyes were dim with grief, but he seemed more contemplative than upset.

“Poppypaw,” he murmured, and Teaselpaw flinched at the name.

“I think so,” she choked out, then, quickly, “but I swear, I didn’t know at first, and then I thought I was crazy-” Kestrelcall flicked his tail to stop her flood of words, but his eyes were once again kind when she met them.

“I’m not mad or upset, Teasel, you have nothing to apologize for.” The use of just her given name made her blink, as she couldn’t recall anyone calling her just that since she was made an apprentice. It made something tight in her chest ease a bit- she didn’t realize how much she missed just hearing the name her mother gave her. “I want to tell you something, then ask you something, but you don’t have to answer right now, ok?” Teaselpaw nodded mutely, eyes swimming with apprehension.

“I believe that Starclan chose you long before you came here. It wasn’t mere coincidence that brought you to Windclan, but something much more important. And I don’t just mean whatever is going on with the omen Snowdrift needs your help with, I mean that you are important to Windclan.” Teaselpaw found the words oddly… comforting. That even though she was struggling, and things seemed too much, she had a purpose. If Kestrelcall was right, then what she was feeling wasn’t needless suffering, but rather there was something she was meant to do and it was important. She was important. “And now for my question- Teaselpaw, do you think you’d like to train as a medicine cat instead of a warrior?”

Teaselpaw was once again, for what felt like the fifth time that day, blindsided.

“I… can do that?” She asked. Kestrelcall nodded in response. “But… I thought that only clan cats could be medicine cats, and Starclan chose them.”

“You are a clan cat Teaselpaw.” Kestrelcall corrected gently. “But I understand what you’re trying to say. Any cat can be chosen by Starclan, regardless of heritage- the Shadowclan medicine cat, for example, was a kittypet who received dreams from Starclan when he was just a kitten. He followed the ancestor’s guidance to Shadowclan, and has served them faithfully ever since. It would not be unusual for a similar circumstance to be happening with you. With that being said, however,” he mewed, fixing her with a serious look, “you still have a choice to make. You can train to be a warrior, if that is your wish. It is also not unheard of for Starclan to have connections to warriors as well, just much rarer. And in light of the recent omen, it is dangerous to be a healer now. Or, if you decide, you can train with me.”

“I… need to think about it.” Teaselpaw was absolutely exhausted. She didn’t think her head could fit anymore. “And I want to talk to Gorsestorm first, too.” The prickly tom had her complete trust, despite his quirks. He was just as supportive, if not more, as the rest of her friends in Windclan. Listen owl chick, Gorsestorm had said quietly, after he had, once again, easily knocked her over in a spar. When I asked Shalestar to let you stay, it’s because I saw something in you. You’ll figure this out. He had then barked at her to get up and stop moping, but she had felt something warm glow in her chest at his words. She didn’t want to abandon him, or make him think she was ungrateful. But, a part of her whispered, this sounds a whole lot better than being a warrior. She tried to picture herself in this den, learning from Kestrelcall. Studying herbs and healing, interpreting dreams, being a shoulder to lean on and a place of comfort for her clan… that sounds pretty nice. Kestrelcall nodded.

“Of course, don’t wo-”

“Kestrelcall!”

Both Teaselpaw and Kestrelcall jumped, surprised by Palesky’s sudden appearance in the den. “Littlestream- the kits are coming! Oh stars.” Palesky sat down heavily, looking blankly at the two cats before him. “The kits are coming.” Teaselpaw slowly looked over at Kestrelcall, who sprung into action. He grabbed at a few bundles of herbs, shoving a few at a startled Palesky. The pale gray tom blinked stupidly before scrambling into action at Kestrelcall’s order.

“Don’t just sit there, hurry up, take these now! Bring them over to the nursery, I’ll be right behind you!” The pale gray tom nodded shakily before rushing out of the den, herbs clutched firmly in his jaws. Kestrelcall sighed, shaking his head affectionately. He looked back over to Teaselpaw, who was still sitting in the same spot despite the ruckus.

“Take your time to think about what I said, and do talk to Gorsestorm. We can talk more about meeting Snowdrift tomorrow, if you’d like.” Teaselpaw nodded tiredly, and Kestrelcall gave her a supportive nudge before trotting out of the den. Too tired to even sigh, Teaselpaw slunk out of the den. It was beginning to get dark. Silverpaw was speaking quietly to Dipperwing in the center of the clearing, although he needed to start his vigil soon. Leaving them alone, Teaselpaw slogged over to the apprentice’s den. Cinderpaw was already asleep inside, his soft snores echoing in the emptiness of the den. It felt weird to realize that Dipperwing wouldn’t be sleeping there anymore, but Teaselpaw couldn’t put in the effort to really think about it. Instead, she collapsed on the nest near Cinderpaw, asleep as soon as her head hit the moss.

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#warrior cats fanfic #warrior cats #warriors ocs #warrior cats ocs #my writing #wc overgrowth

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