Poplarpounce

basic description > Large reddish-brown rosette tabby tom with bright blue eyes, extra toes on his front paws, and a folded ear.

build > Large and muscular with a wide chest and big paws
fur description > Thick and long, surprisingly well-kept
breeds > Moggy

height > 33 cm
weight > 12 lbs
voice > Max Bemis
scent > Lotuses and fresh water

scars > N/A
accessories > Familiar (Brown Recluse Spider)
banned traits > N/A

Positive Traits
positive >
    >> Confident > Poplarpounce practically brims with confidence, always carrying a strong pose and standing proudly against everything. He has very little doubt in his actions and is ready to face the world, if he needs to. If someone needs him to do something, he doesn't hesitate to offer his paw in doing so.
    >> Charismatic > He not only enjoys conversing with others, but he also has a natural knack for it. Cats naturally flock towards him, eager to hear what he has to say, and ever word is woven with eloquence and charisma. He is never without someone to talk to, and Poplarpounce genuinely enjoys the conversations he has.
    >> Intelligent > Despite his personality and the way he acts, Poplarpounce is actually incredibly intelligent. He can be fed information and will retain it for the future, even expand on said information. He always seems to come up with solutions and facts on the whim, and he hardly has an issue with being stumped.

neutral >
    >> Influential > If someone needs a leader, Poplarpounce will be a leader. He knows how to sway the crowd with his words and put in a good word for his motives, albeit the motives may not always been in the best interest of everyone. In fact, most of the time, when he acts as leader, it is never a good thing. Yet, he is so influential, it is hard not to want to follow along with his antics.
    >> Flamboyant > If it is not with style, then he doesn't want to do it at all. Poplarpounce puts his everything in even the smallest of steps that he takes, ensuring that he is the star of the show. Others may think he's a bit extra in doing so, but he doesn't care; he just wants to look good.
    >> Independent > Poplarpounce relies more on his own self than anyone else. It's not that he does not trust others to get things done, it's just that he believes he can do it better. And even when he does it wrong, he doesn't like to admit he did, and will continue to work alone.

negative >
    >> Selfish > Everything Poplarpounce does is for Poplarpounce. If something doesn't benefit him, chances of him doing it will be slim. He lacks any sense of compassion and wellbeing for others, often putting them in danger, most of the time unintentionally so. But if it's for him, he thinks it's all worth it.
    >> Sly > In his own mischievousness, Poplarpounce knows how to twist words and actions to get what he wants. He has a sharp tongue and sharper claws, and sometimes, it can be difficult to tell when he is speaking truth or lie. Poplarpaw simply enjoys being the one in control, and others never seem to know what his true intentions are because of it.
    >> Arrogant > Poplarpounce lets his own self-worth and skill get the better of him, giving him a terribly big ego. He puts himself on a high pedestal and thinks that the world is naturally better with him in it. He sometimes, however, will take his own skills and worth to extremes, and end up proving why he is not all that. Not that it matters to him; he will always think--and prove--that he is the greatest.

Parents
 parents >
    >> Peachfur > Mother > Light strawberry blonde tabby she-cat with pale green eyes > Played by RubyRose364 > Deceased
    >> Hemlockfang > Father > Dark brown rosette tabby tom with amber eyes > Played by Spacecat011 > Deceased

siblings >
    >> Sprucefrost > Sister > Reddish-brown rosette tabby tortoiseshell she-cat with golden eyes > Played by Zodiac-Dream > Alive
    >> Trout > Brother > Brown tabby tom with green eyes > Played by RubyRose364 > Missing 
    >> Tangerinejaw > Brother > Light reddish-brown rosette tabby tom with green eyes > Played by CGIspector > Alive
    >> Hazelbloom > Sister > Red-and-black tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes and folded ears > Played by Living-In-Anime > Alive
    >> Apricotshell > Sister > Reddish-brown rosette tabby tortoiseshell she-cat with yellow eyes and extra toes and folded ears > Played by Melontine > Alive

mate >
    >> N/A

kits >
    >> N/A

extended >
    >> Cherrypetal > Maternal Grandmother > Thin white she-cat with strawberry blonde patches and pale blue eyes > NPC > Alive
    >> Lycanfang > Maternal Grandfather >Stocky platinum tabby tom with striking green eyes > NPC > Alive
    >> Lilacflick > Paternal Grandmother >Brown rosette tabby she-cat with amber eyes and extra toes > NPC > Missing
    >> Rockslash > Paternal Grandfather > Dark grey tabby tom with yellow eyes > NPC > Deceased

    >> Rosefall > Maternal Aunt > Tall strawberry calico tabby with green eyes and a lion-like tail > Played by codesii > Missing
    >> Lotusbreeze > Maternal Uncle > Light strawberry blonde tabby tom with pale green eyes > Played by GlaceonSky > Deceased

    >> Yarrowpaw > Paternal Aunt > Grey rosette tabby with grey eyes > NPC > Deceased

kithood [ 0 - 6 moons ] >
   Hemlockfang and Peachfur are well-respected EmberClan cats that decided to become mates, not out of love but out of duty and desire for extending their families. It would not be long that they would be expecting kits; it was a big family they wished for, and a big family they were given.
   Poplarkit was the second-born of their six-kit litter. Before him was his elder sister, Sprucekit, and he was followed shortly by his two brothers, Willowkit and Tangerinekit, and his two younger sisters, Hazelkit and Apricotkit. His parents made it quite clear the moment they were able to understand them how there would be a lack of true love in their family and how they expected much from their kits. As their personalities began to grow, Hemlockfang and Peachfur especially put this pressure on Sprucekit, Willowkit, and Tangerinekit. Apricotkit also yearned to make them proud, ensuring that she would do everything right and become someone worth their attention. Poplarkit and his sister, Hazelkit, on the other paw, thought otherwise.
   While Hazelkit wasted her potential, rather becoming more laid-back and preferred to watch the others fight for their parents' attention. Poplarkit, however, simply didn't care. He did things for himself. And, often times, this meant simple chaos. He cared little for his littermates or their own antics, and instead enjoyed causing mischief. He was smart, yes, but he never put that intelligence to good use. At least, not in the eyes of his parents. He ended being looked down upon for the most part in his family, really only properly getting along with Hazelkit. But that was okay with him. Who needed them when he had himself?
   The nursery was terribly crowded at the time that Poplarkit and his littermates were born. On top of them, there were three older litters of ten kits total, as well as a few other kits and queens. It made Poplarkit all the more thankful that, not long after his birth, six of them were apprenticed and moved out of the nursery along with their parents. It didn't make too much of a dent, though, as one of the pregnant queens gave birth to four she-kits around the same time. They weren't much younger than Poplarkit, but looking at them, they were so small. Save for the big brown tortoiseshell one, who Poplarkit actually came to find interesting. As she grew up, Monarchkit became his only friend in the nursery. They enjoyed causing problems together when Monarchkit wasn't spending time with Hyacinthkit. Thankfully, Hyacinthkit and her littermates became apprentices a moon later, which allowed Monarchkit more time to spend playing games with Poplarkit.
   Supposedly, leafbare had come early as the snow piled up outside of the camp and caused the prey to grow scarce. The warriors and apprentices became noticeably thinner and some sick. Poplarkit hardly noticed these changes. On top of being a big kit himself to help combat the cold, he was a kit; he was one of the clan's first priorities for nutrition. His parents were adamant to ensure their kits only got the best care, and while they definitely didn't show Poplarkit the same care as they did some of the other kits, he was still there in their care.
    Besides, at least the sick cats, whenever there were any, would have the benefit of a second medicine cat! On top of the many kits becoming apprentices, Yewberry chose one of them to become his apprentice. Not that this mattered to Poplarkit. He found medicine and herbs boring and had zero interest in the idea of the position anyways. His heart yearned for the thrill of battle and warriorhood that his father always talked about.
   Things were as usual until Poplarkit and his littermates were nearing their third moon. One day, while Poplarkit was messing around in the bedding with Monarchkit, Cricketstorm, a senior warrior near his mother's age, had come in asking to see Peachfur--demanded it, in fact. His mother, ever the dense cat, agreed to talk in private. While Monarchkit looked at the tom in fascination however, Poplarkit noticed something was off--Cricketstorm looked upset, angry even. He led Peachfur out of the nursery, and Poplarkit, ever the mischievous cat, was ready to follow them. He prompted Monarchkit to come with, who agreed simply over the idea of seeing Cricketstorm in action. They didn't approach the two directly, though; Poplarkit was quick to shove Monarchkit behind a boulder to peek behind. They couldn't hear much at the beginning, the two older cats speaking calmly, but it was quick to escalate into hissing and shouting, mostly from Cricketstorm. He looked like a cat ready to attack, and Poplarkit half expected him to. He was going on about something to do with kits--him and his littermates? Something about how she should love them and let them live. Poplarkit snorted; he was living just fine as far as he was concerned. Peachfur tried to defend herself, saying she loved them, but Cricketstorm only cut her off, going so far to call her heartless. It was like Peachfur had been hit, and suddenly, she looked so small as she started to stumble and falter over her words with Cricketstorm standing over here. He could no longer hear what his mother was saying as her shouting turned to mumbling. She looked pitiful. Just as quickly as she had fallen, she had gotten up and, with parting words to Cricketstorm, turned to make her way back to the nursery. Poplarkit, disappointed in the lackluster ending, cursed before getting up. He had to practically push Monarchkit back to the nursery before his mother got back, and they were lucky to make it there just before she returned.
    After that day, Peachfur had changed. She tried to show everyone in the litter equal love and care--she tried to be a mother. She even gave him and Hazelkit more attention, which was really weird. Poplarkit wasn't sure he liked it. What he did like was seeing her and Hemlockfang fight. Hemlockfang didn't see sound reasoning in her change, and when she tried to coax him to be easier on Tangerinekit and be nicer to the others, he only more upset. Poplarkit watched with satisfaction; they deserved this tension and struggle after the dung they had put him and his littermates through. Not that he felt anything towards it all, but it was still good. Just because his mother changed didn't mean he did, though. He continued to keep his distance from his family, save for sometimes Hazelkit, and watched with amusement as Apricotkit got frustrated with the change.
    The nursery, on the other paw, had continued to grow. More queens, and more kits. Most of them Poplarkit didn't care for. One of them, though, he was fascinated with. This was Cinderwhisper's son, Dacekit. At first, Poplarkit was only annoyed by the young tom-kit's energy. But as Monarchkit became friends with him, she tried to convince Poplarkit to give him the benefit of the doubt. So he did--haphazardly. Rather, he found it amusing how easy it was to get Dacekit to go with his plans, no matter how troublesome they were. He wasn't exactly a friend to Poplarkit, but he wasn't someone that Poplarkit pushed away, either. It made Monarchkit happy, at least. And Poplarkit got his amusement out of it.
   More kits born, more sickness, and more death. One of those deaths was Hyacinthpaw, Monarchkit's best friend. She had fallen through the ice and drowned, which Poplarkit wasn't quite sure he understood. Weren't they EmberClan cats? Was swimming not naturally coded into them? He tried his hardest not to mock these notions in front of Monarchkit, knowing how much the older she-cat had meant to her, but he couldn't help but roll his eyes at the thought of it every time it was brought up. He especially learned to bite his tongue when Monarchkit's younger sister, Bluekit, also died from the same thing--drowning. That he couldn't make fun of, even if he wanted to. Poor Monarchkit went through a lot in that little time, and Poplarkit couldn't relate to her. The best he could do was keep her mind off of it, which wasn't easy, but what else was he supposed to do?
    There was something about hungry coyotes at one point that attacked some EmberClan warriors. All Poplarkit knew about it was that a patrol had come back, bringing three lifeless bodies with them. He had no relations to these cats, though apparently they were also Monarchkit's family. There were also whispers about another warrior running away, leaving the clan after the death of these clanmates. How lame. Though Poplarkit figured it was every cat for themselves, and he guessed that cat was just doing what they thought was best for themselves. Good for them, then, he guessed. He shrugged it all off, quite unconcerned with all of the drama and the death.
    That is, until, Hemlockfang died. Poplarkit's father apparently had been starving himself to ensure his kits got the food that they needed. Well that was stupid. Poplarkit, personally, was pretty unaffected by Hemlockfang's death. After all, the strict warrior rarely gave him a second glance, so why should he? He didn't really care that he was gone. Some of his littermates, on the other paw, were hit harder with it. Apricotkit, especially, was upset and angered at his death. As if she didn't hate him and their littermates enough, she always seemed to send them more glares after Hemlockfang's passing. Poplarkit didn't care; if he ever caught her eye, he'd just stick his tongue out at her. She was just a sore loser. Tangerinekit and Sprucekit seemed conflicted by his death. Even Hazelkit seemed confused about the whole ordeal. The only one that seemed to silently agree with Poplarkit on Hemlockfang's death was Willowkit, though the two never talked to each other about it. Willowkit was already too much of a downer for Poplarkit, he didn't want to start being able to relate to his brother. This was just another stepping stone in their family's problems, and Poplarkit was not about to be a part of it all.

apprenticeship [ 6 - 12 moons ] >
    Thankfully, he wouldn't have to deal with the drama of his family for much longer. Quickly after Hemlockfang's death, he reached his sixth moon, and he was becoming an apprentice. He wasn't, personally, looking forward to the crowd that would be the apprentice den, but surely it had to be better than the nursery.
    He was named Poplarpaw at his apprentice ceremony--as expected, of course--and he was given a warrior named Sleetpuddle for his mentor. His ears didn't miss the surprised murmurs across the camp at this announcement; some seemed surprised, or in disbelief. Poplarpaw's interest piqued. What was so concerning about his apprenticeship? Or... was it his mentor? It only made him smile, as he realized if his ceremony would be this interesting, then his apprenticeship would be just as entertaining.
    Of course, his littermates became apprentices, too. And thankfully, a good portion of the apprentices became warriors as well, helping with the space issue in the den. And he knew it wouldn't be long until many more of them would move out as they also approached their warrior assessments. He was quick to make himself at home in the apprentices' den, finding one of the best nests to claim for his own. He didn't have much time to make his arrangements when he was called out for his first training session. Though it seemed less of a training session and more of an interrogation. Poplarpaw wanted to know about his mentor after such a spectacle. Surprisingly, Sleetpuddle was honest about it; he told Poplarpaw about his wrongdoings in the past, having worked with a Dark Forest cat as her spy. He told Poplarpaw that he had been manipulated, by both her and a former EmberClan warrior, who was killed in the aftermath. He stated that he had changed his ways and learned how to be a true warrior, but at that point, Poplarpaw wasn't listening. He just wanted to hear the interesting stuff, and it definitely was interesting. Dark Forest? Now, he was already pretty skeptical about the whole StarClan thing, but no one ever told him about the Dark Forest.
    Apparently, Sleetpuddle was close with Opossumsnap, Apricotpaw's mentor. The two tried to train them together, but it hardly ever ended up well. Apricotpaw just always seemed so angry, and Poplarpaw never took her seriously. Eventually, it seemed the mentors caught on that it was useless trying to work them together, and though they sometimes were still pushed together because of the relationship between their mentors, Poplarpaw and Apricotpaw were kept apart most of the time.
    Especially when Apricotpaw decides to be a fishbrain and go get herself injured. One day, a border patrol came back only to realize Apricotpaw, who was with them at the time, had disappeared. It seemed to become a whole thing as a search party was created to go find her. Poplarpaw was glad that Sleetpuddle didn't join in and drag him with him. Apricotpaw needed to be taken down a notch or two anyways, and perhaps this was the universe's way of doing so. She did eventually get found, but with injuries. She had been caught in a twoleg trap that ensared her leg, and a fox attacked her while she was stuck. Poplarpaw snorted when he heard this; he thought Apricotpaw was smart, yet she got herself caught in a twoleg's trap? How pitiful. He was half tempted to visit her in the medicine den just to smirk at her failure, but he also didn't want to waste his time on it when he should be training. So he was quick to push his injured sister out of his mind to return to his own work, passing the medicine den often without any thought about her.
    Another moon passed, and many of the apprentices in the den were promoted to warriors, offering even more space. Though Stormfire's kits became apprentices the same moon, and they moved in, taking the place of some of them. Unlike the older apprentices, who only annoyed Poplarpaw, he was pretty welcoming towards Monarchpaw and her sisters. He, personally, was thankful to have his friend back. It was boring without her. Skipperpaw was also apprenticed to Piketongue, Sleetpuddle's other mate alongside Opossumsnap, so he began finding himself training alongside her. Better than Apricotpaw, at least.
    Then one day, the camp was attacked by a large fish. Well, not the entire camp, but the fish tried to eat a kit. By protecting the kit, an old elder named Lightningheart died instead, being taken by the fish into the water. It seemed to shock many of the cats around the camp, but Poplarpaw was just fascinated. Who knew there was a fish that big out there? Was there another phenomenon out there that he didn't know about? Was this like the Dark Forest thing? He wanted to know more, but he kept quiet as everyone else mourned, irritated that he couldn't share his interests with someone.
    Apricotpaw was released from the medicine den about a moon after her accident, and she was allowed to return to training. Of course, this meant Poplarpaw would have to deal with her again as Sleetpuddle and Opossumsnap and Piketongue tried to train them and Skipperpaw together. Having Skipperpaw around helped, if a bit, but also it seemed Apricotpaw had changed since her injury. She still always gave him the cold shoulder and glares, but she seemed less motivated. It wouldn't normally bother Poplarpaw, except that it made training a pity party. Seriously, did she think it was okay to put down the rest of them just because she messed up? He brushed off her new attitude, promptly ignoring it when they trained. If she didn't want to improve, that wasn't his issue.
    When his uncle announced that he was stepping down from being EmberClan's deputy, Poplarpaw didn't really react. Lotusbreeze and him were never very close, especially given their different personalities. Besides, Poplarpaw sometimes wondered if his uncle wasn't too soft and languid for the duty of deputy. He figured only time would tell, though when it was Sleetpuddle's mate, Piketongue, chosen for deputy, he could see the excitement and pride in his mentor's eyes. It only made Poplarpaw roll his. What was so great about being deputy anyways? Whatever, he figured he ought to give his mentor and his mate some sort of congratulations, but he was quick to push Sleetpuddle on with his training afterwards.
    One day, it was announced that Tangerinepaw would be resuming his training under Monarchpaw's mother, Stormfire. Poplarpaw didn't really care for the reason why, but Monarchpaw made it his issue when he told him; Addersong, Tangerinepaw's former mentor, had to move to the nursery to care for Dacekit and his sisters because their mother passed away. Poplarpaw never knew Cinderwhisper, though he figured he should show some form of empathy for his younger acquaintance. Monarchpaw was much better at it though, and after Poplarpaw even tried once to be nice about it, he stepped away to continue his training. Dacekit would soon be an apprentice and forget about his mother's death anyways, right? And Monarchpaw seemed pretty excited at the idea that she would get to train with her mother and Tangerinepaw. That irritated Poplarpaw a bit; wasn't he her friend? Whatever.
    It was around the new moon when Petaldrift was seen continuously coming and going from camp. She always seemed a bit of a weird cat as is, but this was beyond her usual actions. Someone finally managed to stop her and ask if she was okay, and Poplarpaw managed to catch a few words from their conversation--'Willowpaw' and 'missing', to be more specific. So his brother was missing? Poplarpaw couldn't help but huff at that. Of course it would be Willowpaw of all of them to go running off and disappearing. He always so blatantly showed his disdain for EmberClan, it was a shock as to why he hadn't ran away sooner. Poplarpaw was never really close with him--or any of his littermates, for that matter--but he was the closest he could probably relate to, next to Hazelpaw. Monarchpaw once asked him a few days after Willowpaw's disappearance how he was holding up, and Poplarpaw merely shrugged. They shared blood, but that was about it. Perhaps Willowpaw was living a better life out there, wherever he was. It had nothing to do with Poplarpaw.
    Besides, the clan had bigger concerns to deal with when, nearly a moon later, Lotusbreeze was found severely injured. A patrol had been quick to bring him back to camp, but by the time he arrived, he was gone. They hadn't even been able to get any information out from him about what had happened. His mysterious death had everyone worried, especially given that there was still that large fish around and the rising water levels. What could have killed the former deputy? No one could make sense of it, and they figured the best thing to do for now was to mourn for Lotusbreeze and give him a proper burial. That was good and all, but Poplarpaw didn't find himself attending his uncle's vigil like his mother, and he didn't care how his death affected his littermates. He had training and mischief to get to.
    Except that something pertaining to Lotusbreeze's death did bother him. Lotusbreeze was Monarchpaw's mentor, meaning that his friend needed to be reassigned. And who did Reedstar decide to give her to? His own beloved mother, Peachfur. Poplarpaw found himself sticking his tongue out in blatant disgust at the news, and he couldn't stop complaining about her to Monarchpaw back in the apprentices' den. Worry is not typically a word in his vocabulary, but he genuinely was concerned that his friend wouldn't get adequate training under his mother, especially while she was grieving over Lotusbreeze. Sure, his mom was tough, he guessed, but she has never been the same since Hemlockfang died. It didn't matter to Poplarpaw, but he wasn't going to let Peachfur ruin his best friend, too. Monarchpaw reassured him, though, and she told him that she would talk to Reedstar if it ever got bad or she felt like her training was lacking. Poplarpaw was skeptical, but after much prodding and begging from her, he could only sigh and agree with her. That didn't mean he wasn't going to be watching them from the sidelines, though. He would decide if her training would be good.
    At least Monarchpaw was distracted from the loss of her mentor, as she and Poplarpaw got to welcome Dacepaw to the apprentices' den. He and his sisters all became apprentices not long after Lotusbreeze's deaths, and Monarchpaw, especially, seemed excited to have Dacepaw in the same den as them. Poplarpaw only rolled his eyes, but he also nudged the smaller tom with a light jab as a way of welcoming him. He had a feeling he wouldn't get to train with him that often, given Sleetpuddle's adoration for his mates and their constant training with them and their apprentices, but they could probably convince their mentors to give them a few training sessions here and there. He practically already had Sleetpuddle agreeing to anything he asked for, unless it came to asking more about the Dark Forest. That made Poplarpaw pout, but it never lasted long. At least there was finally a lack of melancholy in the apprentices' den.
    It was about half a moon later that things suddenly got really weird. It started when Monarchpaw returned with the other EmberClan cats from a gathering and told Poplarpaw that they found some rogue by the name of Wild dead. Wild? Wasn't that one of the cats that Sleetpuddle mentioned in his stories about the Dark Forest? She also tended to have an infamous name in EmberClan, too, so it's not like he hadn't heard of her. Maybe someone finally snapped and took revenge on her. Or maybe an animal. Who knows, but it was not their problem. She wasn't an EmberClan cat anymore.
&nbp;   What was their problem was when Reedstar lost his first life a few days later. That wasn't the worse of it though. The old leader began to act strange after the loss of their first life, and everyone could tell that something was up. Poplarpaw would watch with curious eyes from the other side of the camp, curious about the sudden changes in the leader's demeanor, though it was simply out of amusement that he did this; he didn't care if there was something wrong in Reedstar's head. Though, he certainly didn't appreciate his training getting interrupted when he heard Reedstar arguing with someone from outside camp. Or the fact that Sleetpuddle was beyond worried for them, with them being his older sibling. Poplarpaw would constantly insist that the leader was probably just struggling to cope with the loss of his first life and prompt Sleetpuddle to move on with their lessons. After all, dying probably wasn't a good experience, was it? It would probably make any cat lose a bit of sanity to die and come back, knowing they would have to do it all over again. He was glad he only had one life to deal with, and he intended to keep it like that.
    And having a new medicine cat in their ranks would help him live out that one life to the fullest. Briarshade was deemed a full medicine cat and was given her new name. Though she would continue to work under Yewberry until he retired or died, it was more reassuring knowing that they would have two fully trained medicine cats. They could easily split their work and tend to twice as many cats, right? That made Poplarpaw content, knowing his life would likely be in good paws should he ever get injured.
    Well, that didn't last long, unfortunately. A couple of days later, late into the night, Poplarpaw was rudely awoken from screaming and yowling. He was about to yell back to shut up until he felt the water pooling quickly at his legs. He jumped back in surprise only to see that the water was everywhere. It was a flood. And it was massive. Poplarpaw was quick to act in shaking awake his denmates--though Monarchpaw took awhile to wake up, how does she sleep that easily?--and book it out of the apprentices' den. He didn't stay to help anyone else; his life was the only one on his mind. In fact, his denmates were lucky to get as much generosity out of him as they already did, because Poplarpaw escaped quickly to the entrance. He was among the first of the cats to leave the camp, and he groomed down his soaked, spiky pelt while the others filed out after him.
    Unfortunately, though, not everyone made it. There were quite a few cats that Poplarpaw didn't know that died, but there were also quite a few that he did know in passing. Piperpaw, Dacepaw's sister, was one of them, but she was a mere denmate to him. Yewberry and Reedstar, however, hit the entire clan. Both of them were lost to the clan, either taken by the water or dispersed in the wrong place, who knows, but they never showed back up after the flood. The clan was suddenly without their leader and their senior medicine cat in the midst of the chaos that was their flooded home. Thankfully, though, Piketongue was quick to pick up her role as leader and start figuring out something with the senior warriors.
    It was clear that the cats needed a place to stay for a bit. Where, though, was the true question. Piketongue--who was named Pikestar after the whole ordeal settled--suggested the twoleg cabin by Crystal Inlet. At first, everyone seemed to agree with the idea, but of course there just had to be one cat that would say no. And that cat was Apricotpaw. Of course, she had a sound reason for not liking the idea; she was found there in a twoleg trap not a few moons ago. Who would want to go there after that? But after Peachfur agreed with her and suggested Bathing Boulders for a place to say, her mind suddenly changed and thought the cabin to be a great idea. Poplarpaw rolled his eyes. Changing her mind just to disagree with their mother? Yeah, that was real smart.
    Peachfur continued to Bathing Boulders, despite the words of discouragement from Cricketstorm. Tangerinepaw and Hazelpaw decided to go with her, much to Poplarpaw's lack of surprise, and Parsleyseed, too, went with them. But they were the only ones. Everyone else gathered together to make their way to the twoleg cabin. It was no question to Poplarpaw as to where he was going; the twoleg cabin provided some form of shelter, not to mention it meant no nagging from the cat he was supposed to call mother. Not to mention the twoleg cabin sounded terribly interesting with plenty to explore and get into. At least he would have Monarchpaw and Dacepaw with him, though given Piperpaw's disappearance in the flood, he figured the latter wouldn't be up for mischief and fun for awhile. He figured he could give the young tom some space for a bit; at least he would have plenty to keep him occupied.
    As he thought, the twoleg cabin was fascinating. Poplarpaw found himself exploring every nook and cranny of the cabin's outside, and he did find some holes that, when entering them, would bring him to the inside. The clan was collectively lucky that there were no twolegs there just yet, and Sleetpuddle told Poplarpaw to remained outside of the cabin while they were there. But that was boring, and Poplarpaw found himself exploring it even more when he had the chance.
    Though he had to find a time in between training and sneaking around to, once again, attempt comforting a cat. Monarchpaw's mother, Stormfire, suddenly died about a quarter moon after the flood happened, and upon inspection, Briarshade determined that she had developed an infection from swallowing water during the flood and never got treated. Tangerinepaw needed to be reassigned again, and Pikestair ultimately gave him back to Addersong, but that didn't matter to Poplarpaw. He was upset that his best friend was sad. Monarchpaw didn't deserve any of this! But he was terribly at this whole comforting and sympathy thing. So he found himself giving her space, though at night, he slept close to her to give her the best support that he could provide. He didn't understand the meaning of losing someone you were close with, given he wasn't close with his father or uncle, but he hoped Monarchpaw would feel better soon.
    In the meantime, Poplarpaw continued to focus on his training and exploring. It had been about a moon after the flood did Pikestar name Thrushbriar the clan's deputy, but Poplarpaw could case less. At this point, he didn't bother learning who was deputy if they were just going to step down or become leader later on. He'd rather wait to see where they went afterwards. Instead, he continued to find ways into the twoleg cabin and investigating all of the strange things that twolegs had in the cabin. There were some weird things in there, and he even found pelts of animals in here. He was curious about that, deeming them not cat pelts, but he couldn't discern what they were before he was called back. Thankfully, no one really seemed to see him going into the cabin and staying for long periods of time, but there were a few times where he was disciplined or put on elder duties for continuing to sulk around the holes he found. Personally, though, Poplarpaw found the punishment worth it.
    Patrols began to visit camp around this time, too, to see if they would be able to return to camp soon. News went around the clan that the water levels were going down, and though the camp required a lot of repair, they would be able to return soon. So the next few patrols sent would be warriors that worked towards rebuilding the camp, while the others continued keeping shelter at the twoleg cabin. Well, save for those in at Bathing Boulders, until coyotes decided that they weren't safe anymore.
    It was just mere days before EmberClan returned to their camp that Parsleyseed approached the twoleg cabin with Tangerinepaw and Hazelpaw behind him. He announced that coyotes had attacked them at Bathing Boulders, and while they were relatively okay, Peachfur died in the attack in her attempts to protect them. Perhaps a kit was supposed to feel something when they hear their mother had died, but Poplarpaw felt indifference. Her death was like any of his other clanmmates dying. He was never close with her, and he didn't have any special connection with her. He was even more confused at the confliction that flickered on his littermates' faces upon receiving this news. He didn't comfort them, though, thinking they would move past it soon. They likely were just experiencing some strange feeling towards losing a mother, even when she wasn't that great of a mother. He didn't attend her vigil once they retrieved her body, choosing to remain at Monarchpaw's side instead, who was Peachfur's apprentice and needed to be reassigned, and after they buried Peachfur, Parsleyseed, Tangerinepaw, and Hazelpaw moved into their shelter at the twoleg cabin for the last couple of days that they were there.
    Knowing that they would be leaving soon, Poplarpaw wanted to try and learn as much as he could about the twolegs through their cabin before returning to camp. He figured he wouldn't have anymore time to do so between training and his eventual warrior duties. So he spent the day in the twoleg cabin, even going so far as to ignore the calls of his name later on. This time, he explored the few levels of the cabin, though he found himself most interested in the lowest level. It had a chill in the air, which was quite refreshing on his thick fur. It was dark and bleak, with some wood and coal down there as well as what looked to be stores of twoleg food. It was a weird place to store food, especially when he saw a rat scurry past towards a hole in one of their stores. Poplarpaw watched with fascination before continuing to scan the room. His eyes suddenly halted when a spider landed on his nose, and his ears perked as he practically went cross-eyed to look at it. The spider seemed quite harmless as it stared back at him, and it didn't move until Poplarpaw sneezed it off.
    The spider climbed its string of web back to its home in the corner, and Poplarpaw watched it with increasing curiosity. He found himself entranced by the beauty of the web that it had spun, the intricacies of every loop and thread. Something about it all pulled him in, and he leaned forward to get a better look. He held out a paw towards it to touch it, but before he could, the spider had hopped back onto his leg and crawled up towards his shoulder. There, it nestled and settled as it began to weave a web within his fur. Poplarpaw watched and grinned. So he owned a spider now? Cool. He wondered what kind of webs it would weave when they got back home.
    Sleetpuddle seemed alarmed at first when Poplarpaw finally emerged from the twoleg cabin covered in webs and with a spider, but Poplarpaw waved it off. He reassured his mentor that it was harmless before asking him why he was so adamant in calling his name. Sleetpuddle replied that they were finally returning to the cavern, where the majority of camp has been rebuilt and is safe enough to live in. Poplarpaw only shrugged at this, knowing that it was coming soon, and he followed Sleetpuddle back to where the cats were gathered. Some seemed extremely hesitant to go, or extremely excited. Poplarpaw didn't really care where he lived as long as there was something to keep him entertained. At first, he thought he would be upset to miss out on what he didn't learn in the twoleg cabin, but he figured his spider could keep him entertained for a good moon or so until he needed to find something else to do. With everyone ready to set out, they returned to their camp and began to settle back in where they belonged.
    The day of resettlement was exhausting as the apprentices were put to work on reinforcing dens and helping the elders settle in. Poplarpaw found himself collapsing in his new nest that night, which had he picked carefully by a wall for his spider to rest at. He was just about to fall asleep when someone prodded him in the back. He groaned for a moment and turned over, but after another prod, he got up in preparation to yell at them. But his mouth only hung open when he saw it was just Monarchpaw. Okay, maybe he shouldn't yell at her.
    Monarchpaw asked if she could talk to him real quick before they went to sleep. Poplarpaw shrugged and sat up to give her his attention. What she told him wasn't all too shocking to him, if he was being honest; she said that, after many moons of being unsure as to who she was, she finally discovered what that discomfort was that she was feeling, and how she never quite felt like a she-cat. She was a tom, deep down, and she started the process of coming out and transitioning that day. Monarchpaw seemed nervous about how Poplarpaw would react, even shrinking in on himself a bit, but Poplarpaw simply patted him on the shoulder with his tail. Boy or girl, Monarchpaw was his best friend, and he'd support him in the ways that he could. This seemed to reassure Monarchpaw, and he thanked Poplarpaw for being supportive. Poplarpaw just shrugged before turning over and telling Monarchpaw to let him sleep. The younger tom only smiled and plopped down beside him, and together, the two passed out, ready to tackle the next day with new insight.
    It was just a moon ago that a gathering had happened where it was discovered that cats from across the clans were experiencing strange visions. Poplarpaw remembered how Petaldrift supposedly had one about Apricotpaw when she got lost, but he called it beebrained. And he was shocked to hear how the leaders took these folly visions so seriously, to the point that they wanted to follow Dropletshine--a rogue--to some mysterious place that they saw in their vision. Whatever or wherever it was, they could count Poplarpaw out. He found himself promptly ignoring any mention of the quest, and he shot it down whenever Monarchpaw tried to talk about it. Hopefully, it wouldn't come back to bite him in the butt. He had a warrior assessment to pass.

warriorhood [ 12 moons - present ] >
    He had zero issues with his warrior assessment, and a quarter moon after they moved back to camp, him and his littermates were named warriors. He was given the name Poplarpounce for his energy and fighting style, which made him puff up in pride. Even the spider on his shoulder seemed to be rubbing its legs together in congratulations for him. Meanwhile, his sisters were named Sprucefrost and Hazelbloom, while his brother was named Tangerinejaw.
    Apricotpaw, however, was not named a warrior with them. Due to spending a moon in the medicine den from her injuries with the twoleg trap, she had to be held back to complete her training. It clearly bothered her, because Poplarpounce saw her leaving the ceremony halfway through. He huffed and shrugged before turning away. Her emotions were not his problem. Besides, she'd get the privilege of this title soon. She just had to wait her turn.
    That same day, Pikestar named three cats to go on the quest with Dropletshine. She named Ganderslash, Primrosedawn, and Skipperpaw, and she told them to go get ready with Briarshade. Poplarpounce seriously thought that Pikestar would have maybe changed her mind on sending cats to this quest, but she even sent her own apprentice. She must have been pretty serious. Poplarpounce couldn't make sense of it. When the quest cats left, it took all he had in him to keep Monarchpaw from leaving with them. He was clearly worried for his sister, and Poplarpounce had to assure him that Skipperpaw was nearly a warrior. She would be fine on her own. Monarchpaw begrudgingly accepted this, but Poplarpounce could only sigh as he watched his best friend huff and trudge back to the apprentices' den. He wanted to follow, but he had to remind himself that that wasn't where he'd be sleeping anymore. Oh well. Monarchpaw would be joining him in the warrior's den the next moon.
    The earthquake came the next day, just after Poplarpounce was named a warrior. It was a shock to feel the ground tremble so terribly underneath him, though he wouldn't really say he was afraid of it. Poplarpounce was quick to dodge any holes that formed and find some high ground, where he yanked Monarchpaw and Dacepaw up with him. He made them wait there with him until the rumbling and crumbling stopped, and when it was safe, they got down to check the damages.
    Once again, their camp seemed to be shambles. At least they didn't have to leave, but the earthquake ended up taking about as many cats as the flood had. Many fell into the earth as the ground opened up, and some were found later on. Among the dead were Dacepaw's sister, Oceanpaw, and Sleetpuddle's mate, Opossumsnap. The others Poplarpounce didn't know and didn't care about. Monarchpaw and him worked to try and keep Dacepaw's mind off of his dead sister, even sitting with him at her vigil, but it was all awkward for Poplarpounce. It was even stranger to see his former mentor look so sad and stricken with grief. He wondered what this feeling was like, but he also figured he never wanted to know. Meanwhile, Pikestar had to reassigned his sister, Apricotpaw, to another mentor, as Opossumsnap was actually her mentor. So she gave the older apprentice to Cricketstorm. Was that a good decision? Given Cricketstorm's previous closeness to Peachfur, he wasn't so sure. But he didn't care.
    Repairs on the camp began once again, though Poplarpounce found himself trying to avoid den building and clean up as much as possible. To make up for it, he went out hunting a lot, or he would volunteer for patrols. They were better than getting his big paws stuck in the weaving of dens, even though his extra toes probably would have made the weaving easier. There was so much going on, from the quest cats leaving to the earthquake, that EmberClan didn't need anything else.
    But still, they had more. At least it was somewhat good news. A rogue kit was found one patrol, all alone without a parent. It was far too young to survive on its own, so the patrol brought it back to camp. There, Petaldrift announced that she would adopt the kit. That was great and all, except could EmberClan really afford another mouth to feed? Poplarpounce, however, didn't care about that; rather, he was angry that Petaldrift would abandon her duty as a mentor to become a mother. Yes, she was a mentor again after so carelessly losing Willowpaw, and this time, she was Monarchpaw's mentor. His third mentor, might Poplarpounce remind everyone. And now, Monarchpaw would be finishing his apprenticeship under a completely different mentor, who Pikestar announced would be Cedarsong. Sure, Monarchpaw was practically a warrior at this point, but how did having four mentors change his mental health? Monarchpaw reassured Poplarpounce that it was okay. He said that he was just glad that this reassignment was not due to a death like the last two, and Poplarpounce grumbled before finally letting it go. He just had to believe his friend was telling the truth.
    It was a couple of days after Lupinekit was accepted into the clan did cats get attacked by bees. A patrol at Bathing Boulders came across a hive of angry bees, and they were relentless in their stinging. While the majority of them escaped with only a few stings, one cat was not so lucky. That cat was Addersong, Dacepaw's parent. He succumbed to his bee stings, and he wasn't brought back until Bathing Boulders was deemed safe. Suddenly, Dacepaw was the last of his immediate family, with really only Cricketstorm left. Poplarpounce, still, didn't really understand the importance of family, but given how his friends reacted towards each death, it must be something important when it actually counts. Monarchpaw did a far better job at comforting Dacepaw, as he was still mourning his own mother's death, and Poplarpounce could only offer his condolences. Normally, he would let him come sleep with him and Monarchpaw, but with him being in the warriors' den now, that wasn't possible, which made Poplarpounce mutter curses. Monarchpaw only smiled at him and promised him that he would be there for Dacepaw and to carry on Poplarpounce's methods of comfort in his name. He could only nod awkwardly before heading to the warriors' den, leaving the two of them to attend the vigil for Addersong in peace.
    Monarchblaze's warrior ceremony seemed to be quite melancholic, despite it being something worth celebration. Never mind Addersong's death still being on everyone's mind, but Monarchblaze admitted that he wished Skipperpaw was there with him and Swallowspark, as well as Bluekit. He said that Stormfire should have been there to see them become warriors. Poplarpounce grimaced at his best friend's words. Anyone else would take this time to mention StarClan or something of the likes, but Poplarpounce couldn't. He didn't believe in that stuff, especially when there was so much bad in this world. The Dark Forest, feasible. But a place where good cats go? No one was pure. But he still reassured Monarchblaze that Skipperpaw would be back and would get her warrior name in no time. In the meantime, he could look forward to moving into the warriors' den and getting the nest that Poplarpounce so graciously saved for him. That seemed to make Monarchblaze smile, so Poplarpounce was content as the ceremony came to a close.
    However, that day, his sister should have also become a warrior. Except, Apricotpaw didn't. He could hear the whispers in the clan, and he caught that she had failed her warrior assessment and was being held back yet again. Poplarpounce snorted. He thought being a warrior was what Apricotpaw wanted. Did she really fall so low as to ignore her training and failing her assessment? Or maybe Cricketstorm wasn't as great as Monarchblaze cut him out to be. Whatever. It wasn't his problem. He was just glad to have one of his two friends back in the warriors' den with him.
    The next moon was extremely uneventful and boring, much to Poplarpounce's dismay. Sure, some queens gave birth to kits and an apprentice was named, but that's nothing new. The most excitement they got in that moon was finding a warrior, Grizzlygrowl, dead near Hope Bridge. Did something kill her, and if so, what? Or who? Poplarpounce was curious, but not curious enough. He needed something else to do. So he often found himself looking across HailClan's border often. Pikestar had declared to increase the patrols around HailClan's border, and he wondered why she did that. Was HailClan bad? Did they do something? He didn't really know any HailClan cats or their personality, so all he could do was watch from a distance in mere curiosity. At least his spider kept him entertained whenever his mind was tempted to go do something beebrained.
    Others, however, managed to keep busy during that moon. Something seemed to kick Apricotpaw back into gear, and by the next moon, she had passed her warrior assessment and finally received her warrior name. She was named Apricotshell, but Poplarpounce didn't know until later; he didn't attend her ceremony in retaliation to how she walked out of his. Petty, yes, but she didn't deserve his attention if he didn't deserve hers.
    He continued to spend time with Monarchblaze, who was just as busy as everyone else. He seemed to enjoy his duties as a warrior, unlike Poplarpounce, and his energy helped keep Poplarpounce's mood up. The two, unfortunately, didn't get to spend much time with their other friend, Dacepaw. He was busy with his training, and he also had found a new friend in the form of Foxpaw, who had begun to spend more time with him after Addersong's passing. Poplarpounce huffed at this, but Monarchblaze reminded him that it was okay to have other friends. Whatever.
    He would need to give Monarchblaze all of his attention, anyways. One day, Monarchblaze had come limping into camp with his leg up in pain, but his face didn't express that pain--it only showed sorrow. Before going to the medicine den, Monarchblaze mumbled something about an eagle taking Swallowspark while they were hunting. He had tried to climb a tree in hopes to reach the eagle and save his sister, but the tree snapped under him as he prepared to jump and he fell, allowing the eagle the chance to fly away with his sister. Everyone was shocked to hear about this, and to avoid the gossip, Poplarpounce guided Monarchblaze to the medicine den to be seen by Briarshade for his leg.
    Poplarpounce stayed with Monarchblaze for the remainder of the day, though his friend never spoke. Like Dacepaw, Monarchblaze was last of his immediate family, at least for now. Poplarpounce had to remember that Skipperpaw was still out there--she had to be out there, for Monarchblaze. But when he mentioned this to Monarchblaze, the younger tom only cried in how he was going to tell Skipperpaw about Swallowspark. It was then that Briarshade gave him poppyseeds to sleep and shooed Poplarpounce out of the medicine den, much to his dismay.
    He hated leaving his friend like that, but he realized it was probably best to let Monarchblaze sleep. So he carried on with his duties, but he found himself, instead, going to the place where Swallowspark was taken and Monarchblaze was injured. He stared up at the broken tree for a moment before cursing at it. He was angry with the tree for hurting his friend, and he was angry at himself for not being of more help to him. How does one comfort another? He never figured this out, despite so many moons of practice! Still, he made his friend upset rather than reassured. Still, he messed it up. Poplarpounce knew he was never one for this type of stuff, and he likely never would be, but he sometimes wished he could have a part of it in him. And this was certainly one of those times where he needed it.
    The remainder of the moon remained uneventful. When he wasn't out patrolling or hunting, Poplarpounce was in the medicine den keeping Monarchblaze company. Though, his friend was never much up for anything, still quite melancholic over Swallowspark's death. Poplarpounce, for the life of him, couldn't come up with a way to cheer Monarchblaze up. So he was glad when he got to tell Monarchblaze of the news of their friend, Dacepaw, passing his warrior assessment and having his ceremony. He helped his friend out towards the entrance of the medicine den, where they watched the young tom be named Daceshell. Something about the cheering for him perked Monarchblaze up a bit, and so they both joined in calling Daceshell's new name. Poplarpounce said that they could all be in the warriors' den again once Monarchblaze got better, and the younger tom could only smile and nod his head while Poplarpounce helped him back to his den in the medicine den.
    He had been so focused on his friends that he hadn't realized his sister, Hazelbloom, had become a mentor. Well, of all his littermates and him, Hazelbloom was certainly the most sane and dependable. She wouldn't be a bad choice. That is, of course, assuming that the apprentice would be okay with lazy. Even more news, Sleetpuddle announced he was going to be a father as Pikestar was expecting his kits. Poplarpounce couldn't help but stick his tongue out at the idea of kits, but he still congratulated his former mentor. After all, Sleetpuddle seemed pretty happy about it, and he shouldn't ruin the old tom's happiness, right? Though, he did tell him not to expect Poplarpounce to visit once the kits were born, half in jest, but also half in seriousness. Sleetpuddle seemed to understand, thankfully, as he prepared to move into the nursery to be a den dad.
    Around the same time is when someone pointed out that his aunt, Rosefall, had gone missing. Unlike Lotusbreeze, Poplarpounce was actually decently acquainted with Rosefall. She was pretty cool compared to her littermates, and he liked the mischief she would get into and how she encouraged his own. So it stung to hear she had disappeared. It was a feeling he didn't really know, though it didn't seem intense like his friends experienced losing their loved ones. Still, it was an improvement... right? Besides, they never found her body, so they couldn't say that Rosefall was actually dead. No, his aunt was strong. She'd turn back up eventually.
    It was about a moon and a half after Monarchblaze's accident that he was finally released from the medicine den. To Poplarpounce, it felt like an eternity, and he was so grateful to have his best friend back. Though his friend would never quite be the same, as though his leg had mended, it had mended in an odd angle and would never go back. Monarchblaze shrugged it off and said that it was his fault for thinking he could climb the tree and be the hero. It would be a reminder that he wasn't one. Poplarpounce listened to him, though he didn't seem to quite take in the words. Instead, he shrugged and said it looked cool. They could practice swimming and running with his limp later, which made Monarchblaze grin. Finally, he seemed to be getting back to his old self, and Poplarpounce was thankful for that.