A short, long-furred she-cat with diluted calico markings and golden eyes.

Coming from a long line of prestigious cats in MistClan, it was no shock that she would look the part. Creeklily is a pretty she-cat, who seems to take great care in her appearance to appease the opinions of others. She is smaller than the average size of a MistClan she-cat, but her sturdy frame underneath the fur helps her stand strong against opponents and dangers.

She is a dilute calico. While having some dashing and bright oranges and blacks, the colors are more of a softer cream and gray color, respectively. Pops of white in the cream-colored areas are noticeable, along with darker gray tabby markings that look marbled around her form as well. Creeklily adorns bright golden eyes, taking after her mother. Horizontal down her face, as well, includes a number of parallel scars from a fight with a rogue that happened several moons ago and that never healed properly.

Three kits were born to the couple of warriors named Stonesong and Violetstrike. Little bundles of joy, they were called. It didn't take long for the parents to name them. Troutkit, Shellkit, and the smallest, Creek-kit. 

Creek-kit, despite being the last born, was the wedge that kept a bridge between her two siblings. Shellkit was loud, ambitious, and always wanting to play instead of settling in for the night. Meanwhile, Troutkit was the opposite. He was like a chilled breath in Leafbare. He never seemed to have an ounce of anger in him. Creek-kit, as mentioned, was both of them combined. She was certainly ambitious, wanting to climb to the top of the clan as leader one day, StarClan willing. But, she knew when to speak and when to keep herself calm and collected, despite sometimes being labeled as a "cry-kit" by her siblings.

"It would be fun!" Shellkit spoke while jumping around, with the suggested idea of going to ask Moosekit to play with them. 
"Come on, fuzzbrain. We all know that family is weird. They are always together... like, alllllll the time," Creek-kit snorted, while looking to the brown tom. Perhaps it was her own insecurity about how distant her mother and father was, but she was too young to understand that. Troutkit laughed at her statement.
"Well, I'M going to go over there, with or without you too," she nodded, before prancing off.

Of course, Troutkit and Creek-kit couldn't say no to any sort of fun. It became a common game of family between the kits, with Shellkit and Moosekit usually being a couple. Creek-kit, of course, would act as the disgruntled, spoiled child.

"Do you think that we will be ready to become apprentices? Are you scared at all?" Creek-kit mewed, while sitting next to her brother. 
"Of course, Creek-kit. I have no doubt that we will be elders laughing at stories someday," Troutkit purred, while giving his sister a nudge on the shoulder.


Creekpaw was given the mentor of Brokenthorn, an orange tabby she-cat who was known for her beautiful weaving skills. Her name was previously Rowanthorn, but due to an incident that broke her right, back leg in a heroic fight to save a wandering kit from a fox, she was renamed. While Creekpaw had expressed early on that she was only keen on becoming a warrior, not a weaver, it was Brokenthorn that encouraged her to step out of her comfort zone. "Cats who are complacent and never try new things are the ones to suffer," she used to sing. It was alarming to the apprentice how much the words actually felt real to her. It was a struggle at first to learn how to weave. But, just like fighting and hunting, weaving became a second language to her. 

Brokenthorn, however, taught Creekpaw everything to know about being a warrior. It may have meant relying on other warriors to step in for the practical practice, but her wisdom of combat was unmatched. Even the weaver wasn't blind to the fact that Creekpaw was more of a natural at combat. "Still, it's a good skill to learn, dear. If a weaver gets sick, you can at least know the basics and pitch in," the ginger tabby would say.

Just like weaving branches, she was also weaved into Moosepaw's social circle. Not only her siblings were included, but also Moosepaw's family members as well. It felt good to have a community. A group of cats that she could go to for advice. Still, she mostly went to Troutpaw, as their sibling bond was strong like no other.

It made her happy, however, to see Troutpaw and another she-cat, Irispaw, starting to become friends. Perhaps more than friends and forming crushes. But the hushed whispers from Russetpaw, Falconpaw, and Moosepaw alerted her to something more. However, she brushed it off for now, hoping to make sure that she passed her assessment with flying colors. 

One day, only a couple moonhighs away from her assessment, Creekpaw went on an evening patrol with Adderclaw, Bumblepaw, Antlertail, and Yellowbird. The patrol encounter a fox at the border, which only became angry at the approach of so many cats. It was a hard battle for the four cats, as Yellowbird sprinted back to camp for reinforcements. Blood painted the floor, as all the creatures involved in the battle were exhausted. However, the fox gave one more attempt managed to grab Bumblepaw in its mouth. Bumblepaw, a mere seven moons when this happened, was surely to be a goner in moments. However, with quick thinking, Creekpaw noticed how distracted the fox was when it was trying to drag other apprentice away. The gray she-cat jumped up and slashed the canine's eyes, causing it to retreat injuries to its face. Bumblepaw was okay, but shaken up, as another patrol came across the scene.

Creekpaw was seen as the hero. 

Her assessment came quickly, as the scars from the battle with the fox were still fresh. However, Creekpaw didn't let it stop her. The birds felt as though they had just flown into her claws, and it felt like her sparring partner was no match to her. However, she felt awful about Moosepaw failing his assessment. At this point, speculation about Moosepaw and Shellpaw were circling the apprentice den as well, claiming that both of them were fancying each other, so Creekpaw knew that she was supposed to feel sympathy for him. After all, as well, Moosepaw was a friend. It hurt that he couldn't join them, but with her siblings, they tried to make Moosepaw feel better, despite his family's disappointment.


Creeklily. It was a nice name, something to get used to. She really didn't think that she deserved the honor title, especially since it was for defending Bumblepaw from the fox. But when she saw Brokenthorn, Troutstream, and Shellnose beam with pride at her name, it felt right. It felt good.

Not long after, as well, Moosespring joined them in the warrior's den.

And despite that, it was very quickly after that Moosespring asked Shellnose to be his mate. It seemed fast, at least to Creeklily. But, she was happy, so being the sister she was, she supported her. 

Soon after, Troutstream and Irisfrost became mates. Despite being happy for both of her siblings, the aching feeling of wanting to call another cat as her own began to bother her. Now that most of the friend group had mates, it left her alone most of the time. It was something that she didn't mind, really. It was nice to go off alone from time to time in the rain and listen to the falling droplets on the leaves. But, she missed when it was all of them. All of them being apprentices and going off on adventures together.

It didn't last long... the peace, anyways. The lightning struck a tree that connected the MistClan and RidgeClan border. And it was when Wolfstar claimed the Moonpool as his.

It was a solemn evening, with anxiety and fear filled the air with the RidgeClan hostility. Then, Troutstream came to her, and asked to speak in private. 

It was there that Troutstream told her everything. About Moosespring, everything. At first, Creeklily didn't know really what to say, except to keep confirming every detail to her brother. And it made her furious too. How could he be so disloyal to his mate? But, she calmed down, as there was nothing they could do about the past. 
"Troutstream, listen to me. You have to tell Irisfrost. She deserves to know, especially as we are in a time that we don't know what is going to happen." It almost felt like she was pleading with her brother. "I will always be here for you, you know that, right?"
Finally, after a pause, he nodded. "I know. I will do it soon, once I get my words together."

However, that day never came, as the battle in the MistClan camp happened unexpectedly. Creeklily, alongside her mentor, battled bravely against the incoming forces to prevent any damage to the medicine cat den and their precious supply of herbs. She unfortunately had to take the life of at least one RidgeClan cat, as it almost killed Brokenthorn. However, once the PrairieClan warriors arrived, everything was a blur. She didn't remember much except to the time skip of seeing Troustream's body before her. Alongside her sister-in-law and family, she mourned his death.

Creeklily became empty for a while and resigned from her clanmates. It was a lonely time, and not even the joy of Irisfrost carrying her nieces and nephews could help the pain she felt. Troutstream was her best friend, despite being her brother. They knew each other better than they knew themselves, and he was always there for her. It quickly turned into more, with her refusing to eat and trying to sleep the day away to escape her grief. Nothing helped, despite Shellnose's and Brokenthorn's best efforts. She just wished that she could join her brother again and be able to hear him.

But, one day, just after she turned 18 moons, somehow by a miracle, Brokenthorn was able to get her to go out on a hunting patrol. It helped her a little, distracted her from being in her mind. While she still had a lot of time that she would sleep in her nest, she was beginning to accept more patrols and even take a few bites of food if her grief wasn't too bad.

Still at 18 mooms old, she was on one patrol that she found herself alone hunting at night. Creeklily was stalking a mouse when a shrill echoed against the leaves and bark of the trees. Just as the mouse was running away from the she-cat, Creeklily also started running in the sound of the direction.

To her horror, Creeklily was toe-to-toe with a rogue carrying a young warrior named Silktuft in their mouth. Frantic, and still hoping that the she-cat was still alive, the warrior sprung violently at the rogue, causing the unknown cat to fall and drop the warrior. Suddenly, her nose stung.

'Is that... garlic? Why do they smell like garlic?' It caused Creeklily to become unfocused, as the rogue regained their footing and sprung at the MistClanner. Their face quickly was sliced by the clanless, with blood immediately covered her vision. The taste of iron felt sickening against her tongue, before she began to wildly swipe to try to grab something, anything of the rogue.

Her claws grasped something, as she pulled the clanless into her and sunk her fangs into the fur. A screech filled the air, as the rogue began to claw the ground to escape. As Creeklily let the rogue go, she could see the cat running away. However, it was too dark, and all she saw was a silhouette. With her face burning, she made her way over to the young warrior, resting her nose on the throat of the she-cat. No pulse. She was gone. As she lifted her head, she heard rustling in the distance getting closer. Her heart sank. 'Was there more?' However, she was relieved to find that it was a group of cats being lead by Snowsong, a senior warrior.

However, she became scared as the white warrior spoke. "Oh StarClan, what happened? What did you do, Creeklily?"

Creeklily was seen as the murderer.

--------
The dilute calico looked around as the clan began to call out their opinions. With Brokenthorn, at her side, still taking a piece of cobweb to temporarily stop the bleeding, all she could hear was her heart beat as she sat in front of her clans. Across from her sat Snowsong, who looked like he was ready to pounce on her at any second.

"MistClan, I ask that you settle down while we begin the discussion ahead of us," Hailstar spoke, with the clan beginning to simmer down. "Now, Snowsong, you may speak."

"I came upon Creeklily over Silktuft's body when I arrived at the scene of the cry. There were no other cats around, and no evidence that there was anyone there before we arrived... well, only evidence that it was Silktuft and Creeklily. Creeklily murdered our loyal and young clanmate in cold blood!"

"That is simply not true!" Creeklily exclaimed, with cats beginning to whisper and cry in horror. "I arrived quite a while before Snowsong and his patrol did. There was a rogue! The rogue killed Silktuft, and I defended her! I was trying to-"

"A rogue? Really? That's the best excuse that you can come up with? If there was a rogue, then why couldn't we smell them?" Snowsong snapped. "All I smelled was garlic. Strong garlic. And the garlic smell is all over you."

'Oh no...' Creeklily thought, while she closed her mouth after ready to protest. 'It was the rogue! The rogue covered themselves in garlic to mask the smell... and the smell is all over me after fighting him...'

"Creeklily tried to hide her murder by covering her scent, but we got to her before she had a chance of escaping. We must exiled Creeklily, as she is a traitor to our clan! Not to mention the lives that she took in the battle!"

Brokenthorn then stepped up from beside her previous apprentice. "Creeklily saved my life! If she hadn't killed that RidgeClan cat, then I wouldn't be here today, listening to all the mousedung that you spew!" 

Stonesong narrowed his eyes, before rising to his feet as well. "Watch your tongue, Brokenthorn. Creeklily may have saved your life by taking the life of the RidgeClan cat, but that only fueled her desire to kill! For all we know, Creeklily had the murder all planned out and is really a traitor in our midst!"

As Snowsong growled under his breath, the clan began to erupt in panic and fear. Creeklily began to shake while Brokenthorn growled back to Snowsong as well. Tears began to well up in her face, with Hailstar's wails to try to calm his clan. 'This is it,' Creeklily thought. 'I am really a murderer of a murder that I didn't commit.' Her eyes trailed to the body of Silktuft, which was being prepared by the elders for burial until they joined in the trial. Her murder trial. 

"Everyone, stop!" A voice called from the entrance, with two cats rushing into the camp. It was a warrior named Alderbranch, a young, yet well-respected cat in the clan. With him was another cat was Volescreech who stood behind him.

"Hailstar, as you instructed, we investigated the area that Silktuft was murdered. However, it was just in my gut that we ventured out further," Alderbranch began. "So, Volescreech and I went in the direction of the campground, to the border there. It was only a small sprint away. We found tracks of blood leading out of the area... and this." Alderbranch nodded back toward Volescreech, in which the younger warrior came forward and placed something on the ground. Creeklily's tears began to start again.

Before the clan laid a large clump of fur that was matted together with blood. However, it was clear on one side of the clump that it was a bright white fur, longer than Creeklily's pelt had ever been. 

"As you can see, MistClan, this fur is a bright white, which stuck out like a fire as Volescreech and I approached. This fur, as we see Creeklily standing before us, would not have come from the clanmate that we know. The fur is simply too long to be hers. In addition... Snowsong, what does this fur smell like?" The white warrior walked over and gave the fur a sniff.

"... Garlic." Snowsong growled, before returning to his spot.

"As you can see, MistClan, Creeklily did not murder Silktuft, she was trying to save her."

"That's not true! She has to have been involved, maybe with the rogue!" Snowsong spat, as the clan began to make their own assumptions in the new finding. 

Alderbranch and Snowsong were continuing to growl and interrupt each other, as Hailstar called for a silence between the two cats.

"My judgement is clear. There is no true evidence that Creeklily was the one to murder Silktuft, or that she conspired to have our clanmate killed. I will not entertain anything that is not true evidence and is just speculation. I have seen enough to come to the conclusion that Creeklily is innocent. She will remain in our clan, for her heroic efforts to save her clanmates. Everyone, return to your dens and rest for the night."

The clan then sat for a moment, perhaps some in shock of what happened no matter what their opinion was. But slowly, one by one, and then together, the clan dismissed themselves.

The camp was quiet, so Creeklily could not speak. However, as Alderbranch and Volescreech passed, she only could mouth a thank you. Snowsong then approached the she-cat, with Brokenthorn's pelt standing up ready to attack. "This isn't over, Creeklily. I will prove to you, to all the clan, that I am right about the traitors in our clan."

As he walked away, and scurried out of the entrance of camp, Brokenthorn then calmed herself down, before nudging and whispering to her former apprentice. "Come on, little Creek. Let's go to the warriors den. You are safe, I promise."

------------

Moons after the murder trial, she couldn't find herself able to relax. Everywhere she went, the eyes and whispers of her clanmates penetrated her skin like thorns. Snowsong would watch her closely if they were in proximity to each other, as well as two other warriors, Thistlefang and Jumpingstrike, who believed that Creeklily wasn't innocent.

"Creek, darling, it's okay. You are safe here," Brokenthorn cooed as she settled the she-cat down to her stomach. Panic attacks were becoming more regular, especially when in the heat of combat with the clanless or even hunting large game. Sometimes, even weaving would now be able to keep her calm enough. However, she knew she felt safe with Brokenthorn. As Creeklily was finally able to calm down, a cat approached. "Hey, is everything okay, you two?"
Creeklily looked up to see Alderbranch, with a face written full of concern.
"We are okay, Alderbranch. Thank you for coming to check on us," the ginger she-cat smiled, while the other gray cat nodded.
"Of course! Hopefully, I can help as well. Creeklily, would you like to take a walk with me? Maybe it will help you to calm down a little more."

Alderbranch became a close friend to Creeklily. Creeklily had finally asked her why he stood up for her in the murder trial, especially when it seemed to be an unpopular opinion at times. "Because it was right," he spoke. "Troutstream and I knew each other, especially when he helped me try to help me with asking this one she-cat to give me a chance... and with what he told me, you aren't a murderer." The words brought Creeklily to tears, as they continued their walk. Troutstream had to be the one protecting her. And he gave her Alderbranch, in place of him in her time of need.

Alderbranch also introduced her to new friends, who shared the opinion that Creeklily was truly innocent. It was Mudbranch, Honeyberry, and Robinwind.

Creeklily woke up eight moons ago to the cries of her sister-in-law, Irisfrost. The gray she-cat had recently given birth to her niece and nephews, but then they were reported missing. Creeklily had been so reserved and busy trying to keep her cool after being found innocent that she just hadn't had the chance to really meet her new family members. Especially because she was too scared to know what Irisfrost thought.

Creeklily went on patrols to help find the kits, but nothing pointed them in the direction to their whereabouts. They had returned to camp after a nightfall patrol to find them, when she say Snowsong standing. It was as if he was waiting for her. As her clanmates dispersed without her noticing, she approached the white tom. "So eager to approach, I see?"
Creeklily stayed silent, as she didn't understand why she gave him the opportunity to speak with her. "You think you are the top of the world after you caused my status as a senior warrior to be questioned, but I won't have any part in allowing you to play in that idea." The tom rose, before walking away, looking back at her. "I will prove that you were the one to take the kits... thinking that you can get away with the same thing twice."

"He is just trying to scare you," Alderbranch said, while he licked the tears away from Creeklily's eyes.
"I know he is, but what if the clan believes him this time?" Creeklily struggled to get a breath in, as the water splashing in the river made her ears twitch.

"Then we have a lot of work to do to prove you innocence... once again."

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