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[ 0 MOONS - 5 MOONS ] Ten moons after their first litter was born, Nightfrost and Cloudgaze welcomed a second pair of kits to RidgeClan. They’d quickly come to miss raising children after their oldest kits had become apprentices and had decided to have one final litter before dedicating the rest of their lives to their duties. Like their first group of offspring, their second one also consisted of a tom, who they named Quillkit, and a molly, who they called Smokekit. Nightfrost and Cloudgaze were descendants of a long line of guardians, and their children were expected to follow in their paw steps. Smokekit couldn't wait to begin her training, but Quillkit wished to delay their ceremony for as long as possible. He knew from a young age that he didn’t want to be a guardian, no, he wanted to be a renowned hawk hunter, but he worried his mothers’ reactions would be exactly the opposite of what he hoped for if he told them. He confided in Smokekit, who asked their parents for him if they’d still love Quillkit should he choose a different path, and they pulled him close and told him they always would.

Smokekit was his best friend, despite them having close to nothing in common. Where he was small and lithe, she was tall and muscular. Where he was quiet and disciplined, she was loud and rebellious. And yet, their connection was stronger than most. When Quillkit’s anxiety overwhelmed him, only she was capable of comforting him, and when Smokekit lost her temper, only he could calm her down. An incredibly rambunctious kit, she was often on the receiving end of a scolding at least once a day and, of course, Quillkit was often an accomplice. Sometimes, he would successfully cover up their crimes, but usually, they were caught in the act. Smokekit was too much for just her parents to keep an eye on, especially with her littermate attempting to keep their activities secret, and they needed some assistance. It seemed the entire clan played a role in raising Cloudgaze and Nightfrost’s second litter, whether that meant closely watching them or keeping them busy with play. Smokekit and Quillkit’s older siblings visited occasionally, which distracted the kits from finding trouble until they’d leave to spend time with their friends or attend a training session.

[ 6 MOONS - 10 MOONS ] Even as apprentices, Quillpaw and Smokepaw were attached at the hip. He’d been apprenticed to Mudwhisker, a thoughtful and sensitive tom, who Quillpaw admired for not only his hunting prowess, but his kindness. Smokepaw was assigned to Barkfang, who was quite short-tempered and aloof. Their personalities clashed and they didn’t get along very well. Mudwhisker and Barkfang were brothers, and although one was a hunter and the other was a guardian, they worked together to train their apprentices, which the two young cats couldn’t have been more thrilled about. Barkfang and Smokepaw would watch the skies and scan their surroundings while Mudwhisker and Quillpaw stalked their prey. The four of them proved to make a good team. Even Smokepaw and Barkfang would pause their constant arguing to focus and protect their littermates.

[ 11 MOONS ] One day, toward the end of their apprenticeships, Barkfang and Mudwhisker took Quillpaw and Smokepaw out into the territory. They were training from sunhigh to sundown and despite the young cats’ begging to continue practicing, the older toms decided their trainees had been working long enough. On the trip back to camp, Quillpaw lagged behind, dragging his paws, more exhausted than he’d thought he’d be. Smokepaw somehow still had an abundance of energy and was prancing along a few fox-lengths ahead of him, with their mentors leading the way. Next thing he knew, there was a sharp pain in his sides and he barely had time to release a shriek of both pain and surprise before he was lifted off the ground. His clanmates acted fast and Smokepaw was the first to attack the massive owl attempting to carry Quillpaw away. She latched onto its wing, dragging it to the ground, and a heartbeat later, Barkfang had it pinned and wasted no time in delivering a killing bite. Mudwhisker pulled his small apprentice away from the creature and made sure he was okay. Only after a visit to the medicine cat den where they were reassured that Quillpaw would be fine, did Smokepaw, Mudwhisker, and Barkfang breathe a sigh of relief.

[ 12 MOONS ] Quillfeather and Smokethorn were given their warrior names together. Her training as a guardian was supposed to last longer, but she’d been allowed to share a ceremony with her brother due to her heroic actions. Even Barkfang had been impressed by her bravery and had pushed for an early graduation. Quillfeather was just delighted he and Smokethorn would continue to do everything together. They sat vigil together outside the camp’s entrance, exchanging goofy looks in an attempt to make the other break their vow of silence, and they placed their nests next to each other in the warriors’ den where they would sleep pressed against one another. While they couldn’t be assigned to every patrol together and they each had different chores, they never failed to make time for each other. The two of them liked to spend their free time in the territory, with Smokethorn surveying the area while Quillfeather tracked and caught his prey. Sometimes, Mudwhisker and Barkfang would accompany them.

[ 13 MOONS - 15 MOONS ] Shortly after their graduation ceremony, Smokethorn started to invite Willowshine to spend time with her and Quillfeather. Willowshine was a guardian who she occasionally worked with on patrols or shared chores with, and they’d become close enough that Smokethorn thought Quillfeather might want to be her friend, too. She certainly didn’t expect him to be instantly smitten. Willowshine was a jovial and lively molly, never pessimistic or angry. Her happiness was contagious and Quillfeather couldn’t help but feel joyous in her presence. But she also made him nervous in a good way, made him stumble over every word that tried to escape his mouth. She was always on his mind and there were a number of times where his sister had to shove him to pull him out of his thoughts when shouting his name didn’t work. Smokethorn encouraged him to tell her how he felt, but he worried that she’d reject him. In the end, Willowshine made the first move and asked him to be her mate. Quillfeather, of course, said yes, and the first cat to hear about their union was Smokethorn, who might’ve been more thrilled than either of them.

[ 16 MOONS - 20 MOONS ] When Wolfstar launched an attack on MistClan, Smokethorn was assigned to one of the battle patrols while Quillfeather and Willowshine were to stay behind. Willowshine comforted him while he anxiously awaited his littermate’s return, fearing the worst but hoping for the best. Smokethorn came back, injured but alive, and he was beyond relieved that she was okay. The two littermates quickly learned that their older brother, Silverheart, hadn’t managed to make his way back home, and although they hadn’t been as close to him as their older sister had been with him, they still loved him and experienced overwhelming grief. Not long after, Quillfeather and his family discovered that Silverheart was alive and recovering on MistClan territory. He and Smokethorn were both concerned for his health, but also happy to hear he survived and would be home soon. The two of them were some of his biggest supporters, visiting him every day and loudly cheering for him when he began to make progress walking. They did their best to be there for him.

Only a few days after the war, Quillfeather and Willowshine make the life-changing decision to try for kits. They are young, but life is short. A couple moons later, Quillfeather was resting his chin on Willowshine’s shoulder, gazing fondly down at the two tiny bundles of fur she was wrapped around. They named their sons Thymekit and Burdock-kit. Thymekit was easygoing and affable, and liked to spend his time in the elders’ den or at his mother’s side. Burdock-kit was lively and bold, and could usually be found playing or getting into trouble. Smokethorn and Burdock-kit were particularly close, and liked to go on adventures together. She always made sure to invite Thymekit to join them and she’d make sure her nephews stayed safe on their escapades. Quillfeather thought that like Smokethorn was built to be the cool aunt, Willowshine was made for motherhood. She allowed her children to make mistakes, but she never failed to comfort them after. She encouraged them to live life to the fullest while also being careful. She didn’t hover, not like Quillfeather did, and her levels of anxiety were healthy, unlike his, which were overflowing when it came to his sons. He tried hard to be a good father and give his children the space they needed to grow, but he couldn’t help being nervous.

[ 21 MOONS ] About a moon before Thymekit and Burdock-kit were about to become apprentices, Quillfeather and Willowshine went for a walk to stretch their legs. Smokethorn had been happy to babysit and give the parents time to spend together, just the two of them. Quillfeather was going on about how worried he was that Thymekit might never grow out of his timid behavior and that Burdock-kit might one day find himself in some kind of trouble he couldn’t escape when Willowshine yelped and stumbled into him. He caught her and saw a snake a tail-length away, hissing at them. Immediately, he knew she must’ve been bit and he swiftly guided her away from the snake, back to camp. The medicine cat only had bad news; there was nothing that could be done for Willowshine. Smokethorn stayed with the kits while he remained at his mate’s side. She weakened significantly overnight and Quillfeather did his best to remain strong for her. She was gone the following morning and the moment her chest stopped rising and falling, he fell apart.

For the rest of his life, he would be thankful Smokethorn supported him after Willowshine died. She helped him tell Thymekit and Burdock-kit that their mother walked among the stars now. They were distraught, of course, and there wasn’t much Quillfeather could do to ease their grief except be there for them. He held his kits until they wailed themselves to sleep and then he sobbed himself to sleep in Smokethorn’s warm embrace. His sister would chase him off, demanding he go for a walk while she watched the kits, when she noticed him breaking down in the presence of his children. He was supposed to console them, not the other way around. For the most part, he was capable of suppressing his sorrow, but every now and then, he was overwhelmed by it. Smokethorn’s help allowed Quillfeather to grieve in his own way while also letting him be there for Thymekit and Burdock-kit when they needed him.

[ 22 MOONS - PRESENT ] Thymepaw and Burdockpaw grew too fast and before Quillfeather knew it, they were apprentices. They became busy with training and chores and friends, which he thought was good for them. He was sad they didn’t have as much time for him anymore, but happy to see them grow into honorable young cats. And Smokethorn rarely left his side, so he didn’t feel too lonely. He’d thought a life without Willowshine at his side would be unbearable, but his family made it much easier to continue on.

Pre-Plotting: Quillfeather relates best to Saturn in [RidgeClan's Plot Ad]. He wants nothing more than to build healthy connections between the clans as well as between his own clanmates. He is also the younger brother of Silverheart.

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