Poetstar's Story

In new-leaf, Poetkit and her siblings, Spiderkit and Pinekit, are born to Sandblossom and Hawkfeather. Their father and half-sister, Amberpaw, come visit them before Pinekit has opened his eyes. Amberpaw comments on Poetkit’s beautiful name, and that she heard that a poet is a cat who makes stories about StarClan and nature.

2 moons after their birth,Poetkit, Spiderkit, and Pinekit all go outside to explore the camp. They run into the deputy,Olivebranch, and he gently scolds them to stop running so fast. They apologize profusely, but Olivebranch just warmly smiles and tells them to explore the camp. This is the exact moment that little Poetkit wanted to be the deputy.

Fast forward 4 moons, and it's time for the kits to become apprentices! Midnightstar announces that Pinepaw’s mentor is Willowrain, Spiderpaw’s mentor is Stagpelt, and Poetkit  gets Smalltail as her mentor. At the end of the day, they are in their den, and Spiderpaw is complaining about Stagpelt always being on his case. Poetkit chuckles and realizes that Midnightstar’s kit, Blackpaw, is staring at her. She blushes and looks away to see that Amberpaw has joined them. They all drift off to sleep, and Poetpaw dreams of lavender filled fields.

Poetpaw and Smalltail go on a patrol with Blackpaw and his mentor. Blackpaw’s speed and agility confuse her, how can somebody be that fast? They go back to the camp after a long day of hunting.

The next day, its Amberpaw’s warrior ceremony. When she steps up and proudly says that she’ll follow the warrior code for the rest of her life, Poetpaw feels a small hint of doubt in her stomach, as she knows that Amberpaw’s mother, Flybriar, was killed because she broke the warrior code.Amberpaw is now known as Amberflurry. She hopes that Amberflurry will not be the same as her mother.

After 3 moons have passed, it is time for Poetpaw’s warrior ceremony. Amberflurry gives her a special flower that looks great against her tabby pelt. As she steps up alongside her brothers, she feels the proud gaze of Blackcave’s (Blackpaw got his warrior name) warm her heart. “Spiderpaw, you shall now be known as Spiderripple, Pinepaw, you shall now be known as Pinedusk. And Poetpaw, you shall now be known as Poetrose”.She is now Poetrose.

Poetrose has been a warrior for half a moon now, and she goes to hunt with Amberflurry and Pinedusk. She catches 2 rabbits, and Olivebranch thanks her for catching such great prey. At sun-high, Blackcave comes over and talks to her. They share small-talk about the prey and weather, and Blackcave asks her if she wants to go hunting with him the next day. She accepts, and skips away happily to Amberflurry.

2 moons later, Blackcave shyly pads over to her and stutters his request: Will Poetrose be his mate? She gleefully says yes, and the two go to their den together.

Amberflurry seems very excited about Poetrose’s new mate, and Poetrose asks her when she’ll take on a mate. Amberflurry says she doesn’t know, but she thinks she will.

A moon later, Amberflurry seems very sad and mad, so Poetrose goes over to ask what is wrong. She asks Poetrose to meet her in the forest, where they can talk in private.

Amberflurry is pregnant. With a Dustclan tom’s kits. Poetrose asks who it is, and Amberflurry replies with the worst answer ever possible: Bloodvine. When you first meet him, Bloodvine seems pretty okay, maybe even a good cat. But he killed the Emberclan’s deputy, Marshheart, and has broken the warrior code so many times, it’s astronomical. Amberflurry is 1 moon pregnant, and begs her sister not to tell anyone, because she could get kicked out of Midnightclan, or worse, killed.

Poetrose has a plan, though, and she tells her sister to trust her. Amberflurry agrees to stick with it, and Poetrose tells her the plan: Amberflurry hides the fact that she’s pregnant, by avoiding as many cats as possible. Then, they tell the medicine cat, Firewick, and try to convince her to not tell anybody. If Firewick agrees, then by the end of Amberflurry’s 2 moon pregnancy, Firewick and Poetrose will help her deliver the kits in a secret part of the forest. Then they will have to give the kits away to different clans where different queens will raise them.

2 moons passed since the day that Amberflurry’s pregnancy was known by Poetrose. Suddenly, Firewick ran up to Poetrose, telling her that Amberflurry was giving birth. They carried her to the secluded forest area, and told her to hang on.

(TIME SKIP CUZ BIRTHING IS GROSS TO ME)

Amberflurry has given birth to 4 kits, 3 she-kits and 1 tom. She names the brown and black tabby tom Batkit, she names the completely black she-kit Frogkit, she names the light brown she-kit Fawnkit, and she names the the reddish-brown she-kit Elmkit. As she lays down to see her kits, she notes that Fawnkit has a very short tail, thus adding to her name.

But like all beautiful moments, like all great things, like all wonderful stories, the time must come to an end. After admiring her kits, Amberflurry gets up and carries Batkit and Frogkit by their scruffs. Poetrose grabs Fawnkit, and Firewick carries Elmkit. They follow Firewick to the different clans. (In this warrior universe there are 4 clans, one rogue camp, and a Twoleg nest). One by one, they each carry a kit to one of the clans, where a queen will take them in and raise them as their own. It’s sad to say that they will never meet their real mother or father, but they will live happy lives, never realizing they are half clan kits. They drop off Batkit to Emberclan, where Owleyes will take care of him. They drop off Fawnkit to Hailclan, where Moontail will take care of her. They drop Frogkit off to the rogue camp, called Wasp’s camp. And finally, they take Elmkit to the Twoleg place, where she will live as a kittypet for the rest of her life. As she says goodbye to her last kit, Amberflurry whispers, “Do not be afraid to enter the forest, Elmkit. You are always welcome there.”

3 moons later, Poetrose realizes she is pregnant! Amberflurry helps her a lot, seeming to long for her kits back. When Poetrose gives birth, she almost bleeds out, but luckily Firewick had a lot of cobweb and healing herbs. When Poetrose opens her eyes to look at her amazing kits, she sees everything she has ever wanted and more. 4 small kits, one a black tabby tom, one a brown and silver spotted she-kit, and two of them opposite of each other, both black and white tabby toms. But then her heart, previously filled with joy and love for her kits, was filled with dread as she realized one of her kits, a black and white tabby tom, wasn’t breathing. She tried to wake the kit up, pushing his head up and whispering words of encouragement, but it was no use.The kit had been born dead, and would never take a breath of air, never see his mother who worked hours to deliver him, never see his clan who would love him until the very end. He would never feel. He would never see. And that hurt more than any physical pain she had ever felt before.

But she had to carry on, she had to keep going, she had to protect her remaining kits, to see them grow up, because that’s what her kit would’ve wanted. What would she name these kits? She had a she-kit and 2 toms. The brown and silver spotted she-kit would be named Petalkit, which she had come up with when she had smelled a lovely flower during her pregnancy. The black tabby tom would be Crowkit, because he had a sleek black pelt, much like a crow’s feathers. And the remaining black and white tabby tom would be Snakekit, because he was the kit who wriggled around the most. The dead kit would have an honorary name that he could use in Starclan, Rubblekit.

Her mate came to visit her and his kits in the nursery, commenting sadly on the death of Rubblekit, and that he would be missed greatly by his father. They buried him next to the river, because that’s where she had thought of the name Rubblekit during her pregnancy.

3 months later, Crowkit, Snakekit, and Petalkit were jumping around and trying to catch mice with their tiny paws. Once, Snakekit even caught one, and proudly put it in the fresh-kill pile. Of course, it was a small mouse, but a mouse nonetheless. “He will be a strong warrior one day, just like his mother.” Pinedusk commented when he saw the tabby kit practicing his battle moves on a bush.

It was time for the kits to become apprentices, Snakekit went first. His mentor was Smokypelt, and he was pronounced as Snakepaw. Petalpaw went through the same ceremony, her mentor being the deputy, Olivebranch. And Crowpaw chose the noble path of the medicine cat, his mentor being Firewick. Poetrose proudly touched noses with her each of her kits, saying how proud she was of each one of them.

Poetrose went on a patrol with her kits and their mentors to scope out any rogues or kittypets that dared to cross the border. “I found something!” declared Snakepaw. “I think it’s Dustclan? No! It’s Wasp’s camp! They’ve been here!” he shouted, warning the other cats. Snakepaw was right, it was Wasp’s camp, and it was fresh. Suddenly, Poetrose was attacked from behind by a rogue! She turned around to see who it was. It was… Frogkit? Except, bigger and angrier!

“What business do you have here? This is Wasp’s territory!” she screamed at them. Poetrose’s eyes widened, and she realized that Frogkit (or Frogpaw) didn’t recognize her.

“We’re sorry, we’ll leave.” she replied to her niece.

“Yeah, you better!”

They turned around and went back to their camp.

 

4 moons after the incident with Frogkit, Olivebranch suddenly died from greencough because Firewick didn’t have enough catmint. They mourned the death of Olivebranch for weeks. But it was time for Midnightstar to choose a new deputy. “I hope that Starclan hears and approves of my choice: Poetrose will be the new deputy!”

“Poetrose! Poetrose!” her clanmates cheered. She had never been more happy in her entire life. Her kits and mate came over to congratulate her, as did Amberflurry. This was the moment she had been waiting for her entire life, ever since she met the kind and caring deputy before her.

“I swear on my life,” she said to her clan, “I will be the most loyal and kind I can be!”

 

2 moons later, it was time for her kits to become warriors.

“ I, Midnightstar, leader of Midnightclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Snakepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?” said Midnightstar.

“I do.” Snakepaw replied

“Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Snakepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Snakestorm. StarClan honors your speed and agility, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Midnightclan.”

Now it was Petalpaw’s turn.

“ I, Midnightstar, leader of Midnightclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Petalpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?” said Midnightstar.

“I do.” Petalpaw replied

“Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Petalpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Petalpool. StarClan honors your optimism and kindness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Midnightclan.”

“Snakestorm! Petalpool!” The clan shouted the newly made warriors’ names, and Poetrose could not have been more proud of her kits in that moment. She had watched them grow into these beautiful, hardworking cats, and she was filled with joy as she watched her kits run to her, touching noses with them and watching them walk away to start their vigil.

Amberflurry was nowhere to be seen. Poetrose looked for her everywhere, she even looked outside the camp, but she was nowhere to be seen!It must be a message from Starclan! she thought. Then, she caught a trail of her half-sister scent, and followed it. She caught a glimpse of red-brown fur, and saw her sister!

“Amberflurry! Thank Starclan you’re safe!” she yelled to the cat in front of her.

“Um, hello? I’m not sure who you’re looking for, but I’m not ‘Amberflurry’. Who is she?” replied the cat, who wasn’t Amberflurry.

Who she saw was a beautiful red-brown, well groomed cat, but with yellow eyes and a collar around her neck. She looked just like her half-sister, but oh Starclan, was she surprised when she heard-

“My name is Elm, who are you?” asked the she-cat

“Oh my Starclan, Elmkit!” sighed Poetrose

“No no, it’s Elm, not Elmkit! Are you a warrior? Mama says those are cats who don’t have Upstanders.” replied Elmkit

Upstanders? Oh, Twolegs, right!

“My name is Poetrose, and you’re not going to believe me, but I am your kin. Your mother is my half-sister. And she’s not a kittypet like you.”

“What do you mean? Are you saying… that Hailey isn’t my real mom?” asked Elm, with fear and confusion in her voice.

“No, she isn’t. Your mother, who looks just like you -save for the eyes and collar- had kits with a cat from another clan, and that’s against the warrior code. She had to give you and your siblings away in order to escape getting killed. You have 3 other siblings, but they’re in different clans. You, however, were sent to the Twoleg- erm I mean, Upstanders’ place because you all had to be in separate clans. I know it doesn’t make that much sense, but I need you to trust me and help me find your mother and siblings, Elm. You are all old enough to understand that you are half-clan. Please, come with me.”

“...okay. But on one condition.”

“Yes, Elm?”

Elm ripped off her collar and threw it in the bushes, something you would never expect a kittypet to do.

“Call me something other than Elm.”

“Let’s go, Elmpaw.”

They ran into the forest, and their mission had begun.

 

Their first stop was Emberclan, where Batktit had been dropped off all those moons ago. They finally got a scent trail, and followed it until they reached the border. They spotted Emberstar, the leader of Emberclan, and went up to him. He greeted them and asked them what they wanted from him. They asked him if he knew where Owleyes, the queen that took in Batkit, was. He led them to the warrior den, and she immediately got up and asked them if it was the time. Poetrose said yes, and she led them to the apprentice den, where they saw the most handsome brown and black tabby tom they had ever seen.

“Dang,” said Elmpaw, “If he weren’t my brother I’d definitely try to get my paws on him.”

“Focus, Elmpaw”

“Right, sorry.”

At the sight of his adoptive mother, Batpaw rushed over and touched noses.

“Owleyes, who are these cats, I smell Midnightclan.” asked Batpaw, obviously suspicious of the two cats’ presence.

“Batpaw, this is going to be hard to hear, so sit down and be prepared. I am not your real mother. Your real mother was a Midnightclan cat named Amberflurry. She couldn’t keep you because your father was a Dustclan cat. She gave birth to you and your 3 siblings 8 moons ago, and gave you all away to separate clans in order to save you. Now that you are old enough to know this, you need to come back to her. Will you go with them, or do you want to stay?” said Owl Eyes.

“I...I….I want to come, but what relation do you have to my mother?” Batpaw asked Poetrose and Elmpaw

“I am your mother’s half-sister.” replied Poetrose

“I am your sister, apparently.” replied Elmpaw

“O-okay. Let’s go. Goodbye, Owleyes, thank you for raising me.”

“Always, Batpaw.” Owleyes touched their noses once more before their leave.

 

“Where’s our next stop?” asked Batpaw

“Hailclan, where your sister Fawnpaw is.” replied Poetrose

“Do I have any brothers?” Batpaw asked

“No, I’m sorry. Only sisters.” Poetrose said

“Mouse dung!” Batpaw yelled.

 

A couple minutes passed by, and they reached Hailclan. Hailstar seemed to be waiting for them, as he was pacing by the border. He caught sight of them, and ran towards them.

“She’s waiting, and she already knows the story.” said Hailstar

They spotted a small, light red-brown cat with big blue eyes padding along, a sort of shimmer in her eyes. She smiled and meowed a greeting.

“Let’s go find Frogkit.” she said, obviously ready for the trip.

They started down the path, trying to go fast because Wasp’s camp was quite far away.

“So, who’s your mentor?” asked Poetrose

“Brambleberry, I want to be a medicine cat.” replied Fawnpaw

“Excellent. Once you are all reunited with your mother, you can go back to your camps if you would like to finish your training.” said Poetrose

“I’m not going to go home, I hate being a kittypet.” said Elmpaw, sounding completely sure of herself.

Time Skip-

 

Finally, they were there. They quietly went to ask the leader, Wasp, where Frogpaw was.

“And why would I tell you?” he asked meanly

“Because I have a message from Starclan to give to her,” said the medicine cat apprentice, “It’s very important, and only for her. We may have to take her to Moonstone, but trust us. Please.”

“Hmph. Fine, she’s in her den.” admitted Wasp.

“Thank you, Wasp.” Poetrose thanked him. Even though he was dishonest and a cheater, he wasn’t always unkind.

 

They went into her den, and they tried to tell her the story. When they finally managed to get it out, Frogpaw’s eyes widened, and she finally gave in. They left the camp, all 5 of them scared and excited.

They finally reached the spot where Elmpaw and Poetrose met, and where Poemrose had found Amberflurry’s scent. They found and followed it, until they reached a clearing. There was Amberflurry!

“Amberflurry! Amberflurry!” Poetrose yelled. Amberflurry turned around, blue eyes widening, filling with tears, and soon she was running toward her kits, touching noses with all of them, sharing nervous laughs and “I missed you”s. Everybody was crying, including Poetrose.

The next day, it was time for Frogpaw, Fawnpaw, and Batpaw to go home. Frogpaw explained that she could never leave Wasp’s camp, that she made a vow. Fawnpaw was a medicine cat, and it was against the warrior code. Batpaw just couldn’t leave, he had lived in Emberclan his whole life, and didn’t really want to leave. Amberflurry understood all of her kits’ stories, and she knew she would see them at the Gathering. But Elmpaw could stay, and that was enough.

2 moons later

 

“ I, Midnightstar, leader of Midnightclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Elmpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?” said Midnightstar.

“I do.” Elmpaw replied

“Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Elmpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Elmpelt. StarClan honors your wisdom and cleverness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Midnightclan.”

“ELMPELT! ELMPELT!”

She was so proud of her beautiful niece. She was proud of everybody in her clan, and she was so proud to be the deputy of Midnightclan.

But little did she know that it would soon be her leading her clan.

2 days later

“Midnightstar, what do you want me to do?” Poetrose asked her sickly leader.

“Poetstar, I do not think I will survive this. I need you to be leader for me. Appoint a new deputy, please. Crowpelt will take you to Moonstone, and you will receive your 9 lives.” were Midnightstar’s last words.

“Midnightstar? Midnightstar!” she wailed, knowing that her leader was dead.

 

“Okay, Poetrose. Touch your nose to the Moonpool. Trust me.” said Crowpelt

 

---

Poetrose took in a deep breath as her nose dipped into the icy cold river. She opened her mouth to take a few sips of water. It was so cold that she wanted to back away, but found herself stuck in place

When she pulled her head out of the pool, she was staring at the stars, bright and shining. Suddenly, they started to get bigger and cats were approaching. Poetrose recognized some of them, but there were many unfamiliar faces, possibly of the ancestors of her ancestors.

“Poetrose,” They all called out at the same time, “are you ready to receive your nine lives?”

Poetrose nodded, trying to look as confident as possible. “I am ready!”

The first cat came up to her. A light brown tabby with speckled blue eyes.

“Ah, hello dear granddaughter. I am your father’s mother, Rosefeather. You really do have his eyes. With this life I give you Memories. Use these not just to teach lessons, but also to make new ones for the next generations.”

Next, a gray-black tabby with sparkling brown eyes cam up to her

“Hello. I am Toadstorm, an old ancestor of yours. With this life, I give you Curiosity. Use it to find new things and ideas for your clan.”

Another brown tabby with amber eyes came up to her.

“Hello, I am Mousejump, your mother’s old best friend. With this life, I give you Confidence. Believe in yourself, or nobody else will.”

Suddenly, a black tabby tom with sparkly green eyes came up to her.

“Hey, remember me? I’m Grasspaw. I died while you were a kit, but I was an apprentice. Anyways, with this life, I give you Bravery. Stand up for your clan, even when they are the ones that need standing up to.”

A gray striped cat with blue eyes hopped up to her.

“Howdy, kiddo! I’m Songfoot, an elder who used to tell your sister stories. Boy, you sure are big now! With this life, I give you Happiness. Even when nothing goes your way, you just gotta stay positive.”

A blue cat with blue eyes came up to her. There were no blue cats in her clan, ever!

“Hello, I am Bluestar. I am from a time long before yours, and a clan far away from yours. I give you the life of Patience. Always be patient with you clanmates, even when they fail and fail again. Failing is part of growing.”

She recognized the next cat slightly

“Hi, I’m Birchkit, your half-brother. With this life, I give you Trust. Trust your clanmates always, because they have promised their loyalty.”

Her heart filled with joy as she saw the next cat. A small black and white kit with green eyes.

“Rubblekit?”

“Hello, mother. It is me, Rubblekit. With this life, I give you Love. Love always, even when hate clogs your senses and mistrust blows you away, square one is always there, no matter what the problem is.”

She felt her heart sink when he walked away.

She then saw her leader, Midnightstar.

“Hello, Poetrose. With this life, I give you Pride. Always take pride in your clan, even when they have failed you, they are still your clan, and they always will be.”

They touched noses and that was her final life given.

“I hail you by your new name, Poetstar. Your old life is no more. You have now received the nine lives of a leader, and StarClan grants you the guardianship of MidnightClan. Defend it well; care for young and old; honor your ancestors and the traditions of the warrior code; live each life with pride and dignity.”

She closed her eyes and was in the cave again.

 

Her new deputy was Blackcave, and he was a good one. He gave orders just the right way, not ever judging or punishing others for their mistakes. He was kind and thoughtful, and that’s mostly why she loved him.

But 4 moons after he became deputy, disaster struck. He was stuck in the river, and had no chance of getting out. When they finally pulled him out, his last words were to his son, Snakestorm. “You,” he whispered, “try to be the new deputy. You are so much like me, and you deserve it.” With his final breath, Poetstar screamed.

 

“I say these words before StarClan, so that the spirits of our warrior ancestors may hear and approve of my choice. The new deputy of Midnightclan is Snakestorm!”

Snakestorm stood up and touched noses with his mother.

“Your father would be proud of you, Snakestorm.” she whispered.

She had been leader for many moons when the rogues attacked, and she was on her last life.

Screeches and hisses sounded all around her, blood staining the grass, dead cats everywhere.

Oh Starclan, save us!

She came face to face with Wasp, the rogues’ leader

She acted quickly, flipping him over and aiming for his throat, the most vulnerable spot. But she wasn’t quick enough.

Pain seared through her stomach. She realized that Wasp had scratched her stomach, one of the most deadly spots. She fell to the ground, trying to scream, but her voice died in her throat. Snakestorm shrieked as he realized that his mother was dying! He yelled something to his sister and brother, and they all rushed over to her.

“RETREAT!” Wasp yelled as his deputy, Asher, was killed.

“Mother! Mother!” Petalpool yelled, trying to get ahold of her injured leader.

“Petalpool, Snakestorm, Crowpelt. I’m so proud of all of you. You have grown so much. Snakestorm, as my deputy, I need you to go to Moonpool with you brother to become leader. Petalpool, Crowpelt, stay well and follow through with your duties. Do not grieve for me, for you should know that I died defending my clan, that I died contently.”

“Mother…” Crowpelt whispered.

“Goodbye, my brave kits….” Poetstar whispered back, and closed her eyes for the last time.

-

“Poetstar, open your eyes.” said a familiar voice

She opened her eyes and saw the best thing she could ever imagine.

All around her were the cats that she’d grown up with, the cats she’d loved: Amberflurry, Blackcave, her mother, father, Rubblekit, Olivebranch, Firewick. She smiled, and headed off through the path of stars.

The End