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The dawn sun began to rise over the makeshift ForestClan camp. Larkstar, awoken by the dim rays of light stood from his nest, nestled in a hole near a tall tree's roots. Having insisted that his den be the last to be built, he took to sleeping there whenever he got the chance. But with the new struggle of forging a new permanent home for ForestClan, he seldom remembers what rest is even like. Taking a moment to stretch and shake out his pelt, he hops onto a branch on the tree, and looks down towards his resting clanmates. We have come so far, but yet our work is not done, he thought with a sigh. Letting out a rumbling meow, he called out, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather underneath the Tall Tree for a clan meeting."
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Foxstripe was roused by his father's voice, and groggily stood up. He, along with other senior warriors, had spent most of the night continuing construction of the dens and marking a section of territory along the length of a river to the north. "I wonder what Larkstar wants this early in the morning," he said with a yawn.

𝔽𝕣𝕠𝕤𝕥𝕡𝕖𝕝𝕥

Frostpelt was already awake well before the first rays of sunlight had touched the clan's territory. She couldn't sleep well for the past few days and the drowsiness that came as a result of her lack of sleep was starting to annoy her by getting in the way of her duties.

The leader's meeting call, gave her no other choice but to walk out of the den and towards the Tall Tree. She scanned her surroundings, like she always did when she walked out, in search of something.

Well, someone.

The rustle in the bush caught her attention and she was soon staring back at golden eyes she knew too well. She let out a hiss.

"Morning, kittypet," she called out to the cat in the bush.
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ℕ𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤𝕙𝕒𝕕𝕖

Forstpelt's early-morning greeting was already putting a start to his day. He sighed in reply.

"Morning, Frostpelt," he greeted back, his words muffled by the fresh-kill in his mouth. He could see Frostpelt looking at it hungrily. He was about to speak when the she-cat shook her head and dashed towards the Tall Tree.

Nightshade made his way towards the tree as well, dropping off his kill on the pile and cleaning his mouth before reaching the Tall Tree. He saw Frostpelt seated and took his own place beside hers, earning an angry growl from the she-cat. She didn't push it further, though, not in front of the leader. They both waited silently for the other cats to come and for the clan meeting to start.

---

Simon slowly walked out from the inside of a tree he called home , he stayed up all night creating medicine and trying to be a better doctor.

" Is that the meeting call?" He said before walking towards the Tall tree. While walking he saw a river and quickly looked at his refection. " Hm.." he said before going back to walking.

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Rowanstep quickly blinked awake, the sound of Larkstar's call retrieving him from his land of dreams. The brown tom got up on his paws, allowing himself time for a small stretch before he trotted over towards the Tall Tree. Seating himself by the meeting point, he surveyed the clan. A small frown danced its way across his face, and Rowanstep fought to keep a somewhat neutral expression. The long nights of construction were starting to wear down on everyone, the lack of sleep affecting each cat in a different manner. Rowanstep himself was struggling to try and look awake, he was attempting to straighten up with each passing second and letting his lazily flicking tail curl up around his paws. Finishing his quick look over of the clan, the deputy let his attention settle onto Larkstar.

---

Otterleaf looked up from the measly prey pile they had been able to put together. He yawned, his paws aching from all of the work they had been putting into the new camp. He trotted over to the Tall Tree, sitting with the other cats and waving a greeting with his tail. His eyes still held their constant spark, but the way his paws seemed to drag along the ground would make you believe otherwise. Still, he remained dedicated to making sure his clan had a good home that would live out in the next generations to come, keeping ForestClan alive when he wasn't there to make sure of it.

---

Shattered'sky flicked her ears, glancing up from her grooming. She was lying outside of their makeshift nursery, the den almost halfway completed though still far from finished. Her belly was swollen now, and her kits were due soon. She had been spending the morning resting, helping around with duties when she could, and her eyes drooped with exhaustion.

She got up, stretching as best she could in the early morning light as the sun crept sleepily across the sky. She padded forward, a little ways to the side, settling down and looking up at Larkstar expectantly. What could the meeting possibly be about this early in the day?

---

Larkstar waited until every cat had settled down in the area around the tree, though he could tell that everyone was exhausted from the long days and nights of building, patrolling and hunting. "I have called this meeting to assemble a patrol," he meowed. "I would like to explore the southern part of the territory, to see if we can find any more hunting grounds to the south. With leaf-bare coming up soon, prey will be harder to find, and we will need even the smallest morsel if we are to make it through in this new land. Is there anyone else who is able to come along with me?"

Simon slowly raised his paw. " I would like to volunteer.." He meowed.

---

𝔽𝕣𝕠𝕤𝕥𝕡𝕖𝕝𝕥
Frostpelt raised her furry white tail in reply to the leader's question, not offering any other response. Of course she'd join the patrol, it was silly to even ask her that question. In her eyes, it was something she loved the most about being a warrior, second to fighting that is.

"I'll join too," she heard the tom beside her say. Of course he'd go too, he's a 'Senior Warrior' for StarClan sake.

"Of course you would," she growled lowly, making it intelligible to only Nightshade. She knew it was for the better, though. They would need all the warriors they could get in order to expand the clan territory. They didn't even know what dangers lie in the depths of the forest they were in.

---

Foxstripe dipped his head towards his father. "I would like to join as well," he said simply. The senior warrior was curious as well about what could be found in the unexplored areas of the new forest. Whether it was danger or new food sources, he knew that any additional knowledge would be crucial. Besides, with his father quickly approaching elder age, he was worried for what would happen if he was left without enough help to fight off any trouble that could be encountered.
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Larkstar dipped his head, and nodded towards the fresh-kill pile. "Eat what you can, we will need the energy for the trip ahead. We'll leave soon enough. I trust that Rowanstep will keep everything in the clan in order while we depart." Hopping down from the Tall Tree, he turned towards the cats that remained. "And you all, make sure to get some rest. There is little point in having an exhausted clan for as long as we are setting up. No cat would blame you if you took even a moment to get some much-needed sleep, StarClan knows how deprived we've been recently."

Rowanstep flicked his ear at Larkstar's announcement. It was a good idea to send out a patrol, they would certainly take what they could with leaf-bare coming up. The deputy considered volunteering to join the patrol, but slowly reconsidered. With Larkstar going out of camp it might be a good idea for him to stay and help oversee the completion of their camp. He gave a small smile at his leader's words as he leapt down from the Tall Tree. Larkstar's trust was something he worked hard to keep, it was how Rowanstep could tell he was doing his duties well. He followed behind the leader for a few steps. "I'll watch them." He said with a small huff of laughter. Any cat showing exhaustion would quickly find themselves the victim of Rowanstep's worrying nature until they took a nice and long nap. "Who knows, maybe by the time you come back the camp will look completed."

The brown tom gave another small laugh, flicking his tail. "Stay safe out there." He threw one last smile to his leader before looking around the clearing. Rowanstep looked over at the nursery his eyes brightening as he spotted Shattered'sky settled by the entrance. Quickly trotting to her side he sat down, wrapping his tail around his paws. "Good morning." He purred, looking at the queen. He tried his hardest to squash his fretting fatherly side, ignoring the irrational questions of 'what if' in his mind. "Did you have a good night, nothing woke you up, right?"

---

Otterleaf nodded towards the patrol, anxious to be out and doing something, but he knew deep down that it was in his and his clan's best interest if he remained there. He had been getting a bit more sleep lately, with the construction of the new camp becoming a bit more scheduled, but he could certainly use the extra rest. He was a stubborn cat, though, and decided to continue work on the construction of the new dens for the time being. He padded over to the incomplete apprentice den and began to examine what needed to be fixed and what would be required to get it done, noting the small pile of already-gathered resources laying beside it.

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Shattered'sky smiled warmly as Rowanstep approached her, her worries about the warriors leaving camp exiting her mind as she let out a low purr. "I'm fine, I slept like a bear in leaf-bare," she chuckled. "I'll be happier when this nursery is finished, though." She glanced behind her at the den that was barely a den. It held holes and gaps that would take at least another moon to thoroughly patch up, and she would do her best to help in the completion of the construction of camp, but it was starting to wear on her just how much work was required. She would never consider leaving them just because it was difficult, as many cats had been found to do, her loyalties always remained to her clan, but she had to admit it was a bit tiresome.

She sighed, turning her thoughts back to the present and the beautiful cat before her. "But enough about me. How have you been doing? You haven't been letting the stress get to you, have you?"

---

To be honest, Mountainstep hadn't quite cared about what his leader had to say. Not for a lack of respect, no he had plenty of that for Larkstar especially in the recent moons. But he had a few more pressing issues than patrol, namely the elders which he had been practically glued to ever since the start of the journey. They were all tired, old bones sore and weary. Even his parents, the youngest of them all, were curled up together as they nursed swollen joints. The elders den was like much of the camp unfinished. It was barely more than a skeleton of a structure, held up with strategically placed branches and sheer willpower. While the natural structure of the forest lent itself to den building, the ground was still uncomfortable to sleep on, the bare nests that they had scrapped together a far cry from the comfort in their old camp. Frowning, he made a mental note to get better bedding before flopping down bodily in the middle of the cluster of elders.

"Mountainkit is cold!" He warbled with exaggerated tones, paws cycling in the air as he flailed around. It succeeded in drawing chuckles and good-natured cuffs on the head from the elders as they cooed over the warrior and pressed themselves flush against Mountainstep's voluminous fur. It wasn't long before the burly cat was buried under a pile of elders, his soft coat providing a better bedding than the cold forest floor could ever.

---

Larkstar dipped his head to Rowanstep. "I trust you will do a good job while we're gone," the leader said, before retreating to his makeshift den in order to take a quick rest, hopeful that his ancestors may finally visit him. ForestClan had not had very much contact with their ancestors in StarClan for a while, and Larkstar worried that they may not have followed them to the new territories. In the past, when they were still wandering and only remaining at certain camps for a short period of time, StarClan would always give a sign as to where they would be able to keep contact with their living descendants, whether it be an oddly-shaped boulder or a bent yet still intact tree. Yet, for a while now, there had been no such sign, nor indication to where this new location would be. Larkstar wondered if perhaps settling here was wrong, as they weren't even sure if this was where StarClan could speak to them again, but he knew that his weary clan would not be able to continue along further, especially after having put in all the work they already had into their permanent camp.
---
Foxstripe padded up to Otterleaf, noticing that the tom was near the apprentices' unfinished den. "Do you need some help with that?" he asked, eager for something to do while the rest of the patrol got ready. Foxstripe was one who quickly got frustrated if he did not have anything to do, and he always liked to help out wherever he could.

ℕ𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤𝕙𝕒𝕕𝕖

Nightshade watched as the leader made his way to his den before getting up with a stretch. Frostpelt had already dashed off, without taking a single bite off the fresh-kill pile, saying she wasn't worthy of a meal if she hadn't caught at least one prey herself. He decided to finish up the warrior's den while waiting for the patrol to start. He stayed almost the whole night trying to get it done so there was little to work on by morning. He ventured into the woods in search of more moss or comfortable material for the bedding, passing by the elders den. He glanced and let out a small chuckle as he saw Mountainstep hidden under the pile of cats before disappearing into the thick bushes.

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𝔽𝕣𝕠𝕤𝕥𝕡𝕖𝕝𝕥

Frostpelt dug up the ground, trying to retrieve the kill she had left there before. She was satisfied with all the food she had caught. It was no surprise, though, as the area was teeming with prey. She started making her way back to the camp, the prey clamped in between her jaws.
A rushing noise caught her attention. She took a detour to find where it was coming from, going into an area the cats had never examined before. After enduring countless nettle stings and thorn scraping into her skin, she gazed at the rushing river. Though she was excited with the new discovery, she didn't dare go any closer in fear of accidentally stepping into another clan's territory, though there was no evidence of one anywhere nearby. She turned back and finally returned to the safety of her clan, adding her kill to the pile. She felt like telling the leader about the river since the clan didn't have a main source of water yet, but she couldn't see him anywhere which told her he was in his den. She decided to tell Larkstar about it later before munching on her breakfast.

---

Otterleaf glanced up, smiling as he saw Foxstripe approach the den as well. "Yes, help would be much appreciated. This den is the closest to being finished, so we'll need to start putting this pile of resources to use." He nodded to the gathering of sticks, branches, leaves, and other assorted forest items that come in handy when building a den. Otterleaf wasn't a senior warrior yet, but he certainly was good at what he did, speaking with an air of responsibility that hadn't come simply with age. He had already begun focusing his attention back to the den, noting how the nests and bedding needed to be replaced and added to.

He looked back to Foxstripe. "We can start rebuilding the den here if you're not busy." He offered an optimistic smile.

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