... The Legend of Leafhopper ...

Instructions

... The Legend of Leafhopper ... … trigger warnings … The legend contains minor references to injury and character death, however none of this is described in any sort of detail. … context … After learning Leafhopperflight’s name, Kalopsiakit wonders about the bug known as a ‘leafhopper.’ She considers the idea that the insect was named after a cat from the far past—a brave warrior known as Leafhopper. Intrigued by her own idea, Kal spends some time thinking about it, and comes up with a legend about it. She knows that it’s probably not true, but that won’t stop the kit from imagining. … the legend … Leafkit was born in MossClan, a long, long time ago. She was a normal MossClan kit, named for the dappled patterns across her back. Leafkit loved MossClan, and decided from a young age that she would do anything for her Clan and be the best warrior they’d ever seen. Eventually, she became an apprentice, and earned the name Leafpaw. She trained hard—so hard, in fact, that sometimes the leader had to order her to sleep and keep her energy up. Leafpaw knew he was just trying to help, but she constantly itched to train. One of Leafpaw’s closest friends was another apprentice named…well, we’ll call them Ladybugpaw to keep with the bug theme. Ladybugpaw was very supportive of Leafpaw’s training, but they were also acutely aware of how much time she spent training. The moons went by, and the two apprentices became warriors. Leafpaw became Leafhopper, known for her consistent efforts and enthusiasm. Ladybugpursuit was honored for their compassion and cunning. The two were great warriors together, and worked to ensure MossClan was fed and safe. No cat went hungry under their watch. However, when the leaves began to turn orange, Ladybugpursuit was injured in a fight with a fox. The medics of the Clan didn’t know if they would survive, and Leafhopper was filled with worry and anger at StarClan. She began to neglect her duties as she constantly checked in on her best friend. The leader warned Leafhopper that if she didn’t return to her warrior duties, there would be consequences. Leafhopper acknowledged this, but chose to stay with Ladybugpursuit instead. With one of their best warriors off the job, MossClan began to weaken. As the snow began to fall, they brought in less and less prey, and more threats began to slip past their borders. Ladybugpursuit’s injury wouldn’t heal—it only became more infected. Leafhopper was scared—she didn’t want to lose her best friend! As she exited the medic den, StarClan opened her eyes to what she was doing. Her Clan needed her, and she wasn’t there for them. The days passed, and Leafhopper gradually began falling back into her duties, though she still made frequent checks on Ladybugpursuit. On one of these occasions, she was met by the medic at the den entrance. Ladybugpursuit’s infection had gotten worse, and they had passed on to StarClan without any warning. There was nothing the medics could do. The warrior was filled with grief—Ladybugpursuit couldn’t be gone! They had to be there somewhere! Leafhopper ran out of the camp, into the forest, holding back the tears. As she ran, she was so consumed in her sadness that she didn’t notice the strange scent in the air until she ran right into it—a huge, bright red fox, the same kind that had injured her friend. The fox snarled at her, and Leafhopper fell instinctively into her fighting crouch, hissing and spitting right back at it. This creature had stolen her friend from her, and it was going to pay for it. It wouldn’t hurt anyone else. The battle wasn’t long, but it was noisy, and soon a MossClan patrol heard the cries of both the fox and the warrior. By the time they got there, Leafhopper was very injured, though she’d managed to take out the fox in the process. The patrol sent for the medic—it was clear that Leafhopper couldn’t make it all the way back on her own four paws. The medic arrived, but by that time, Leafhopper had already collapsed. Her breathing was shallow, and then it stopped. In the same heartbeat, there was a flurry of motion—tens, maybe hundreds of small insects burst from the grass and the bushes, flying upward, their wings catching on the golden sunlight. The patrol was awestruck at StarClan’s goodbye to the brave young warrior. The insects then earned the title of leafhoppers, in honor of the MossClan cat that had given her life to save the Clan from the fox. Now, Leafhopper and Ladybugpursuit roam the stars and the surrounding lands. Their memories live on in their namesakes, so they will never fade.