#Bb!lilywhisker

[bonefall]

are lilywhisker and brightflower in the dark forest? their reasons for being put there were godawful (and later retconned iirc since this was a su susann thing), but they could potentially be given alternative reasons as a way to expand the DF cast even more, since you mentioned wanting more cats in it, especially ones with gray morality

I hadn't been considering it because the old reasons were SOOO bad, but... there is potential in Lilywhisker.

Lilywhisker was present in the early Campaign Era, when Heatherstar was just starting to signal her intention to kill tunneling. Tunneling is an ancient, PEACEFUL tradition, very hard to exploit for conquest. Especially in the contested Mothermouth Moorland, which is a floodplain and almost completely incompatible with digging projects.

Lilywhisker would be right there with Sandgorse and Woolytail that they couldn't stand back and let her kill this. None of them would want to KILL Heatherstar, but Lily in particular would happily defy orders.

That could be a violation of the Leader's Rights, especially if Lily was secretly giving extra training to apprentices. She could have ended up with her broken spine NOT because tunnelling is so dangerous, but because she was forced into secretive and unsafe work conditions.

But I'm not sure if that's enough to damn her, StarClan isn't THAT cruel... she needs a little more. Fighting at gatherings, perhaps? Corrupting the youth and thus violating the Leader's Rights AND Right of the Challenge? Spilling tunnelling secrets to apprentices of OTHER Clans?

But anyway, Brightflower

She is actually dead long before TPB in this rewrite, because Yellowfang is supposed to be OLD. Bothers me immensely that canon wrote this ancient woman's ancient mom having kittens for some reason, when Rowanberry is RIGHT there.

Mintpool and Marigoldkit are Rowanberry and Clawface's! Younger siblings of Stumptail.

So Brightflower COULD be in the DF, but, why? She never got to serve under Brokenstar since she was active in the late Crusade/early Campaign era, she has a ShadowClan mate... maybe she was ruthless? Snowtuft's murder buddy, maybe?

Lilywhisker is a maybe towards a yes; Brightflower is a maybe towards a no.