Badgerstar

BADGERSTAR WAS BORN IN A LITTER OF THREE TO DARKCRY AND CROWSONG OF SUNCLAN. Darkcry was weak after the birth, incredibly weak to the point that Badgerkit, Swallowkit, and Lilykit were passed off to another nurturing caretaker until she got better. One moon passed... Darkcry worsened. Two moons passed... Darkcry was treading the line between life and death. Crowsong had stuck beside his mate for the duration of the 2 moons, splitting time between her and their three kits. Badgerkit was barely old enough to comprehend what was happening when the healer rushed Darkcry out of the nursery. Barely old enough to comprehend what was happening when her and her siblings were ushered to the clearing and told to say goodbye to their mother.

They said goodbye, and remained in the clearing beside their mother until the sun dipped below the horizon. They were then escorted back to the den by their father, and he said goodnight before leaving the den. It was the last time they ever saw their father. Alone in the world, Badgerkit, Swallowkit, and Lilykit pulled together and were a tight knit group. The rest of their kithood seemed both agonizingly slow and like a blur to Badgerkit, she remembers these four moons as a period of wanting to be elsewhere. Everyone liked Darkcry, admired her even. They tried to like her kits as well, but Swallowkit's sharp and cutting words, and Badgerkit's odd demeanour were off-putting. Only Lilykit truly held up to their mother's legacy.

Badgerkit, Swallowkit, and Lilykit grew older and eventually became apprentice age. It was around this time Lilykit originally became sick, delaying her apprenticeship while Badgerkit and Swallowkit became Badgerpaw and Swallowpaw.

Training was hard for Badgerpaw, under Snowflakewhisper. A cold tom at the time who had a lot of experience. He put her through the ringer, waking up at dawn and not sleeping until after the last dusk patrol. Battle training, strategy training, hunting. Sometimes he refused to let her return to camp until she had caught so many pieces of prey, or perfected a battle move. Badgerpaw became indifferent, and numb over the course of this training. Swallowpaw dragged her out of it, noticing her dissociation at all points of the day, by screaming at Snowflakewhisper in the center of camp and challenging him. Nightstar took notice of this and attended the next training session between Snowflakewhisper and Badgerpaw... and then the next, and the one after that until Snowflakewhisper got the memo that if he did what he had been doing again, he would receive punishment.

After this, Lilykit was no longer as sick and became Lilypaw. The two were ecstatic to have their sister by their side again as they progressed further into their apprenticeship, teaching Lilypaw different things they had learned to help her catch up. It was obvious that Lilypaw was still the favourite of the clan, but Swallowpaw had changed in their eyes as well... Badgerpaw began to distance herself from her siblings at this realization.

Badgerpaw didn't have other friends, she realized once she did this. She attempted becoming friends with Rainpaw but the molly was too meek for her, she felt like she was pushing her around all of the time they were friends. then she attempted befriending a new addition to the clan, Goldenfeather. She was a bit older than her but new to the clan scene, Badgerpaw taught her more about the warrior code and SunClan's operations. Their friendship wasn't built on platonic love or even liking the other necessarily, it was mainly transactional. Badgerpaw didn't look lonely, Goldenfeather learned how to be a part of the clan. (9m)

Badgerpaw's distance from her siblings didn't last long after this, however, as Lilypaw began to feel worse again. Despite this, she pushed through to the end of her apprenticeship as she desperately wanted to rank up with her siblings this time. Swallowpaw was angry with Badgerpaw's distance, and she found herself feeling out of place even within her family. Badgerpaw took this time to focus on her training with Snowflakewhisper, hoping to make him proud for once as their time together neared it's end. Badgerpaw, Swallowpaw, and Lilypaw all graduated on time earning their warrior names: Badgermoon, Swallowsinger, and Lilyheart.

Badgermoon had learned well under Snowflakewhisper, despite his misdeeds and the overtly stressful nature of his training style. She became the perfect little soldier under Nightstar's command, doing whatever was asked of her. Her sister's health was failing, the healer explained that she probably wouldn't last more than two moons. Despite their differences, Swallowsinger and Badgermoon came back together to care for their sister and spend every moment they could with her. It was unfathomable in Badgermoon's mind that it would be the two of them left. Five to four, four to three, and now there was going to be only two members of their family left.

Lilyheart passed mid-winter, that year. Badgermoon and Swallowsinger buried her where the flowers bloomed, with the help of Snowflakewhisper. Her now former mentor had a difficult relationship with her, but Badgermoon was grateful for his presence during these moons as she leaned on him for support. She doesn't remember much of what actually happened during this time period, only the slow drag of time and the irreversible grief she felt.

Eventually, the sky cleared and time went on. Badgermoon's life returned to as close to normal as it could be. She worked hard as a warrior, hoping to catch Nightstar's eye and prove 'I am still good. I can still be great.' Time went on and on, and the mundane life of a warrior alone settled in. Swallowsinger became more and more popular within the clan and Badgermoon only made one friend other than him, Magpieflame. The she-cat wasn't well liked either due to her fiesty and sharp personality. Talking to her was akin to placing your hand firmly on a blade. It wasn't permanently damaging- but it still hurt. Badgermoon moved through life quietly.

Her first apprentice was at 26 moons old. Hollypaw was the son of a former barn-cat and rogue, Rowanpatch. He was eight moons old and silent. Badgermoon tried her best to train him and be friendly with him, but he seemed to shrug her off and not care. He learned well enough to become a warrior, with the name of Hollyshadow. He has barely spoken to her since he was an apprentice spare for what was required. Badgermoon wasn't mad about this more so sad which she lamented to Snowflakewhisper. He reminded her that they didn't exactly get along for a majority of their relationship's length.

Everything with Nightstar's illness, the exiling of Ospreyflicker, and the high ranking cats subsequent deaths happened within a matter of two very tumultuous moons. Badgermoon noted that SunClan had always had it's moments especially regarding her family, but this was by far the worst.

Ospreyflicker had broken the code, and despite her pregnancy, Nightstar had exiled the molly. A majority did not like this decision but did not speak up about it, due to the nature of what had happened. StarClan didn't rear their heads or speak up either- at least not while admitting it. Nightstar was seventy-eight moons old when the illness struck her, suddenly and devastatingly. Many cats believed StarClan had cursed them for exiling Ospreyflicker while pregnant, dooming the kits and the molly. Nightstar went fast.

The cats of the clan thought this would quell StarClan's rage. They began the preparations for the deputy at the time, Fernstride, to become leader. Then Fernstride fell ill, and so did their healer, Emberwhisker. It would be long before the clan was sent into a state of disarray as both of them passed, one after the other. Swallowsinger immediately sought out his sister, to make a pact. Both him and Badgermoon agreed if it came to it; they would run fast and far. Blackpaw, the healer apprentice was the only guidance the clan had left and Snowflakewhisper, and Lakefang agreed to escort her to the moonpool to commune with StarClan.

The moonpool trip would take three days, so the clan mellowed out and attempted to live as they had before. Badgermoon joined patrols organized by Goldenfeather, Rowanpatch and Lavendersight. They were the oldest cats in the clan at the time. She wanted life to go back to the way it had been before Nightstar's death desperately, and wished Snowflakewhisper was there in the moment of turmoil- she was certain he'd know what to do. She thought he might be appointed leader, even if it was temporary.

When the cats returned from the moonpool, everything was silent for two days. Two, very long, days that Badgermoon remembered clearly. The clan ceased normal operations. The code was upheld but cats went and returned whenever, brought back prey and marked the borders on their own. Badgermoon wasn't used to this level of loneliness despite her childhood. Lakefang, Blackpaw, and Snowflakewhisper conversed in hushed whispers within the healers den. No one else had been ill or injured that moon, many considered it a blessing considering Blackpaw's lack of the healer name and a chunk of training. At the end of the two days, Lakefang leapt upon the great tree's branch and called the clan for a meeting. Badgermoon figured then that he must have been appointed leader by Blackpaw, and Snowflakewhisper his deputy. The tom went through the facts of Blackpaw's conversation with StarClan with the clan, explaining that StarClan had chosen the new leader, a very specific cat within the clans. They did not give an explanation, only a name. Badgermoon. Her. It was her. Badgermoon nearly passed out at the announcement, her heartbeat increasing and a ringing sound in her head. She couldn't believe it, no this couldn't be right. Time felt slowed as Lakefang stated that him, Blackpaw, and Lavendersight would be escorting her to the moonpool for her nine lives as soon as possible but it still hadn't registered in Badgermoon's head.

Badgermoon didn't talk to anyone about her inner feelings regarding this, even Snowflakewhisper who watched her with sad eyes as cats ridiculed the decision, insulting her along the way. 'Not that one', 'it couldn't have even been her brother?', 'look at that kit.' Lavendersight had not spoken to her much before, but assured her that their 'deities' would not chose her if she was not the one for the job, and that their claims were empty words. The stand-in healer got her ready for her journey to the moonpool alongside Blackpaw who stared at her with an indifferent, unreadable expression.

The journey was long. Lakefang began to lecture Badgermoon through her duties as a leader of the clan, how to act, how to talk, what parts she needed to change. By the time they got to the moonpool, Badgermoon's fur was groomed flat, her way of speech was more even and certain, and Badgerscar didn't recognize her own voice. Blackpaw escorted her to the moonpool itself, a pool of crystalline water within a cavern that glowed from within, seemingly. The nine lives were brutal, a burning pain ripping through her with each one received. They did not waste time for rest after the ceremony, heading back to camp at a higher speed than which they came. Badgermoon assumed the night that a leader received their lives and became a true leader was typically a happy one not.. this. Rushed back to camp, in the early morning, after discussion with the senior warriors of the clan, Badgerstar made Lakefang her deputy.

A majority of Badgerstar's leadership has been learning the ropes, understanding her role, and looking back towards Lakefang for approval of her words. Some cats within the clan have never changed their opinions of her leadership.