[faceclaim]

[ Credit to Jaecarys for the wonderful art ! ]

[ 0 MOONS - 3 MOONS ] Ambershade and Ivyfang were on the older side and the medicine cat had brought up the risks of having kits at their age, but they were still quite robust and believed everything would be okay. Laurelkit was born alongside her sister, Cougarkit, and her brother, Coyotekit, to their mother, Ambershade and their father, Ivyfang. They were doting and attentive parents, the type to encourage their children to experience life, to make mistakes and learn from them. They were strict in their decision to be parents to their kits and not friends. Both Ambershade and Ivyfang understood that their duty was to provide guidance to their children, whether that meant disciplining them when they broke the rules or pulling them close in a tight embrace when they needed comfort. Laurelkit couldn’t have asked for better parents.

While Cougarkit loved to follow the rules, Coyotekit preferred to rebel against them. Laurelkit was opportunistic and her opinion of rules depended on how she was feeling that day. Sometimes, she was happy to join Cougarkit and listen to the elders spin fanciful tales, but other days, she liked to try sneaking out of camp with Coyotekit. The three of them grew up alongside another litter made up of Cricketkit, Antkit, and Beetlekit, who often joined them in their activities. Laurelkit developed a strong bond with Cricketkit in particular, but they also really enjoyed spending time together as a group. Cougarkit would play with them occasionally, but with the rest of them being thrill-seekers, she wasn’t too fond of a good amount of their games. Laurelkit always made time for her sister, though.

[ 4 MOONS ] One night, Coyotekit woke Laurelkit up and begged her to help him sneak out, but she nestled closer to Ambershade’s belly and mumbled for him to leave her be. With a sigh, he left her alone and she heard Cricketkit reject him, too, before sleep took her. Laurelkit was startled awake the following morning by Ambershade’s panicked cry. She and Cricketkit’s mother were calling for Coyotekit, Antkit, and Beetlekit, and once Laurelkit’s racing heart slowed, she realized the three kits weren’t in sight. In an attempt to soothe her mother’s concern, she told Ambershade about how Coyotekit had asked her to sneak out with him the night before. Search parties were sent out and Laurelkit, Cougarkit, and Cricketkit huddled together all day, thinking about nothing except their littermates. A search party returned with three lifeless kits and Laurelkit didn’t understand the severity of the situation until she heard Ambershade’s heartbreaking wail, which would haunt her for moons.

The entire clan was distraught to lose such bright young cats, but none more so than the kin of those lost. Laurelkit felt Coyotekit’s absence like a thorn in her paw and so did everyone else. Ambershade curled tighter around her and Cougarkit when they slept at night and, when they were outside the nursery, Ivyfang watched them closer than ever before. Laurelkit didn’t intentionally distance herself from her family, but by the time she noticed she had, she was already somebody else, somebody who didn’t want to burden her parents and sister with who she was. Some days, she’d be too rough while wrestling with her denmates and when her parents expressed their concern, she’d yell at them before storming off, and other days, she wouldn’t leave the nest or eat even a morsel of fresh-kill.

[ 5 MOONS ] A moon after her brother’s death, her father moved into the medicine cat den with a severe illness and Laurelkit decided it was the perfect time to finish what Coyotekit started. She convinced Cricketkit to explore the territory with her, reassuring her that the warriors made sure the lynx that took their siblings was long gone. She didn’t bother asking Cougarkit, certain she’d tattle on them. The two she-kits didn’t get very far from camp before Laurelkit dared Cricketkit to climb a tree. Of course, Cricketkit had no choice but to accept the dare or else she’d look weak. She ascended quite far up before her grip loosened and she fell. Cricketkit couldn’t muffle her ear-piercing yowl when her leg twisted upon hitting the earth. Laurelkit tried to soothe Cricketkit’s cries until a patrol arrived and carried the kits back to camp. After that, Cricketkit’s parents forbid Laurelkit from playing with their daughter and she was forced to take care of the elders’ ticks until the next Gathering.

When her father died, Laurelkit stopped being so rash and when she wasn’t applying mouse bile to the elders’ ticks, she could be found in her nest, looking subdued. She’d lost her brother, father, and friends in such a short amount of time, and she’d only let herself feel angry about it, but after Ivyfang’s death, she didn’t have any energy left to be furious. Ambershade, Cougarkit, and Laurelkit spent a lot of time together, mourning their deceased loved ones and comforting each other, but it wasn’t enough. Shortly after Ivyfang’s demise, Ambershade died in her sleep. The medicine cat told Cougarkit and Laurelkit that their mother died from a broken heart. It was comforting in a way, to think that her mother needed her father so much that she joined him, but Laurelkit also wondered if she hadn’t been good enough for Ambershade to stick around.

[ 6 MOONS - 8 MOONS ] Oaktail was an older tomcat who should’ve been retired by the time Laurelpaw was apprenticed to him, but he was determined to die in the midst of combat, not in a nest in the elders’ den. He was kind and equanimous, and pushed Laurelpaw just the right amount while also giving her the time and space she needed. She’d lost two families in such a short period of time and Oaktail knew he had to be patient with her. Laurelpaw rarely left her nest in the start of her apprenticeship and when she did, it was to train or work on chores. She didn’t put any effort into training and she certainly didn’t try hard to complete her tasks. Under Oaktail’s care, she soon reached a point where she couldn’t bear to spend all day in her nest anymore, but would rather distract herself by practicing hunting and battle techniques. Laurelpaw would get knocked down in a mock battle and instead of staying down like she used to when she was first beginning her training, she’d jump right back up. Instead of giving up after one failed hunt, she’d simply relocate and try again. With Oaktail’s support, she became a worthy opponent and a talented hunter.

Her mentor encouraged her to make friends and since she greatly valued everything he said, Laurelpaw did. She approached Cricketpaw first, who, as an apprentice, didn’t have to obey her parents’ orders to steer clear of Laurelpaw. Cricketpaw had forgiven her the day of the accident and was happy to introduce her to her friends, Sootpaw and Berrypaw, who were a younger brother-sister pair. Sootpaw was rational and curious where Berrypaw was empathetic and open-minded. For the first time in a long time, Laurelpaw was happy. She even tried to include Cougarpaw in her new friend group and while her sister was polite, she seemed interested in other things. Laurelpaw still made time for Cougarpaw, of course, and they’d train together and share tongues in their free time. They especially enjoyed gossiping about recent drama.

[ 9 MOONS - 11 MOONS ] Laurelpaw couldn’t help wondering what was on the other side of the border in unclaimed territory. She remembered Coyotekit and knew venturing over the border was dangerous, but Coyotekit had wanted nothing more than to explore. Wouldn’t she be honoring him by scouting unknown land? After days of planning and collecting their courage, Laurelpaw and her friends snuck out of camp, across the border, and into the mountains, and it was the most thrilling experience of their lives. They found a space to act as a camp and created a group with a name and a hierarchy. They organized games to help them improve in their training, like seeing who could catch the most prey in a certain period of time and they’d pair off to see which team could win a mock battle. They couldn’t visit the mountains often due to their responsibilities and their fear of being caught, but they never had more fun than when they did.

[ 12 MOONS - 24 MOONS ] Laurelpaw, Cougarpaw, and Cricketpaw were named Laurelfern, Cougarcloud, and Cricketleap. Just a couple moons later, Sootpaw and Berrypaw were named Sootgaze and Berryflower. The night after Sootgaze and Berryflower earned their warrior names, Laurelfern and her friends returned to the mountains. Oaktail stopped them just across the border, but he didn’t order them to follow him back to camp. He just asked them to be careful and they promised that they would be. When they stepped into the mountain camp, they discovered a rogue residing there. She called herself Primrose and told them she was looking for a home, and thought the mountain camp would be a fine one. The four of them had built a couple of dens with nests in them to make it feel more like a home and Primrose had gotten comfortable there in the days since they’d last been there. Laurelfern and Sootgaze weren’t sure about welcoming a stranger into their camp, especially after they promised Oaktail they’d be cautious, but Berryflower and Cricketleap convinced them to let Primrose stay.

The stranger was very guarded. The first couple moons in their camp, Primrose avoided them. She didn’t share tongues with them, not even when they invited her to, and she typically hid in one of the dens. But then she started to open up to them, though she didn’t seem to enjoy talking about her past, but the four of them never pushed her to. Laurelfern was particularly intrigued by her, curious about why she hadn’t left yet and what her story was. When Primrose started to tell them bits and pieces about herself, Laurelfern listen attentively and asked questions, but always assured her she didn’t have to answer them. She learned that Primrose was a healer and she claimed she knew about herbs that didn’t even grow in the area. She said she used to use her abilities to help travelers, but without a home to store her herbs, there wasn’t much she could do for anybody who stumbled upon her. Laurelfern believed Primrose was nervous about connecting with others and wanted to prove to her that she could be trusted. She began going out of her way to spend more time with the distrusting molly and while it was often quiet when they were together, the silence soon changed from tense to comfortable.

Eventually, Primrose told Laurelfern her story. She’d been born a kittypet and when she’d been taken to her new home with new housefolk, she met Bunny, the resident elderly she-cat. Bunny taught her everything she knew, including herbs and their uses. Primrose had been devastated when Bunny died and found comfort in her other friend, the twoleg kit. Her housefolk liked to leave every now and then, but they always came back. One day, however, the twoleg kit didn’t return, and her remaining housefolk must’ve decided they didn’t want Primrose anymore, because they removed her from their home and refused to let her back in. She stayed nearby for a couple days, but moved on when she couldn’t ignore her growling stomach anymore. She soon discovered an abandoned nest surrounded by clumps of herbs and she settled down there. Travelers tended to pass through and she’d care for them, tending to their injuries and feeding them, until a pair of wanderers she’d been looking after chased her off one day. She’d been looking for a home ever since and Laurelfern told her she’d already found one.

After telling Laurelfern about her past and receiving a positive response, Primrose stopped being so aloof and became the affable feline none of them expected her to be. She took care of the camp when Laurelfern and her friends couldn’t be there and she even began to take in wanderers again, which surprised the clan cats when they arrived and found strangers in their mountain camp. The first outsider to show up was Bear, a gruff older tom who was actually a sweetheart once they got to know him. And then there was Dahlia later that moon, a dignified and asocial molly with a sharp tongue. Next were two rambunctious adolescent brothers, Night and Day, who showed up just a couple of days after Dahlia. And finally, a moon later, a bashful queen, Bluebird, and her lovely daughter, Minnow, joined them. Sootgaze was wary of the rogues and both Berryflower and Cricketleap never had a problem with them. Laurelfern would’ve been equally as cautious around the outsiders as Sootgaze if it hadn’t been for Primrose, who’d once been a stranger she’d come to know and trust.

[ 25 MOONS ] One night, when the clan cats couldn’t visit the mountain camp, a mountain lion prowled through their camp and wreaked havoc. When Laurelfern and her friends were able to make their way to the mountain camp the following night, only Primrose and Minnow remained. Primrose told them what happened, that Bluebird and Night gave their lives distracting the predator so the rest of them could escape. Everyone else ran and hid. Some returned after the mountain lion left, like Bear and Day, who thanked Primrose for her hospitality before leaving to continue their travels. Some didn’t return after the massive creature left, like Dahlia, whose status was unknown since she never came back, but they never found anything to suggest she didn’t survive, either. There hadn’t been anything to bury, something Minnow was distraught about, but Primrose had helped the young molly dig a couple of graves anyway. Laurelfern, Sootgaze, Berryflower, and Cricketleap sat vigil with Primrose and Minnow all night, until they had to return to RidgeClan territory.

After the attack from the mountain lion, Sootgaze, Berryflower, and Cricketleap decided to stop visiting the mountains, but Laurelfern wasn’t willing to leave Primrose and Minnow on their own. She encouraged Primrose to approach a RidgeClan patrol and ask for help, but Primrose refused, claiming she and Minnow would be fine in the mountain camp. Laurelfern wasn’t about to force them to join RidgeClan, but she promised to visit, even if her friends needed a break from the mountains. Sootgaze deemed their mountain camp unsafe and childish, and both Berryflower and Cricketleap agreed that it wasn’t secure. Laurelfern, however, had grown incredibly close to Primrose and she wasn’t about to abandon her with a young cat whose mother just died. She visited as much as she possibly could and cherished the time she spent with Primrose and Minnow. It was like they’d formed a little family of their own and Laurelfern would wonder if they thought the same thing.

[ 26 MOONS - 32 MOONS ] As Laurelfern helped Primrose teach Minnow how to take care of herself, she was also training her own apprentice, Martenpaw. Oaktail and her friends helped her more than they’d ever know, and they’d take Martenpaw for training when Laurelfern wasn’t available. One day, her apprentice followed her across the border and confronted her, and she somehow managed to convince him not to tattle on her. She began to take him with her to the mountains, where she and Primrose trained him alongside Minnow. The two young cats formed a connection as they learned how to hunt, fight, and heal together. They’d sometimes wander off, leaving Laurelfern and Primrose alone to do some bonding of their own. Even after Martenpaw was named Martenfoot, he continued to visit Minnow and it was clear that they were quite fond of each other. When they announced that they were mates, Primrose rushed to congratulate them and Laurelfern followed. She was happy for them, of course, but she couldn’t help feeling envious of them, too. Why couldn’t she bring herself to declare her love for Primrose?

When Cougarcloud and Wolfstar revealed their relationship status to the clan, Laurelfern was the first to offer her best wishes. She would listen to Cougarcloud talk about her mate and the future they wanted together, and her happy purring was genuine, but as time went on, the less she liked the idea of her sister being with Wolfstar. Laurelfern saw the way they looked at each other. She saw how Cougarcloud looked at Wolfstar with nothing but love and she didn’t see anything like that in his eyes when Wolfstar looked at Cougarcloud. She couldn’t deny that he was good to her sister, but she believed her sister deserved to be loved the way she desired, something Wolfstar couldn’t give her. However, it was not Laurelfern’s place to comment on their relationship, but she did let Cougarcloud know that she would always be there for her. So long as Cougarcloud was happy, Laurelfern wouldn’t interfere.

Laurelfern hadn’t expected Minnow to attempt to join RidgeClan. A border patrol had returned to camp with Minnow amongst them and she begged to become one of them, but she was rejected and escorted off the territory. Laurelfern collected Martenfoot and they made their way to the mountain camp as soon as possible. Along the way, he explained that they wanted to be together without sneaking around, whatever it took. Laurelfern confronted Minnow, upset that she hadn’t consulted her about the best way to go about her request. If only Minnow had mentioned her idea to Laurelfern, maybe she could’ve spoken to Cougarcloud and they could’ve convinced Wolfstar that Minnow was an asset. Minnow looked terribly guilty and apologized, but then Martenfoot told her they were leaving. They were going to be together and since they couldn’t be together in RidgeClan, they’d be rogues together. Laurelfern tried to change their minds and begged Primrose to help her, but Primrose said she already knew about their plan and thought it was a good idea. Feeling betrayed, Laurelfern stormed off. She returned a couple days later to see both Minnow and Martenfoot off, but her relationship with Primrose remained strained.

[ 32 MOONS - 41 MOONS ] Honeythorn, Martenfoot’s older brother, liked to talk about his little sibling with Laurelfern and they connected over their sorrow. There weren’t any romantic feelings involved - at least not on her end - but Laurelfern and Honeythorn considered each other friends who had found comfort in each other during tough times. She visited Primrose when she discovered she was expecting and shared the news, but doing so had only further damaged their relationship. Laurelfern was sometimes convinced she was bad at love, but then she’d see the admiration in her sons’ eyes when they looked at her and she thought otherwise. Kestrelkit and Owlkit were playful children, just like other kits, and they’d get under the paws of hardworking warriors and pester every apprentice they laid eyes on to teach them battle techniques. They were the little terrors of RidgeClan and Laurelfern had never been prouder. When her kits became Kestrelpaw and Owlpaw, she was sad their time in the nursery with her was over, but she looked forward to seeing the noble warriors they would become.

Just as Laurelfern’s kits were apprenticed, Cougarcloud and Wolfstar welcomed a litter of four to RidgeClan. She’d shared the nursery with her sister for about a moon after Cougarcloud had announced her pregnancy, which she thought had been fun, except for the times where Wolfstar stopped by. Once Laurelfern returned to the warriors’ den, she only ever visited Cougarcloud when Wolfstar wasn’t present. She blamed him for RidgeClan’s extreme values. She’d loved her clan before Wolfstar rose to power and encouraged intense spirituality in their clanmates, turning them into selfish, callous cats, unfit for the title of warrior. However, Laurelfern loved Cougarcloud more than she despised Wolfstar, and so she remained civil with her sister’s mate. Cougarcloud had four kits to keep up with and the last thing she needed was a rivalry between her sister and her mate. She proceeded to visit her sister and her kits in the nursery up until they were apprenticed, but maintained a positive relationship with most of them throughout their apprenticeships and as warriors.

[ 44 MOONS - 45 MOONS ] Laurelfern’s second apprentice was Ripplepaw. He was the best apprentice she could ever ask for. He was dedicated, mature, and affable, and occasionally, Laurelfern had a difficult time remembering he was her apprentice and not one of her close friends. Every order she gave him, he obeyed, and he worked relentlessly, as if he could become a warrior in just a moon’s time if he tried hard enough. He was an especially skilled tracker, capable of finding traces left by the most careful of prey. Their favorite part of training together was when Laurelfern would try to hide from him and Ripplepaw would have to find her using hints from his surroundings. She enjoyed watching him grow into an apprentice worthy of his warrior name. When she noticed that Ripplepaw began spending time with her sons, she was overjoyed. Ripplepaw was a good influence on her children and she loved to see them become better friends by the day. As the moons came and went, the way Kestrelpaw and Ripplepaw interacted with and spoke of each other changed, and Laurelfern was delighted to know their crushes on one another were mutual.

[ 46 MOONS - 49 MOONS ] Shortly before he was to graduate, Owlpaw was seriously injured when a lynx attacked the border patrol he was on. Kestrelpaw’s chose to delay his ceremony until Owlpaw reached a point where they could earn their names together. His throat had been slashed by the lynx and the cut was deep enough for his life to be at risk, but the medicine cat did everything they could to keep him alive. There were close calls where everyone was sure Owlpaw was going to die, but he fought hard to survive. Laurelfern, Honeythorn, and Kestrelpaw only left his side when the medicine cat ushered them out. When the medicine cat announced he was going to be okay, they all felt like they could breathe effortlessly again. His recovery was expected to be a lengthy one and he’d likely never recover completely, but he was alive. When Owlpaw and Kestrelpaw were named Owlheart and Kestrelthorn, Laurelfern wept tears of joy. The three of them were there for Owlheart as he worked hard to heal and were patient and compassionate whenever he lost his temper during speech therapy.

[ 50 MOONS - PRESENT ] Laurelfern and her friends refused to participate in the battle for the Mooncave. She did, however, let Oaktail take Ripplepaw to fight after they both promised to look after each other. Just because she wasn’t going to partake didn’t mean she would make Ripplepaw give up his chance to prove himself. Once the battle patrols left, she felt her hope diminish and when they returned, all she felt was rage. Wolfstar’s decision to attack MistClan for religious purposes resulted in the deaths of her apprentice and former mentor. The grief on Kestrelthorn’s face only fueled her fury. She’d never wished death on anyone until that day. She no longer had any respect or love for RidgeClan. As her clanmates received treatment and after she’d checked on her family and friends, she slipped out of camp and ran for the mountains, like she couldn’t get there fast enough. Laurelfern collapsed in Primrose’s warm embrace and apologized repeatedly for damaging their relationship. Primrose forgave her.

Laurelfern didn't have a bit of hope left in her for RidgeClan, not after Wolfstar’s demise, not even after the Oracle stepped down, and especially not after RidgeClan caused more tension by accusing the other clans of trespassing. She simply didn't feel at home among the pine trees anymore and would very much prefer to feel the rocky ground of the mountains beneath her durable paw pads. Laurelfern certainly didn’t blame those who left for better lives in the other clans, but that wasn’t a life for her. She knew she wouldn’t feel comfortable in PrairieClan or MistClan or even as one of the barn cats. She yearned for the mountains, where she could look up and her view of the clear blue sky wasn’t blocked by conifer trees. With an idea in mind, Laurelfern started discussing it with her friends, who she knew would understand. Cricketleap was all for it, Berryflower was unsure, and Sootgaze was completely against it, but over time, she managed to convince them that leaving for the mountains was their best option for a happy life. It’d be a fight at first, sure, claiming their territory and building a real camp, but it was a battle Laurelfern was willing to participate in.

Laurelfern brought up her idea with Primrose one day, certain the other molly would be eager to fill the mountain camp with cats from all walks of life, but she only looked dejected. It took some reassuring that Laurelfern would always be her friend, but Primrose eventually revealed that she was leaving. Her hurt showed itself in the form of anger and she said some things she’d later regret before storming off. Throughout Laurelfern’s fit, Primrose hadn’t said a word at all and only wore a sad expression. A few days later, she returned to the mountain camp to make up with her friend, but Primrose was gone, her scent faint. She took the time to privately mourn the loss of a friend she’d chased off and then returned to camp to tell her friends about Primrose’s departure. Perhaps Laurelfern should’ve declared her love for Primrose while she’d had the chance. Maybe she would’ve stayed. But it was too late.

Instead of letting her regrets and sorrow overwhelm her, Laurelfern focused on the good. She was surrounded by loved ones, including her sons and their father, her sister and her children, and her friends. There was also the future to think of and though the path she planned to follow would be full of twists and turns, she was prepared to go down it.

Pre-Plotting: Laurelfern once related to the roles of Galaxy and Pluto in [RidgeClan's Plot Ad], but ever since making her dream of leaving the clans behind a reality, she finds she aligns herself closely with the role of Bumblebee in [The Kingdom's Plot Ad]. While her opinion of the clans have been tainted forever by the events that followed Wolfstar's rise to power, she understands the importance of maintaining peaceful relationships with them.

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