brightjay, riverclan warrior.

[/s] it takes her ages to get to the point, so sometimes it takes a sharp nudge from another Clanmate to make her spit out what she means to.[/ul]
[=] Open

[-] Clumsy

[-] Insecure

[-] Indecisive

[/i] make. She's much more content to do as others tell her, almost to a naive degree.[/ul][/div]

[/i] one of the elders would often boast to anyone who would listen. "Strong, healthy warriors for the Clan. We could certainly use them!" And, sure enough, after two attempts, Goldenfrost was pleased to emerge from Yellowstrike's den to announce that she was pregnant with Swiftclaw's kits. Many awaited the litter with joyful and excited anticipation.

The anticipation was fulfilled on a lovely newleaf afternoon, when the sounds of heavy labor and cries of pain could be heard from the nursery. Swiftclaw paced tirelessly outside, and the rest of the Clan gathering around to see the outcome of Goldenfrost's birthing, until the sounds of multiple little mews brought relief to everyone's ears. Goldenfrost gave birth to three healthy, beautiful kittens that day. The first, a wee she-cat, she named Ivykit, the second, the tom of the litter, she named Sandkit, and the third and the smallest of the bunch, Goldenfrost named Brightkit. Multiple RiverClanners came in and out of the nursery that day to congratulate the queen and fawn over the three newest additions to RiverClan's ranks.

From birth, Brightkit always seemed a little bit of an oddball. She mewed the most of her siblings, always trying to be the loudest of the bunch. She played with her brothers and sisters but was always the first to tire out, or run crying to Goldenfrost or Swiftclaw should the playing get too rough. But all in all, they were a happy litter, raised by two loving and supporting parents, and were the perfect model RiverClan family.[/ul]
chapter two. stumbling but never falling.

[/i] personality.

Darkwing, a nonbinary warrior who didn't feel comfortable with neither the labels 'she' or 'he,' was frequently asked questions about their identity by a curious Brightpaw. Was she nonbinary too? Did you have to be special to not identify with either gender? Oh! Did Darkwing like she-cats, or did they like toms? How were kits made? Needless to say, Darkwing had to become very quickly accustomed to just how curious their young apprentice could be, but they luckily had the temperament for it. Darkwing answered just about every question that Brightpaw had for them, even some of the more invasive ones. When Brightpaw got too off track, Darkwing always somehow managed to get her back into the routine of training. And while the young cream tabby was coming along rather well, there were some things that the senior warrior simply couldn't train out of their apprentice.

For example, Brightpaw never seemed able to get down the more complicated fighting moves. She'd always trip over herself or get tangled in StarClan knows what in the process (don't ask about the time with the brambles - Brightpaw was in Yellowstrike's den for two days after that incident). While Darkwing found it a little endearing, Brightpaw's parents found it a little disappointing, Goldenfrost moreso than Swiftclaw.

On the other paw, Brightpaw's two siblings were excelling in their training, so Goldenfrost and Swiftclaw certainly had a lot to be proud of. And besides, even though Brightpaw wasn't the best fighter, or the stealthiest hunter, she seemed to be shaping up to be one of the brightest and smartest apprentices that RiverClan had to offer. Brightpaw's training was going by fast, and despite her limitations, she was shaping up to be a fantastic young warrior in her own way. And her siblings were proving to be equally valuable, albeit in a more traditional sense. During their spare time, the three could always be found playing or lounging together, and they were the best of friends.[/ul]
chapter three. tragedy by the river.

[/i].

What that style was supposed to be never came to fruition. At first, it was a couple of drops of rain. Then it was a downpour. Then lightning flashed across the sky, thunder rumbled, and the wind blustered. What had started out as a night of fun and silly adventuring quickly became a treacherous attempt to get back home. It had been Brightpaw's decision that they spend most of their night by the river, and so the trio had been far from home by the gorges near WindClan when the storm had hit.

It was a dangerous hike back to camp. Too dangerous. There'd been a strike of lightning, the roar of thunder, followed by a cry for help. Sandpaw and Brightpaw had whipped around to see Ivypaw slipping, mud sliding out from under her delicate paws as she started to slide towards the gorge. Her brother and sister scrambled to save her, but it was too late. Ivypaw went over the gorge, and was never seen again.

The two apprentices were found by a dawn patrol, huddled in terror and grief underneath a bundle of ferns a little further into the territory. Tearful and terrified, they recounted their story, and were escorted back to camp. It was there that they had to deliver their news to their parents. The response that they got, however, surprised them. While Goldenfrost hadn't been able to speak, grief-stricken by the evident death of her third kit, Swiftclaw had given both of the young cats a gentle lick on the forehead, assuring them that what had happened hadn't been their fault. Brightpaw didn't believe them. It was her fault that they had been that far out, her fault that they'd been so close to the gorge. In the wake of their sister's death, their assessments were pushed back a moon to give them time to grieve, recover, and get back into the rhythm of normal life.

To their credit, Darkwing pushed Brightpaw harder than she'd ever been pushed in her life. And Brightpaw responded to the encouragement, and the pressure. When the time came for her own personal assessment, Brightpaw passed. Perhaps not with flying colors, but it was determined that, in spite of everything, she had turned out to be fairly good warrior material. She was given the name Brightjay, for her talkative and chirpy personality. Her brother had been named Sandcloud, in honor of his own steadfast and gentle demeanor that he'd seemed to acquire on his own.[/ul]
chapter four. moving on.

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