[faceclaim]

[ 0 MOONS - 5 MOONS ] Mink-kit was born to her mother, Sparrowfrost, and her father, Cedarspring, as their only kit. Sparrowfrost was a standoffish cat, even toward her clanmates, while Cedarspring was quite the opposite. How he won her heart was a mystery to everyone except the two of them, a story they both seemed content to keep to themselves. When he wasn’t patrolling or completing chores, Cedarspring was with his family, playing with Mink-kit and somehow making Sparrowfrost laugh. And while Sparrowfrost wasn’t very kind to others, she was nothing but loving toward her mate and daughter. She only ever looked happy when she was in the presence of Cedarspring or Mink-kit and anyone who dared to tease her later for having a soft side would find themselves on the receiving end of her wrath. Cedarspring, much unlike Sparrowfrost, loved to socialize, but was quick to anger whenever someone insulted his mate’s personality. It was clear to anyone that they adored each other and that when Mink-kit was born, she became the most important cat in their lives.

Like most kits, Mink-kit was rowdy and she especially liked to play with her denmates. Born just days after her, Littlekit rapidly became her best friend. Rarely could either one of them be found without the other. Nettlekit was a moon younger, but as soon as she was old enough to play, she became a lot of fun, too. And a moon older than Mink-kit were the sisters, Dappledkit, Turtlekit, and Cinderkit. Mink-kit was constantly compared to the three of them by her clanmates. Why wasn’t she as mature as Cinderkit? As caring as Dappledkit? And as pleasant as Turtlekit? She developed a bit of an obsession with being better than the three sisters. If one of the sisters was kind, Mink-kit tried to be even kinder and if one of them was responsible, well, Mink-kit attempted to be even more responsible. However, it was hard to be someone she wasn’t and sometimes she made mistakes, and forgot to be better than the three older kits, which just gave her clanmates another chance to tell her she should be more like the sisters.

[ 6 MOONS - 11 MOONS ] Minkpaw was apprenticed to Ospreyfur, a young and enthusiastic warrior who was eager to prove himself to his clan. He made training fun and she admired him greatly for it. He introduced her to water not long into her apprenticeship and she discovered that, like Ospreyfur, she was rather fond of swimming and fishing, and she was good at it. She was also swift and could easily outrun her mentor. Due to her speed, Minkpaw was often assigned to hunting patrols instead of border patrols just because chasing rabbits wasn’t as exhausting for her as it was for some of her clanmates. Unfortunately, she was not the best fighter and frequently lost to her denmates during mock battles. In the beginning of her apprenticeship, she would mope about her poor combat skills, but as time passed, she realized she couldn’t be the best at everything. She wasn’t the best fighter, but no other PrairieClan cat could swim like her. She was finally better at something.

She was lucky her group of friends stuck together as apprentices. She loved to share tongues with Dappledpaw under a comfortable silence. She loved to try teaching Littlepaw how to swim in the shallow parts of the river and laughing when he bolted out after the water lapped at his belly. And she loved to gossip with Turtlepaw and look fondly at her as she spat out a witty remark at any older warrior who warned them not to spread rumors. Cinderpaw became easier to be around when Minkpaw moved into the apprentice den and they actually began to spend time together as friends. Nettlepaw was fun to train with in their free time since they pushed one another to improve, both she and Minkpaw determined to grow into skilled warriors. As for the rivalry between Cinderpaw and Nettlepaw, well, she hated it. She felt torn between the two of them, though she did her best to be there for them, even through their physical altercations, and neither one of them tried to force her to pick sides. She was sad she’d see less of Cinderpaw after she switched to tunneler training, but part of her couldn’t help feeling relieved there would be less fighting.

During the tunneler part of her training toward the end of her apprenticeship, Ospreyfur trusted Briarheart, who he’d grown up with, with Minkpaw’s safety. Just a couple days into her tunneler training, as Briarheart was showing her how to navigate the underground passages, the earth groaned once, twice, and then Minkpaw heard her guide take off. She started racing after Briarheart, but the tunneler was too fast. She had nothing but Briarheart’s scent trail to follow as the ground caved in behind her. She crashed into several walls in her hurry to escape and even when the sound of collapsing earth faded, she didn’t stop running. Minkpaw dove out of the tunnels and just laid there until her heart and breathing slowed and her trembling legs steadied themselves. She returned to camp to find that Briarheart had told everyone she’d failed to save Minkpaw from the cave-in, as if she hadn’t left her to die. Minkpaw chose not to tell the truth, not even to her parents, who refused to let her out of their sight for days after nearly losing her to the tunnels. Everybody called her a natural tunneler due to how she’d found her way out all on her own, but she didn’t think she should’ve been put in that situation in the first place.

[ 12 MOONS - 15 MOONS ] Minkfrost was named alongside Littlewing, Dappledfern, and Turtlewhisker. The four of them built their nests next to each other, which only solidified their bond as best friends. Before falling asleep for the night, they’d whisper jokes to one another and see which one of them laughed aloud, causing another warrior to shush them, which only made the rest of them laugh, too. Nettlefang built a nest beside theirs a moon later. They wished Cinderpaw could be with them, too, but as a tunneler, her training would take longer to complete. A moon after Nettlefang became a warrior, Cindersong did, too, though she continued to keep her distance from the rest of them, busying herself with tunneling.

[ 16 MOONS ] It had been moons since Briarheart had left her for dead in the tunnels, but Minkfrost had not forgotten, her anger only growing with each day that came and went. The two of them rarely saw one another due to different professions and Briarheart always seemed to find ways to avoid Minkfrost, but one day, she just decided to follow the tunneler deep underground. She wasn’t fond of the tunnels and she’d rather have nothing to do with them, but she was on a mission. She trapped Briarheart against a wall and, overwhelmed by rage, she prepared to lunge, but before she could move, the tunneler revealed that her greatest regret was not staying with Minkfrost all those moons ago. Her words made Minkfrost pause and after a few moments of thought, she decided to let Briarheart live with the regret. She walked away, satisfied knowing that Briarheart would never know peace. Surprisingly, Briarheart never said a word about the confrontation and of course, neither did Minkfrost.

[ 17 MOONS - 23 MOONS ] Littlewing started to spend more and more time with Petalnose, a younger warrior. Petalnose didn’t really fit in with their group, perhaps due to the fact that they’d all been friends since kithood and she had only just joined it, but she was very sweet and Minkfrost had never been one to be impolite. She was happy Littlewing had found someone and she tried to be there for him just like she’d always been. She was there every time he wanted to go on and on about how incredible Petalnose was and she endured his endless fantasizing patiently. And she was there for him when he asked her if she thought Petalnose liked him back and in response, she nodded and suggested he surprise her with her favorite flowers to find out for sure. He did and Petalnose loved it. Three moons after Littlewing started spending a majority of his time with Petalnose, they announced they were expecting and Minkfrost was the first to congratulate them.

Two moons later, Petalnose and Littlewing became parents to two kits, but unfortunately, only one kit survived. They named their surviving daughter Lilykit and Minkfrost’s first thought when she saw her was how beautiful she was. Petalnose was weakened by the difficult labor and her strength continued to wane with each passing day. After visiting the nursery to welcome Lilykit to PrairieClan, Minkfrost started to avoid the family, especially after she learned Petalnose was becoming frailer by the day. Minkfrost would never admit how little hope she had that Petalnose would recover, but the bad feeling she had about the new mother made her act odd around them, so she just stayed away, which damaged her friendship with Littlewing. Neither Minkfrost or Littlewing said anything about their deteriorating friendship, but they both were aware of the tension between them. Finally, after Dappledfern asked her to help her bring the family a large rabbit, Minkfrost began to offer aid in small but appreciated ways.

[ 24 MOONS - 30 MOONS ] Lilykit was two moons old when Petalnose died in her sleep and Minkfrost started steering clear of the nursery again, unsure how to behave around Littlewing. When Littlewing asked Dappledfern to help him raise his daughter and she agreed, Minkfrost felt guilty she hadn’t been around much to help him, but happy he found support in Dappledfern. She started to see less of Dappledfern as she busied herself with looking after Lilykit. She really only saw Dappledfern when she patrolled, which wasn’t very often, but she began to see Littlewing more frequently. Minkfrost and Littlewing started spending more time together again, just the two of them, giving her the chance to apologize to him. She breathed a sigh of relief when he forgave her. With their friendship repaired and the tension gone, Minkfrost felt more comfortable stopping by the nursery more.

Minkfrost had been granted an apprentice just days before Petalnose died. His name was Reedpaw and he was the opposite of Cindersong’s apprentice, Finchpaw. Reedpaw was outgoing and a bit too high energy for her, but she quickly discovered that keeping him busy prevented him from getting into trouble. Surprisingly, he was always happy to complete a lengthy to-do list of chores. When it came to training, Minkfrost learned immediately that he wasn’t the best swimmer after he refused to even step in the water. He’s not very fast, either, she realized after he tripped at some point in every race, and he wasn’t a talented fighter, which she understood after she watched him get pinned for the nth time in a single day. But Reedpaw was stealthy. They spent a lot of time in the forest and fields, where he took advantage of his quick, light steps to expertly stalk prey. When it was time for his tunneler training, Minkfrost was reluctant to let him go due to her own past experience with them, but she requested Cindersong be the one to accompany him and her request was approved, so she didn’t argue. Thankfully, he showed zero interest in tunneling and was named Reedfeather for his stealth.

[ 31 MOONS - 33 MOONS ] It wasn’t a surprise when Littlewing and Dappledfern revealed they were mates. They’d been spending more and more time together ever since Lilypaw had been apprenticed. Minkfrost was, of course, happy for them, but she couldn’t help it when her thoughts became occupied by her own love life. She’d never really been interested in anyone before, but after her friends became mates, she started looking at clanmates and wondering how they’d be as a mate. However, none of them really intrigued her and so she focused again on her friendships. One night in the warriors’ den, as she and Nettlefang whispered to each other about how their day had gone while everyone else drifted off to sleep around them, she wondered what Nettlefang would be like in a relationship. Minkfrost liked what she imagined, but didn’t think ruining that friendship over a fantasy was right, especially since Nettlefang already had a mate. She did start to spend more time with Nettlefang, but only to strengthen their friendship and without the expectation of a relationship as a result.

[ 34 MOONS ] Minkfrost participated in the war. As she fought her own opponent, she noticed Cedarspring locked in combat with the RidgeClan warrior, Dawnclaw. It looked like her father was winning, but next thing she knew, Dawnclaw was kicking at Cedarspring’s belly. She froze and screamed her father’s name as he collapsed on top of Dawnclaw, giving her opponent the chance to land a heavy blow that knocked her off her paws. Minkfrost was too distressed to fight back and simply scrambled to her paws before retreating to Cedarspring’s side. By the time she reached him, he’d already joined StarClan. She crouched beside him until the sounds of combat faded away and someone guided her away from her father’s lifeless body. She didn’t bother fighting the cat who pulled her away even though she felt terribly guilty to leave Cedarspring’s side. Their clanmates would carry him home for a proper burial, but Minkfrost still felt an awful lot like she was abandoning him.

The cat who led her away from Cedarspring and walked beside her during the trip home only left her side once Sparrowfrost rushed up to them. Minkfrost felt the cat’s warmth leave her flank and she glanced up to see Littlewing moving away from them. Her sight of Littlewing leaving was cut off by Sparrowfrost’s figure and she sank into her mother’s embrace. When Sparrowfrost asked about Cedarspring, Minkfrost just looked away to hide her guilty expression. When she looked back at her mother after a too long silence, she saw Sparrowfrost looked pained, but she didn’t cry. Sparrowfrost was quick to reassure Minkfrost that her father’s death wasn’t her fault, but she didn’t respond. That night, they sat vigil for those lost in the war, including Cedarspring. And for a few nights after that, both Sparrowfrost and Minkfrost rested under the stars to feel closer to Cedarspring, but sleep was scarce.

[ 35 MOONS - 36 MOONS ] Cindersong was named PrairieClan’s deputy a moon after the war. Minkfrost managed a smile when she congratulated her friend on the promotion. The second she turned away, however, her smile disappeared. Life always goes on, she knew this, but it felt so wrong to continue living when her father couldn’t. Minkfrost knew Sparrowfrost wept when she thought nobody was looking, because Minkfrost did the exact same thing. But Minkfrost was always there to offer her mother comfort. She was also there for Nettlefang, who had lost her mate in the war, providing her friend with a shoulder to cry on. Minkfrost had to be strong, for her friends and her remaining family member, and so she did her best to go on, even when she wanted nothing more than to give up. At some point, she felt like she was just going through the motions. Her mother noticed, of course she would, and their powerful bond became stronger with the consolation they gave each other. And when an anti-clan group of rogues settled down in the abandoned cabin within PrairieClan territory, Minkfrost and her mother were rarely seen apart, especially outside camp.

[ 37 MOONS ] PrairieClan and MistClan were closer than ever after the war, but when MistClan announced they’d scented loners on their territory, tensions in PrairieClan rose as they suspected the cabin cats were the trespassers. Minkfrost viewed the cabin cats as a threat and while there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that they were the trespassers MistClan spoke of, she couldn’t disobey Littlestar’s orders to remain neutral. She distracted herself by focusing on her friends, particularly Nettlefang. They’d grown closer ever since the war and Minkfrost started to think of the other she-cat as her closest friend. Littlewing was always spending time with Dappledfern and while Minkfrost missed being attached to his side like they used to be, she was beyond happy her two friends ended up together. Thinking about Littlewing and Dappledfern reminded her of when she’d considered what Nettlefang would be like in a relationship. As much as she tried, Minkfrost couldn’t stop wondering and she was terribly ashamed the thought crossed her mind at all when her friend was still mourning her mate.

[ 38 MOONS - 39 MOONS ] RidgeClan accused MistClan and PrairieClan of forming an alliance and trespassing on their territory, causing a rift to form between them. Shortly after, a few MistClan kits disappeared and PrairieClan was considered a suspect, and even though PrairieClan maintained their innocence, some MistClan cats continued to blame them for the kits’ disappearance. The following moon, a scuffle broke out at the MistClan border and tensions between the two clans only rose as a result. Minkfrost started to think that the attack she’d been worried about might not come from the cabin cats, but from another clan. Was another war coming? It wasn’t long after the altercation at the border that Minkfrost began to feel weird around Nettlefang. She’d become nervous and even a little shaky in her friend’s presence. She found herself thinking about Nettlefang all the time. When she confided in Littlewing about how odd she felt, he laughed and assured her she’d be alright. Minkfrost wasn’t sure why he’d reacted the way he had, but she trusted him.

[ 40 MOONS - 41 MOONS ] By her fortieth moon, Minkfrost’s memories of her father were no longer sad, but happy. She’d see Cedarspring again in StarClan one day, but first, she had to avenge him. Dawnclaw wouldn’t get away with killing her father, she’d make sure of it. However, it wouldn’t happen overnight so she’d have to bide her time. Instead of revolving her life around exacting revenge, Minkfrost spent most of her days with Nettlefang and she was happy. She treasured every moment they spent together. A moon after she decided she’d make Dawnclaw regret killing her father, she realized why she felt so strange around Nettlefang. She and her friend had been walking along when Minkfrost tripped over her own paws, causing Nettlefang to burst out laughing. As she watched Nettlefang try to smother her laughter, Minkfrost understood what she was feeling was love. Part of her was surprised by how long it had taken her to realize she loved Nettlefang, but she reminded herself that it was her first time feeling that way about someone, so she couldn’t be too hard on herself.

The following day, she bravely gifted Nettlefang her favorite flower paired with a declaration of love. Nettlefang laughed and told Minkfrost to wait a moment before hurrying to the warriors’ den. She prepared herself for rejection, but her mind went blank when Nettlefang emerged from the den carrying Minkfrost’s favorite flower. Once she put the pieces together, she beamed. They joyously told their friends about their union, eager to share the news. They spent all day together, just the two of them, hunting and sunbathing and merging their individual nests into one single nest. That night, they stayed up late simply gazing at the stars and reminiscing before retreating to their nest to get as much sleep as possible so they’d be alert for the next day’s patrols. However, sleep didn’t come easily and Minkfrost spent much of the night thinking about Nettlefang and how wonderful their day together had been.

[ 41 MOONS - PRESENT ] Minkfrost wasn’t oblivious. She knew she wasn’t the only cat to have caught Nettlefang’s eye. Nettlefang tended to get lost in her own thoughts and when Minkfrost asked what she was thinking of, Nettlefang would say she was thinking of Minkfrost, but she knew her mate well enough to know when she was lying. Sometimes, she’d follow Nettlefang’s distant gaze and at the end of it would be Cindersong. Every time Nettlefang got lost in her mind, Minkfrost wondered if it was Cindersong she was thinking of, and every time she caught Nettlefang staring, Minkfrost wondered if Nettlefang loved Cindersong instead. She hated thinking about it, but she couldn’t help wondering if her mate had been using Minkfrost to make Cindersong jealous. She tried not to let these thoughts control her, but they were difficult to ignore. Nettlefang was good to her, she really was, so why couldn’t she just ignore those thoughts and live happily ever after?

A few moons came and went, and Minkfrost worked hard not to let her fears consume her. It was challenging enough, being in a relationship with someone who had lost her first mate, and although Nettlefang continued to be good to her, Minkfrost couldn’t help worrying that her mate was preparing to move on. She didn’t blame Cindersong for Nettlefang’s feelings, she couldn’t, and she did her best not to let her relationship troubles get in the way of her friendship with the deputy. When Cindersong came to her to discuss a disagreement she’d had with a clanmate, Minkfrost treated her as she would’ve before she’d become mates with Nettlefang. She didn’t even consider treating Cindersong any differently just because Nettlefang had feelings for her. When Littlestar disappeared not long after and Cindersong became Cinderstar, and then named Nettlefang deputy, Minkfrost felt both overjoyed for her friend and mate, but also dreaded how much time the two of them would spend together without her to stand between them.

Pre-Plotting: Minkfrost fills the role of Oakpelt from [say whatever you feel] and the role of grieving family member from [those left behind]. She also relates best to Heather in [PrairieClan’s Plot Ad]. She believes PrairieClan has enough of their own problems to work on and doesn’t need to try fixing the other clans’ issues, too.

optional images