boneslikebarerootsrp

[boneslikebarerootsrp]

Will we still be contacted if our application is denied? I feel so tense waiting :sob:

Hello!

Typically we do not reach out if you were not one of the accepted applicants (as we feel that it's worse to see a request/message from a mod just to find out you weren't accepted, particularly since our main contact method is Discord and you can’t always receive a message until you accept the request) - however, we do post on the blog once all acceptances/contact attempts have been sent out! That will be probably around November 29th, as staff will be reviewing each application in detail and then making character sheets as well.

Thanks for your interest and we look forward to reading your application!

[boneslikebarerootsrp]

Hello! Would a character with bird wings be acceptable as one who has already lived a life dealing with magic? I still plan to submit an application either way, but just thought I'd ask!

Hah, yes, I'd allow that! As long as it's reasoned out, I'm open minded.

The benefit of being this far into the roleplay and the benefits of starting to get into all the juicy magic stuff does mean I'm willing to let folks get a little weird with characters.

Have fun! I look forward to seeing your application!

[boneslikebarerootsrp]

What is the technology level of the humans as of modern day in the RP's world? Since it seems like they still exist

This may be one of our weirder selling points, but we follow real time mostly! We have exceptions for liquid time in roleplays and events, but generally we're set in 2024. Humans are modern day humans-- TVs, fridges, grocery stores and all.

The Court goes on an annual run to a local store every year to steal everything they can get their paws on. It's probably a documented local phenomenon, and maybe some keen naturalists have taken note of a really extensive colony of cats sighted in the woods. The Court lives on protected land, though, so they don't get much human activity at all stepping on their toes. They do live by a neighborhood on one side, but it's not exactly unusual to see cats walking around there... though it might be a strange sight to see them elaborately dressed in baby-sized peanut costumes or wearing armor-- both of which some characters own in roleplay.

Humans will see the last of the effects of magic draining on the world. Likely by the time they'll have realized something globally is going on not attributed to other standard human horrors, it would be too late anyways. Humans in BLBR are very detached from magic, as it is a modern world and they have no reason to question otherwise.

One of the reasons I loved Warriors roleplay is that it explores the world on a small scale. You grow to learn about the herbs in the area, see each nook and cranny in the forest as a possible camp for a clan, and see the world from this small perspective. I think, in that way, it's fun and enriching for me personally to have the creatures in charge of preventing the end of the world-- as silly as it might sound-- come from that perspective. They're observant, they're in touch with how the prey is running, how the herbs are growing, the rates of litters being born dropping would be a noticeable occurrence on a community-wide scale. And, in some way, they're a little more in tune with the imperceptible. Cats are notorious after all for watching shadows and tracking things we can't see.

I think often about the effects of end-game BLBR. If the Court is able to prevent the end and restore magic to the natural world, then things would change drastically in the relations between humans and felines and probably all animals. It would be a very different world in the aftermath of this roleplay. I have a concept written up for a post-BLBR roleplay about the setting it would leave behind. Since this is my final Warriors roleplay, though, I may hand that concept off for someone else to take the reins on if they were so inclined. It's fun to think about though. I'm someone who takes primary interest in taking what might be a bit of a silly concept and trying to explore it to its fullest extent.

So yes, our cats do magic, face horrors untold, and sometimes die trying. Meanwhile, there are still humans going to their 9-5s, watching the new season of Bake Off, and thinking about switching cell phone plans. Strange concept, but it works for us and I find it personally enriching!

[boneslikebarerootsrp]

can you give us irp posts to help us understand more about what will be expected in roleplay samples? what do court members have to say about potential newcomers?

Sure, I'll share a few snippets from roleplays! Shared with permission, this is just an exchange between me and Buzz after our last event. Generally, we range a lot! Some folks write a lot, some folks keep to briefer posts, some match length. Really, the writing sample doesn't need to be anything complex or long and nor does it even need to be Warriors RP specifically. As long as you're putting a little thought into it and showing us what you can do, I'm sure your ability will shine.

As for the Court's impression of incoming members... I reached out to ask! Shared with permission as well.

We have honestly a pretty wide range! I think it's going to put new players at a really fun and interesting spot. Luster joined the Court recently... as a prisoner initially, for context as well so they are even more torn up about it all.

We may have some early crafting practice events with new members to start to build up new quarters for having new faces around. Sounds like fun to me!

[boneslikebarerootsrp]

Hi there! You might want to check your Twitter account's DM settings, I think it might be set to verified users only because when I tried to message there, it said to buy premium to do it.

Fixed! Thanks, Twitter defaults to that for some reason. I appreciate the heads up! If anyone was trying to contact us there, go ahead and give it another shot.

[boneslikebarerootsrp]

Sing us a song, you're the piano man Sing us a song tonight Well, we're all in the mood for a melody And you've got us feelin' alright

I had to draw something from the most recent expedition over on @boneslikebarerootsrp! Poor Thile looked at something he shouldn't have for too long and lost a part of himself... Bleakfoot and Kestreltalon were there to try and snap him out of it... but who can say how successful they were?

Bleakfoot (left) belongs to Finch Thile (middle) belongs to Marshall Kestreltalon (right) belongs to Taps

Library background, Oilslick texture

Interested in joining Bones Like Bare Roots? Our applications are currently open until November 22nd!

[boneslikebarerootsrp]

can we apply for both an adoptable and an original character?

Absolutely! If anything, we encourage it.

[boneslikebarerootsrp]

The world is changing. Kits are born still, elders are fading, and colds are claiming the lives of healthy cats. Prey grows more and more scarce, all of your neighbors have the flu, and it grows harder to lift yourself from the nest with each passing day. How many more losses will it take for you to seek safer grounds or, at least, answers?

This final arc of BLBR focuses specifically on magic draining from the world. Once, magic permeated the world like an invisible ocean, providing for healthy plants, animals, and stable conditions. Now, that well is all but depleted, with the last pocket remaining on Court lands and in the souls of the individuals across the world. 

The Bright Realms, a surreal and horrible world the Court can access through a strange little well on their land, is alive and hungry. It drains the world of magic. Magic can be defined as many things, but ultimately the 'spark of life' or 'soul' is made entirely of magic. With each slow drip being taken from the world, more will die. Eventually, nothing will remain.

We are an 18+ Discord roleplay vaguely inspired by Warrior Cats that explores themes of fantasy, magic, cosmic horror, body horror, and found family. We offer a TTRPG style skill system and crafting! Our story follows a group called The Court in their struggle to now find many paws to prevent the end of the world. We will expect you to be coming in without much context and we are fully prepared to help you along and encourage you to learn as your characters do. As this is our final arc, we have about a year guaranteed left in roleplay-- but likely more! This is the last time we will open to the public.

See all information including our rules, themes, backstory suggestions, adopts, and more on our website!

Have any questions? Send in an ask, we're always happy to help.

Applications are open and will be until the 22nd, at which point we will go through and send approvals and character sheets.

Apply Here!

[boneslikebarerootsrp]

what magic types are there in this setting? what does magic look like?

Magic is expansive in the BLBR world and can be channeled into many different things. Think of "magic" itself like a power source, a form of energy that can be summoned up from within yourself or from the environment (if it holds enough magic, like the Bright Realms does) and shaped to do your bidding. Technically, we have different 'types' of magic in practice, pictured here:

Each form has its inverse, and covers a few different things. Ultimately, you really don't need to learn these though. These are for us as mods to sort your character's attempts into these different categories. Generally if your character is interested in doing certain things with magic, like gardening, healing, etc-- they will fall into similar categories and with each successful attempt they will gain skill and it grows easier each time both in that specific category and doing magic overall. Our goal is that your character can basically try... whatever, and we just worry about the semantics.

Generally we have tickets that folks put in, describe what they'd like to do and where they're trying it, and what their character's mindset is. It takes practice and patience to dig in the deepest reaches of one's soul to pry magic... and comes at a heavy cost particularly the first few times it is achieved. It can be a slow process, but after success happens it gets easier and easier.

It is heart wrenching, exhausting, and pulls at your very soul and sense of self. When it goes badly, it can have the opposite effects of what you intend-- or cause you damage. It is a notorious mistake to stand in a deeply magical place, like the Bright Realms, and try to leech power directly from it. It starts up a power vacuum that can quite literally split you apart. A character exploded that way after another character had a near death experience trying the same. So... be warned.

[As funny as that is, though, you are thoroughly warned and prepared throughout the process. If things turn dangerous, we will tell you and we will never kill a character without consent.]

Magic in the same way takes many visual forms, truly dependent on what is being done. Throwing a fireball is a bit more exciting than growing a plant, for example. Visual flare is a bit low, mostly because this sort of thing comes with more innate *feeling* than it does any fancy effects. It's a very... grounded sort of practice. You will something to happen, you reach within yourself to summon the ability to do something impossible, and should it work... you'll see the change happen and feel something almost removed from you.

[boneslikebarerootsrp]

This final arc of BLBR focuses specifically on magic draining from the world. Once, magic permeated the world like an invisible ocean, providing for healthy plants, animals, and stable conditions. Now, that well is all but depleted, with the last pocket remaining on Court lands and in the souls of the individuals across the world. 

The Bright Realms, a surreal and horrible world the Court can access through a strange little well on their land, is alive and hungry. It drains the world of magic. Magic can be defined as many things, but ultimately the 'spark of life' or 'soul' is made entirely of magic. With each slow drip being taken from the world, more will die. Eventually, nothing will remain. 

With that dire premise in mind, here's some backstory suggestions for incoming characters: 

- For Those That Follow: You've lost too much. A healthy litter gone, a mate lost, too many goodbyes given to good friends and enemies alike. Your life has been uprooted, and now... so will you be. You've heard there's a place where this isn't happening, where there might be a chance for you to start over, help, or simply live in the name of those you lost.  - Plant People: You ran into the weirdest, ugliest persian cat-- covered head to toe in tiny traffic cone decorations. They spoke like a storybook (albeit, a very *loud* storybook) and told you of a place that will need paws to fight "the righteous fight" against "a very large vampire" to "save the world"? Well, might as well check it out. [Followed by the realization 'holy shit this is real'] - Approaching the Shimmer: Nightmares have plagued you for months, flashing horrible imagery of death and plagues every time your eyes shut. Eventually, one location began reappearing in these visions-- the site of the Green Cave. Peaceful, calm, a break in all the chaos. You don't know what this all means, but... when you come closer, the nightmares ease some. Maybe you were drawn here for a reason.  - What Do You Know?: You've heard of the Court. They're a nice bunch, occasionally tending to some city groups like yours and making sure you're well cared for. Recently, though, you've heard of them bringing in cats to stay with them. If they're bunkering down, then maybe you should head over and lend some paws. They've looked after you, time for you to look after them. [Allows you to establish context with Court Ambassadors when entering the server!] - The Alien: You know all about this magic stuff. You've lived in the Bright Realms for a while, perhaps born there or perhaps lost. Maybe you're something of a strange one yourself, coming from the tutelage or perhaps family lineage of some god who disappeared mysteriously a few years back. You want answers, or at least closure. In your search, you come across a group of cats working on saving the outside world... some of them seem to be magic wielders. They may be able to help, and you may be able to help them in turn. [This backstory allows for skill in magic! Just describe the type generally your character would be experienced with.] - Cells Divide: You've been suffering for months trying to scrape together a life that will stay put. You're ready to give up, starving and wasting away from illness after illness... but a group of individuals have come to the area. They're from the Court, and if what they say is true... you'll have no choice but to come with them. [Will be roleplayed out as event-- the Court will be leaving their lands briefly to see what the world is like and gather individuals. New characters can be intro'd on this journey!] - Were You Me?: While passing through Court territory, your character ran into a massive white lion. You spoke with him a spell, listening to his strange slow voice drone about the end of days. At the end of it, he offered you a paw. There was such a strange, sharp pain when you took it… but you left otherwise unharmed. Months later, you come to hear that other cats marked by him become something horrible in time. You come to the Court for answers… and find all you can do is wait and prepare for your new life. They tell you that once corrupted, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to leave Court Lands. Better make yourself comfortable. [Your character comes with a seed of corruption present, and will corrupt in time... this means you may not want to get too attached to their design or name, haha!] If you're interested in playing a cat already tethered to the Court, consider taking a look at our adopts. For kit adopts, feel free to give more of an idea of your vision for the character and go looser on the backstory. If you choose to apply with an adopt you may also submit a secondary application with a backup character just in case, but this is personal choice. 

[boneslikebarerootsrp]

is there somewhere we can learn more about player characters connected to the adopts?

Great idea!!!

We've gone ahead and assembled that now, please feel free to take a peek at the characters connected to adopts! These are written by their players, mostly.

Check it out here!

We'll be linking it to the Adopt masterpost too.

[boneslikebarerootsrp]

Final Opening - Adoptables (Masterpost)

As you may have noticed, over the past few days we've been posting some adoptables that you can apply with for our final opening! We thought it might be nice to have them all listed in one place, so please check out the links below for any that catch your eye!

If you'd rather scroll through all the adoptables at once, feel free to utilize our fo-a tag, which is linked here!

The numbers next to a character's name indicate how many tryouts there have been for that character! Don't let this discourage you, though! Please feel free to still apply for these, we’re just noting them for transparency!

Dulce (de Leche) - Snarl's niece

Junebug - Snarl's niece

Brunswick - Havenshiver's adopted child (2)

Shadestar - Someone from Grimsley's past (1)

Echo - Rorschach and Skinkthorn's daughter

Trufflefox - Skinkthorn's sister

Lavenderheart - Skinkthorn's sister

Hopeful - Aphelion & Lightning's child

Wayfinder - Aphelion & Lightning's child (1)

Strange Chick - Bumblefoot's... child?

Ezra - Florentine's brother

Click here for more information about the characters these adopts are related to! (All of the descriptions are written by the pertinent players.)

[boneslikebarerootsrp]

Adoptable: Shadestar

She/her - can be changed by adopter ~110 Moons Old

In-Character Relations: Grimsley

Traits: Shadestar's personality is up to the adopter, but here are some notes to help give an idea of the clan culture she was raised in and a defining characteristic of hers.

A typical Emberclan cat is known to be honorable, chivalrous, and strict. They are raised in a community that values comradery and fairness, and look down on others that rely on trickery and foul play.

Shadestar, in particular, is a cat that knows that the ends define the means. She will do whatever it takes to produce her wanted results.

Loose Backstory:

Shadekit was born in the noble colony of Emberclan, located on the Oregon coastline and surrounded by two other clans called Mothclan and Dewclan. [adoptor can determine kithood relationships and events].

Right around the time Shadepaw became an apprentice, a young rogue began picking fights with Emberclan patrols. This black cat, named Rune, terrorized the border, attacking any patrols or stray cats he found and leading to many being injured or killed by their wounds. This continued for eight moons until, finally, the rogue's attacks came to a halt. [adopter can determine apprenticehood events as well as her warrior suffix. perhaps one of her friends/family was injured/killed by this rogue?]

For a time, there was peace. The clan apothecaries only spoke of the rogue when they spotted him with the generations-old eyeless sphinx cat, the well-respected Star-Gazer, that made their home in the abandoned theatre in the ghost town nearby; the same place where the apothecaries communed with Starclan.

Nine moons into this peace, however, some Emberclan cats began to find the graves of deceased clan members dug up, their bodies either gone or desecrated then and there. The scent of that black cat rogue was the only indicator of who or what was committing such a crime.

This act was the last straw for Shade, who began to concoct a plan to stop this rogue once and for all. Working quickly to solve this dilemma, she found out that the Star-Gazer was no longer communicating with the rogue, and that Rune had a sister he was adamantly 'protecting'.

She set out one day to use the sister as a lure, but the sister practically ran straight into her as if running from something. Killing her was easy enough, and her dying cry brought Rune running. He was bloodied and injured, and the sight of his sister set him into a rage. Shade challenged him to an honorable duel- to honorably kill another cat without breaking the Warrior Code- and he agreed instantly.

With all the fury of all those he had wronged, Shade struck the rogue down with a lethal blow to the stomach, his already tired state allowing her an easy victory.

She left him to bleed out, with her last words being that 'he'd better pray she never sees him again should he survive'. She returned to Emberclan a hero, but the patrol that went out to the sight found no trace of either rogues' bodies. Life returns to normal.

[shade's story is up to the adopter for a vast majority of her life following. during this time, she becomes deputy.]

Many, many moons later, the apothecaries across the clans begin to have stressful, ominous dreams from Starclan. Their connection with them begins to dwindle, and it becomes harder and harder to contact their ancestors.

A terrible winter slams down onto the coastline that following season. With a poor herb harvest prior, many cats across the clans fall sick and succumb to illness. The very next summer, a wildfire sweeps across the forest Emberclan lives in, forcing them to evacuate to the cliffside where Mothclan lives.

The conditions around the clans begin to drastically grow worse. Prey and herbs become scarce, flocks of birds drop from the sky, and the sky always seems choked with ash.

The Emberclan leader dies suddenly and unexpectedly, leaving Shade as the new leader. However, when she goes to the theater to speak with Starclan, there is no one there to meet her on the stage. She is unable to retrieve her lives. When the Star-Gazer is asked about this, they have no answer; the first time they've had no answer.

This revelation throws the clans into a frenzy, with many scared and concerned as to what this means for the future of the clans.

Shadestar joins her clan's apothecary to the half-moon meeting, only to find the Star-Gazer dying on the stage of the theatre. Their dying breaths are used to speak of ancient beings and lost secrets of the universe, of the magic that was dying along with the world. That someone has to stop the magic from leaving. They lift one frail paw to Shadestar's chest, and something pulls.

They were dead the next moment, and Shadestar is left with a strange pull towards the far, far distance.

With no other options and a severed connection to Starclan, Shadestar takes it upon herself to follow this pull that the Star-Gazer left her with. She knows that she may never return to her clan, but she has to do this to ensure its future survival. She has no other choice.

Shadestar has been traveling for a year to the Court.

[boneslikebarerootsrp]

Adoptable: Trufflefox

She/Her - Gender can change ~57 Moons Old

In-Character Relations: Seraph (father), Quailfang (half-brother), Skinkthorn (half-brother), Larksong (Niece), Larksong's litter (cousins), Banjo (half-brother), Lavenderheart (full sister)

Plotting Potential: Anything involving Skinkthorn (Buzz) or Quailfang (Sibyl).

Traits: Intelligent, anxious, controlling, loyal, earnest, responsible (stick in the mud), little patience, eager to prove herself.

Loose Backstory:

Born in the faraway BreezeClan, Trufflefox is the daughter of Crowsong and Brinefrost. Her childhood was fairly standard until it was revealed that Brinefrost was once a kitten of CloudClan, stolen away during the midst of a sickness, and Brinefrost intended to exact vengence on BreezeClan by taking his own kittens back as repayment.

Of course, this did not work. Crowsong was distraught when he awoke to find his kittens missing, and it was revealed that the late CloudClan leader had known about the theft but let it slide. Brinefrost was exiled, and Lavenderkit - who looked exactly like that father - was never treated the same by Crowsong, and was ridiculed or otherwise neglected for the rest of her life. Trufflekit, even at such a young age, had a firm belief in right and wrong - and Crowsong was wrong for this. Even though he tried to maintain a relationship with her, she blew him off constantly in favour of forging strong bonds with her sister.

Moons later, Crowsong had another litter, this time with the leader of BreezeClan - Copperstar. Right away, Trufflefox could tell it would be disastrous. Crowsong was as absent as ever, and though Lavenderheart meant well, Trufflefox knew enough that it wouldn’t end well. While she did check in on Skink-kit and Quailkit here and there, she was careful to keep her distance.

As the brothers grew and gained a poor reputation within the Clan, Trufflefox couldn’t help but feel she’d made the correct decision.

Midway through the new kittens’ apprenticeship, Trufflefox witnessed Crowsong take Copperstar’s life over claims of StarClan warning Crowsong against him. The moon covered the sun, and Copperstar died – however, moments later he rose again, showing StarClan had endorsed his leadership. Crowsong lost an eye in return and was exiled, and Trufflefox couldn’t help but be pleased at this outcome.

It wasn’t much later, not long after they had received their warrior names and first apprentices, that Trufflefox had to watch more family members be exiled into the barren tundra. Skinkthorn and Quailfang had used up their last chance, and after an incident resulting in their apprentices’ grave injury, they too were chased out. It became painfully obvious that she and Lavenderheart were the only ones left of their bloodline within BreezeClan.

Before long, they left on their own terms. The travel was long and hard, but rumours of a place for misfits and outcasts spurred them onward - though Trufflefox was mostly just following Lavenderheart’s lead. The duo eventually arrived in the Court, and were reunited with their lost family - save Brinefrost.

Crowsong - now Seraph - still ignores Lavenderheart, and Trufflefox still maintains a healthy distance from everyone except her sister. She joined up to the closest thing to a warrior that the Court has - the Guardians - alongside Lavenderheart. Anything else that she’s been up to is open to the adopter.

[boneslikebarerootsrp]

Adoptable: Echo

[AFAB, gender up to adopter] ~0-3 Moons Old

In-Character Relations: Rorschach (Father), Skinkthorn (Father), Quailfang (uncle), Banjo (uncle), Ravinefrost (Aunt), Seraph (Grandfather), The Truth (Grandfather), Larksong (Great-aunt)

Plotting Potential: 

This kit is being born to one of the most controversial cats in the Court, the notorious Skinkthorn who is often criticized for his brutal, no nonsense ways. He is one of the most powerful magic users in the Court, and his trial is upcoming to decide on his fate since the new Council thinks something needs to be done about him. Whether or not he is expelled, this kit is going to be in the shadow of a considerable giant. 

Outside of that, this kit will also be grappling with the idea that they are, by birth, corrupted. There is a magic inherent to them that is… wrong, unknowable, and may have dangerous impacts on their life or others down the line. 

Traits: 

This kit is born of a regular cat and a wrong-thing or corrupted creature, meaning they themselves are technically corrupted.Ultimately, this means they have traits that are not very cat-like. They have a thin, seal-like pelt with flippers instead of paws and thin strings with little blobs attached reminiscences of seaweed bulbs. These are sensory organs. They are a fantastic swimmer and much prefer fish as a meal.

Resting stink face, just like their father.

Loose Backstory:

This is a new baby! Much can be decided by the adopters.

[boneslikebarerootsrp]

How long do you estimate for this final arc to be? And do any mods have any future projects for after this roleplay ends? I am interested in applying, but as an example, I'd prefer not to join for just a few months :(

Good question! And completely understandable!

This final arc, at minimum, will last a year from the opening time-- so at least up until November 2025 guaranteed. When I say at minimum, though, I mean it could easily stretch up to another year or two. This is pretty dependent on our pace and player plotlines. I tend to notice we have seasons of more activity, and seasons where everyone tends to be busy all at once (whether its with exams, or college applications, or job stuff, etc etc) so things work out pretty naturally. We're going to go at the pace that works best for us as a whole group honestly, and we've always run a little on the long side! There's a chance that things pick up before then, but regardless of that we will be here for another year.

I do have a future project planned that will start after BLBR is wrapped that's in the slow cooker right now. It's a human/humanoid roleplay about establishing a safe outpost 60 years after the end of the world as we know it. In the efforts of 'bridging' the gap for my lovely players more used to feline roleplay, we have a humanoid species that evolved from big cats. BLBR players seem excited for this, we have a containment channel in BLBR for it. If you'd like to read more, feel free to browse the deeply WIP website for it-- with my silly notes included. It is another 18+ roleplay like BLBR, but will be allowing for more mature themes that aren't touched on in BLBR due to the nature of the beast here-- please be warned when clicking through!

Roleplay is honestly my favorite way of storytelling for its collaborative and interactive aspect, and I will probably be running roleplays for a long time. I have a special love for the meta aspects of putting them together, managing them, maintaining a community, and of course telling a story. It's honestly one of my passions.

My mod Buzz as well is planning on opening up a kitty forum rp too! I'll be joining when it's time and it's time soon, though I'm not modding there as my focus is solely on BLBR until we see our final threads tied off. He's a good egg, though, and I'm super excited for what he has planned.

[boneslikebarerootsrp]

Adoptable: Lavenderheart

She/Her - Gender can change ~57 Moons Old

In-Character Relations: Seraph (father), Quailfang (half-brother), Skinkthorn (half-brother), Larksong (Niece), Larksong's litter (cousins), Banjo (half-brother), Trufflefox (full sister)

Plotting Potential: Currently corrupted. Anything involving Skinkthorn (Buzz) or Quailfang (Sibyl).

Traits: energetic, friendly, naive, simple-minded, agreeable, adventurous, socially clueless, enjoys roughhousing.

Loose Backstory:

Born in the faraway BreezeClan, Lavenderheart is the daughter of Crowsong and Brinefrost. Her childhood was fairly standard until it was revealed that Brinefrost was once a kitten of CloudClan, stolen away during the midst of a sickness, and Brinefrost intended to exact vengence on BreezeClan by taking his own kittens back as repayment.

Of course, this did not work. Crowsong was distraught when he awoke to find his kittens missing, and it was revealed that the late CloudClan leader had known about the theft but let it slide. Brinefrost was exiled, and Lavenderkit - who looked exactly like that father - was never treated the same by Crowsong, and was ridiculed or otherwise neglected for the rest of her life. She forged a strong bond with her sister, Trufflefox, and the two of them looked out for one another - though Lavenderheart always strove for Crowsong’s love.

Moons later, Crowsong had another litter, this time with the leader of BreezeClan - Copperstar. Lavenderheart was immediately enamored by the kittens, seeming not to notice how Crowsong once again detached himself from them. She took up babysitting little Skink-kit and Quailkit, doing everything she could to ensure they had a good upbringing… that is. Until she forgot. And got distracted. And her warrior duties got in the way. Lavenderheart always had great intentions - but had great difficulty in following through, and a poor memory on top of it.

Eventually, she grew apart from her younger brothers. They grew and gained a poor reputation within the Clan, and while she did her best to dispute it, their actions spoke louder.

Midway through their apprenticeship, Lavenderheart witnessed Crowsong take Copperstar’s life over claims of StarClan warning Crowsong against him. The moon covered the sun, and Copperstar died – however, moments later he rose again, showing StarClan had endorsed his leadership. Crowsong lost an eye in return and was exiled, and something unpleasant stirred in Lavenderheart’s stomach as she continued to try and think the best of everyone.

It wasn’t much later, not long after they had received their warrior names and first apprentices, that Lavenderheart had to watch more family members be exiled into the barren tundra. Skinkthorn and Quailfang had used up their last chance, and after an incident resulting in their apprentices’ grave injury, they too were chased out. Lavenderheart began to feel an ache of otherness, with only she and Trufflefox being the last ones standing for their family’s legacy.

Before long, they left on their own terms. The travel was long and hard, but rumours of a place for misfits and outcasts spurred them onward - though Trufflefox was mostly just following Lavenderheart’s lead. The duo eventually arrived in the Court, and were reunited with their lost family - save Brinefrost.

Though Crowsong - now Seraph - still ignores her, Lavenderheart has done her best to mend her relationship with her brothers through her time in the Court - though how successful she’s been is open to be plotted out! She’s also since joined the Guardians alongside Trufflefox, falling into the closest warrior-adjacent role and finding it suits them nicely.