Timberwolf

 Pre-history
    Since appernticeship Quillpaw had proven to be a peculiar cat, perhaps it had been the way she was raised or her personality as a whole, she found herself more focused on other things rather then being concerned with others. That was with the exception of a slightly older apperntice by two moons named Flintpaw. The two were drawn to one another, mixed with curiosity and a slight yet uncertain dislike for eachother. A bit of a rivalry had formed between them and yet they still had their moments where'd they hang out with another though teases were thrown. 

Then something happened. The two had hung out a night during green-leaf chasing each other as they hopped on and over boulders while fireflys danced around in small quantities. Quill had managed to tackle Flint off a rock, and as they hit the ground they two found themselves enjoying the night. They settled on calling each other acquaintance, though they both really knew what that meant.

As time went on Quillpaw had earned her warrior name Quillslide at some point after her innovate usage of agility and "sliding" in her moves for both fighting and hunting. She'd even invented her own little move that contributed to her naming though only really she'd call it that, many cats just brushed it off. Meanwhile Flintfoot had earned his warrior name two moons ago, named for his swiftness on top of other reasons of course. They had grown apart after Flintfoot had ranked up due to the small gap. But soon enough recognized each other after Quillslide too had joined the warriors rank. After a few short moons, they gradually got to know each other once again.

 The pair had an interesting history with one another to put it simply. They realized they had both made their own developments though only time would show them what it was. Quillslide found herself realizing Flintfoot wasn't really one to open up about himself, certainly not as much as herself. It would take some more time but finally the pair decided they wanted to give whatever they had with eachother a try. Though they never out right stated they were mates, cats knew they had been close during this time.

Though not all good things last as the two found themselves growing apart again, arguing here and there,  at the end of the day they'd both compromise majority of the time though not always. They were drifting to say the least. Soon Quillslide found herself feeling off after a period of time, finally she'd decided to visit the medicine cat den, telling about how she felt different and a bit sick. It was discovered there that she was expecting kits, she knew full well who's kits they were too. She was joyed to have kits but wasn't sure if it was news that she was ready to share. When cats began to ask her who the father was she decided against saying who it was, she felt like only she and their father needed to know that right now. So she approched Flintfoot, telling him about the developement. Flintfoot seemed content as he didn't overly show his enthusasim. Though something else came to her mind, how should they raise their kits? Would they raise them as mates? Did they both want that? She wanted to ask Flintfoot but they both said nothing, just silence. The communication fading with their relationship slowly without ether doing nothing about it.

One thing that seemed to stick with Quillslide was that she had always been a somewhat religious cat, believing in their ancestry for she saw them in good light. It did help that she'd been raised in this light, she knew their purpose was to guide others, that being the clans and its cats. 

Then something peculiar happened in the passing moon and a half, more so even. A few nights before she was expected to deliver Quillslide found herself dreaming, though something about the dream felt notable. In her dream, she found herself staring at a unfimilar kit, they'd been playing in a small open space but then they sat down and turned their head to face her, suddenly a huge timber wolf stood behind the kit staring at her along with the kit. The appearance of the kit slightly changed as the world around her jolted a bit. The wolf and the kits eyes both a single solid color, it was like staring at two bright full moons.
   She awoke after that. The dream unforgettable unlike others she might've recalled before.

The next day when she went to go tell Flintfoot about her dream things took a turn, the two found themselves at an impass. After discussion Flintfoot declared he was putting an end to their relationship, and just like that they weren't lovers any more, but Flintfoot agreed to the joint custody of the kits that they'd be expecting. Though during their discussion before their agreement the two had been shouting admittedly, Quillslide yelled at Flintfoot about what she had dreampt but Flintfoot called it erelevnet and it was drowned out by everything else. While Quillslide wouldn't forget it would seem Flintfoot would let it slip from his mind, but soon enough a reminder would come along, for the both of them.

Kithood [ 0 - 6 moons ] >
    During the rainy new morning Quillslide gave birth to two kits, right as she layed eyes on them she realized how they both seemed to look a bit weak, sickly even. Her eyes watered as she noted how her kit was un-moving, she sobbed over the little kitten but paused when she finally noticed her other kit moving, a wave of realif washed over her knowing she still had at least one of her kits, but she haulted. Something was off about her eldest kit, they were missing some of their fur. She was a bit taken back but still felt fondly of her new kin. When he lifted his head up towards his mother she started in shock to see his resemblance to the wolf and odd kit in her dream, she isntly knew what she'd name her kits there and then. Timberkit, for his timber wolf like apperence, and Woodkit, for his brown coat and theme name sake.   Sadly though her second born was indeed dead, but at least now they could pass onto starclan with a name. They'd look after her kit, she trusted them as much.
   Flintfoot came in about an hour later after hearing the gossip about Quillslides delivery, though cats were speculating something was up. When he came in he was greeted with a long silence from Quillslide, Wolfkit didn't understand what was going on at the time, it was all a blur. Flintfoot simply stared at him and their dead brother before dipping his head and leaving. 

As time went on Timberkit found himself being ether stuck in the medicine den once or twice, something about making sure he's not sick and body heat, Timberkit didn't complain too much about it but it made him feel a bit awkward. While he did spent half of his time with his mother he did also spend some with his father, though something caught his attention. Though no one ever out right stated his name he recalled hearing the faint whispers about the half hairless and half furred cat, according to the rumors not many cats had seen a cat like that before. Was he not normal? 
   Timberkit confronted his mother about it, asking why he was different from the other cats, was there something wrong with him? Quillslide reassured him there was nothing wrong with him but he was uncertain. When he asked if there was another cat like him she simply sighed and didn't respond, rather avoiding a direct answer she told him about about a fully hairless cat in their clan hoping that would make him feel better but it didn't do him much good. So his mother gently lifted his head up towards hers with her pain and decided to tell him something else, she told him about their ancestors and how they were watching over them both, maybe there was another cat like him watching over from above. Timberkit didn't reply but simply nodded his head.
   Later on that night he told his father Flintfoot about what he'd been told and his father brought him closer to sit with him. He told how the stars must've had something speical in plan for him. When Timberkit asked him what he meant by that he was greeted with looming words about how Starclan is judgmental and are the ones who determine stuff like that. That they are the ones who watch over every clan and decide how their fates will go, so he mustn't forget that.

One morning after waking up early Timberkit had noticed his mother Quillslide was missing, confused he forced himself to approch one of the other queens, the queen told him that she had gone out of camp to strech her legs. Seeing how it would be a little bit before she'd be back he nodded a quick thanks to the queen and ran off to go see if his father was in camp instead. He figured he might as well spend his free time with Flintfoot, it didn't take long for him to find his father who had been bringing some prey to one of the elders. Timberkit told his dad about his mom being out getting a nod from him. An hour passed, and still nothing, slowly the day continued on, by now it had been hours. Timberkit might not understand everything just yet but he did understand times right now weren't exactly the safest, not to mention how it was now getting colder and how the pile of prey near the center of camp was slowly getting smaller. Sometime in the afternoon some cats had gathered out to go and search for the missing queen but little came up of it, they'd have to continue their search the next day.
   More days passed by, the search for Quillslide would've been called off if not for one of the patrols  having been the ones to find the missing queen. Though she was found what was left of her was not a living cat, according to the patrol her lifeless body had been found caught in a trap unable to escape, and with the absence of nourishment she must've starved to death. It didn't help that the prey back at camp was already so unusually scare this leaf-fall but being stuck in the same place all alone, there was already little chance of her survival without help.

Timberkit was devastated to hear of Quillslides fate, he cried by his fathers side who didn't say a word towards the news, he only sat by his son as he glanced somewhere else, he could tell based off his reaction Flintfoot didn't know how to feel, but he still stuck around for Timberkit to cry on for comfort.

The harsh season would continue onward, with his mother gone his father was the one who would have full custody of him now, they could hang out more this way but. They didn't, Flintfoot didn't activley visit him as much anymore and when Timberkit would approch his father in camp he'd gently tell him not not and head off to go do some other warrior dutie while he'd sit and watch. He wasn't as present in his life anymore, Flintfoot became a bit more hands off, a little more absent. Did he do something wrong? Was Timberkit the cause of this? Why wasn't he around as much? Maybe if I do better he'll be more present?    

    There had only been a few times, about three or so, where he'd catch his father briefly and they'd have a small discussion, sometimes pleasant even. As to what the discussion would be on would very, but there had been an instance or few where'd they would have a deep discussion about Starclan, teaching him about their own beliefs that would fall apon young Timber. But then it would have to end, and the night would come.

But even then, his father grew further and further away, gone from a constant presence to just a glimpse of the cat he'd been raised by.

Timberkit found himself becoming increasingly reclusive, not that he really had ever soicallized with any of the other kits and peers anyway. But a fasniation for the night grew, as it did with the moon. Less cats were up and around at night, it was just him, no one to judge him, no one to bother him, reject him, it was just him and his thoughts staring up at the stars from inside the den he was was growing too big for slowly. 

Weeks turned to days, days turned into nights, and now nights turned into hours. And before he knew it the day he'd been waiting for had arrived.

Apprenticeship [ 6 - 12 moons ] >
    With his ceremony finally annouced Timberkit had earned the name Timberpaw and was placed under Appletail's care as their apperntice and would learn to become a warrior someday with their guidence. He found himself smiling though he was a bit uncomfortable being stared at by the whole clan or at least those who attended.
  As he booped his nose with his mentors he took back his head to look around trying to who attened but his small smile faded as he realized his absent father wasn't there in the crowd. He looked back away from the crowd and up at his mentor and leader with a small happy nod regardless.
  Despite his fond feelings of his ceremony Timberpaw had to admit, he sort of wanted it to over with quicker then it was, it felt too revealing but in fairness that might've just been his insecurities talking. 

Surprisingly things seemed to be going okay with his mentor, Appletail was a bit nosy sure, but Timberpaw did appreciate the knowledge they were able to pass down onto him. Though Timberpaw did find some of his mentors qualities slightly bothersome, their training tended to go swimmingly. Though things quickly were thrown out of balance as a couple of days later Tigerfrost had died fighting off a starving fox, saving both Hickorypaw and Heatherpaw, leaving Reedstar to hold a vigil for their newly deceased mate. Death wasn’t a new concept for Timberpaw, it was rather just something that he was still a bit unused to. How are you meant to react to these sort of things? The least he could do was dip his head and join in with the prayers to Starclan to guide them. Leaf-bare followed shortly, before it another Emberclanner had decided to have kits, though the timing seemed horrible really. But then again kits were being born in the harsh season regardless. Multiple litters in fact. 

Some more time had passed a kit recovered, while a widely known elder died, more kits were born. Lead-bare was proving to have its ups and downs. Others seemed to have the same thoughts as Timberpaw though, with all the new kits there would be new mouths to feed, prey was already scarce. It was clear starvation was going to be an issue, though little did they know how bad things would get. Timberpaw had never experienced this before, everyday he slowly found himself becoming more aware of things as the air grew colder, nipping at his bare skin. Even through it all he found himself seeing less and less of his father somehow, he didn’t even realize until one of the queens who had helped raise him pointed out they had seen less of his father while Timberpaw had tended to their nests. He simply was out of his life.
    Though during this time Timberpaw found himself forging a friendship with Emberclan’s medicine cat apprentice, Briarpaw. During his occasional meetings to the den regarding his temperature control without a full body of fur, the two found that they had a bit in common with their shared beliefs and views on Starclan, valuing their ancestors and their will. It was weird at first being somewhat close to a cat, though they remained mostly professional even with their friendship. At some point he had even gone into check up on the queens of the clan only to be untrusted by a overly bubbly kit, whose questions got too personal, but thankfully he was able to get what he needed to do done.

More cats kept dying from there, it was always a mix between drowning  starvation, hypothermia, the list went on. Timberwolf could feel the harsh cold growing stronger and stronger, his envy growing for cats with a thicker or simply full coat then compared to his own. While out on hunting patrol, things quickly took a turn as the group of cats stumbled into a battle where Irisdawn and Stonewhisper were battling off three coyotes, Goosepaw already dead on the scene. After glancing over at his mentor Appletail, Timberpaw leapt straight into battle as he attacked one of the coyotes. Though the fight didn’t last long after that, the coyote had managed to get a pretty decent bite down on his scruff before retreating. Timberpaw had to take a moment to recollect himself after letting loose of his composer, all of his raw rage being released on the predator in battle. Only after did he some what regain a point of stability did he realize the scene before him as Irisdawn and Stonewhisper died of their wounds, side by side. It was all Timberpaw could think about as their bodies were brought back. Though clearly the event didn’t leave him the only one thinking about it as the news would eventually drive Shadowfeather to leave the clan and become a rogue as more cats continued to die. Appletail seemed to change during this time, he knew his mentor was a bit closer to that cat then most others. It made him feel a bit remorseful towards his mentor, but he stayed quite not wanting to get involved. 

White cough and green cough started to spread through camp, some cats catching it while others didn’t. Life seemed to go on, more cats dropping while others announced their mateships. Around the time after the coyote indecent, Timberpaw had found himself at the acquaintance of another apprentice, Reedstar’s kid Hawthornpaw. The two became sparing pals from there, engaging in some chat here and there as they trained together. Soon enough the apprentice den had grown crowded as a mass amount of kits were made into apprentices. Timberpaw found it a bit harder to get around, he hated the fact he didn’t get as much solitude away from others as he would like. Crowds weren’t fun. Especially when you have to deal with one while you’re tired and cranky.

While out around camp Timberpaw had decided to greet Lightningheart as two of the younger cats of the clan had been playing around camp, the stream now beginning run once more as the ice layer had melted away with new-leaf just around the corner. Though during this time cats had begun acting oddly on-top of the constant rain showers they were beginning face, though they had endured worse with all the snowstorms they had faced that very leaf-bare. At some point Timberpaw excused himself away from the elder after spotting Briarpaw who seemed a bit off. The two exchanged greetings, all the while Dacekit had decided to swim in the thawed out river that ran through camp. But before their conversation could grow longer, Dacekit cried out in a panic after Skipperpaw had called out for him causing Timberpaw to turn around only to watch as the kit was about to be grabbed under by a giant fanged fish. In a instant Dacekit was grabbed and flung a shore by Lightningheart who had jumped into action, only for him to be grabbed instead and pulled under. Timberpaw quickly ran over to the scene torn between diving into the water to try and help Lightning or to check up on Dacekit and make sure he wasn’t fatally wounded. A part of him pleading for starclan to not make him decide but in the end he logically new the harsh reality as he ran over to Dacekit instead asking if he was alright while inspecting him, only to find his head had been a bit injured around his face. Things calmed down a bit from there, Dacekit was brought over to Briarpaw and Yewberry to be treated, but Lightningheart had been lost to the river, their life taken by a Muskie. Timberpaw replayed the event over and over in his head from there, thinking about what he could’ve done to prevent it days after that, but with time he managed to not let it sallow him too much, besides he needed to focus. These were tough times, the clan needed him and everyone else to be tougher.

Big fish soon became a real problem as more cats were beginning to die to same way Lightningheart had, while others succumbed to all sorts of things, like greencough and starvation, infections even. Their Deputy Lotusbreeze even stepping down from his rank to be a warrior again during all of this madness. It would only be a matter of time before New-leaf would come, he could only hope with it would bring a fresh breath of air from everything. He hoped as much but knew it was unlikely.

Warriorhood [ 12 - present moons ] >
    Morning once more rolled in as the clan gathered around camp, Timberpaw, along with the other apprentices had earned their warrior rank, named for his wolf like appearance and battle skills was now to be known as Timberwolf. Among other news, Piketonuge had been choosen as Emberclans new deputy. While cats cheered and the day went on Timberwolf began to  analyze his new name, he felt both proud and a bit mixed on it, he had always seen himself weird and off due to his appearance, and yet his name encouraged his uniqueness, not to be ashamed of but to be proud of, and yet here he was feeling both ways. Then it was made apparent his sparring partner had died, swept away by a strong current along with Hickoryroot who had only just been made warriors not long ago. It hurt loosing Hawthornbark, he hated that it hurt, he cried silently after his friends vigil alone and away from others, maintaining a unreadable face during the ceremony that was dropped the moment no one was around him.

As if things weren’t bad enough, Lotusbreeze had wound up dead with a clear sign of struggle later on a few days later. He had been just barely alive when cats had found him, only to have bled out before he could tell anyone what happen. Most frustratingly enough was the lack of clues as to who had even done it, nor traces to be found. Timberwolf wanted to cuss out everything around him, anger and grief boiling as he kept bottling things up, his anger beginning to get the better of him.