#Crowtalon

[talonslockau]

Fire and Ice - Chapter 38

Chapter 37 || Index || Chapter 39

"Brokenstar denied everything, of course, so now we're officially at war." 

Firepaw watched the elders grumble and sigh at his words. In the morning after the Gathering, he had volunteered to help Dewpaw and Yellowfang take herbs to Tallpines for the Shadowclanners, as well as change their bedding and catch them breakfast. He didn't mind the chance to gossip, either, even if his audience wasn't always receptive.

"He's always been stubborn." Crowtalon grumbled to her mate beside her. "More stubborn than you, even."

Archtail spat crossly back at her. "At least I'm always right!" He hissed, mumbling something under his breath that the apprentice didn't quite catch. Crowtalon only responded with a roll of her eyes.

"Now remember, the less you move that leg, the faster it'll heal." He turned to see Yellowfang lecturing Volepaw in her usual gruff manner. "Don't go chasing Mosspaw around if you know what's good for you!"

"Where is Mosspaw, anyhow?" Firepaw asked, glancing around for the little spotted apprentice. The scent of the Shadowclanner lingered, but they didn't seem to be around.

"Nightpelt took them out to practice hunting." Featherstorm, the kits' mother, spoke up now. "Apparently Spiderfoot hasn't done a single hunting session with them during their apprenticeship!"

There were murmurs of discontent around the room at her statement. "Shadowclan's fallen to pieces." Crowtalon grumbled. "This would never have happened in Raggedstar's time."

He noticed Yellowfang flinch at the leader's name, but he didn't get the chance to ask why. "Raggedstar was a fool to let Brokenstar become leader." Cinderscar, another elder, growled. "He should have chosen Blizzardwing instead. At least Blizzardwing would have followed the code!"

"Blizzardwing would have keeled over by his fifth life." Crowtalon croaked in response. "He's almost as old as us. Now, if he picked Wolfstep…"

The two elders bickered among themselves, but Firepaw was distracted by Nightpelt and Mosspaw returning. Mosspaw was proudly carrying a small vole, while Nightpelt was carrying a significantly larger squirrel. The smaller of the two trotted up to their mother, dropping the vole at her feet. "I caught my first prey!" They told her proudly.

"On your first hunt!" Featherstorm purred proudly, licking the apprentice's forehead gently. "No apprentice could have done better. Not even Raggedstar." Emotion flashed through her eyes as she spoke, scooping the kitten closer to her.

"Mom!" They complained, and Firepaw couldn't help but smile. He missed those days with his own mother. He thought briefly of Princess, not far away from here. It had been two moons since he had visited her. Maybe he could slip away for a little bit now… 

"Firepaw!" He blinked as Yellowfang called his name. "Quit dawdling and get that bedding out of here. Dewpaw can't be far with the fresh moss. And while you're out there, see if you can't catch something for my parents."

He blinked in confusion. "Your…?"

The old molly snorted in disbelief. "Archtail and Crowtalon. Surely you can see the family resemblance?" Indeed, he noticed now that Archtail had a similar thick coat as the Shadowclan healer, and Crowtalon the same broad, flat face. "Almost every cat in here is my family in some way. Like Nightpelt and Cinderscar, my littermates. Of course, I'm much prettier than my brothers." She fluffed her fur seductively as she spoke, and Firepaw turned away to keep her from noticing him stifling his laughter.

Nightpelt rolled his eyes at the molly while Cinderscar swatted at one of her torn ears. "Careful now, you can't afford to lose much more of those ears." The gray tom growled, his voice rough and gravelly.

"I guess I just didn't think about it." Firepaw admitted. Graypaw had explained most of the family relations in Thunderclan on his first day, and he had figured some out with how cats interacted around camp. But, aside from Crowtalon and Archtail being mates, he hadn't stopped to consider how some of the elders in here might be related.

"Yes, well, I suppose that's to be expected. You hardly think about most things." She waved him off with a paw. "Now hurry up already!"

He quickly bundled up the dirty moss and made his way outside, towards the edge of Tallpines. As he raked it open and scattered it, he glanced over to the Twolegplace. Most of the Twolegs and kittypets were carrying out their morning routines right now. No one would notice if he went missing for a little bit, and if they did, he was just hunting a little farther out in the forest than usual.

His mind made up, he ducked through a hole in the Tallpines fence and trotted down the fence of the Twolegplace. No cat saw him, or if they did, they didn't disturb him. It wasn't long until he was at Princess's fence once more.

"Princess? Are you there?" Firepaw called out, his orange tail swishing languidly. Given it was morning, it was possible she was eating her breakfast and wouldn't be able to come out. Still, he didn't mind in that case; he would just return to his duties as usual.

To his surprise, the light brown tabby was up on the fence in mere heartbeats. "Firepaw! I thought that was you!" She purred happily, jumping down to greet him warmly. "I've been so worried! It's been moons since I last saw you."

"I know, I'm sorry. With the war, Bluestar made a rule that we couldn't be out on our own for very long, and…" He hesitated, not sure how she would take him hiding her from the Clan. "Well, I'm not supposed to be talking to kittypets. Not even if they're my sister."

Instead of balking at his words, she nodded and smiled at him. "I figured as much. You don't see any other wild cats talking to kittypets, do you?"

He considered Tinyfrost for a moment. Did his mentor ever visit his old home? He'd made it sound like it wasn't pleasant, though. "I'd be surprised if they did." He admitted to her. "They've accepted me, but most warriors don't look on kittypets too kindly."

"You've mentioned that." She sat back and looked him over. "You look well. I take it that those Shadowcat warriors were no match for my brother?" She gave him a cheeky grin and gently patted his face with one prim white paw.

He chuckled at that and looked away. "Well, sort of. We haven't fought them much yet, to tell the truth." He didn't bother to correct her, given it didn't really matter anyways. "Bluestar wants to go on the offense now, though. We recently found out that they've been doing… doing a lot of bad things. Thunderclan - my Clan - has to stop them."

The young molly studied him carefully. "I'll take your word for it." She finally mewed softly. "Come back safely, won't you? I can't stand waiting another season for you."

Firepaw nodded. "I promise. I'll come see you by the next full moon, so don't worry." He paused to consider that for a moment, before  giving her a small grin. "Actually, next time you see me, I might even have a new name!" 

The dark tawny kittypet blinked at him in confusion. "A new name?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Yea! In the Clans, as a cat grows up, they get new names for each stage of their life. The paw in my name means I'm an apprentice, learning how to be a warrior. When we become a full warrior, the leader gives us a new name that reflects us somehow." He could see her nodding, though he could tell she didn't quite understand what he was on about. "Recently my friend Pepperpaw received her warrior name, so now she's known as Peppermask." 

She furrowed her brows a bit. "So next time we meet, I should call you Firemask?" Princess asked, her green eyes meeting his.

"Maybe not Firemask. I don't know what my name will be yet. It could be something like Fireflash, or Firefang… Firefrost, after my mentor…" He wondered what Bluestar would choose for him. Did she decide on the spot, or did she have a name in mind for every apprentice? He wished he could ask her, but he doubted she would respond kindly to such nosy questions.

"How about I call you Fire until then?" His sister's broke into his reverie, shaking him out of his thoughts. "And you can let me know next time, when you come back a big brave warrior." Her voice was teasing, but he still couldn't help but grin back at her.

"I will." He promised once more, before standing up and stretching out. The sunlight felt good on his back in the early morning frost. "I should get going, though. The Clan will start to miss me if I'm gone too long."

The tabby molly shook her long, fluffy coat out and stood up as well. "I should return to my housefolk anyhow. She'll get worried if I'm not there for morning kibble." With a precise leap, she scaled the fence separating her garden from the forest. "See you next time, Fire."

"Until next time." He watched her disappear into her garden before turning and stalking into the forest. He still had to bring back prey for the elders - Yellowfang's parents, he reminded himself - if he wanted to keep up illusions with the Clan.

Thankfully, he didn't have to go far to find a small flock of clueless pigeons. Though he was only able to catch one of them, the bird was juicy, well fed on the bounty of the forest; hopefully it would be enough of an apology for being late with the elders' freshkill.

When he arrived back at the temporary Shadowclan den, the elders were still impatiently bickering. "There you are! Where have you been, chasing snails?" Crowtalon growled as he presented the still-warm pigeon to her.

"I'm sorry. The prey was faster than me this morning." He glanced around to notice both the healers were missing. "Where did Dewpaw and Yellowfang go?" He asked the Shadowclanners curiously.

"They got tired of waiting for you." Archtail grumbled through his bite of bird. "Yellowfang said she was gonna send Tinyfrost back for you if you didn't hurry up." 

His fur bristled at the thought of his mentor angrily chasing him down. If Tinyfrost found him talking to his sister… "I better get going, then."

"Yes, you should." Cinderscar growled from his nest. "We don't need more apprentices around here to interrupt our naps."

"You watch your tongue." He heard Featherstorm hiss as he darted out of the Twoleg den. He wasn't about to stay around for that argument, knowing how feisty a mother could get - and how moody the Shadowclan elders were in general.

He hurried back through the forest, keeping his ears alert for Tinyfrost's presence. Only birdsong rang through the trees as he jumped over giant tree roots or ducked under bramble growths. 

But as he neared the Thunderclan camp, he heard something else. There was a voice, low and soft, that traveled through the trees towards him. Was it Tinyfrost coming to find him? He grinned to himself and dropped into a crouch. They'd been practicing stealth techniques recently, mostly due to the night sessions caused by the greenleaf heat. Now was a perfect time to show off what he had learned.

Creeping forward, he was surprised to hear that it sounded like his mentor was arguing with someone. He hesitated, unsure if he should be interrupting a heated conversation, but then curiosity got the better of him and compelled him forward. It wasn't until he got very close that he was able to place the voice; it wasn't Tinyfrost speaking, but Tigerclaw.

He froze in place as the giant warrior spoke only a few tail-lengths ahead. "To think I ever loved him as a son." The ginger tom could see him now, hidden in the shadow of a giant fern bush. "But now he's too far gone. Revealing our camp to Shadowclan spies, trying to break into the nursery to steal kits, nearly poisoning our deputy…"

"The Clan would be better off without a traitor like Ravenpaw." This voice was eager, almost like an apprentice answering a mentor, but the thought made Firepaw's heart lurch with horror. Though he hadn't heard him speak much, he could only guess that this was Darkstripe talking.

"I wish I could disagree." Tigerclaw's voice was despondent, but the apprentice knew all too well that he was faking it. "We can't risk him giving intel to Shadowclan about our plans. We must act quickly."

"But how?" A third voice - Longtail's? Dustleap's? He couldn't tell from here. "Quickflash refuses to see reason, and Bluestar is no better."

"We must see." Tigerclaw's voice floated back to him. "Perhaps we can get assigned to a patrol along the Shadowclan border…" His voice was fading out now, and he could see the giant tom moving away. "... Get him to show his true intentions…" Firepaw had heard enough. Turning back to camp, he forced himself to keep his paw steps quiet until he was on the edge of the ravine. He had to tell someone. Ravenpaw's life was in mortal danger, and he had to do something to stop it.

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

fuck it, here are some names and design ideas I came up with for Alderstar's ThunderClan half-siblings/Stormstar's bastard kids

Crowtalon: scruffy long-haired black tom with a white chest and blue eyes

Rainheart: long-haired dark gray tom with a white underbelly, a white front paw, a white tail tip, and orange eyes

Badgerstorm: scruffy long-haired black-and-white tom with orange eyes

Emberspots: slender white tom with golden patches, one blue eye, and one orange eye

added some black and golden kitties in the mix bc those recessive genes had to be strong AF for Hollyclaw and Alderstar to come out looking like they did

I imagine Rainheart is the direct ancestor to Thistleclaw since he looks almost exactly like Stormstar

Could you imagine if Alder killed one of them

[quintessentialarts]

Etsy | Facebook | Instagram

I had something in mind like an antique mourning necklace and this is what happened so far. I might try a smaller pendant as well, like the crow talon earrings I have 🖤

°Pure silver crow foot with faceted black tourmaline°

~This claw pendant is respectfully made in pure silver (pmc) from a crow which had passed away naturally. I made a mold of the feet, this pendant is pure silver. (99.9% as opposed to sterling, 92.5%. It is work-hardened by tumbling for strength and shine 💎)

[lionblaze03-02-art]

[strelles-universe]

*points the mic* Ankh, Ankh, tell them about the Shadows crafters

The world needs to know about the angry arts and craft group

Lmao hi @sparkvoid! Since you prodded this into existence, all of your designs for these crazies are paired with 'em. These are mostly pre-hybrid designs so keep that in mind!

So yeah everyone the Shadow Crafters are easily the most aggressive cats in Shadows (ignoring Quiveringheart who is one anxiety attack from passing out and Sunstone who has convinced her clan she was a kidnapped Thunder kit) for no other reason than chaos truthfully.

The oldest of the crafter are Thistlesight, Sunstone and Crowtalon. Crow and Sun are the same age and were apprenticed at the same time while Thistlesight came in I wanna say 3 moons into their training.

Sunstone

Everyone's Mom - she's warm, cuddling, protective and incredibly supportive. Most cats in her pride think it's a bit weird that she didn't become a Sitter but hey, whatever - at least she's contributing to her clan. She's overdramatic and heavily affectionate - this paired with her boisterous behavior and golden coat have led to a lot of cats assuming she has some form of Thunder blood in her.

Other Notes

She/They - Pansexual

Sunstone is the only girl in her litter of boys (Patchflicker, Hazepaw)

She joined the elders in Exile bc Viperstar straight up suspects her of being a Thunder Spy

Heavily ADHD coded

Though she and Crow were born the same season, she's the oldest

The relationship she has with Crow is ambiguous - just how they like it

Has threatened to run away and become a Thunder multiple times as an apprentice

---

Crowtalon

A Very Serious Man intent on just doing his job to the best of his ability and then moving on with his day. He's very skilled at blending into the background and is careful to watch which way the wind blows. He's even better at adjusting his stance if he doesn't like the scent on the breeze.

Other Notes

He/Him and a Bisexual

His claws grow superfast so he has to shorten them constantly

He and his twin sister Rookclaw get into prank-wars even as warriors

Fairly stoic and low-emotive, 100% inherited his mom's resting face

Cootpaw is not his child but the Shadows don't believe him - not when Coot and Thistlesight are insisting they are

Bonus - The Parents + The Sister

---

Thistlesight

A chaotic mischievous jokester. Being the youngest of the Crafter trio, they had the amusing situation of being 'the cool apprentice' who was friends with fully trained warriors while they were still in the apprentice's den. They can be pretty aggressive at any given moment but typically mean well and don't actually like hurting others. They also have a soft-spot for kits which is how they acquired Cootpaw

Other Notes

They/Them and Aromatic

Is extremely protective of Cootpaw and will Claw You for implying even for a second that they're not their mother

---

Then we have our freshest warriors Marrowfang, Willowthorn and Quiveringheart.These are the 'outcasts' of the pride so to speak with all three of them having some quality or trait that the Shadows disapprove of.

Quiveringheart

An easily frightened boy who'd look more at home in the Wind than in the Shadows. He takes after his father mostly in appearance though Saffronblister wouldn't be happy to hear about that considering his son a complete coward. Quiveringheart became a crafter as he's not fond of blood or violence in any fashion. Becoming an apprentice was the best thing that ever happened to him - he got closer to his denmates Marrowpaw and Willowpaw then received Sunstone as a mentor.

Other Notes

The only survivor of his litter who passed from Fading Kit Syndrome

He is terrified of his father and wishes Saffron loved him more

He's actually pure muscle, he just has a high metabolism

Has severe generalized anxiety from constant bullying

He thinks of Sunstone as his second mom

He loves frog and regularly adopts one to look after in Moonsoul's Pond

Bonus - The Parents + Baby Pic

---

Marrowfang

Kind of a defensive Tough Guy - despite being on team Arts and Crafts, Marrowfang likes to keep his combat skills sharp. Marrowfang - like his best friend - became a crafter to spite the whispers about his heritage (due to being mostly white) and to support Quiveringheart. He tries his hardest to be the best at everything he tries and has a tendency to overwork himself.

Other Notes

He/Him and a Heterosexual (gasp, they do exist)

His split ear is from Willowthorn because they wanted to 'look cool' as apprentices

Despite being a crafter, he will throw paws at the drop of a hat for any reason at all

He still wrestles with Willowthorn at random like an overgrown child

Bonus - The Parents + Baby Pic

---

Willowthorn

Easily the most bloodthirsty of the pack, Willowthorn is - personality-wise - everything the Shadows have come to regret. She loyal - to her friends, she's obedient - to her ex-mentor and she's full of faith for the Souls. She's always been incredibly scrappy and a complete prankster, well known for diving at the innocent tails of the cats around the pride. The day she left the nursery was a sigh of relief for all of the Sitters.

Other Notes

The split ear is from Marrowfang when the two wanted to be cool

The Shadows have no low-branched trees, she still sprints up until she can at least smack one

She's high energy and is caught wiggling on the border during border-watches by Thunder patrols

Marrowfang is her mate as adults and she greets him with a spar at random in the forest

Became a crafter explicitly to protect Quiveringheart

--

And the youngsters, little Cootpaw and Minkpaw. I'll admit these two haven't been developed nearly as much as the adults have been. They've got their origins and their general vibes, but that's kind of it.

---

Minkpaw

Chaotic and Energetic - manages to have obtained the proper average Shadow build being long-legged with wide paws, small ears and a shortened coat. They are currently Sunstone's apprentice and regulary burst into cackles at being apprenticed to the cat seen as a Thunder cat.

Other Notes

---

Cootpaw

Chaotic but in a chill way. Cootpaw is always down to fight back against the powers that chain a cat down albeit, they also appreciate doing so in a way that means that others are doing the hard part. Cootpaw was adopted by Thistlesight from a deceased loner and proceeded to work with her adoptive mother with bullying the entire pride into believing that Thistle was just hiding their pregnancy.

Other Notes

Literally only became a crafter bc she knew it would upset some cats

Is Minkpaw's biggest background supporter

Is the brains behind most of the current apprentice's pranksters

We all agree that poor Leafpaw (Cardinal's daughter) is Doomed by her

[nomaishuttle]

ok yayyy robinfreckle time...

[rosethorn-zz]

war cats.

[the-exiled-comic]

sorry if this is a dumb question (i am very tired) but who is Riptide? love the comic btw i just finished reading it all :)

He's one of Wavecrash and Deepwater's dads, making him Fishwhisker's great grandpa. He was Autumnstar's deputy before Crowtalon(star), so he doesn't appear in the main comic but I've made some side content with him! His toyhouse has some short stories I wrote https://toyhou.se/22483341.riptide/literatures and there are some videos on my youtube about him as well https://www.youtube.com/@katterpies/videos

he's a side character but very blorboscrimbley to me...

[fan-clan-fun]

Frosted thickets❄️

:Leader: Olivebranch: A light brown molly with grey flecks around her muzzle

:Deputy: Gracedance: White molly

:Healer: Specialblow: A albino, plump tom with a charming smile

:Prophet: Freefreckle: A freckled molly

:Trainee: Sparkypaw: A cream tom

:Messanger: Heartspring: Grey molly

:Hunters and Fighters:

Carefulwillow: A grey tom

Leapingbloom: A fluffy white molly

:Trainee: Blakepaw:

Yewberry: Light cream molly

Dayfaller: Blueish tom

:Trainee: Luckpaw:

Peppermint: Small molly

:Trainees:

Luckpaw: A pinkish siamese Tom

Blakepaw: A pinkish molly

:Queens and Kittens:

Serendipitylight: A light grey molly with pink tips

Vixenkit: A grey kit

Garlic: A cream kit

:Seniors:

Merrypetal: A white tom with brown tips

Peaceshine: A white tom

Craneflutter: a white molly

Miraclespots: a pale brown molly

☀️Sunning Streams

:Leader: Lotusnectar: A orange tabby molly

:Deputy: Bamboobranch: A pale brown Tom

:Healer: Lavenderflower: Bluish tom

:Trainee: Rubypaw: Russet molly

:Prophet: Waningmoon: A light cream tom

:Messenger: Beetleswirl: A dark brown tom

:Hunters and Fighters: 

Grasper: Light brown tom

Beechwood: Dark grey molly

Squirrelstring: Russet molly

:Trainees: 

Forestpaw: Dark grey tom

Creativepaw: Grey molly

Pinepaw: Dark brown tom

:Queens and Kittens:

Harp: Goldish kit

:Seniors: 

Sacredstone: Dark furred tom

🕷Broken forest

:Leader: Horseshoe: A dark brown cat

:Deputy: Miserystance: Dark brown cat

:Healer: Umbrellasigh: A molly with a purplish hues

:Prophet: Saltspill: Dark brown tabby tom

:Messenger: Shiverspade: A plumpish black tom

:Hunters and Fighters:

Alleylight: Dark brown molly with white flecks

Ebonydawn: Scrawny brown tom

Duskwhisp: Dark brown tabby tom

Ghasttwist: dark grey, ghostly cat.

:Trainees: 

Crowpaw: Black tom

:Queens and Kittens:

Rookkit: Dark grey kit 

Corvidkit: Dark grey kit

:Seniors:

Laddershadow: A scrawny black tom

🌲 Creaking thistle

:Leader: Depravedsnarl: a brave, dark tabby, empowering molly 

:Deputy: Crowtalon: A sturdy black tom

:Healer: Voidshallow: Black molly

:Trainee: Patternpaw: A scrawny black and white tom:

:Prophet: Magpiescreech: a clearly traumatized black tom

:Messenger: Luckypond: a pure black molly

:Hunters and Fighters:

Kinasedip: A scarred, dark brown tom

Ghostclaw: A black she

Valorscratch: a dark grey tom

:Trainees: 

Whistlepaw: A scrawny black tom

Anguishpaw: a pure white molly

:Queens and Kittens: 

Flake: black kit

Hopper: black kit

Angst: Dark grey kit

Treekit: Dark brown tabby kit

Feather: black kit

Sage: Black kit with white flecks

:Seniors: 

Whiskey: A dark brown tom with grey flecks on his muzzle

☁️Amalgamates

PineDove: A scrawny and horrid fusion between Pineprick and Dovedive. Their heads were fused in the process and now they are stuck to walk around The Wilted in tortured agony.

ProsperityMisfortune: A terrible fusion between the two founders. They fought too much in The Eternity to the point where the second founders, Shinespark and Sadstone had to fuse them but created this. They banished them to the lowest point of The Wilted to walk in forever hatred to the clans they created

🌟Rebirths

Rabbitchase: A Siamese looking hare. A very poofy tail

Ravenpath: A dark brown raven with long feathers

Foxluck: A scrawny white fox with pinkish red tips

basiclly 2 clans spit into colonys, which have way less cats n stuff. Some needed to get rouges even, so they are having a hard time. Other stuff is part of the lore with me fooling around with afterlife stuff, so you can ignore that I actually dont want to ignore the afterlife stuff! That seems fascinating! All in all seems like an interesting set up with your two colonies. Best of luck as you continue setting up your story!

[i-likegamesbut-cant-playthem]

MARJORAMCLAN

The Picky and Unemotional

LEADER COPPERSTAR—a short haired, black and red, classic tortoiseshell jack, with hazel eyes.

DEPUTY ORCHIDFANG—a blue mackerel tabby tom, with short fur, and copper eyes.

MEDICINE CAT PLUMEYE—a red spotted tabby tom, with short fur, and copper eyes.

WARRIORS BURNETMOON—a red spotted "pseudo-tabby" tom, with short fur, and copper eyes. WAXBURROW—a long haired, cream mackerel "pseudo-tabby" jack, with yellow eyes. CROWTALON—a short haired, black spotted tabby jack, with amber eyes. NIGHTBLAZE—a black and red, mackerel calico molly, with short fur, and amber eyes. FIRERIPPLE—a red mackerel "pseudo-tabby" tom, with long fur, and amber eyes. TANSYLEAF—a short haired, red classic "pseudo-tabby" tom, with hazel eyes. STARLINGBARK—a black molly, with short fur, and hazel eyes. CORMORANTSTEM—a black molly, with short fur, and green eyes.

APPRENTICES THRIFTPAW—a short haired, blue tom, with amber eyes. DAFFODILPAW—a cream classic "pseudo-tabby" jack, with short fur, and yellow eyes. SOOTPAW—a black and red, ticked tortoiseshell molly, with short fur, and amber eyes. GARLICPAW—a sparse haired, white molly, with hazel eyes. QUEENS PARCELHISS—a black molly, with short fur, and gold eyes. POCHARDTOES—a short haired, blue and cream, spotted tortoiseshell-tabby molly, with green eyes.

ELDERS RAVENEARS—a hairless, black and red, classic calico-tabby molly, with blue eyes.

[themountainterritories]

Jumping spider (spiderclaw)

Marshclan warrior

she/her

Spiderkit/Spiderpaw/Spiderclaw/Jumping spider

Parents: Cormarantfeather and Nightmist

Siblings: Nightstorm, Blackblaze, Sootberry (littermate), and Hawkkit

Mentor: Nightstorm

Friends: Icestream, Adderfur, Crowtalon

[talonslockau]

Fire and Ice - Chapter 42

Chapter 41 || Index || Chapter 43

The wind roared through the trees as Firepaw and Graypaw struggled through the forest. With a final farewell, they had sent Ravenpaw off towards Windclan territory, watching him disappear towards what they hoped would be a safe haven. Now came their second task; finding Yellowfang.

"Where are we going?" Graypaw called to Firepaw above the howl of the storm. 

"Tallpines!" He called back as a massive gust nearly knocked him off his feet. He'd never witnessed a storm this bad before. Now he understood why Bluestar didn't dare send a battle party in the middle of it. "Maybe the Shadowclan elders can help us!"

"What?" Graypaw yowled back, his ears flat against his head as he squinted at his friend.

"The Shadowclan elders!" Firepaw shouted, doing his best to mouth the words out as the wind swept away his voice. Graypaw nodded and focused ahead, finally understanding him. He did the same, pushing towards the Twolegplace. 

All around them, the trees creaked and swayed in the wind, threatening to fall at any moment. Leaves were falling off by the pawful, fluttering by in flashes of orange and yellow before disappearing, taken elsewhere by the furious gales. Several branches snapped and plummeted; he could only hope none fell directly on him.

Both apprentices were worn nearly to the bone with the trip to and from the Moonstone and the fighting with Shadowclan. Still, there was no time to rest; if they were to stop Brokenstar once and for all, they had to press on. Soon, he heard a strange grinding noise, not unlike the noise some Monsters made. His heart dropped. Surely the Twolegs hadn't started cutting down Tallpines in this storm?

When they finally approached, however, he realized the sound he was hearing was from the strange metal vine fence that surrounded Tallpines. It rattled and beat angrily in the wind, the tears in the bottom slowly widening as it did so. Firepaw shut his ears against the noise and passed underneath it, crouching as low to the ground as he could so none of the broken vines caught his fur as they moved.

It was only moments later that they arrived at the Shadowclan elders' temporary den. "Wait here." He yowled to Graypaw, who nodded and huddled against the side of the strange Twoleg structure for shelter. He entered through the normal gap, soaking his belly as he pressed against the cold, wet ground.

He looked around inside, expecting to see over a dozen eyes staring back at him. Instead, only Archtail and Crowtalon gazed down at him from their perch. "About time you showed up!" Crowtalon called down to him. The storm was muffled a bit in the den, and it was easier to hear her. "Thunderclan sure likes to take their time, don't they?"

"Where is everyone?" Firepaw asked in confusion, looking around. He finally spotted Featherstorm on another perch, her tail wrapped protectively around Volepaw while Mosspaw peeked out from behind her.

"Yellowfang already came and got them." It was Archtail who spoke up now beside his mate. "She said Spiderfoot killed a queen and stole her kits. She's leading them back to Shadowclan right now."

"Spiderfoot!" The deputy himself had been involved? He shook his head in disgust. "And what about you?"

"We're too old to be fighting, especially in this weather." Crowtalon yawned, showing off her broken and missing fangs. "We'd only slow you down."

"And I have to make sure my kits stay safe." The tabby queen wrapped her tail tighter around her son, to his protest. "You understand, right?"

"Of course. This is not their fight." Firepaw replied smoothly with a dip of his head. "Stay safe."

"May Starclan light your path!" He wasn't sure who said it as he turned and exited. The storm was beginning to move on, the torrential downpour subsiding. It wouldn't be long before Bluestar sent the battle party out. They would have to hurry if they wanted to catch up to Yellowfang and the elders.

The two apprentices wordlessly followed the fence of the Twolegplace towards the Thunderpath. Firepaw briefly thought about Princess; was she alright? Was she safe? Still, he had no time to sit and talk. By now, the sky had begun to lighten, allowing them to see detail in where they were going. There was still rain, but it wasn't going to stop a determined patrol. Especially if Tigerclaw was a part of it.

They stopped at the Thunderpath. The ditches that they would normally hide in were filled with dirty rainwater, stinking of the Thunderpath and covered in some strange shimmering film. Monsters raced by, apparently unbothered by the water sprinkling against their hard shells. He had watched them, once, on a rainy evening; no matter how much water poured down on their exteriors, they never moved or even opened their bright eyes. He supposed that was the benefit of having a tough shell; he almost wished he had the same, given how soaked through he was.

"Do you think we should cross?" Graypaw asked him as they huddled in the bushes. "I mean, all the elders would have had to-"

"They had to cross it to get here." Firepaw pointed out before he finished his sentence. "Besides, there seem to be less Monsters than usual. Perhaps there was a long lull in their patrolling that they used."

"Maybe." Graypaw replied dourly as he watched another Monster speed past. "They're beginning to get faster, though."

"Then we'll have to take the first chance we get." The two waited, tense, for an opportunity to arise. The rumbling of the Monsters felt like it would never cease.

"Now!" The two sprang forward as another Monster rushed past, racing across the Thunderpath. He had timed it well; no Monster came close to disturbing them as they crossed. They regrouped on the other side, panting from the sudden, quick exertion.

Graypaw finally looked up and stared around. "I thought I'd have a few more warriors with me when I finally entered Shadowclan territory." He mumbled out loud.

"How come?" Firepaw asked him curiously. "Are you scared? We're just searching for Yellowfang. We'll be fine."

"My mom warned me about Shadowclan many times, ever since my sisters and I were kits." Graypaw murmured as he looked around. "One-eye said that they're always watching, all over their territory."

"Do you believe everything One-eye says?" The ginger tom nudged his friend with a smile. "Besides, my mother never told me such things." Privately, he was glad his fur was soaked through; Graypaw couldn't see the fur bristling along his spine.

Recovered from their sprint, they prowled forward. Shadowclan territory was very different from Thunderclan territory; most of their trees were tall pines, but in the marshier areas there were strange water-dwelling trees that looked like oaks, but with long roots that ran along the surface of the muddy water. 

He didn't have any idea where they were going, other than deeper into the heart of Shadowclan territory. His paws prickled nervously. What if Shadowclan really was watching them right now? He paused on a dry spot of land to look around. He didn't see any eyes, but…

"Do you smell that?" Graypaw hissed, and he sniffed at the air. It was hard to smell anything besides water, mud, and rain. Just as he was about to shake his head, he picked up a faint metallic tang.

"Blood." He said slowly. He drew the air over his tongue to scent it better. "Kitten blood." His heart dropped. Bluestar had been so sure-

"That's correct." He froze up as he heard someone speak behind them. But it was a familiar voice. Turning slowly, he watched Yellowfang slip out of the shadows of a pine tree as easily as if it were her nest. "Don't tell me this is all that Bluestar sent."

"Yellowfang?" His chest tightened at her words. Was Bluestar right? Had the old healer really betrayed them? "Why is there kit blood here? What happened?"

She shrugged noncommittally as she padded towards them. He backed up as she did, feeling Graypaw do the same beside him. She stopped, her eyes narrowing as she watched them. "Don't tell me- surely Thunderclan doesn't believe I did it?"

He relaxed a bit as he heard the confusion in her voice. If she had been expecting Bluestar to send a patrol after her, surely she wouldn't be confused as to why they suspected her. "We don't know." Firepaw confessed. "Dewpaw said you fought off the cat that killed Spottedleaf, but then you disappeared at the same time the kits went missing."

"Spottedleaf's dead?" There was genuine shock in her voice. "I saw Clawface attack her, but I didn't think-" She paused, grief filling her eyes. "She was a good healer. The best Thunderclan's had in my lifetime."

"Goldenflower's badly hurt, as well, but alive when I left. They took her kits." He stepped up to her and touched his nose to her shoulder sympathetically. "Archtail said Spiderfoot did it."

"He did." The old molly's copper eyes went from sadness to blazing fury as she spoke. "I saw him attack Goldenflower. I tried to stop him, but Ratscar tackled me before I could. By the time I got up, he'd gotten away." She considered the news Firepaw had given her. "I thought Goldenflower was dead, with all the blood. If I'd known- I would have stayed. Poor Dewpaw…"

He looked away, not wanting to meet her eyes. He did blame her some for not saying, but she did what she thought had to be done at the time. He understood what she had been thinking, and he wasn’t sure he would have done any differently. "Where are the other elders?"

"Waiting in the trees." It was then that he looked up to see several pairs of eyes shining down at him. "We stopped when we smelled the kitblood, and then we heard someone approaching behind us. We thought it was some of Brokenstar's cronies." 

He puffed up as much as he could at her words, but she waved him away with a shake of her tail. "The kit wasn't injured badly. Probably got snagged by a thorn bush or something. The scent carries towards camp." She examined him closely now. "Are you two really all Bluestar sent? Two half-trained apprentices? Brokenstar's forces were injured badly in the fight, but it'll still take more than that to drive him out for good."

"Not exactly." He admitted. "Bluestar- she wanted us to find out why you left. The real battle party's probably coming now that the storm has mostly passed." He looked up at the sky, which was now only drizzling. Perhaps by sunhigh, the storm would pass completely. "But if it's led by Tigerclaw, he may outright attack you. The Clan is angry, and they want revenge. He won't care that you're not on Shadowclan's side anymore."

Yellowfang nodded. "So it has always been, it seems. That is why Windclan was driven out. Why we were driven out. Anger precludes reason." She lifted her head and sniffed the air. "There is some peat nearby we can hide in to disguise our scent. We will wait until Thunderclan tracks the kittens to here. And they will, if their noses are worth anything." She whisked her tail for the two apprentices to follow her. "And then, we end Brokenstar's madness, once and for all."

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

okay my brain is so huge

what if Crowtalon, Badgerstorm, Emberspots, and Rainheart (or to be more accurate, Crowpaw, Badgerpaw, Emberpaw, and Rainpaw at the time) WERE the ThunderClan apprentices that Aldereyes let go from the border

and THAT was why Stormstar was so mad at Aldereyes

bc he didn't want Aldereyes to realize that Stormstar had yet another litter of bastard kits

[quintessentialarts]

Etsy | Facebook | Instagram

I had something in mind like an antique mourning necklace and this is what happened so far. I might try a smaller pendant as well, like the crow talon earrings I have 🖤 °Pure silver crow foot with faceted black tourmaline° ~This claw pendant is respectfully made in pure silver (pmc) from a crow which had passed away naturally. I made a mold of the feet, this pendant is pure silver. (99.9% as opposed to sterling, 92.5%. It is work-hardened by tumbling for strength and shine 💎)

[strelles-universe]

Cats of the Shadowyield - Marrowfang

Name: Marrowfang

Meaning: White Furred with Biting Insults

Other Name(s): N/A

Identity: Cisgender Tom - He/Him

Orientation: Bisexual - No Leaning

Rank: Crafter

Former Rank(s): 

A surprisingly slightly lanky brown van pattered tom with ice blue eyes and slightly overgrown canines that poke out of his mouth. He’s reasonably thick coated albeit with a waterproof sheen of oil marking his status as a Shadowyield cat through and through. Marrowfang is covered in battle-marks - his right ear is torn and the top of his left appears to have been bitten off at some point. There’s a scar across his muzzle that he’s rather proud of. Ragged and poker-faced, it’s unsurprising that most cats assume Marrowfang is a guard rather than a crafter at first glance and his skills don’t do much to deter this train of thought.

Marrowfang struggled though his kithood with discomfort and irritability from the whispers surrounding him. Despite both of his parents’ consistent explanations and growing exasperation, his mother was repeatedly accused of being unfaithful to her mate and siring a cat from outside the clans. Marrowkit slowly learned to push back at the assumption that he was an affair kit just because his pelt is white - pointing out that his father has splotches of white after all - through it did little to change the clan’s perception of him.

 Irritated, Marrowpaw elected to become a craftcat training under Crowtalon when the opportunity presented itself. The dark furred tom was one of the few who didn’t participate in the rumors spreading through the camp and admittedly that was most of his motivation for becoming a crafter. There, he found himself someone to protect in the form of nervous, gentle Quiveringpaw and a best friend in the form of Willowpaw. It was a breath of fresh air to be around cats who didn’t care to speculate about his origins, that only cared to train with him. Crowtalon was a good mentor - quiet, serious and focused; everything Shadowyield admired in a warrior though resented having ‘trapped’ within the crafter’s rank.

 The chaotic energy radiated by his best friend and eventual partner-in-crime Willowpaw made his days interesting and he learned to not care about other cats’ opinions of him anymore. It surprised no-one when the two unceremoniously became mates not long after their promotions, confirming their status in a casual fashion though he pointedly doesn’t respond to prodding about kits and neither does Willowthorn. They’re not ready yet and anyone who had a problem with that could deal with it. As it is, they’ve agreed to talk about mentoring an apprentice each to get a feel for what it’s like to have kits before committing to the action as a whole.

Mentor: Crowtalon

Apprentice(s): N/A

Parents: Bogswirl (mother/deceased), Muckyowl (father/deceased)

Auncles(s): N/A

Sibling(s): N/A

Cousin(s): N/A

Nephling(s): N/A

Cousin(s): N/A

Mate(s): Willowthorn

Kit(s): N/A

---

Another wonderous boy drawn by @sparkwing

[snarqsadoodle]

Oak’s relations:

Duckfoot, Crowtalon, Tuftfun, Yarrowsnap