Original【 2017 】 Juniperstar gazed around the clearing. The early dawn light was settling in. He watched PebbleClan leave their dens and begin their duties. He glanced at the nursery, finding his kits tumbling out. He longed to see his mate, Pinegaze, again. She had died of greencough while giving birth to his kits, along with Silverkit. Sunkit and Cloverkit had been the only survivors. A current nursing queen had offered to take care of Juniperstar's kits, along with her own kit, Peachkit. Honeypetal and her mate, Hawknose, had taken care of his kits as if they were their own.
Improved【 2020 】 Juniperstar ascended a pile of boulders, bunching his shoulders to leap from one to the next. He eventually reached the highest stone and sat down contently. He admired the sunrise, a beautiful splash of oranges and pinks, and closed his eyes, letting the calming morning breeze ruffle his fur. The boulder was a good vantage point for Juniperstar to observe his Clan. As the sun began to illuminate the clearing, the warriors began to step out of their blackberry bush den, yawning. They whisked through the clearing as the PebbleClan deputy, Lavenderfrost, sent out dawn patrols. Juniperstar settled himself on the rock, shifting his position so he was laying down. He slowly lashed his tail as he glanced over at the nursery, letting the newleaf sun warm his pelt. His two kits, one a pale yellow tabby and the other a white kitten with gray tabby patches, ambled out, blinking at daylight. 'Their first newleaf,' Juniperstar thought to himself. They had been born during leaf-bare. The leader felt a sharp pang of grief, remembering his deceased mate, Cloudgaze. She had caught greencough a few days before she gave birth. She died shortly after she finished kitting. Already weak from greencough, giving birth was what made StarClan claim her. Cloudgaze had bore three kits, Sunkit, Cloverkit, and Silverkit. However, Silverkit caught the sickness from her mother, and too vulnerable to face it as a newborn, died within hours. Sunkit and Cloverkit, the two kits that were padding out of the nursery, had been the only survivors. Juniperstar shut his eyes, trying to force the grim thoughts of his abrupt mood swing from his mind. He had lost both the love of his life and his kit, and a lot of heartache had hit him that day. Even more, he couldn't call them his kits. Without a mother to nurse them, the kits would die, so Juniperstar had allowed a queen to adopt his kits as if they were her own. The queen, Honeypetal, gave birth to three kits, but two were stillborn. She offered to take care of the leader's surviving kits, eager to help since she could relate to his loss. Honeypetal and her mate, Hawknose, were taking care of Juniperstar's kits as if they were their own. Without his mate and without his kits, the leader felt isolated, depressed, alone with nothing but his thoughts. Juniperstar turned away, entered his den, and a wave of grief claimed him. He let a melancholic yowl split the air, feeling incredibly alone in the world.
