darkforestpetalkit

[darkforestpetalkit]

No questions,but your au is just FUCKING epic I love it

Omg thank you!! 😭<3 <3 It makes me so happy to hear that! Thank you for brightening my day!

[darkforestpetalkit]

How is Thistleclaw older than Petalkit when in canon Petalkit dies before thistleclaws parents are even born?

I wish I could combine asks! I answered a similar question Here, where it will address your question <3

[darkforestpetalkit]

One of the earlier concept art I've done of Bloodpetal/Petalkit before her design became finalized! Traditional art with copic markers!

[darkforestpetalkit]

"I understand how you feel. Your eyes have always betrayed your heart. But these are my kits, and I will die to protect them if I have to. I'm afraid for them, Fireheart. The Clan will never forgive Tigerclaw—nor should they. But Bramblekit and Tawnykit have done nothing wrong, and I will not let them be punished because of Tigerclaw."— Goldenflower

[darkforestpetalkit]

Loving the au so far, though I'm very curious about where this takes place on the timeline? (I may have missed some crucial info so forgive me if I've overlooked anything). Considering that Thistleclaw has already lived and died and trained Tigerclaw by the time he finds Petalkit, does this au have Mapleshade's Vengence take place /after/ these events?

With canon in mind, Thistleclaw wouldn't technically exist for another few generations to come after the events of (canon) Mapleshade's Vengence

Not a problem friend! StarClan’s Fallen lore is still pretty scattered right now, and the timeline is only mentioned briefly in The Prologue and Here, so I don’t blame you for being confused! I seriously need to make a FAQ or masterpost at some point, lol.

Onto your question:

Short answer: Time displacement.

The AU begins in Mapleshade’s Vengeance. However, when Petalkit falls into the Dark Lake in the Dark Forest, she emerges into an entirely different timeline. In the water of the Dark Forest’s lake (Dark Lake), time moves very slowly only within the lake itself. The longer you’re submerged, the more time passes outside.

I go into more detail about Dark Lake lore here

So when Petalkit comes out of the water, she’s in The Prophecies Begin era, or just before it. In my AU, Thistleclaw dies two years before Rusty/Firepaw appears. Petalkit arrives on the exact same day Thistleclaw is killed and when his body is discovered by a ThunderClan patrol with Tigerclaw, Bluefur and Whitestorm. (At this point, Tigerclaw is still a very young warrior about 12–14 moons old.)

Hope that clears things up! Thank you for the ask <3

[darkforestpetalkit]

Why would Thistleclaw hide Mapleshade and Bloodpetal away from eachother?

Another great question! More lore opportunities!

Short answer? Control. Thistleclaw is an evil, manipulative, self-serving and possessive asshole.

Thistleclaw wants full and absolute control on how he molds Petalkit/Bloodpetal. To Thistleclaw, Petalkit—this tiny, two moon-old ball of fury and hate—wasn’t just a kit to him. 

She was an opportunity.

A blank slate.

She was the raw material for the apprentice Thistleclaw had always wanted, but never fully achieved with Tigerpaw, thanks to Thunderclan’s scrutiny.

But this time?

No set of eyes would be on him and no Bluefur to interfere. 

So stumbling on this chance to forge his dream apprentice, Thistleclaw’s going to be possessive and controlling AF. He doesn’t want ANY cat, alive or dead, having any influence on her. No socialization, just complete isolation, keeping her world as small as possible. Petalkit is a very perceptive and clever kit, she thinks critically and Thistleclaw doesn’t want to risk her being exposed to other ideologies outside his own. She is HIS apprentice! His creation!

Thistleclaw even went out of his way to forbid her from interacting with any living cats while she was awake as a rogue. Clan cats were not to be trusted. Everything beneath them was prey. No relationships. No socializing. No attachments. 

Then when Thistleclaw realized she was Mapleshade’s kit? He doubled down on that possession, determined to keep mother and daughter apart. If Mapleshade knew Petalkit was alive, Thistleclaw knew without a doubt she'd come for her immediately. To reclaim her daughter, taking away HIS apprentice. HIS property. He didn’t want to give that to Mapleshade. Not even a chance.

Being as power-hungry as he is, Thistleclaw, despite his initial respect and admiration for Mapleshade, wants to surpass her and take control. Here, he sees the perfect opportunity to break Mapleshade by brainwashing her own daughter, making the kit loyal to him, and turning her against her mother (or so he believes). Mapleshade won’t be able to stop his rise, and he will finally have a legacy that overshadows the legendary Mapleshade.

He also wanted to prevent Petalkit from having any reason to seek out Mapleshade—or even suspect her mother was in the Dark Forest at all. He encouraged Petalkit’s hatred toward the Clans, the Warrior Code, and even StarClan, making that her focus. Over time, he truly believed Petalkit would forget Mapleshade—or stop caring altogether. After all, the kit hadn’t seen her mother since two moons old, right after severe trauma. Thistleclaw was certain that by the time she became an apprentice, Petalkit wouldn’t even remember her mother’s face.

She wouldn’t remember her old life.

He will be all Petalkit ever knows.

That was his plan.

[darkforestpetalkit]

Bloodpetal knows mapleshade's name, so if her and mapleshade know eachother but Mapleshade doesn't know petalkit is HER kit, then shouldn't bloodpetal know that mapleshade is standing right in front of her???

Oh, Thistleclaw had been sneaky about this! He arranged it where they never had eye contact. The view Thistleclaw led Mapleshhade to is further back the ‘arena’, where Bloodpetal/Petalpaw had her back to. Bloodpetal was too engrossed in her fight to notice. The idea of looking behind her—behind a rock wall—didn't naturally occur to her. (Lol I also didn’t draw this well, or even have a design in mind when I was drawing it)

Usually if Thistleclaw is watching, he will be at the very front and top of the arena. So instinctively, Bloodpetal would look in that direction for guidance or expected praise.

So during Mapleshade’s single and only visit, Bloodpetal/Petalpaw never saw Maplehshade. Didn’t even know Mapleshade was around.

At most, she’d glance behind her shoulder after feeling she was being watched. But Mapleshade would have been gone by then.

This poor mother and daughter, cursed with the worst timing. ALWAYS just missing each other

[darkforestpetalkit]

Apologies to the original asker! I accidentally delete your ask 😭

Hopefully I'm remembering it correctly

If she were ambushed by a cat that pushed/pulled her into water, would her trauma for water effect her combat?

Oh that's when she's screwed. Her trauma world definitely shake her up and is the only time she shows fear. As she's grown not much really phased of intimidated her. Bloodpetal is fearless because she is the fear. She laughs at death and pain

But water still terrifies her, not just from the horrible experience of drowning, but from reliving the loss of her brothers.

Aswell as Ravenwing and Frecklewish's betrayal.

In my AU, Ravenwing is more malicious and he was with Frecklewish watching the kit drown without helping. Petalkit had managed to grab onto a ledge and saw them watching her. She even reached for help, and Ravenwing pulled his paw away turned and left while Frecklewish lingered coldly.

These were two adults Petalkit thought loved her, as they were very fond of her before, so this was a huge betrayal to her.

Ravenwing and Frecklewish are in the Dark Forest for this lol.

Bloodpetal sorta reverts back to her mental state when she was a kit, so she subconsciously forgets she's strong enough now to swim.

So there's a period of time she's extremely vulnerable. This random cat might have just killed her lol, depending how quickly she snaps out of it.

There actually is a point in the story where she falls into river in the living world. (When she's awake she's alive in the living world living as a rogue, when she sleeps/dreams is when she was being trained Dark Forest.)

I won't explain the circumstances yet bc this is a pivotal scene between two characters.

She fell by a log snapping under her weight. This is where she panics and yowls in fear. She eventually goes over a waterfall, but is able to drag herself out of the water and onto land, then collapses into a stunned, catatonic state. Her eyes wide with terror, breathing quickly in shakey, short, ragged gasps

This is actually what she experienced when she first crawled out of the riveras a kit. The shock overwhelming and freezing her in place.

She would be in that state for a while, so if she were attacked at that moment, she'd likely be killed, unless her instincts kick in and her body reacts on reflex depending on the situation.

So yeah, her only weakness is water. But much later in the story, she gains an unexpected second weakness.

[darkforestpetalkit]

Apologies to the original asker! I accidentally delete your ask 😭

Hopefully I'm remembering it correctly

If she were ambushed by a cat that pushed/pulled her into water, would her trauma for water effect her combat?

Oh that's when she's screwed. Her trauma would definitely shake her up and is the only time she shows fear. As she's grown not much really phased of intimidated her. Bloodpetal is fearless because she is the fear. She laughs at death and pain

But water still terrifies her, not just from the horrible experience of drowning, but from reliving the loss of her brothers.

Aswell as Ravenwing and Frecklewish's betrayal.

In my AU, Ravenwing is more malicious and he was with Frecklewish watching the kit drown without helping. Petalkit had managed to grab onto a ledge and saw them watching her. She even reached for help, and Ravenwing pulled his paw away turned and left while Frecklewish lingered coldly.

These were two adults Petalkit thought loved her, as they were very fond of her before, so this was a huge betrayal to her.

Ravenwing and Frecklewish are in the Dark Forest for this lol.

Bloodpetal sorta reverts back to her mental state when she was a kit, so she subconsciously forgets she's strong enough now to swim.

So there's a period of time she's extremely vulnerable. This random cat might have just killed her lol, depending how quickly she snaps out of it.

There actually is a point in the story where she falls into river in the living world. (When she's awake she's alive in the living world living as a rogue, when she sleeps/dreams is when she was being trained Dark Forest.)

I won't explain the circumstances yet bc this is a pivotal scene between two characters.

She fell by a log snapping under her weight. This is where she panics and yowls in fear. She eventually goes over a waterfall, but is able to drag herself out of the water and onto land, then collapses into a stunned, catatonic state. Her eyes wide with terror, breathing quickly in shakey, short, ragged gasps

This is actually what she experienced when she first crawled out of the riveras a kit. The shock overwhelming and freezing her in place.

She would be in that state for a while, so if she were attacked at that moment, she'd likely be killed, unless her instincts kick in and her body reacts on reflex depending on the situation.

So yeah, her only weakness is water. But much later in the story, she gains an unexpected second weakness.

[darkforestpetalkit]

Fuck! I accidentally deleted an Ask when I was drafting! Argh, I'm so dumb.

Whoever asked if Bloodpetal were ambushed and pushed or dragged down into water, would it effect her combat. Can you resend your ask? Lol

I'm currently working on a response either way

[darkforestpetalkit]

hi hi hello I love this au loads but I'm so curious how does it work ??? since in canon thistleclaw is born YEARS after petalkits death how is he training her in the df :0

Glad you asked, friend! Glad you asked!

Short answer is, Petalkit fell into the Dark Lake in the Dark Forest, which sent her forward in time when she emerged. The longer you stay in the water, the more time passes. The Dark Lake is formed from the manifestations of all Dark Forest cats' hatred and the souls it has consumed.

The lore for my AU is that in the deep waters (Dark Lake) in the Dark Forest, time moves incredibly slowly. The reason cats are said never to be seen again after being pulled underwater is because when they resurface, they're already in a different time in the future—providing they didn't drown, which can still happen. Already dead Dark Forest cats are more susceptible to drowning because they are more connected to, or part of, the Dark Forest itself.

For living cats, it acts as an affliction upon their soul, marking them as claimed. In this case, for living cats, it's the only time their physical body would fade into the Dark Forest and merge with their soul. So whatever is happening to that cat at this moment, they don't have a physical body waiting for them when they "wake up." So they take their bodies with them when they are in the water. When they reach the surface (providing they didn't drown), they would surface into the living world in a new timeline.

In Petalkit's case, she burst out from a pond that was close to the area where Thistleclaw had been killed by a RiverClan patrol, exactly when his body was discovered by a young Tigerclaw,Bluefur and Whitestorm. So Thistleclaw had just died and became a new Dark Forest resident.

Not only does she emerge into a completely different era, but the Dark Lake has altered her body. Her claws are now obsidian black, shiny like stones.

In my AU, Dark Forest/dead cats have obsidian claws, while the living do not. But those afflicted by the Dark Lake now wear its mark.

The Dark Forest has claimed your soul.

And the Dark Forest isn't going to let you die easily. This corruption grants unnatural resilience, such as increased resistance to severe weather and sickness. It won't prevent death outright—a cat can still die from starvation, grave wounds, or a really bad disease. Think of it as armor; it offers protection, but it isn't invincible.

The Dark Forest simply prefers you to die in battle.

The more a cat gives in to their hatred, the further the darkness spreads, altering their body. For Petalkit, this contributed to her coat color changing, fueled by her resentment and rejection of her father, Appledusk.

Early concept art

[darkforestpetalkit]

Hmmm is it time to answer an ask with art again? Oh yes, here I go

[darkforestpetalkit]

Sometimes this app makes me rage on how it always defaults to posting instead of saving as draft when I accidentally close the app.

[darkforestpetalkit]

As a Appledusk hater, does bloodpetal blame Appledusk for being a bad father/mate to Mapleshade?

Edit: I was supposed to hit save as not post! Argh! Gimme a sec to edit

Edit 2: There! Here's the full response lol

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Absolutely. She hates him with every fiber of her being, and above all, she resents looking like him.

Where was he? Why didn't he come for them? Why didn't he help Mapleshade when they got separated by the river?Why didn't he help her mother when Petalkit found her hurt (dead)? Help Her? When she needed him most.

And then, she found out more details through whispers of the story from both the living and the dead. Thistleclaw was more than happy to feed this hatred, only to be confirmed whenever she overheard how Clan cats spoke of her mother, reducing her to nothing but a cautionary tale.

That's when she learned how much of a traitor Appledusk was.

How he betrayed her mother and disowned them? Disowned her? He didn't even ask what her name was?

If Appledusk weren't already dead, she'd find him and kill him herself. Rejecting him fully, rejecting his weakness, rejecting his blood—the filth that made her Half-Clan, made her weak, and purge herself free of any trace of him.

This motivates her desire to have StarClan (and Warrior Code) destroyed. Oakstar doesn't belong there. Appledusk doesn't belong there. StarClan is corrupt.

She doesn't know how yet, but she's determined to find a way. As soon as she's done devastating the Clans, she will find a way. She sometimes threatens the stars, calling out, saying how she's coming for them. How she will tear them down from StarClan herself.

So she fully embraces the Dark Forest and her mother's blood, taking great pride in resembling her more than her wretched so-called father.

Fun fact: Originally I DID have Appledusk in the Dark Forest and Bloodpetal hunted him down and killed him. But honestly I couldn't think of a good reason to justify putting him there. But having him already in StarClan? Further motivates her hatred and belief that StarClan is corrupt. Above is early concept art I did in copic markers.

[darkforestpetalkit]

"I'm stronger now, I can protect both of you. Where are you? "

Despite becoming a savage beast in the Dark Forest, Bloodpetal is still Petalkit deep down, and still grieves for her brothers Larchkit and Patchkit. Still stuck in denial. Still blames herself for their deaths. If only she were stronger, bigger, faster...not half clan. Maybe, just maybe she could have saved them.

She has significant trauma around rushing water and storms. She will avoid water, especially the river whenever possible. She can handle shallow water, but only if her paws are firmly on solid ground, fully secure, and there is no current, allowing her to wash and drink safely. She can deal with rain, but she will feel a prickle of anxiety. Storms make her bristle and it takes effort to force her fur flat.

There was a thunderstorm that day. Bloodpetal will never forget it. The day her family was exiled and she the day she lost everything. Her mother, her brothers, her home, her entire family, her future, her faith...everything.

Whenever Bloodpetal hears thunder durring a storm, she feels a painful, strong urge to go to Stepping Stones and 'look' for them, despite knowing she never will find them. Even she doesn't know why she still tries. But she will restlessly, almost frantically pace ups and down the river bank just to be sure. A small part of her still believes maybe one day...one day she will find them.

She still feels guilt and responsible for Patchkit's death especially, her more timid brother, as she had gotten hold of him when they were at the mercy of the waters raging current.

She promised Patchkit everything would be okay. And she knew when a cat made a promise, they can't take it back and it had to be true. Those were the rules.

Patchkit looked terrified, and although she was scared herself, she wanted to be strong for him. Give hope. Make him less afraid. Make him know this wasn't the end. They would make it and find Larchkit and Mapleshade, and be together again. She could brag to Larchkit how she was the bravest, tease him about it while Patchkit could cling onto Mapleshade and bury himself in her fur. And since she promised, then it was going to come true!

She was responsible for him. She was supposed to take care of him.

But it never did.

And she failed

I have a chapter that lightly touches on this, when Petalkit finds Mapleshade's body

[darkforestpetalkit]

Hiiiiii!!!

As a Myler lover, this is an important ask but honestly doesn't really matter (almost everyone forgets him 💔)

In Mapleshade's vengeance, Mapleshade ended up in Myler's twolegs' barn twice

Once when she was exiled and had no place to go and spent the night there. Ultimately meeting the small black and white tom when he tried to take care or her

And the other when she was dying, where he helped her into his barn so he could try and save her/comfort her as she died(ended up rejected by her rip)

I only summarize this because I have no clue if you remember him or if anyone who ends up reading this will and needs context anyways now to my ask

In your au, from what I could find, it never states whether Mapleshade's body was found outside on Riverclan territory or in the barn like the original. As well as (I'm assuming not) whether Myler ever met Mapleshade or Bloodpetal at any point and who buried Mapleshade if anyone did. I know Bloodpetal tried key word is tried.

I know my favorite barncat would've happily helped Bloodpetal and Mapleshade (he did so canonically with mapleshade) and I have no doubts that if anyone buried Mapleshade it would be him, if she was near the barn at least.

So I guess my question is whether Myler is apart of your au or not??

Idk I just love the side character 2 much and never see him anywhere even though he tried helping a major character twice 💔💔💔

Oh I LOVE Myler! His interactions with Mapleshade were one of my fav parts!He's a sweetheart and absolutely would have helped Petalkit. And that was the problem lol. Atleast plot wise.

I've been waffling between either he's just not present in this AU, or Mapleshade died on the way but never made it to the barn. Either way, Mapleshade dies outside on the cold dirt.

ACTUALLY YOU KNOW WHAT. Your ask just helped me decide.

Yeah, I'm going with the latter bc now I like the idea of Myler finding Mapleshade’s body half buried from Petalkit's attempt.

So he gives her a proper burial and grieves for both Mapleshade and whoever lost her. He hopes and wishes with all his heart, whoever it was...can find peace and heal, and how much he wished he found Mapleshade sooner. If he had, maybe he could have sheltered them both, made their last moments together comfortable and safe in a way the world had denied them.

Myler's heart breaks for them, and he can't help but look up at the sky as if the wind might take his message where it needs to go

"Wherever you are, whoever you are, I promise I will look after her. She's safe with me."

Then after a pause, he adds with all the kindness and warmth he has.

"Please know I am a friend if you ever find your way here. I will keep you safe."

—Myler sending his wishes to Petalkit

So poor Petalkit missed out on meeting the nicest cat in the world, and who could have saved her from her dark path.

This also helps show how Petalkit is now in a different time. A completely different era.

I had her run back to where she tried to bury Mapleshade, only to find her missing. Everything looks and smells different. The earth, where her mother’s body once lay, is undisturbed and smooth, as if she had never been there at all. Petalkit has been displaced into future. And she's stuck with no going back.

NOW it can be because Myler is the one who moved and buried her, and the irony that Petalkit later takes shelter in the barn —after Myler has passed away years and years ago.

Now, it's empty and abandoned. Leaving Petalkit, again, with nothing. The barn now symbolic to how it could have offered her the kindness and love she needed, that would have soothed her broken soul.

But since she fell into the Dark Lake? The Dark Forest has already taken its claim.

And she welcomes it.

[darkforestpetalkit]

After mapleshade and petalkit reunited, will mapleshade accept her and treat as family again, or reject her as another cat?

This one I'm saving for the epilogue to answer :p Can't spoil the big finale yet!