Thistleflame

basic description > Gray tom with white speckles and green eyes
build > Stocky with big paws, and a short, fluffy tail
fur description > Medium-length, thick, and often unkempt
breeds > Moggy
height > 29 cm
weight > 9.0 lb

voice > John Michael Montgomery
scent > Milkweed

scars > Four scars on his right shoulder, three scars on the left side of his face through his eye, two scars on the left side of his muzzle, five scars on his back, seven scars on his chest, one small scar on his back left leg, one small scar on his cheek, and a torn right ear
accessories > Thistle flower crown
banned traits > Half-Blind

Positive Traits
positive >
    >> Intelligent > Thistleflame's knowledge knows no bounds as his brain seems to get bigger. He collects information as if it was prey and stores it in every nook and cranny of his head that he can. Give him new information and he'll actually take an interest in you for a moment. As long as its not false information--he hates false information.
    >> Hardworking > He knows he can't get to his goals loafing around, so Thistleflame puts his all in his work. He finds a lot of joy in working. This said, it is rare to see him doing nothing, and he will always be coming up with more work for himself to get more done. Even if everything seems complete, he'll find a new task for himself to do.
    >> Realistic > Having grown up in a harsh reality for his life, Thistleflame doesn't like to fantasize. He keeps his mind down-to-earth to prevent it, which makes him easier to discuss matters with. There are times where he can help snap others out of unrealistic means, too, knowing the bounds of reality.

neutral >
    >> Loyal > Wanting to prove himself to be the CloudClan cat he is, Thistleflame is extremely loyal to his clan and his clan alone. Everything he does is to further improve CloudClan and its reputation, as well as his own. Anything else would be a disgrace to him. It can be seen as an unhealthy obsession from the outside, but it fuels Thistleflame's meaning of life.
    >> Ambitious > Although he is realistic about his goals, Thistleflame will still set the bar high for himself so that he can look to achieve more in his life. The moment he achieves one goal, he'll set another, working to keep himself as busy as possible. While he does feel temporarily proud of finishing a goal, he feels he can't linger for too long thinking about it. It's either all or none.
    >> Contemplative > He thinks and broods over half of his life away. Thistleflame likes to think and plan before he acts, makings his strategies more effective as he takes into account every factor that can make something go wrong. He can get lost in his thoughts in the blink of an eye, often doing so when he has time on his paws or is doing light work that doesn't require as much focus.

negative >
    >> Distrustful > Thistleflame has a lot of trust issues, to the point that he doesn't seem to even trust his own family. It can take moons to get on his good side, and even then he may end up hiding things from the other individual. He believes that by not trusting anyone else, he'll be more protected from heartbreak and danger.
    >> Defensive > If there's one thing the tom is good at, it's keeping his guard up and his heart closed off. Thistleflame doesn't like for others to know what he's thinking or feeling, so he tends to bottle up his emotions and seclude himself. If no one can help him, why should Thistleflame bother telling them about his inner thoughts?
    >> Insecure >  In the end, Thistleflame's fueled by his hatred for himself. On top of looking similar to his father, any mistake he ends up making causes Thistleflame to get just a little more upset with himself. He can often be seen doubting himself and maybe even talking to himself, all because of his lack of confidence in himself.

Parents
 parents >
    >> Deerhop > Brown she-cat with a white spotted back and blue eyes > Played by Sn0wbranch > Alive
    >> Ravenfrost > Black tom with a lighter undercoat and green eyes > Played by ScorcherSoldier > Deceased

siblings >
    >> Rootcry > Sister > Brown she-cat with a bobbed tail and blue eyes > Played by peeperonipip > Deceased
    >> Poppysnap > Sister > Tortoiseshell she-cat with white spotting and blue eyes > Played by Melontine > Alive
    >> Lilypetal > Sister > Dilute spotted caliby she-cat with green eyes > Played by xXCloudie-SkiesXx > Deceased

mate >
    >> Algaebreeze > Small brown tabby she-cat with green eyes > Played by RubyRose364 > Alive

kits >
    >> Lightningkit > Son > Black tabby tom with white spotting and green eyes > Played by ShiiDreams > Alive
    >> Grousekit > Son > Brown tabby tom with green eyes and a white underside > Played by CGIspector > Alive
    >> Eveningkit > Child > Dilute calico tabby cat with heterochromatic green and blue eyes > Played by Caataegus > Alive
    >> Walnutkit > Child > Brown tabby tom with green eyes > Played by priestofbast > Alive

extended >
    >> Owlheart > Paternal Grandmother > Brown colorpoint she-cat with blue eyes > Played by Sn0wbranch > Alive
    >> Rainy > Paternal Grandfather > Gray tabby tom with green eyes > NPC > Unknown

    >> Falconscreech > Uncle > Gray tabby trans-tom with green eyes > Played by Sn0wbranch > Deceased
    >> Chestnut > Uncle > Brown tom with white paws and green eyes > Played by Melontine > Deceased 
    >> Magpieflight > Uncle > Black pointed tom with blue eyes > Played by GlaceonSky > Deceased
    >> Finchbreeze > Aunt > Cinammon colorpoint tabby she-cat with blue eyes > Played by codesii > Alive
    >> Flickercloud > Uncle > Brown tabby tom with green eyes > Played by peeperonipip > Deceased 
    >> Quailmeadow > Uncle > Ginger colorpoint tabby tom with green eyes > Played by TheArtfulGeek > Deceased
    >> Shrikefoot > Uncle > Gray colorpoint tabby tom with blue eyes > Played by Spacecat011 > Deceased

    >> Tiramisu > Cousin > Chocolate she-cat with high white and green eyes > Played by Winter5587 > Alive
    >> Peanut > Cousin > Brown pointed tabby she-cat with green eyes > Played by codesii > Deceased
    >> Martenfang > Cousin > Brown colorpoint cat with amber eyes and a twisted paw > Played by RubyRose364 > Alive
    >> Blackstrike > Cousin > Small black cat with white markings and blue eyes > Played by Spacecat011 > Deceased
    >> Quailbelly > Cousin > Brown she-cat with rosettes and hazel eyes > Played by Mothfluttter > Alive
    >> Rabbitlily > Cousin > Cream colorpoint tabby tom with blue eyes > Played by drakkeosaur > Alive

    >> Crocusclaw > First Cousin Once Removed > Brown colorpoint tabby she-cat with blue eyes > Played by Sn0wbranch > Alive
    >> Bellflowerfox > First Cousin Once Removed > Cream colorpoint tabby she-cat with turquoise eyes > Played by SnorlaxJax > Missing
    >> Cygnetpaw > First Cousin Once Removed > Gray-and-white colorpointed tabby she-cat with mismatched blue eyes > Played by halcyon0211 > Deceased
    >> Frogletfern > First Cousin Once Removed > Brown colorpoint tabby tom with green eyes and a bobbed tail > Played by Melontine > Alive

kithood [ 0 - 6 moons ] >
    Thistlekit was born to Deerhop shortly after his two sisters, Rootkit and Poppykit, and followed by his youngest sister, Lilykit. His father, Ravenfrost, seems to be missing in action at the time, but Thistlekit was too young at the time to comprehend that he was without a father figure and did not mind the lack of Ravenfrost's presence. His grandmother, Owlheart, however, seemed all too prepared to help care for him and his sisters.
    It wasn't long into his kithood that Thistlekit learned about his father's disappearance, along with his sisters. Thistlekit grew a strong dislike for Ravenfrost at this new information, and he quickly tried to brush it all off and move on with his life. He quickly learned that wouldn't be the case, though. Suddenly, Rootkit and Poppykit began to treat him differently. He didn't understand; what did they have against him? Poppykit had no issues telling him the truth: all toms are the same, and Thistlekit will abandon them just like their father. Thistlekit was furious. Why did his sisters think he was going to do that? He hated their father just as much as they did, so for him to be like him, Thistlekit didn't understand. He was so angry with his sisters about it that Thistlekit began to actively avoid Rootkit and Poppykit. He gave Lilykit the benefit of the doubt, knowing she wasn't as cruel as their sisters, and he never judged his mother. But slowly, the young tom began to become continuously isolated, worried others would judge him the same way that his own sisters have. All because he had a rat for a father.
    Shortly before his apprenticeship ceremony, a cat stinking of kittypet and twolegs came to the clan asking for entry. She was young, though definitely older than Thistlekit and his denmates. She claimed to be Peanut, the daughter of Chestnut and grand-kit of Owlheart. That meant she was related to Thistlekit. This caught his attention. Goldenstar granted her her request, and she was renamed to Thrasherpaw. Thistlekit wondered if maybe he could make friends with this she-cat. She probably didn't know about his father, anyways. And, thankfully, he was right. They ended up becoming wonderful friends, and Thrasherpaw was one of the few cats that didn't give him a stink eye whenever he met her gaze. He enjoyed having a friend, especially one in his family.
    And then Goldenstar stepped down, putting Ashspark--Ashstar--in charge. Thistlekit didn't really care about this. It was probably something to expect to happen soon, with how old Goldenhaze was. Thistlekit thought it was a good change, especially right before his apprenticeship.

apprenticeship [ 6 moons - 13 moons ] >
    At first, Thistlekit and his denmates' apprenticeship ceremonies were lackluster. Two of his three sisters got to go first as they were older than him, and Thistlekit paid no mind to their ceremonies. Why should he? It was the two sisters he hated. And then it was his turn. After Ashstar named him Thistlepaw, he called up Stormygloom. Thistlepaw's face fell. Stormygloom. What kind of mentor was that!? She was not only old--at least, in his terms she was--but a nobody! Why did he have to be stuck with her while Poppypaw got someone like Egretfrost? He was furious, thinking he was being overlooked, but he didn't say anything as the ceremonies went on.
    Thistlepaw had no issues with proving to be a difficult apprentice early on. He never listened to Stormygloom, turning his back on her and arguing with her any chance he had. Or if he did, it was because he knew he could follow it in a way to annoy her. He often got into trouble because of this, but he didn't care.
    And thankfully, he was able to keep his friendship with Thrasherpaw even after his ceremony. It didn't seem like his sisters had fed their lies and rumors to her, or if they did, she didn't care. He spent much of his time training and doing apprentice duties with Thrasherpaw. He thought things could start getting better as time went by and he kept working towards being a warrior. Such a shame that StarClan is cruel and heartless to his kind.
    Not even a moon into his apprenticeship, another cat had come into the clan. Thistlepaw didn't care at first, going about his duties without a second glance, until he heard his mother's alarming hisses. When he finally went to see the commotion, he didn't need to ask who it was that was making them so angry. Cause he could see his own rage reflecting in those oh-so-familiar eyes. Ravenfrost. The deadbeat father that ruined Thistlepaw's life without even realizing he had. He wanted so badly to chase the rogue out, to give him a good few parting scratches down his face and hind as he ran, if not for his grandmother, Owlheart, coming in. And then, for some StarClan-forsaken reason, Ashstar had let him stay! How could his leader do something so unaccounted for!? Thistlepaw was furious, and as he stared with burning hatred at the cat that was his father, he couldn't get over the fact that the rumors weren't lying; he did look like Ravenfrost.
    From that moment on, Thistlepaw only became harder to control. He became even more distant with the clan, including even his mother and Thrasherpaw. He was blinded by his hatred and rage, and he wanted nothing more than to run away. But then he would only prove his sisters right. And if there was one thing he wouldn't do, he wouldn't be like Ravenfrost. He forced himself to stay, although begrudgingly, and continue his training, albeit with many complications.
    And then war was declared. Wildstar had accused CloudClan of stealing prey. Thistlepaw knew they were wrong, but yet he had an aching feeling that someone who was currently in CloudClan did. He wouldn't express that though. He didn't care. Rather, he was almost excited at the idea of fighting. Would he be allowed to? Oh, he hoped so. Maybe it would help him released some of his pent-up rage. He couldn't wait.
    It wouldn't be for a long while until Thistlepaw would get to participate in the war. Rather, most of his apprenticeship went the same way every day: wake up, begrudgingly train with Stormygloom, proceed to get in trouble, get put on in-camp duties until he was forgiven, proceed to avoid his family, rinse and repeat. He got to the point where he was hardwired to do nothing but argue and make trouble. It was surprising to see how well Stormygloom put up with it, especially when Thistlepaw tended to take out much of his anger on her.
    Finally, the young tom had his chance! There were many border battles from the war already, one in which an older warrior, Hyenaspot came back injured and was forced to retire, but none yet where Thistlepaw got to participate. But one day, while he was on a patrol one stormy evening where, for some StarClan forsaken reason, Stormygloom had allowed him to go without her, they ran into a MarshClan patrol. At first, the CloudClan patrol was going to try and ignore them, complete their tasks, and move on with their lives. But one MarshClan cat just had to speak out against Thistlepaw--his appearance, to be more precise. The cat made clear jabs at his similarities to his father, Ravenfrost, and showed a clear distaste to it. If he wasn't so angry at her comparisons, maybe Thistlepaw would've laughed alongside her about his father. But she just kept going on about it, and it got to the point where Thistlepaw couldn't take it anymore. He initiated the battle, leaping right over the border to attack the warrior. But he never had his chance to fight the MarshClan warrior as she ran to find someone "more worth her time". Rather, his blind rage found him face-to-face with a MarshClan apprentice: a large, yellow she-cat. He spent no time to hesitate as he attacked her, mercilessly swinging his claws and teeth at her. She had managed a good hit to his shoulder before he got her down, and he paid the favor back before some other cats came to her rescue. He came to figure out they were her littermates, and one caught him in the face as he swung at Thistlepaw to get him off. Unknowingly to Thistlepaw, this hit would change his life, but at the time of the battle, he didn't think twice about it. He was too hyped up on the adrenaline and his anger to think twice about it, continuing on as his eye bled. He wanted desperately to keep going and fight them--fight them all--but he heard a voice he didn't expect to hear: Stormygloom. She was suddenly calling retreat, telling CloudClan to get home. Thistlepaw desperately wanted to disobey orders like he usually did and keep fighting, but something in him was saying to turn away. So he did, trudging back a soaking, bleeding mess to where his mentor waited. Just before he could get to her, though, a large branch that had snapped off a tree had fallen in less than a heartbeat, crushing Stormygloom. Thistlepaw was in shock: did he really just see that? He tried desperately to get her out from under the branch, surprisingly with the help of his sister, Rootpaw. But their efforts were in vain, and he knew it; Stormygloom was gone.
    Thistlepaw was reassigned to a younger warrior by the name of Starlingfeather after Stormygloom's death. The warrior should be thankful he didn't have to spend much time with Thistlepaw, who was only angrier and more snappy than before with his mentor gone. He never showed it, but he grieved Stormygloom's death, and the lack of her nagging only made the coping worse. Training wouldn't be the same. Starlingfeather would be lucky if Thistlepaw ever listened to him. Thistlepaw would only do so to get through his final moons as an apprentice.
    However, training was unable to resume right away for Thistlepaw. Turns out, the injuries towards his eye were more severe than initially thought. He had not told anyone about being unable to open his eye since the attack, not even the medicine cats, as he was too busy dealing with the loss of his mentor, but when the medicine cats began to notice their remedies not doing much, he admitted to it. What they thought were simply scratches had also damaged his eye, and when he managed to open said eye for the first time in a few days, he realized he couldn't see anything. The medicine cats did what they could, but it would be in vain, for he was unable to ever see in his left eye again.
    The severity of the injury confined the young tom to the medicine den, where the medicine cats would make sure he would heal properly with no infections. He thought it was to keep him out of trouble. When he was able to return to his duties, he was told his warrior assessment would be held back due to his delay in training, but he didn't much care. He carried on, hating every moment of having to train with Starlingfeather. He made training quite difficult with him, only following his orders on occasion or half-heartedly. It just made him angry. Being with the tom made him realize just how much he missed Stormygloom. He never considered Starlingfeather a mentor to him.
   The moon after he was released from the medicine den, Thistlepaw's littermates and denmates had their warrior assessments and ceremonies. He watched from the edge of camp as his sisters were given their warrior names, alongside Acorntail and Egretfrost's kits. He thought he wouldn't have cared, except... something felt empty in him as he watched. He had grown up with these cats all this time, and although he never got along with them, it was better than growing up alone. His sisters were named Rootcry, Poppysnap, and Lilypetal, and Thistlepaw didn't stay for the rest of them. He made his way to the apprentices' den, which was suddenly a lot bigger.
    It was only a few days before his own warrior assessment. Thistlepaw had joined his mentor, albeit reluctantly, on a border patrol. Not necessarily because of Starlingfeather though; his father, Ravenfrost, had joined, alongside Deerhop and his sisters, Rootcry and Poppysnap. It was going relatively okay until they encountered a MarshClan patrol. And then the curveball was thrown; Ravenfrost confessed that it was him that stole the prey from the other territories. He did it back when he was a rogue, but he still carried CloudClan's scent, giving the other clans the idea that it was CloudClan. Thistlepaw was furious. Did this cat have no shame!? Thistlepaw wanted to so badly rip the fleabag's fur right off of him, but he couldn't. Because for some StarClan forsaken reason, he was welcomed back into CloudClan, making him his clanmate. Didn't mean Thistlepaw couldn't enjoy the fact of the MarshClan deputy doing it for him. Still, his anger wasn't satisfied, so he took it out on a cat that he could, which turned out to be an older MarshClan warrior. Thistlepaw, despite being ripped up and bruised, came out as what would be considered a victory against that cat, and then another, who came to rescue the first. But as he began to calm down and lose his strength, he realized how wrong he was being. Especially when he felt that same chill in the air as he did when Stormygloom died. He was thankful that it was no cat he recognized, but still, it felt wrong. Realizing this, Thistlepaw let the last cat go, albeit not uninjured. But instead of going back to MarshClan camp--her home--the she-cat bolted over the CloudClan border straight for the twoleg place. Thistleflame was appalled. What a coward.
    Maybe it was a victory for CloudClan, but it didn't feel like it to Thistlepaw. His mother was in the medicine den, a cat was dead, and Ravenfrost was even worse than the young tom thought. Was anything a victory anymore? Thistlepaw began to distance himself even further from the clan, only interacting when needed for his training and duties. What a terrible way to end his apprenticeship.

warriorhood [ 13 moons - present ] >
    He was finally done. The young tom didn't have to worry about listening to any mentor telling him what to do, dead or alive. He was given the name Thistleflame for his fiery personality, which he actually found endearing. Without a mentor to hold him back, Thistleflame has been focusing on further enhancing his skills. He's not gonna let the other clans get the better of him next time in a battle. He was ready for the war. Except, it didn't quite go like that.
    First, Ravenfrost died. His body was brought back by a border patrol one day. Thistleflame didn't know how to feel about it. He should be happy to be free of him, except... he didn't. For moons, all his purpose was to hate Ravenfrost and prove that he wasn't anything like him. For moons, he had a direction to throw his rage at, even if he couldn't physically do so. And it was all gone. Perhaps Ravenfrost had it coming to him, perhaps not. Thistleflame hated his father... but he never thought he would die. With Ravenfrost gone, much of Thistleflame's hatred suddenly dissipated. An empty husk was a good way of describing him. He was angry still, yes, but at what?
    Shortly after Ravenfrost's death, the war was declared over by Reedstar, the new EmberClan leader. Thistleflame didn't know what happened to the previous leader, and he didn't care. All he knew was that he no longer had an outlet for his emotions, both in Ravenfrost and fighting, and he was utterly lost on what his life was anymore. He, of course, went back to his warrior duties, but something was... off. He was still distant, but he was a lot quieter and more to himself than before. He would often be found staring off, unfocused, and unlike himself.
    And as if things could not get any worse, they did. One day, Lilypetal had gone out on patrol and never came home. The clan sent out a search party for her the next day and all they found was a collapsed tunnel and strands of her fur. They assumed she had been crushed by the collapse, and they could not find her body in what digging they did do. The news crushed Thistleflame. Lilypetal was the only sister that he actually liked, and she was the only one that did not judge him for their father's misdeeds. And now she was gone. He didn't express his sadness though, of course, but he felt hollow. Thistleflame's circle of trust was rapidly growing thin, to the point he would only openly talk with Thrasherwing anymore. Not even Deerhop did he feel he could trust.
    Yet, he somehow managed to open himself up just a bit more when a HailClan cat suddenly left her clan and joined CloudClan. Thistleflame didn't like nor trust her at first; she abandoned her birth clan to join them, so who was to say her loyalty would last there? It reminded him bitterly of his father. And he would have avoided her as much as possible if it weren't for Thrasherwing. His cousin had discovered that the large she-cat was actually their cousin, too, and she had come to join to be with her large kin. Thrasherwing had invited her to be friends with her and Thistleflame, all without asking for his opinion on it. He figured he could give Martenfang a chance, given Thrasherwing's fondness of her. And it turns out Thrasherwing had decent intuition. He started to warm up to his cousin, to the point that the three became a well-known trio among CloudClan, hardly seen apart. It was the first time that things seemed to begin looking up for Thistleflame, albeit minimally.
    What CloudClan thought would be their time to recover after the war would only be more unstableness. Out of nowhere, Ashstar had disappeared. He, along with a number of warriors and his own daughter, Nightingalekit, was gone with little explanation. Sparkclaw, the deputy, became CloudClan's new leader under the name Sparkstar. Thistleflame didn't much care about the change, that was until Starlingfeather was named deputy. It made his fur bristle a bit to hear. What made him capable of being a leader? He was weak and certainly had no leadership qualities. He would know, having been forced to train under him for a little over a moon. Though, he realized he was probably more work than a whole clan as an apprentice. It must have taken a lot to train him, especially in his unstable state. Though he didn't like Starlingfeather, and never will, he reluctantly forced himself to accept the tom as his deputy.
    But leader? Thistleflame was hoping it would be many moons until he would have to deal with that, but fate was not on his side. Sparkstar had lost both of her lives to a monster after being leader for a moon, and suddenly, the tom's old mentor was leader. Thistleflame was not yet ready to accept it, never mind the fact he would have to accept another deputy. Who would it be this time? Someone else that didn't like him? Surprisingly, no. Starlingstar had chosen his cousin, Thrasherwing, to be deputy. No one had expected it, not even Thrasherwing. Still, she accepted the position. And this was something Thistleflame could get behind. Thrasherwing was confident and dutiful, and he knew she could do a good job as deputy. He could deal with her ordering him around as if she didn't already.
    During this time of unstableness, Thistleflame had slowly begun to found a new meaning to his life. And it all started with a fox attack. He was out on border patrol with Leafdrift, Mottledfoot, Chestnutpaw, and Algaepaw. Things were going as smoothly as any border patrol after the war, save for the looming memories of death in Thistleflame's mind, when a fox decided to try and snatch one of the apprentices for a meal. It took the warrior a moment to process, one moment too late. The fox had gravely injured Algaepaw, who was bleeding heavily from their face after they took the hit instead of their sister. This enraged Thistleflame; though he considered them as nothing more than a clanmate, Thistleflame had previously spoken and worked with Algaepaw, and he had come to tolerate them more than most cats. So to see them injured and weak angered him in ways he had not been angered in moons. He took this out on the fox, leaving no room for doubt or second-guessing. He, along with the other warriors, ran the fox out, though he was a bit cut up himself. He didn't care. Thistleflame turned and, without needing asking, was quick to pick Algaepaw up and rush her back to camp, the rest of the patrol trailing behind him.
    Back at camp, Thistleflame brought Algaepaw to the medicine den, where Waverose and Shadeleaf worked fast to treat her. But they knew it was a grave injury, and there was a possibility of her not coming out of it alive. Because of this, Starlingstar came in and performed something that Thistleflame hoped to never see in his life--a dying apprentice ceremony. He declared Algaepaw an official warrior of CloudClan should she survive, giving her the name Algaebreeze. Thistleflame urged the young cat to not die, and that she had a long life still worth living, before being ushered out by the medicine cats.
    This did not stop the large tom from worrying, though. It surprised many to find him pacing outside the medicine den multiple times throughout the day, and when he wasn't busy, Thistleflame would sometimes be dozing by the entrance. Even Thrasherwing couldn't believe what she was hearing when Thistleflame expressed his concern. It was out of his character, but perhaps it was for the better. Algaebreeze eventually woke up, and Thistleflame reluctantly began to visit her. They bonded over her time in the medicine den, and by the time Algaebreeze had recovered and was able to return to her duties, Thistleflame was openly calling her a friend of his and spending time with her. Some may even say he spent more time with her than his cousins, now, but he never noticed. It was clear that something else was developing between the two, but Thistleflame denied it, despite knowing the rumors to be true. He just wasn't sure he was ready to accept it.
    Finally, things were looking up for Thistleflame, and for CloudClan as a whole. Just a moon ago, kits were born to Leafdrift after Chestnutwind became a warrior. And, surprisingly, Thistleflame came to bond just a bit with one of the kits, Gloomkit. The young tom was like looking in a mirror to Thistleflame. He acted much like him, and it made Thistleflame realize just how difficult he may have been when he was younger. Yes, he is still grumpy, and yes, he is still quite the outsider, but he was even worse than that. He was disobedient, rash, and wanted nothing more than to fight. It made him glad to see that Gloomkit didn't seem to be going down that route, especially given the great father he had. Still, it was strange bonding with a kit, and he wasn't sure how to react to it, but it made Thistleflame feel good.
   Things continued to go alright for awhile, until the epidemic hit. It had begun in HailClan and didn't concern the other clans to start, but as it begun to travel around, it only got worse. MarshClan began to see cases next, and then it was CloudClan. The clan suffered losses from the epidemic, including Mottledfoot, Slugpath, and Flickercloud. The only one that affected Thistleflame was his sister, Rootcry, who had suffered the illness for almost two moons before finally succumbing. Thistleflame never really got along with Rootcry. They butt heads many times in their time as brother and sister, and he hated the way that she would compare him to their father. But... that didn't mean he wanted her to die. She was still his sister. A small part of him wished they could've reconciled their relationship before she passed, but at the same time, he knew that would have been impossible. He just had to remind himself that she and Lilypetal had each other now.
    During this time of struggle was when the outlook on life began to look up for Thistleflame. Of course, it did not go unnoticed that he and Algaebreeze were extremely close. The two did everything together, and their relationship was clearly more than just friends. At the time, though, they themselves did not quite realize this. It was thanks to the cheekiness of Thrasherwing and Chestnutwind on a patrol did they realize. Thrasherwing had teased the two about their love towards each other, giving them space to let the love have some room and left them to their own devices. At first, the two had zero clues to what they were talking about, but it dawned on them not long after. After the embarrassment and awkwardness passed, the two came to the conclusion that Thrasherwing and Chestnutwind were right, in that they clearly felt more for each other than just friends. It warmed Thistleflame's heart, relieved to know that not only would they continue to live good lives, but they would live them together. He would have to thank Thrasherwing later.
    They had lost cats to other incidents unrelated to the epidemic, too. Two significant losses burn in the minds of him and his clanmate. The first being Shadeleaf, CloudClan's medicine cat apprentice. She was one of the few cats Thistleflame got along with in some fashion, having spent so much time of his youth in the medicine den. She was swept up by the river, never to be seen again. The clan mourned her loss, Waverose especially, and Thistleflame sat off to the side in quiet grief at the loss of yet another acquaintance.
    The other was a young, new warrior named Swansong. Thistleflame was never close to the she-cat himself, but she was the sister of Algaebreeze's sister's mate, which made her someone of a friend to her. Thistleflame was out on patrol with Thrasherwing and Martenfang, and when they returned, the clan was in clear distress. Just as they began to enter the camp, he had seen Algaebreeze leave in haste. Confused, he followed Thrasherwing to hear what had occurred while they were gone. Apparently, an eagle had attacked the camp in their absence, and in a last-ditch effort to snag a meal, it grabbed Swansong and took off. Now he understood Algaebreeze's reaction. He didn't wait to hear anymore before following her out. He didn't know Swansong, but Algaebreeze did, and all that mattered to the tom was comforting the small she-cat in a time of desperate need, allowing her to grieve in silence over the sudden loss.
    Thankfully, they were given a bit of a distraction from all of the sudden losses. Leafdrift's kits had reached six moons and become apprentices. Befriending Gloomkit, now Gloompaw, went in Thistleflame's favor, as he was named the young cat's mentor. He had never had an apprentice before, so it was a new experience for him. Even he was a bit surprised by it, but it was not unwelcomed. If anything, Gloompaw seemed happier about it than him. In addition to his own assignment, Algaebreeze was assigned Gloompaw's brother, Gustpaw, as her own apprentice. Thistleflame prayed this would help get her mind off of Swansong a bit, as they could now train apprentices together, alongside Chestnutwind, who had been given an apprentice by the name of Irispaw not too long ago, and Cougarblaze, who had been given Gloompaw and Gustpaw's sister, Bloompaw. Admittedly, he was a bit worried about that pairing, given Swansong was Cougarblaze's sister, but he had faith that Chestnutwind would help her in her grief.
    Around the same time that he was given his first apprentice, HailClan had suddenly shown up at CloudClan's camp asking for help. The entire clan was there, and they all looked like drowned rats. They relayed what had just transpired; their territory and camp were flooded by the recent rainfall and melting snow, leaving them with nowhere to go. Starlingstar agreed to house them as guests until their territory was safe again. The irritation that went across the faces of CloudClan was evident, including Thistleflame. But he didn't say anything, instead, he got to work on expanding dens for all the new inhabitants.
    Admittedly, save for the crampiness of the camp with two clans occupying it, the time that HailClan was with CloudClan was not terrible. They seemed to work well with CloudClan's warriors, arranging patrols and hunting parties and contributing as best as they could during their time there. The only terrible thing that occurred in the time they spent there was that Kitestar had suddenly died, poisoned by a rabbit. This raised many suspicions, and Thistleflame felt his own walls of defense growing. HailClan had better not blame CloudClan for his death. Why would they want to kill the HailClan leader, especially when they were allies? Swanstar became their new leader, using CloudClan's camp to name his deputy, Robinear. It didn't matter much to Thistleflame, and even less so when they left CloudClan after about a moon of being there. Thank StarClan.
    During their time in CloudClan, however, Thistleflame got to meet his aunt, Finchbreeze. She was... nothing like he expected. She was gentle, kind, and understanding. She had asked to talk to him individually one day, and somehow, their conversation had turned to Thistleflame's father. He did everything he could to never hear that foxheart's name again, and yet there it was. He felt like he was ready to lash out at any moment, but the words that Finchbreeze spoke to him... made him rethink it all. For most of his life, Thistleflame focused so hard on not being Ravenfrost, not living up to his name, and being angry when he did. He never made a name for himself. He always focused on the negatives of Ravenfrost, while Finchbreeze brought light to the positives. Was Ravenfrost really like that? Something softened in Thistleflame's heart as he thought more and more on it. Though he didn't think he could ever forgive Ravenfrost for all he did... he could perhaps learn to look ahead instead of looking back.
    For a little less than a moon after HailClan left, things began to go smoothly again. Training Gloompaw became natural to Thistleflame, and it gave him the excuse to spend the entire day with Algaebreeze, as if he wasn't already. Of course, they were often accompanied by other mentors and apprentices, but he did his best to ignore that. Everything was going alright, until, like always, it wasn't.
    Thistleflame had been in the camp when it all happened. He was resting after a long day of training and warrior duties, but the first mention of dogs on the territory had him alert and racing out the camp. He knew based on what Dropletshine had said that it was the same patrol that Thrasherwing and Martenfang were on, and it had the tom on high alert. Were his cousins okay? When he arrived at the scene, most of the situation had already de-escalated. Two of the three dogs had run off, with the last getting ready to retreat. He saw the standoff that Thrasherwing had with the dog, and he realized why she was so adamant to get past the dog; there was a lifeless, brown form at its paws. The similarities between that deceased kittypet and Thrasherwing were undeniable. When the dog had finally begun to flee, Thistleflame was quick to follow it, chasing it for a time to ensure it left, before returning to where his cousins and clanmates were. By the time he came back, Thrasherwing had been hunched over the kittypet, with Rowanflame arguing with Grasshopperhill. Thistleflame got between the two to stop the fighting; it was not the time nor place for it. Thrasherwing had just lost her father. After being requested to be alone, Thistleflame guided Martenfang away from Thrasherwing and back to camp, where his cousin was confined to the medicine den along with her apprentice, Lochpaw, and Algaebreeze's apprentice, Gustpaw. Thistleflame watched with stoic concern before turning his back on the medicine den. He waited all day for Thrasherwing to return, but she never did.
    Many days passed with no sign of his cousin. The clan had begun to speculate, wondering if maybe the dogs got her in her time of weakness. Or maybe she abandoned the clan after losing her father. No one was sure what happened, though they all came to one conclusion: Thrasherwing was gone. Starlingstar appointed her old mentor, Brookshine, as his new deputy, although Thistleflame could tell that it was halfheartedly done. Thistleflame, himself, did not know how to comprehend Thrasherwing's disappearance. He found himself walking along the border with the twoleg place often, hoping to see some sign of his cousin. But there never was any. He refused to believe that she had died to those mongrels. She was stronger than that. Yet, she looked so broken, grieving over the kittypet that day, and he couldn't bring himself to hate her if she did leave. After all, she had a relationship with her father that he didn't understand, and he was not about to badmouth it. If she chose to leave the clan... he wouldn't hate her for it. He just wished he knew whether she was alive or not.
   Life continued on, even without Thrasherwing. More kits became apprentices, and even Thistleflame's remaining sister, Poppysnap, got her first apprentice. Thistleflame watched on indifferently; he was no longer angry with his sister, but that did not mean he liked her. He was finally ready to move on from all of the hatred and pain that was his past and look forward to his future.
    The clan was beyond surprised when Swansong one day walked into camp. She was alive, against all odds, and she had made her way back to CloudClan after moons of going missing. However, she was not alone; a rogue came into camp with her, which had a portion of the clan bristling. But when Swansong told them that this rogue, who went by the name of Fox, saved her from death and helped her return home, most of everyone calmed down. Thistleflame could see just how happy Algaebreeze was to see her old friend alive and well, and he had to admit that it was nice to have an old face back.
    Fox and Swansong requested to Starlingstar that Fox join the clan, and after promising to Starlingstar that he would devote himself to CloudClan, the leader agreed to allow him to join. He wouldn’t join as a warrior though; while Fox was able to fight and hunt, he didn’t know about any of the ways of the clan, between the warrior code to caring for your clanmates. So he was deemed an apprentice and was put under Flowersmoke’s guide so that he may learn about this. Thistleflame could only nod in agreement at this decision. With Swansong back and Fox joining the clan, CloudClan began to look towards a better horizon, even if it would be without Thrasherwing.
    This was proven when Martenfang, Lochpaw, and Gustpaw were released from the medicine den. Algaebreeze resumed Gustpaw’s training alongside Thistleflame and Gloompaw, though the young tom had a permanent limp from his run-in with the dogs. Thankfully, Gustpaw was a resilient and optimistic young cat, and it didn’t seem to bother him that he was different. Martenfang and Lochpaw, too, joined them again, though Thistleflame could see the constant irritation that his cousin had towards their apprentice. He was thankful he never had to deal with that with Gloompaw; he and his apprentice got on extremely well and understood each other, so they never had an issue with each other like Martenfang and Lochpaw. He reminded Martenfang that it would soon be over though, and that they only need to endure training Lochpaw for a little while longer. Hopefully that reminder would help them get through the remaining moons of training.
    Despite his clanmates’ recoveries, the clan had to remain wary of the dogs. They were still dangerously roaming the territories, and even Leafdrift got caught one day in a scuffle with them. He came out with minor injuries, though, which everyone was thankful for. Thistleflame was sure to remain on high alert for any sign of the dogs, and he even grew more cautious when twolegs were sighted on their territory. Their appearance, however, would actually be a saving grace when they began to capture the dogs. The largest one disappeared first, and then a second one was caught days later. It left only one to worry about, which was certainly far easier to handle for CloudClan than the original three. Still, they didn’t take the dog for granted, especially when they found Pearmask and Lionstrike’s bodies with the scent of a dog all over them. They had to remain cautious.
    Yet, the dog would not be the only threat that CloudClan had to deal with. One day, Brookshine suddenly died after consuming a rabbit. Upon further inspection, the cats found deathberries in her rabbit, which alarmed everyone. They were intentionally put there, and someone had killed their deputy. Who would do such a thing, though? Though Thistleflame wasn’t close to her, she was Algaebreeze’s mother, so he focused on comforting his mate, keeping her company during the vigil and curling up protectively around her the night after.
    Everyone was even more shocked when Starlingstar named Grasshopperhill the new deputy. Thistleflame hadn’t interacted with the tom much personally, but he remembered sourly how Grasshopperhill treated Thrasherwing when her father was killed. Why in StarClan’s name was a cat like him becoming the deputy? When questioned about it, Starlingstar told the clan that it was not his decision–it was StarClan’s. Really? StarClan chose that foxheart for their future leader? He didn’t believe it, though he could tell that Starlingstar was just as angry at the decision, so he had to believe that his former mentor would never have made this decision on his own. Thus, Thistleflame and the rest of the clan was forced to accept Grasshopperhill as their deputy, though Thistleflame would never see him as his leader.
    There was a noticeable hole in the camp one day when Rowanflame went missing. She was well known throughout CloudClan for her spunkiness and flirtatious personality, so her voice was familiar and could always be heard. Yet, Thistleflame didn’t hear it once that day. Or the next. Or even the day after that. She never ended up coming back, though they found no traces of her being dead. Thistleflame, personally, wasn’t all too surprised. She was close with Thrasherwing, with the two she-cats being best friends and all. She was the one that argued with Grasshopperhill for Thrasherwing the day Chestnut died. Perhaps Grasshopperhill becoming deputy is what broke the rat’s back for Rowanflame. Perhaps she did what Thistleflame couldn’t and went searching for his cousin. Nevertheless, she was gone. Thistleflame only hoped that her and Thrasherwing would get to see each other again, wherever they were.
    The last dog was finally captured by the twolegs, and the clan could breathe a sigh of relief at the news. Those dogs had caused far too many problems for them, and now they wouldn’t have to worry about it again. Thistleflame never saw himself thanking a twoleg in his life, but now he couldn’t have been more thankful for the appearance of the twolegs. They could finally roam their territory without having to watch their back every step they took.
    And Lochpaw also became a warrior, being named Lochjaw, shortly after the last dog was captured. Thistleflame huffed a chuckle of amusement at Martenfang’s relieved face. It was clear that his cousin was thankful to be free of their apprentice, and though he couldn’t relate, he knew it would only be a matter of time until he, too, would have to watch Gloompaw become a warrior and say goodbye to his mentoring days.
    But he would have to wait on that, for there were more pressing matters to attend to. One day, not long after Lochjaw’s ceremony, some HailClan cats showed up on CloudClan’s doorstep. It had not been too long since HailClan had taken refuge in CloudClan after the flood destroyed their camp. They hadn’t heard of another disaster ensuing… So why were they there now? The eldest of the cats among them, Ruddyheart, explained with a heavy heart; HailClan’s leader was unconscious, and their deputy, Robinear had taken over. However, her leadership was never quite right, and the last straw for many of the HailClan cats was when she exiled Pigeoncall, a cat that she had accused of conspiring with a rogue. Many cats called the accusation a bluff, but refusing to overturn her decision, Robinear created a tear in HailClan’s ranks. Salmonflight followed Pigeoncall out of the camp, leaving HailClan until Robinear saw reason. Many followed him, including Ruddyheart and his family, who were here now.
    CloudClan was shocked to hear about what had transpired. So then these cats were refugees once again, but this time sheltering themselves from their own clan deputy. Given that half of the cats Ruddyheart had mentioned weren’t there, they could only assume that those cats had found refuge elsewhere. Regardless, Starlingstar didn’t turn them down, and he offered them a home with CloudClan, where they could continue to train the apprentice they had with them and recover from the ordeal, so long as they helped contribute to CloudClan. Of course, they agreed, and suddenly, CloudClan’s camp was not just their camp yet again.
    It didn’t stop there, either. Over the course of the next few days, CloudClan found more and more HailClan cats seeking refuge, until it seemed like there were no cats left in HailClan at all. Thistleflame was shocked to see his aunt among the refugees, and when he and Martenfang went to greet her, she admitted that HailClan just wasn’t the same anymore. Though she also admitted that she was thankful to having the ability to spend more time with her family back in CloudClan, at least until things resolved. Martenfang, especially, seemed to be happy to have their mother back.
    And while Thistleflame didn’t mind it, either, the cramped feeling of the camp overflowing with cats began to come back. Sure, it wasn’t as bad as when all of HailClan was there, but it still wasn’t ideal. Thistleflame found himself spending more time outside of the camp when he wasn’t needed, either training Gloompaw out in the moorlands, hunting, patrolling the borders, or simply going for walks to escape the claustrophobic feeling. He was always thankful when Algaebreeze joined him. It made the walks far better to go with someone he loved.
    But among the falling apart of HailClan, CloudClan also had its own issues to deal with. Magpieflight’s body was found one day by the thunderpaths near the twoleg place, and given his injuries, it could only be assumed he was run over by a monster. Thistleflame felt terrible for his aunt, knowing that she was happy to be with her family only to lose a brother while she was there. But he was not the only death; the weather, although nice for the most part, would become exceedingly difficult to deal with on certain days. The heat unfortunately got to Pantherpaw, Poppysnap’s apprentice, and the young apprentice died to a heatstroke. Thistleflame, when hearing about this, reminded Gloompaw that if he ever felt weak, that he was to go and see Waverose immediately. Still, he watched his sister blame herself for Pantherpaw’s death, and he wondered from a distance if she would be okay.
    At least there were other apprentices to celebrate. Warrenpath and Shrikefoot’s kits became apprentices by the names of Rabbitpaw and Quailpaw. Starlingstar assigned Rabbitpaw to Thistleflame’s parent, Deerhop, while Quailpaw went to Swansong. Thistleflame wasn’t really sure about his parent being a mentor, though he could see Swansong and Quailpaw getting along immediately. It helped the young she-cat get re-integrated with CloudClan, and he had to at least feel comforted in knowing that they would be okay. Hopefully, Rabbitpaw would be just as alright with Deerhop.
    HailClan’s situation, meanwhile, only got worse. One day, Orchidfrost showed up to CloudClan with Swanstar’s unconscious body in tow. He told Starlingstar and the other HailClan refugees that Robinear had gone into self-exile, leaving the remaining cats still in HailClan without a leader. However, Swanstar needed to be cared for, so he decided to come to CloudClan in hopes that he would have a safe place to continue Swanstar’s recovery. Of course, they were welcomed into CloudClan’s home, as were any other HailClan refugees that followed them after.
    And it was the right decision, too, when Swanstar finally woke up and began to recover. Soon, he was back on his feet and walking around again, and he told Starlingstar that once he was back to his full strength, he had planned to gather up his clan from everyone and help them reform back in their territories. Thistleflame, personally, was glad to hear this. CloudClan could return to normal with HailClan gone again, and everything could go back to the way it was supposed to be.
    He was already starting to experience that feeling of familiarity and normalization when the clan celebrated Leafdrift’s kits becoming warriors. Gloompaw was named Gloomthorn alongside his littermates, and Thistleflame congratulated him personally on his accomplishments. Of course, to everyone else, the two looked like they were just staring at each other, perhaps even glad to be done with their time together. But they knew what each other were thinking, and that would never change, even if Gloomthorn was no longer Thistleflame’s apprentice.
    Gustpaw, however, was held back due to his time in the medicine den. He remained optimistic though, stating that he would catch up and become a warrior in no time. This seemed to relieve Algaebreeze, and Thistleflame told her he would help where he could. Besides, she would need to focus on becoming an aunt soon when Cougarblaze and Chestnutwind announced that they were expecting kits. Algaebreeze seemed thrilled at the idea of kits, and Thistleflame watched her with drifted wonder. Was that something that Algaebreeze wanted? Perhaps he should ask her sometime.
    But there was no time to do so. One day, while out on another one of his walk’s, Thistleflame was shocked to stumble across Swanstar’s body. The leader was dead. He was covered with wounds, though given his extended claws and the face he died with, he didn’t go out without a fight. Thistleflame was shocked to see him, and without thinking about much else, he ran to find someone to tell. He was thankful to run into a patrol that was not far off, though he didn’t much care for seeing Grasshopperhill at the lead. But he had to put aside his disdain for the deputy in light of the news, and he told him what he had found. He went into detail with the belief that Swanstar had fought for his life before dying, and once he was done, he offered his condolences to the HailClan cats that were on the patrol before he went to report to Starlingstar.
    What he wasn’t expecting was to be accused of Swanstar’s death. Apparently, upon further inspection, the cats had found gray tufts of fur lodged between Swanstar’s claws, indicating that whoever he fought with, they had gray fur. This news, along with the fact that Thistleflame was the one who found him, had raised some questions. Apparently, Poppysnap had gone to Starlingstar to accuse Thistleflame outright, and much to Thistleflame’s surprise, his old mentor defended him. Despite all that Thistleflame had put the old tom through in their younger moons, he still would stand up for Thistleflame? Although Starlingstar refused to listen to Poppysnap and exile Thistleflame, it didn’t stop anyone from looking at him with accusatory eyes, especially his own sister.
    So, Thistleflame only distanced himself more from the others. Perhaps that was bad for his own image, but he didn’t want anyone else that was close with him to be accused of something they didn’t do, too. His trips outside of camp became even more frequent, and he often turned down Algaebreeze’s suggestions of her going with him. Until he could get his name cleared, he wouldn’t have anyone else look at his beloved with those same, disgusted stares. Even when cats tried to talk to him or approach him, Thistleflame only pushed them away.
    Besides, the more time he had alone, the more time he had to try and think of every other possible scenario that happened to Swanstar. Whoever killed him had gray fur, and there were plenty of cats with gray fur in the territories. It didn’t have to be a CloudClan cat, especially when Swanstar was found on neutral territory near Hope Bridge and the burned down cabin. Anyone could be at fault here, or maybe even no one. Regardless, Thistleflame had to find out if he was to clear his own name and have everything return to normal. He wouldn’t stop until he could help HailClan find the right cat.
    With his distancing, Thistleflame refused to attend the gathering. He figured it would only make things worse if he came to the gathering and everyone heard about how Swanstar died. It would only give more cats the opportunity to wrongfully accuse him. But he was shocked to hear what had happened at the gathering.
    Of course, the entirety of the territories experienced the eclipse. Thistleflame, although interested in the sudden darkening of the sky, despite there being no clouds, was not alarmed by it. In fact, he even felt refreshed when the rain began, though it left just as quickly.
    The faces of his clanmates when they got back were telling a different story, however. He went to ask Starlingstar what had happened, and the drenched leader told him earnestly. After the sky had darkened, lightning struck Hope Bridge, setting it aflame and ultimately destroying it. In the ashes and fire of it, a mysterious cat had emerged and mocked the cats, telling them that her spies were planted all across the clans ready to help her destroy them. Sandstar had tried to attack her, but to no avail, and that’s when Wild appeared and successfully hit the mysterious cat. But with the return of the sun came the disappearance of her once more, and the commotion left as quickly as it had come.
    Wild then went on to explain to the clan cats that the cat they just saw was a Dark Forest resident by the name of Blizzardfang. She manipulated Wild back when Wild was still EmberClan’s leader, and now she intended to destroy the clans from the inside out with her spies. Wild guessed that there were about seven spies, in which Sandstar said that MarshClan had already killed one. The clans agreed to work together to scope out the spies, with the exception of Sandstar, who said MarshClan could not favor working with the clans until he knew that the others could take care of the spies when the opportunity came.
    This left a lot for Thistleflame to think about. Surely this means that one of Blizzardfang’s spies killed Swanstar, right? And given that he didn’t know who in StarClan’s name Blizzardfang was, it meant he wasn’t one of her spies. But it wouldn’t be so easy to make others believe that, and for the time, he would have to continue keeping his distance while the clans worked on finding these spies.
    While distant, Thistleflame would still catch wind of the news across the clan. It was good news that Fox had completed his training and was deemed a full warrior of CloudClan. That meant that the former rogue was trusted now, and it wasn’t long after he became a warrior did he and Swansong announce their mateship. But there was always bad news to balance out the good, and Falconscreech’s death was the bad. He had been bitten by an adder and died to its venom, and though Thistleflame was not very affected by his uncle’s death, he could see how the loss of yet another brother broke his aunt’s heart. Now, it was just Finchbreeze and Shrikefoot left of Owlheart’s kits, and they mourned over their brother’s death in silence. Thistleflame, though he wanted to at least give his aunt his condolences, didn’t. He wanted her to grieve in peace, and that meant staying away from her and keeping the bad atmosphere that he carried away from her, as well.
    Things were going well that day when Ashtalon came racing into camp, a panting mess. He had called for Starlingstar, though the leader had no need for explanation. Without a second thought, he called for reinforcements before running out of camp, Ashtalon leading the way. Thistleflame ended up being one of the cats that had come with him, along with Algaebreeze. Thistleflame, at first, was going to argue, but when he met his former mentor’s gaze, he realized that there was no time for an exchange of words. Something had happened, and they needed to go act now. So he dropped the bramble and vines he was holding in repairing a den and chased after Starlingstar, alarmed by the sudden urgency.
    What Ashtalon brought them to was not what Thistleflame was expecting in the least. There, a large patrol was facing Drakefeather and Grasshopperhill, with the newly named Gusthowl attacking Drakefeather and Martenfang holding Grasshopperhill down. Thistleflame was confused as to what was happening until he heard Algaebreeze’s cry of distress. He turned to see where she was, and he saw her approaching a motionless form on the ground. To his horror, it was her mother, Rosecry. Why? Why did Algaebreeze have to be called to this scene?
    He wanted to be there for his beloved mate, but he knew that they needed to get a hold of the situation first. So while Starlingstar went after Drakefeather, Thistleflame turned to assist his cousin in pinning Grasshopperhill down. He always knew that the deputy was a bad cat, but to think he would go this far. He was disgusted at how easily Grasshopperhill gave up, but he had no time to think about that when he heard Finchbreeze and Starlingstar command the others.
    He turned to see that Drakefeather had caught Gusthowl and was holding the young tom hostage. There, with his claws to Gusthowl’s neck, the tom admitted to being a spy of Blizzardfang’s, as well as Grasshopperhill. He told everyone that he killed Rosecry at Grasshopperhill’s demand, and now he wanted a free out. Thistleflame’s blood boiled. Did he really think he would be set free for killing a cat? As if they would allow that! But Gusthowl’s life was on the line, and they had to think carefully about it all.
    But some were not in their right mind, Algaebreeze included. Shrouded by her grief and her rage, she snuck up on Drakefeather from behind, much to Thistleflame’s dismay. He was so terrified of losing her that he abandoned his position on Grasshopperhill and ran towards them. Yet, with Gusthowl’s help, Algaebreeze killed Drakefeather before Thistleflame could even get to them. The rage disappeared from her eyes when his life dissipated, and she broke down there. Thistleflame was quick to catch her, and he was ready to scold her… but he couldn’t. He just held her, thankful that she was alive.
    He hadn’t even noticed what else was happening around them until he managed to calm Algaebreeze down more. Starlingstar had killed Grasshopperhill after the deputy practically begged for it. Thistleflame could only glare down at his motionless body, and he only wished he could have done the deed himself. But it was over, and now it was time for them to recoup. As much as he didn’t want to leave his mate, Thistleflame awkwardly asked Irispool to take care of her while he went to go help Martenfang with Rosecry. Together, they carried the old she-cat’s body back to camp, where they would hold her vigil and grieve for her properly. As for the traitors… their bodies were taken far from camp to be buried, never to be mourned over. Yet, that didn’t mean some didn’t still grieve for them, as Thistleflame watched Poppysnap take a stunned Daisyspring away from the scene. He hoped the small she-cat would be okay, but he focused on his task in bringing Rosecry home, where he could support his mate in saying goodbye to her mother.
    The only good thing that seemed to come out of this horrible event was that Thistleflame began to get cleared of suspicion. Poppysnap seemed to have completely dismissed the idea of him being involved in Swanstar’s death, and no one gave him another glance when the spies were mentioned. He was relieved to realize that he could start integrating himself into the clan again, especially when his mate needed him so much. He never left Algaebreeze’s side, and he was glad to openly talk with his former apprentice and his family again.
    And his cleared name came just in time, because he and Algaebreeze got to go meet Chestnutwind’s kits together. She and Cougarblaze named their three kits Gorsekit, Sorrelkit, and Nettlekit. After deciding the names, they requested something from the clan; they asked that the kits’ biological father never be mentioned to them. Thistleflame remembered hearing that it was Drakefeather who helped them get pregnant, and he couldn’t help but wince at the realization. Drakefeather had killed Chestnutwind’s mothers… she must be feeling pretty awful to have had the kits of their murderer. But he, along with the rest of the clan, collectively agreed on this notion. It was best for the traitor to die with his body, and they wouldn’t let these kits get plagued by a tom that they never knew. Thistleflame, especially, would make sure to protect them should anyone try to think wrong of them.
    Starlingstar had much to think about over the next moon, knowing that his decision in a new deputy would be a tense one regardless of who he picked. However, he ultimately decided to name a she-cat called Halfbranch his deputy. She was a worthy cat for the title, and no one doubted her authenticity and loyalty to CloudClan, and even Thistleflame reassured his former mentor that things would be alright with her at his side. This seemed to calm Starlingstar’s mind, and the clan began to look towards new beginnings with their better outlook and, hopefully, their lack of spies.
    Thistleflame would only need to continue comforting Algaebreeze, though, when Gusthowl was suddenly taken by twolegs. All that thought of being grateful for the twolegs when they came to take the dogs away was thrown out the moment they decided Gusthowl would make a perfect kittypet, and Algaebreeze was constantly worried for her missing apprentice. Thistleflame reminded her that he was strong, especially in the head, and that he would make it out of his situation one way or another. They would just need to be patient. In the meantime, though, they would watch out for any signs of the golden tom on the border of the twoleg place, just like Thistleflame had once done for Thrasherwing.
    Meanwhile, he was shocked to hear Poppysnap announce her mateship with Daisyspring. Sure, the two she-cats were always close, yet he never thought he would see the day that Poppysnap would soften up enough to take on a mate, especially one as innocent and sweet as Daisyspring. But he was also glad of it, too, seeing that his sister’s life was turning around. Sure, they were never close, but he always looked out for her from afar, and to see her happy with Daisyspring made a faint smile form on his face. Not to mention Poppysnap would get a second try at being a mentor when she was given Cobblepaw for an apprentice. Hopefully her life would only continue to look up, as Thistleflame’s once had.
    Thistleflame’s dislike for twolegs only continued to grow when they began to invade CloudClan’s territory. And it wasn’t just them, but their monsters, too. Weren’t the monsters supposed to stay on thunderpaths? Why were they coming onto CloudClan territory? Thistleflame had half a mind to teach them whose territory this was and give them a good scratch to the face, but he also knew that would be a hopeless and stupid act. After all, maybe they would take him away like they did Gusthowl, and he couldn’t just leave Algaebreeze like that. Instead, CloudClan was instructed to stay away from the twoleg activity as best as they could, and they could only watch as twolegs continued to work in their territory from afar.
    They would be offered a distraction from the twolegs when, one morning, Rippletide, a HailClan warrior, was found in her nest covered in wounds. She was raced to the medicine den where she was treated, though she remained unconscious for some time. Whispers went across the camp as cats tried to figure out what had happened to the she-cat. Did she get into a fight the night before and just didn’t go to the medicine den? That seemed unlikely, as many cats commented seeing her go to bed that night perfectly healthy. Then what else could have caused those wounds?
    They got what they believed to be an answer when, at the next gathering, Reedstar announced that Blizzardfang was dead. They said that she was killed in the Dark Forest by her very own spies, and now, the clan didn’t have to worry about her anymore. There was a collective sigh of relief from everyone, though they still had to wonder who these spies that turned on her were. Thistleflame had a pretty decent guess as to one, and she was resting in their medicine den. But what could they do with her, especially when she was already wounded? Not to mention she wasn’t CloudClan’s to worry about, but HailClan. Yet, the mountain-dwelling clan was still split apart and without a leader, so he was unsure if there would even be another HailClan.
    He was thankful to be wrong about this possibility when one day, Orchidfrost left the camp and headed for HailClan’s territory. By the time he returned, he was calling for all of the HailClan cats to gather and to make their way to the newly built Hope Bridge. It was a bittersweet parting, as many cats had gotten to really know the HailClan cats, and they were all quite sure that this was the end of their joint living situation. Martenfang, especially, seemed to have a hard time saying goodbye to Finchbreeze and their littermate, Littlestrike. Thistleflame took the time to say goodbye to his aunt, as well, before the HailClan cats departed. Hopefully, everything would turn out alright in the end for them all. Only time would tell if it did.
    Meanwhile, Thistleflame got to congratulate Gloomthorn in becoming a mentor for the first time. The small tom was given an apprentice by the name of Sablepaw, and it was his turn to pass on what he knew to the next generation. Thistleflame reminded him that he was there should he ever need help or advice, telling him that just because he was a warrior did not mean he couldn’t come to Thistleflame anymore. Yet, he also knew that Gloomthorn would do just fine with the young apprentice.
    About a half a moon after HailClan’s departure, CloudClan was surprised to find two of the HailClan cats back on their territory. These cats were Littlestrike and their mate Whitetalon. Martenfang was happy to see them, albeit confused, and they brought their littermate and brother-in-law to Starlingstar. There, Littlestrike told Starlingstar about how Rippletide was outed as one of Blizzardfang’s spies, having been the one to kill not just Swanstar, but also Kitestar and a HailClan warrior named Dovefire. However, rather than exile her or even kill her like Starlingstar had done with CloudClan’s spies, Salmonstar decided to keep her in HailClan and see if she could reform. Thistleflame was conflicted upon hearing this; while he didn’t agree with the idea that it was noble to kill the cats for their deeds–although it was just moons ago where he wished he was the one to take down Grasshopperhill–he also didn’t agree with the idea of letting Rippletide stay in HailClan and potentially only cause more problems.
    After telling Starlingstar about this, Littlestrike said they refused to be in such a soft-hearted clan filled with kittypets, rogues, and traitors. They wanted to be in a clan led by a strong leader like Starlingstar, so they requested that they and Whitetalon be given permission to join CloudClan. Starlingstar decided to allow this, and on top of joining, Littlestrike requested their name be changed to Blackstrike to signify the start of their new life. While Martenfang was ecstatic about their littermate coming to join them in CloudClan, Thistleflame had to wonder how Finchbreeze was holding up. Wasn’t Blackstrike the last of her family in HailClan? Yet, she still stayed there, against all odds. Hopefully she was alright, but he didn’t bring up his concerns with Martenfang, not wanting to ruin their joy.
    With the spies gone and Blizzardfang dead, the clans began to thrive once more. CloudClan celebrated when Bramblewhisper became a full medicine cat, and they also got to experience the naming of new warriors as well as welcoming new kits. Everything was going so well, that when Crystal Falls was destroyed, reality came striking them down one again.
    Bramblewhisper returning from the half-moon meeting with Waverose’s lifeless body already was a shock to everyone, but when she recounted the tale of what had happened, shivers were sent down their spines. Cats from the Dark Forest had managed to break the border between the living and dead, and they attacked Crystal Falls and the cats that were there. Worse, of the two cats there, CloudClan was plagued with the familiarization of Drakefeather. It was he who killed Waverose, though he thankfully was vanquished by the MarshClan warrior Icefang, who had accompanied MarshClan’s medicine cats to Crystal Falls that night. But he, too, was killed by the other Dark Forest resident, Snakeheart, before the sly tom disappeared once again into the water. They not only killed two cats, but they collectively destroyed Crystal Falls, leaving it in shambles.
    Bramblewhisper was clearly shaken by this, and the clan helped her prepare the vigil for Waverose, where everyone grieved for the old she-cat. She had served many seasons across many leaders, and she certainly didn’t deserve to go out this way. Starlingstar, especially, struggled to cope with her death, and Thistleflame was reminded of the old tom’s younger days when he trained Thistleflame–of when he was always nervous and crying and going to Waverose for advice. It must be hard to lose someone you trusted so much like that, yet Thistleflame could not relate. He was never close to the old she-cat–only her previous apprentice, Shadeleaf. But he still attended the vigil and sat with his clanmates until the time came for the elders to take her to her final resting place.
    The clan tried to go about like normal days, though it was difficult without Waverose around. They deemed Crystal Falls too dangerous for anyone to go to, so the half-moon meetings were halted. These didn’t matter in the end, though, when Bramblewhisper was found dead a moon later at the MarshClan border.
    The clan was stricken with grief, shock, and horror at her death. Suddenly, they were without a medicine cat, and while they didn’t think MarshClan was to blame, there was clearly something that had killed her. So Starlingstar went to Sandstar to request for an investigation, but he was met with scorn and anger. Sandstar believed that Starlingstar was accusing MarshClan of killing their medicine cat so soon after the attack on Crystal Falls. Of course, this was not what they meant when asking this, but Sandstar nevertheless denied their request. Some cats tried to get around it and cross the border anyways, but they were met with hostility by MarshClan and immediately chased out. Thistleflame wasn’t surprised by this; they weren’t going to get an investigation by forcing it upon MarshClan.
    He was surprised, however, when MarshClan came back and agreed to an investigation after finding unfamiliar scents at the entrance of one of the tunnels. So CloudClan gathered a patrol up to go check it out, and with MarshClan trailing them, they investigated that specific tunnel. Thistleflame was on the patrol, as well as Algaebreeze. And he was certainly not expecting a large wildcat to be at the mouth of the tunnel. The bobcat was caught by surprise by the group of cats and was quick to retaliate when the cats attacked. Clearly, their lack of preparation was their downfall, for the bobcat had the upper hand. When it was thrown into a corner though, it ended up knocking the walls of the tunnels so rough that the tunnel collapsed with half of the cats buried. Among those cats was Thistleflame’s beloved mate.
    He had completely abandoned the thought of the bobcat and chasing it for Algaebreeze, crying her name in desperation as he tried to dig her out. Meanwhile, MarshClan had gone to get help, and they were met with reinforcements as well as their medicine cat, Tansyskip, who prepared to treat the injured. Thistleflame didn’t care about them; he continued digging, with the dirt falling on him every once in a while. Starlingstar managed to calm him down and make him realize that he may have been doing more harm than good, so he stopped to take a moment to reconsider their actions. MarshClan, on the other paw, knew these tunnels better than him and most of the CloudClan cats, so they were able to get to work while Thistleflame attempted to calm his racing mind.
    With their help, the trapped cats were dug out without any casualties. Thistleflame was quick to go and reconcile with Algaebreeze, holding her close to him. It took him a long moment before he finally let go, prompted by the MarshClan medicine cat so that he may look over her for injuries. Thistleflame was hesitant to do so, but he obliged. Once all of the cats were checked over, the CloudClan cats that were safe to go home did, while Tansyskip had their severely injured Lochjaw and Hazestorm be carried back to MarshClan, where he could further treat them there. Unfortunately for the rest of the wounded, they would be going home to no medicine cat.
    It was already difficult enough as prey began to grow scarce, but then some of the injured started to show signs of infection. Thistleflame found himself constantly checking Algaebreeze and her injuries, and he was glad to see that hers continued to heal alright. Though his worries would be dashed when Creamytail arrived in CloudClan and said she would step in as their medicine cat for the time being. With her, Lochjaw and Hazestorm stumbled behind, having been stable enough to return home.
    CloudClan was grateful to have Creamytail there, Thistleflame included. Although he thought Algaebreeze to be alright, he still shoved her to the medicine den immediately after Creamytail settled down to get the medicine cat’s confirmation. And he was glad to be right as he held Algaebreeze close, thankful that he wouldn’t have to worry about losing her.
    Meanwhile, Starlingstar and Sandstar had been trying to come up with an idea as to how to get rid of the bobcat. It was clear that the bobcat is what killed Bramblewhisper, so it was still just as much CloudClan’s issue as it was MarshClan. They came up with a plan to attack the bobcat from multiple sides, so as soon as MarshClan found its new den, the clans organized their patrols and set out to strike.
    Once again, Thistleflame had joined the battle against the bobcat. Though Starlingstar likely chose him for his strength and the trust he had in the large tom, Thistleflame was using the opportunity as revenge for Algaebreeze, who he insisted stay back in camp this time. Thankfully, she complied with zero issues, having a fear of facing the bobcat again. Thistleflame was put on the defending patrol, though, where his job was to ensure that the bobcat wouldn’t have an exit. At first, he argued about this, wanting to fight the bobcat and make it pay, but Starlingstar had told him that attitude was exactly why he couldn’t. Thistleflame grumbled about the decision, but he let it go and got into position instead.
    But he would still have his chance to show the bobcat his anger as it came straight towards him. He went to retaliate against it as it tried to push him back. At first they were succeeding, but feeling cornered, the bobcat began to go into overdrive. Thistleflame found himself losing his breath when its back legs came into contact with his chest, and he found himself stumbling over from the pain. By the time he was back up, the cats from the other groups were on the bobcat, and Thistleflame instructed his group with labored breath to keep their position.
    The cats began to successfully drive the bobcat back, especially when their support groups came in. Thistleflame stayed behind to keep the exit blocked, all while still trying to catch his breath. Meanwhile, his sister had joined the battle, and he knew it was out of her concern for her mate, who had been in the support group. Things seemed to be going well, and the bobcat finally made a run for it in the directions that the cats wanted it to. But their success was not with injuries. MarshClan had a severely injured cat as well as their leader, who Thistleflame later learned had died from his injuries. Starlingstar had been flung into the lake, but when he emerged, he seemed none the worse for wear. Thistleflame’s focus, therefore, was put on Daisyspring, who had been knocked unconscious from being flung at a tree. Despite his own pain and labored breathing, he picked Daisyspring up on his back and, after announcing their departure to Starlingstar, he began to make his way back to camp, albeit slowly, with Poppysnap close at his side.
    Daisyspring, thankfully, was treated by Creamytail and was told that she would survive, much to Poppysnap’s relief. Thistleflame took his leave after leaving Daisyspring in the medicine den and went to go find Algaebreeze and tell her of the good news. His chest was filled with a burning pain every time he breathed, but he forced down the pain and didn’t think about it, instead smiling when he found his mate.
    CloudClan would receive additional help in the medicine den when Creamytail named Cirruspaw her apprentice. And they were going to need it, what with the many injured cats that the bobcat had caused. Thistleflame ended up becoming one of their patients, for Algaebreeze saw through his facade and insisted he go see the medicine cats. There, he learned he had internal injuries and would need time to heal. Well, at least he got to know Daisyspring more in the medicine den, and he learned she wasn’t that bad of a cat. She was ditzy, yes, but she was kind and optimistic despite everything that had happened to her. Even when she was recovering, she chose to make flower crowns for everyone in the medicine den in hopes to boost their spirits. Thistleflame, personally, was touched by the gesture, especially given how individualized she made his’s when she wove it out of thistle. He told her he’d cherish it forever, and he kept to this promise, refusing to take it off even long after he left the medicine den.
    While in the medicine den, Thistleflame was shocked to hear of some of the clan gossip going on outside. His former apprentice, Gloomthorn, had become mates with Leopardbite, with the two realizing their importance to each other after the bobcat attack. But what was more surprising was how quickly they moved into the nursery with Leopardbite expecting kits. Weren’t they a little young to be having kits? Thistleflame wasn’t sure how he felt about that.
    They weren’t the only ones, though. Starlingstar announced that Hickorybreeze was carrying his kits, and Swansong, too, announced she was carrying Foxy’s. Suddenly, the nursery sounded very cramped, and Thistleflame was glad it wasn’t the medicine den. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like with all those kits running around at the same time. Only time would tell what it would look like, he guessed.
    At the very least, Chestnutwind and Cougarblaze’s kits became apprentices and got to escape the nursery before it became too cramped. On the same day as their ceremonies, Creamytail deemed the injured cats all healthy enough to return to duties, which absolutely relieved Thistleflame. He hated sitting around and doing nothing. He still had some lingering pain, but he had to admit that resting and taking herbs certainly helped. He figured he’d be back to a hundred percent in no time.
    But not everyone from the medicine den got to escape it alive. Hazestorm was one of the cats that Thistleflame shared the den with, and he had untreated internal injuries that unfortunately took his life. Thistleflame never got quite close with the tom like he had his sister-in-law, though it was still always a shame to lose a fellow clanmate. He didn’t blame anyone though; internal injuries had to be difficult to pinpoint and heal, and he could tell during his time in the medicine den that Creamytail and Cirruspaw were doing everything they could for the injured.
    The weather continued to grow worse when one day, the cats were snowed into their camp. The snowstorm was so bad, that no one stayed outside, rather keeping to the warmth of their nests in their dens. Thistleflame, although hating tight spaces given his large size, was fine with it this one time, as he got to spend a day of laziness with Algaebreeze instead. Though, his growling stomach probably thought differently, but he promptly ignored it.
    The bad weather also brought coughs and colds. Sorrelpaw, Chestnutwind’s daughter, was among the sick as she had a cough that only got progressively worse. She was eventually brought to the medicine den, where she was kept for over a moon for treatment. When she was released and returned to her training, she was all better save for the fact that she couldn’t speak. She would remain mute for the rest of her life, and Thistleflame felt bad for his niece. Having a disability himself in his blind left eye, he could understand the difficulty to readjust to a new normal, but thankfully, Sorrelpaw’s family was extremely supportive and worked hard to learn sign language alongside her.
    Despite the bad weather continuing to make prey difficult to catch and the cold temperatures treacherous, CloudClan remained strong and vigilant. Four cats were named warriors, including Gloomthorn’s apprentice, Sableshade, and Poppysnap’s apprentice, Cobblestep. Then a few days later, the kits started coming in. Hickorybreeze gave birth to four kits, and as did Swansong. Meanwhile, Leopardbite gave birth to a whopping six kits. And they were not small kits, either, to which Thistleflame was surprised, given their father’s size. Still, Gloomthorn was determined to have Thistleflame a part of his kits’ lives, so Thistleflame went to meet them when they were born, as well as Starlingstar and Swansong’s kits. There were a lot of kits.
    And with more mouths to feed came more difficulty in feeding everyone, especially with the snow. Many hunting patrols ended up coming back empty-pawed, to the point that Thistleflame lowered his own intake of food for the sake of his clanmates. After all, he naturally ate more given his large size, and he could probably stand to lose a few ounces.
    But it wouldn’t be enough as cats began to die of starvation. All of those new warriors named a couple of moons ago ended up dying of starvation, and it turned out they would be the first of many. Shrikefoot, too, died of starvation, and it was a shock to see his last uncle die. Now, Thistleflame only had his aunt, and she was in HailClan. Not that it was much different; he was closer with Finchbreeze than he ever was with the rest of his family. Nevertheless, the dying cats worried the clan, especially to see them all die in such quick succession, and more hunting patrols were formed in hopes to find more prey. It was, unfortunately, in vain, though.
    When Deerhop retired to the elders’ den, Thistleflame didn’t have much of a reaction. While he was close with his parent as a kit, he quickly found himself growing distant with them as he grew older. He realized that Deerhop wasn’t a parent that he needed in his life, despite being his only present parent. They had a lot of issues they were dealing with, most of them caused by Ravenfrost, that it made being their kit difficult. Still, in the end, they were Thistleflame’s parent, and perhaps he was a little glad to see them be able to rest for the remainder of their life in comfort. Yet, with this weather and their age, he just wasn’t sure how long they’d be able to last.
    Thistleflame, among the rest of the cats in his border patrol, were shocked to come across a small kittypet kit with a look of determination in her eyes. She told them how her grandfather talked about the clans all the time, she was desperate to see them herself. One of the apprentices on the patrol, Nettlepaw, didn’t like the idea, and he kept complaining about just sending the kit back to where it belonged. While Poppysnap scolded him, Thistleflame found himself hesitantly asking the young kit a question that he had wondered for moons: Did she know a cat named Thrasherwing, or Peanut? He was surprised and beyond happy when she said yes, that Peanut also talked about the clans often. His cousin was alive. She was a kittypet, but she was alive!
    Wanting to learn more about his cousin, Thistleflame declares that he’d take the kit to HaiClan’s border, where she wanted to go see the most. While the others agreed that they could take her there eventually, they figured they should take her to camp first and let her replenish her stamina first. So, Thistleflame agreed, and he ended up carrying the young Velvet back, asking her all sorts of questions about Peanut and about her life as a kittypet.
    They let Velvet rest up at camp for the day, and as the sun began to set, Thistleflame, along with Martenfang, gathered the kit up to take her to the HailClan border. They thankfully didn’t have to wait long for a patrol to arrive, but it almost went sour when Velvet suddenly crossed the border and Martenfang chased after her. At first, HailClan thought that they were deliberately trespassing and stealing prey. But when Thistleflame told them to look closer and see that they had a kit with them, the leader of the patrol and deputy of HailClan, Thicketskip, told the others to back down.
    Once the misunderstanding was cleared up, Thistleflame and Martenfang went on to explain that the young kit was named Velvet and that she was interested in seeing HailClan. Thicketskip pondered it for a long moment, and after a ginger tuxedo she-cat piped up saying she’d take the kit in should she end up staying with HailClan, Thicketskip ultimately agreed to take Velvet. Before they let Velvet go, Thistleflame and Martenfang promised to see her again when she became a big apprentice, and Thistleflame asked if she’d tell him more about Peanut when that day came. She didn’t reply in her excitement to see HailClan, and she instead raced over to be with the HailClan cats.
    Before they left, Martenfang asked to talk to Thicketskip. Thistleflame had a good idea what it was about, but he still gave them privacy for their conversation. By the time it was over and Thistleflame and Martenfang were making their way back to camp, Thistleflame asked if his cousin had asked about their mother. Martenfang admitted that they did, stating that they were worried about how their mother was coping with Blackstrike leaving her. Thicketskip told Martenfang that Finchbreeze struggled at first, but she is doing better now. Even more surprising, she had adopted some kits and was looking after them as their mother now. Martenfang said they looked forward to meeting their little brothers and sister some day, and they had to believe that their mother was doing alright.
    Unfortunately, it would soon be deemed that Martenfang and CloudClan as a whole would not be doing fine. Cougarblaze died of starvation about a moon after Shrikefoot, and Blackstrike ended up coming down with whitecough. Unfortunately, their illness only progressed into greencough, until they eventually lost their battle and passed away. Martenfang told Thistleflame that she needed to let Finchbreeze know, and he could only agree. So his cousin went to visit their mother in HailClan for the day, and Thistleflame had to admit that he wondered if they would come back. Surprisingly, they did, but not without a forlorn look in their eye. Something was wrong with them, and Thistleflame knew it.
    Thankfully, the weather began to improve and the prey began to return, much to the relief of the clan. The ice and snow started to melt, though it got replaced with rainstorms, much to Thistleflame’s fluffy dismay. It was just in time for Thistleflame’s cousins to arrive, Rabbitlily’s kits. But the warm weather meant more predators, and Whitetalon was killed by a badger a little over a moon after Blackstrike’s death. Thistleflame was never close with his cousin or their mate, but Martenfang was. And perhaps this was the tipping point for them.
    After Whitetalon’s vigil, Martenfang approached Thistleflame with something on their mind. Thistleflame took one look at them and had a good feeling as to what it might be, but he still let them speak it anyways. Martenfang admitted to feeling like they were wrong for leaving HailClan, and they missed their mother terribly. Blackstrike and Whitetalon’s deaths had made them feel just a bit more alone, and they wanted nothing more than to be with their mother and their adoptive siblings in HailClan, where they belong. Perhaps to Martenfang’s surprise, Thistleflame actually supported their idea. He had come to learn, over time, that family was more important than loyalty. After all, that was why Peanut had gone back to be with her sister, wasn’t it? If their family was calling for them to come home, then Martenfang should listen. So, Thistleflame said a farewell to their cousin, promising to see them again at the gathering. Yet, at the same time, it felt like he had lost a piece of himself as he watched them cross the border into HailClan’s territory.
    Thankfully, he would have plenty to keep his mind off of his cousin when he was assigned a new apprentice. She was a small gray she-cat by the name of Jaypaw, and she was a little jumpy and shy at first. Come to find out, she had problems with her mother, who had seemed to somewhat neglect her after her littermates died at birth. Huh, that sounded sort of familiar. Thistleflame was reminded of his deadbeat father, and he told Jaypaw that he would be there to support her every step of the way, throughout her training and beyond. That seemed to brighten her up a bit, and it was a start to a good mentor-apprentice relationship between the two.
    Gloomthorn expressed some displeasure at the fact that Thistleflame couldn’t mentor one of his own kits, though, especially when they became apprentices not long after Jaypaw had. Thistleflame reminded him that the other cats in their clans would be just as good mentors, and that it was good to have a variety to their lives. Besides, it’s not like Thistleflame wouldn’t be training with them; he likely would having training sessions with them and their mentors while he trained Jaypaw, so he could still give them pointers and knowledge on the side. This information seemed to make Gloomthorn feel better, thankfully, and the issue was moved on from.
    In addition to Gloomthorn’s kits ranking up, Starlingstar and Swansong’s did, as well, making the apprentices’ den look terribly cramped. It looked even worse than when Thistleflame was an apprentice, and that’s saying something. The clan also celebrated Starlingstar and Hickorybreeze’s mateship around the same time, and Thistleflame congratulated his former mentor. Back then, he never thought he’d see himself speaking so casually to Starlingstar about their everyday lives. Now, though, it felt like second nature, and he was glad the two were able to form some sort of bond over time.
    One night, in the middle of a gathering, there was a sound of screeching and clear fighting. Thistleflame was among some of the first cats to go investigate, and he was shocked to see Wild’s dead body. He didn’t know the rogue very well, but he recognized her from when she started that dreaded war seasons ago. And she had been killed. Who killed her though? Could someone maybe have retaliated from the war? Surely not–Thistleflame maybe would have when he was younger, but he had to remind himself that not everyone was like him. He decided to push it aside, though, and he instead helped with the other clan cats to gather her body and get it somewhere for a respectful burial.
    And then the twolegs and their monsters began to tear through CloudClan’s territory to the north. Thistleflame watched them with narrowed eyes; what in StarClan’s name were they doing? Whatever it was, it was contaminating their prey. Multiple clanmates ended up dying when eating prey from near the twoleg activity, and the clan was advised to stay away from it while the twolegs were there. It only upset Thistleflame, knowing that they had lost a good chunk of their hunting grounds to the twolegs. Hopefully they would leave soon and they could gain back their hunting rights.
    Meanwhile, Cirrusflight had been named a full medicine cat and her training deemed completed. With Cirrusflight’s new rank, Creamytail was no longer needed in CloudClan, so she returned to MarshClan. At first, Thistleflame didn’t like the idea of having to rely on another clan’s medicine cat to train theirs and treat their injured. Now, it was a little strange not seeing Creamytail wobbling all over camp. Oh well, this just meant that the clan could finally go back to normal. They celebrated Cirrusflight’s promotion that day and were thankful to have a medicine cat of her their own once again.
    Snailpaw, who had gone missing two moons ago, suddenly returned to CloudClan. What’s more, he brought the missing Gusthowl back with him. Algaebreeze was equal parts shocked and happy to see her former apprentice, and after scolding him for getting so close to twolegs, she and Thistleflame both welcomed the young tom back. Meanwhile, Snailpaw was deemed worthy of becoming a warrior after bringing back his long-lost brother, and so he was given the name Snailbelly and made a full warrior of CloudClan the day of his return. Thistleflame was just glad he didn’t have to hear Leafdrift’s yelling about losing his son again.
    Almost as quickly as they came, the twolegs began to disperse. They left some of their monsters over by whatever it was that they built, and some of them still lingered there, much to Thistleflame’s irritation. Just what did the twolegs do to their land? It looked like one of the twoleg dens from the twoleg place, but upon a closer inspection he realized it was a lot bigger than that.
    After they thought the place looked safe enough to investigate, Starlingstar led a patrol to go check out the twoleg den. When they got there, the cats were surprised at the massive size of the den. Not only this, but there were some extremely strange-looking animals there, from what looked like an oversized moose to a weird-looking, large bird. Thistleflame found himself sneering at the bird before telling Jaypaw to stay close with him. The patrol ended up breaking off into different groups, where some went to check the fence’s perimeter, some checked the outside of the den, and the braver ones went inside the den. Thistleflame and Jaypaw stuck to the outside, but they were alarmed to hear the sound of screeching and cawing from the inside. Thistleflame told Jaypaw to go get help while he went into the den, and he was surprised to see even more of those weird birds. What in StarClan’s name were they? He didn’t know, but as they came to attack him, Thistleflame began to fight them off. He was shocked, though, when he heard Gloomthorn’s screeching in towards the back.
    Thistleflame went to go check it out, and he was shocked to see his former apprentice stuck in a twoleg trap. Filled with alarm and rage, Thistleflame tried to pull and tug at the trap, but with no luck. Not even Pumapaw’s help could cause it to open. Thistleflame then saw a large shadow cover over them, and he looked over in shock to see a twoleg hovering over them. As the twoleg went to go and try to grab the trap with Gloomthorn in it, Thistleflame didn’t hesitate and jumped at it, gripping his claws into its furless skin. He continued to claw at its face and front legs while Pumapaw went after its lower legs. It flung Thistleflame off, where he landed by the trap. That was when Gloomthorn told him to leave with Pumapaw and go without him. Thistleflame refused, saying he wasn’t going to leave him, but Gloomthorn insisted, saying that something was happening outside and Thistleflame needed to be there. He hated when Gloomthorn was right.
    So he grabbed Pumapaw by the scruff and dragged the apprentice out of the den, much to Pumapaw’s retaliation. He dropped the apprentice and ran over to where the commotion was going on, and he was shocked at what he saw. Starlingstar had been trampled by the weird moose animal, and he was crippled. Some cats had tried to attack it, but now they were all scattered. It wasn’t until a familiar pelt came to their rescue and called for the cats to gather.
    It was Peanut. She was there, in the flesh, taking charge of the situation. Thistleflame didn’t hesitate and told the cats to follow Peanut as she raced back towards where camp was. Most of them listened, while some–the ones who didn’t know her–weren’t sure. Thistleflame told them that she was CloudClan’s previous deputy and that she was to be trusted, and that seemed to give them enough drive to run. Meanwhile, Thistleflame went to help Starlingstar up, who was slowly waking up from losing his first life. He dragged Starlingstar out of the twoleg area, and slowly, he made his way back to camp following Peanut’s scent trail.
    Starlingstar was unusually heavy, and Thistleflame continued to talk to him the entire way back to keep the old tom awake. As they approached camp, though, Starlingstar asked him to take him to the center of camp rather than the medicine den. Thistleflame was unsure of this, wanting instead to get Starlingstar treated as soon as possible. But he obliged, and when they entered camp, he helped rest Starlingstar in the middle of camp and called to get everyone’s attention.
    Starlingstar began to talk to everyone, all while leaning up against Thistleflame for support. He began to talk as if he was stepping down, which had Thistleflame uncomfortable. He talked about how proud he was of everyone, of his kits and his clanmates. He told them to listen to Halfbranch and be good for her. Then, he suddenly turned his words on Thistleflame, telling him directly just how proud he was of his former apprentice. This stunned Thistleflame, but before he could say anything, Starlingstar had slumped over and stopped breathing. Alarmed, Thistleflame yelled for everyone to move while he grabbed Starlingstar and dragged him to the medicine den. He wasn’t going to lose him. Not after they still had so many moons to make up for. But it was already too late–Starlingstar was gone.
    Thistleflame stayed for the entirety of his vigil, solemnly thinking back to all the terrible times he made Starlingstar’s life miserable. Why would he say such kind words about him, despite all he did? Surely it wasn’t right. Starlingstar must not have been in his right mind when he said that. But something told him that wasn’t true, and that Thistleflame was just selling himself out. Starlingstar was always proud of him. He was proud of his clan, and he never hesitated to show that. It only made his death all the worse to cope with.
    When Starlingstar was buried, Peanut had turned to leave again. Thistleflame walked with her back to the twoleg place, and he asked her if she really wouldn’t stay. She told him that her sister came first, and that he would be fine without her. After all, he had a loving family with Algaebreeze there. Before leaving, Peanut told him that she’d keep an eye out for his missing clanmate, and that was when Thistleflame remembered that he still had Gloomthorn to get back.
    Halfstar had told cats not to go back to what they learned was called a barn, especially after the events that happened. But Leopardbite didn’t listen, and neither did Thistleflame. He was determined to find his old apprentice, so when he wasn’t training Jaypaw or doing patrols, Thistleflame was spending his free time investigating the barn. But his investigations would sometimes go too far when the chickens decided to attack him again. That didn’t stop him, though. He hadto find Gloomthorn.
    So when Leopardbite and her family arranged a rescue patrol, Thistleflame demanded to be in on it. He and Leopardbite may not get along, but Gloomthorn mattered to him just as much as he mattered to her. Reluctantly, she agreed, especially when he mentioned that more warriors would be better to accompany their young apprentice kits. So they all set out late in the night, and Thistleflame was thankful that the blasted chickens were asleep while they were there.
    The group had managed to find a hole in the den where the twolegs resided, and given that he couldn’t fit through it, Thistleflame decided to stay outside and keep watch. Meanwhile, some of the apprentices squeezed through the hole along with Gusthowl, and the others patrolled the perimeter of the den. Thankfully, those inside from Gloomthorn quickly thanks to the kittypet there, and the rescue went off without a hitch as Gloomthorn successfully came out with the others. Together, they all went back home, where a less than amused Halfstar was waiting for them.
    While she was glad to see Gloomthorn back and healthy, Halfstar was upset that the cats went behind her back to rescue him when they knew all too well that she would have supported the idea of rescuing him. So she ended up setting up a punishment for them all, stating that they would not be allowed to go to the next gathering. Some of the apprentices complained about it, but Thistleflame merely agreed to it. After all, he didn’t care about the gathering; he cared that his former apprentice was home safe and sound
    Just before the gathering, Halfstar named Lupinestorm her deputy. Then, they all set out for the gathering, and Thistleflame watched them patiently leave. He was surprised that, by the next morning, the camp was abuzz with gossip. Turns out, the other clans were dealing with a lot themselves, from EmberClan’s flood to the return of the bobcats in MarshClan. But that and the casualties they suffered is not what was on everyone’s mind
    Visions were being seen by cats from all the clans, and even cats outside of the clans. How did they know? Well, Dropletshine happened to attend the gathering that night, where they gave a detailed description of the vision they saw; it was of a large, spacious place, and in it was a herd of deer and a lot of cats. The leaders ended up deeming this place important, so they collectively decided that some warriors and apprentices should accompany Dropletshine to find this place in hopes that it might give them answers to their troubles.
    Of course the gathering that Thistleflame has to sit out on is the interesting one. It’s always the interesting ones that he doesn’t attend, after all. Granted, he wasn’t at all interested in going on this quest with a bunch of strangers. So when Halfstar chose Jaypaw to accompany them, along with Gorsewing, Otterbounce, and Windpaw, Thistleflame expressed his worry for his apprentice. He made Gorsewing promise him to watch Jaypaw while they were away, with that being the only way that Thistleflame would feel comfortable letting Jaypaw go. Jaypaw, too, promised to be safe, and Thistleflame had no choice but to believe her. So, with the quick herbal knowledge provided to them by Cirrusflight, the cats set out to meet with Dropletshine and the other cats, and Thistleflame wondered when the next time he’d see Jaypaw would be.
    But he didn’t have much time to think about her. The next day, an earthquake shook the very ground underneath him and all of the territories. The earth split underneath them, and Thistleflame raced along with his clan to get to higher ground. Not everyone was as lucky as him and his family, though; many of his clanmates ended up being swallowed by the earth, while some got struck by stones. The worst for his family was Swansong’s mate, Foxy, who died after getting crushed by a tree. The she-cat was absolutely stricken by grief at the loss of her mate, and Thistleflame couldn’t imagine losing Algabreeze like that. He didn’t know how to comfort her though, so he instead did what he did best, and that was repair the damages to the camp.
    The clans weren’t sure how far the earthquake stretched, but Thistleflame prayed that the quest cats were not involved in it. He imagined the horrid image of Jaypaw falling into the cracks of the earth, or Gorsewing being squished under a boulder that had been dropped from a mountain. He tried to shake away these thoughts though, knowing that he had to try and stay positive.
    His mind was taken off of his journeying apprentice when Halfstar decided to give him another apprentice. His new apprentice was a she-cat named Rustpaw, and though she wasn’t bad, Thistleflame couldn’t help but feel like he was replacing Jaypaw by taking on another apprentice. What was he going to do when Jaypaw got back? Well, he figured he would just train them both, like Gusthowl and Dustcloud would end up having to do when they got assigned two apprentices. It didn’t sound very ideal, but he thought that he could do it, should it come down to it. Perhaps, for all he knew, Jaypaw could very well be a seasoned warrior by the time she got back.
    What he was worried about was Swansong receiving an apprentice so soon after losing her mate. Would she be able to focus on the apprentice? And what about her own mental health? Perhaps it wasn’t in Halfstar’s best interest to make that call, but he realized she was running out of options as more cats were given two apprentices to train at once. He had to admit he was glad that he was not one of those cats.
    Yet it still felt like he was disciplining multiple apprentices whenever it involved Gloomthorn’s kits. One day, while he was in the middle of repairing a den, he heard sudden screeching and hissing in the middle of camp. He raced to see what was going on, and he was shocked to see half of the apprentices in the middle of a fight. With Gloomthorn’s help, they broke the apprentices up, and Thistleflame demanded an explanation from someone with sense like Cheetahpaw. The apprentice said that Lynxpaw had attacked Frogletpaw unprovoked, and Crocuspaw, in defending her brother, attacked Lynxpaw. Things seemed to have only escalated from there, like Servalpaw joining in.
    Halfstar, by then, had come to see what the commotion was herself. There, she handed out punishments based on what she heard; Lynxpaw and Servalpaw were to be held back a moon for being the instigators, while Crocuspaw, Pantherpaw, and Frogletpaw were confined to camp unless stated otherwise. The rest of them were told to go and rest and see Cirrusflight if they needed.
    As the apprentices dispersed, Thistleflame couldn’t help but send a stern look towards Gloomthorn. How had his kits gotten to be like that? He was disappointed in how Gloomthorn’s kits acted especially, and he went to go check on some of the more scared apprentices like Rosepaw and Hazelpaw before returning to his duties. Perhaps this would open the ideas of many of these apprentices and see that the way they went about things was completely wrong.