CREATUREFEST JULY 2025

[AceOfNothing]

LORE

Moon 37
   Arielpaw receives his full name. Arielecho, and feels a great joy in that. 
   Gullfeather, moving past his grief from a kit death, tells Wavestar he'll retire in a few moons. His bones ache, and he knows she doesn't need him like she used to. Wavestar and Breezethistle both try to take this news well, but the trio all have tears in their eyes the rest of the clan can't quite understand.
   Gullfeather, still, is the deputy. He takes a risk one patrol, alone, and gets a dog to chase him away from clan. He's sure the stars guided his steps as he did so.

Moon 38
   Arielecho and Sharkdance are joking around on patrol, and stumble upon a lonely kit. It hisses and swats at them, weakly, and Arielecho knows they have to take it home. They name him Algaepaw, and he wiggles his way into the clans hearts.
   A cat named Isabella finds a patrol and pounces, beyond excited. She chatters incessantly about how she's trained, how "he darkest of stars lead her to them", and how she simply must join. Breezethistle hears she can talk to ghosts and asks if that makes her a medicine cat, she says no "the rivers have other plans". 
   Wavestar let's her name herself Isabellariver and the rest of the clan seems uneasy.

Moon 39
   Gullfeather announces to the clan he will be retiring, and the clan is silent. Wavestar is suddenly alone again, up there, with so many more eyes this time, and she looks to her mother for guidance. Breezethistle is unhelpful but encouraging, motioning for her to continue, and she announces Scaleblossom as the next deputy. Cats congratulate him, he looks smug as he takes a place beside his older sister, and Isabellariver giggles about the ghosts being unhappy. 
   Isabellariver returns from a night patrol with two small kits on day, her eyes heavy with grief. Wavestar asks for her to explain, says she's very understanding that "cutting kittypet ties is hard" and that she's still a fresh clanmate so the others will understand. Isabellariver hiccups, and quietly informs the leader that the kits were her sisters, but infect has lead to her begging Isabella to give them a different life. Wavestar welcomes Basskit and Marshkit warmly, and tries to comfort her clanmate.
   Crabgrass is tasked with helping Gullfeather around for the moon, and does so proudly. While out and about an enemy warrior attacks, and Gullfeather is very impressed when Crabgrass is only bruised. The same can not be said for Sharkdance, who protects his mate from a fox and ends up injured. At least the clan is there to help him.
   Wavestar is delighted when Divebramble and Brackishtide announce they are mates, and congratulates them both. She also admits she thought they were already mates, and most of the clan seems to agree. 

Moon 40
   Breezethistle is sick and overwhelmed, and maybe is a bit too hissy with the kits. She and Wavestar, along with the rest of the clan, are surprised when Algaepaw announces during his ceremony he wants to be her apprentice instead. Wavestar allows it, much to Breezethistle's annoyance.
   Breezethistle is... not a very welcoming mentor. She hasn't had to share her space before, and this kit is always watching her, and she's still sick herself. Just a headache, but it lingers. While on a patrol, the normally quiet Algaepaw pipes up to ask her if this was a mistake. If he should have been a warrior. She looks at him, says if he wants the easy route they can switch him back, and tells him that any cat who wants the easy route won't last as a medicine cat. He purrs excitedly, saying the challenge is what he needs.
   Scaleblossom whispers to Wavestar that Algaepaw is probably their mother's from another affair, expecting her to laugh. Wavestar tries not to let his comment bug her and spends the evening with her mother and the apprentice.

Moon 41
   Colby Jacksplash is hissed at by Scaleblossom for bringing more kits to clan, claiming the other cats not even trying to be a clan cat and it shows. Wavestar attempts to greet the kits warmly and gets snarled at. She's unsure what she's done, so Isabellariver quietly explains what happened while on a walk with the leader.
   Riverstripe can tell cats are hesitant to talk to Scaleblossom, but they're clanmates! She makes a joke about the patrol choices this moon that makes cats giggle, and Scaleblossom takes it personally. He growls and attacks her, leaving the cat injured, and tells the rest of the clan he's not afraid to fight them as well.
Wavestar and Isabellariver return in high spirits, only to be informed of the commotion. No cat dares interfere in the screaming match between the leader and deputy.
   Wavestar visits the nursery again, and from a distance tells Colby Jacksplash that Spongekit and Sandkit are lovely and will fit in perfectly.

Moon 42
   Scaleblossom doesn't take his sister yelling at him well, and decides not to listen to her punishment. He gets his leg stuck in a two leg trap, and howls for hours alone, until a search party finds him. He's taken back to camp heavily injured.
   Coralhiss paces the Rueclan border like, waiting for some cat. She's angry, she's hurt, she waits hours until Wavestar makes her go home. She needs the clan to stop being unruly for a moment.

Moon 43
   Nothing too important happens this moon. Scaleblossom is still injured, Algaepaw and Breezethistle seem unable to come up with solutions. Scaleblossom wouldn't dare speak ill of his mother infront of her, but oh does he think things.
   Wavestar can't seem to relax, even with a quiet moon.

Moon 44
   Pondclan's new leader, Finchstar, challenges Wavestar to a race. She pretends to be uninterested, but soon the two leaders are racing back and forth, swatting rocks and sticks at eachother, and laughing. Most of the cats from Coastalclan find Wavestar's energy this moon to be wonderful, but in the medicine cat den Scaleblossom nearly bites his leg off, feeling bitter
   Isabellariver meets a cat from Doeclan, an arrogant older cat, who teases her clan. Riverkit tempts Isabella to kill the other cat, and she only barely avoids doing so. 
   Coal, a rogue who has been occasionally attempting to steal prey, joins the clan hoping they'll heal his green cough. They rename him Penguinmask. 
Breezethistle nearly slashes Scaleblossom's ear when he says he wants a nest further from intruders.

Moon 45
   The moons have been going well, Wavestar feels relaxed. Basskit and Marshkit couldn't be having a different reaction to apprentice hood, with Bass nearly chewing his own tail off. Wavestar pities him, and gives him to his mother Isabellariver as an apprentice. Marshpaw is given to Crabgrass, who ruffles her fur and talks about all the things they'll do. 
   Currentspeckle takes her time telling some kits and clanmates a thrilling tale. The entire clan feels alive and together. She takes a stroll that night and doesn't return. Pearldusk leads a search to find her that morning, only to find out she was attacked by a badger. 
   Breezethistle is beside herself with grief and hides away in her den, clinging to a bit of bedding until it stops smelling like Currentspeckle. Rayshimmer remains quiet, frozen, and stares at everyone, as if the world is passing around him. Wavestar has Algaepaw guide him to the medicine den with Breezethistle, and she takes care of them while Algaepaw handles the injuries of the clan alone.
   Basspaw is not going to make a good warrior, the ghosts whisper to Isabellariver constantly. He trips over his own paws, he's scared of mice and frogs, and he hates how mud feels. She approaches Pearldusk, offers a distraction, says an apprentice would help. Wavestar agrees, and silences any confused whispers from the rest of the clan. 
   With Wavestar at his side, her tail circling him from the tempered deputy, Algaepaw explains to Scaleblossom the pain is likely permanent. This injury is too severe. He growls, says the kit must have done something to make it worse, and only flinches a little when Wavestar snaps at him in warning. They have enough problems without him hurting clanmates.
   Eelnewt abandons gender, and explains they are nonbinary. Wavestar will hear no arguments, and just tells their sibling to do what makes them happy.
   Sharkdance and Craneclaw find a sick cat and take him back to the clan, Shark warning Crane to stop quiting cats who can't even stand up at the moment. 
   A few days in Beatle explains to Wavestar that his humans left him by the thunderpath, and he'd like to forget them. He takes the name Egretfreckle.

Moon 46
   Algaepaw has a lot of work on his plate, and Wavestar trues to be supportive. She begs her clanmates to be kind to the apprentice, and only has to scold one or two for lashing out. Green cough is spreading, and Algae worries he's failing.
   Algaepaw approaches Scaleblossom with a bundle of herbs to eat to help with pain, and some exercises to do. He goes to swat the apprentice, but several warning hisses from clanmates stop him in his paws. He takes the herbs and leaves, and Algaepaw goes back to tending to the clan.
   Wavestar approaches Breezethistle quietly, asks if she can help the apprentice a little, trys to get her up. Breezethistle says she helped the clan alone for moons, surely Algaepaw can too. Wavestar says he's just a kit, the clan is much bigger, but doesn't push further.
   Brackishtide, while alone with her mate Divebramble, spends the patrol complimenting the she cat. Says how luck she is, how the clan adores her, how she wishes they could do this every day. They return to camp and share some prey.
   Riverstripe and Isabellariver meet a tom named Cutie, who runs faster than any cat they've seen. He says he's far too busy to be stuck in a clan, but with Isabellariver and Riverstripe talking about him so much Wavestar sets out to find him.

Moon 47
   Spongekit and Sandkit are full of boundless energy and won't stop talking about what their apprenticeship will be like. They are apprenticed to Craneclaw and Coralhiss respectively.
   Breezethistle wakes up startled, and leaves her den for the first time in days. She is kind to her apprentice, compliments him on his hard work, and starts helping him with the workload. Algaepaw is grateful. But the nightmares get her again after a few days, and she remains unhelpful.
   Cutie is found outside the clan, and manages to dazzle his way into meeting the leader. He has hundreds of stories to tell, and no one is sure what to believe, but he's fast and he'll make a great hunter. He's welcomed with open paws and named Cutiebreeze.
   Coastalclan celebrates the announcement of Crabgrass and Coralhiss becoming mates. It wasn't necessarily expected, but maybe Wavestar missed the signs. Or maybe she's just saying that.
   Scaleblossom grows bitter, and hisses at his clanmates to quiet down. He claims that he has more rights to the clan than them, than Wavestar, who doesn't seem the least bit fased or humored by his tangents. She just tells him they can discuss it alone if he really wishes. 
   Riverstripe and Sharkdance find a young traveling healer, someone Cutiebreeze mentioned in a story, and invite her to join the clan. Algaepaw is beyond relieved, and Breezethistle can fully rest. She does need it, they know. Foambreak is sweet and helpful. The clan takes to her easily

Moon 48
   Scaleblossom doesn't feel as sore, and he gloats to his clanmates about such. When others tell him to be careful, he swats them and laughs as they flinch. Wavestar growls at him to watch himself, and tells him they need to chat. He was her apprentice once, her brother, but now she just sees an arrogant tom with a temper. She's about done with his antics.
   Fishwhisker takes a long walk alone, to clear her head, and finds a loner name Meadow padding behind. He follows her home, and he takes the name Meadowmoss.
   Sharkdance and Arielecho find an injured cat named Caakiri and take her back to the clan with very little fuss. Scaleblossom takes all the credit for finding another injured cat named Thunderdaze, and Craneclaw admits he was a bit unhelpful. But he knows some of the worst from outside, and while Wavestar asks him to stop questioning every cat he sees, she understands his hesitation.
   Scaleblossom, not accepting this small victory as just that, takes the time to say how if it was up to him they'd exile loners after their injuries healed. The clan, which Wavestar knows is heavily made up of rogues, loners, and kittypets, shrinks down under the deputy's mocking words.
   Wavestar has had enough. She doesn't yell, doesn't scratch, doesn't hiss, doesn't bite. She just summons the deputy to her den and strips him of his title. He hisses that starclan will make her regret that, and she warns him that they'll exile him if he doesn't learn to stop hissing at his safety net.
Clan Age: 4 years
Cat number: 30
Food: Great!
Medicine: Great!

SET UP/EXPLANATION

I had to take a day to process this year I'm not joking this one got me. Currentspeckle really just peaced out and Scaleblossom decided to let being deputy go to his head???? Nothing about his personality screams "I'm gonna start a fight" but mans was determined to be an ass. Can't believe he attacked Riverstripe, like hello??? Clangen didn't want me to like this cat.
Isabellariver is a weird ass cat I adore her. She demanded to join the clan, she's vengeful, and she sees ghost. She's also got Heterochromia, she's my weird cat and I love her



Anyway I do want to say: I'm not opposed to an "evil deputy", but Scaleblossom seems determined to attack the clan. And Wavestar, after the flood, can't imagine turning away Any Loners. He just doesn't work as her deputy.
I plan to, when we have a new leader, follow their lead. It won't be Scale though. But if they're vengeful, I expect war. 

So Also: Mass extinction is here. This could be nothing, but it's possible now. I also took off "Unknown second parent" for now because I Would like some kits from the clan. They're still ignoring gender, and technically they're allowed to have affairs. Wish them luck