#DustStar

[abcwc]

[dragondark54]

WindClan Leader

[rose-warriorcatsrefs]

[eggfeather]

duststar

[lemnnshark]

"On Vicky's Facebook, Duststar is a sleek, short-furred dusty-brown tom with amber eyes and strong haunches."

[newmoonclan]

The Story of Nightstar

I wanted to do a comic going over the story of Nightstar since I stopped doing the moon comics, but still wanted to go over the ideas for the story I had myself, I made this.

This goes over the things I made of the past, the intro comic, as well as what happened in the clangen, what I'd gotten to and what happened later. More in-depth explanation of the story and what happened in the clangen after where I left off below.

I really wanted to like the design of the next leader so I tried picking cats whose designs I liked, so the deputy changed several times. Bluestripe ended up dying so I chose an older cat who would die earlier since there were no other cats whose designs I liked.

There was a kit born into the clan who I wanted as the next leader but alas they also died before even reaching adulthood. Next was Wolverinewish, a loner the clan found wounded who joined the clan. In the end she was the only one whose design I liked enough to set as the next deputy.

Nightstar was taken by humans while on a patrol and it got me real nervous as I would have to figure out what to do about it if they were gone for forever. I was thinking they were killed by the humans but left to bleed out, but in the end they managed to return to the clan.

In the meanwhile though the game made Wolverinewish the next leader, Wolverinestar. Now the clan had two leaders in the game. I decided to let Wolverinestar stay as the leader and wait out for Nightstar to die to be the actual switch for the two. That Wolverine stayed as temporary leader while Nightstar was gone and returned to deputy duties after they were back.

Nightstar's death was a rather anticlimactic. They were bit by a snake and slowly died from it. For the story I decided that Nightstar realized their time was coming and only let Wolverinewish to enter the den they were staying in.

Then they revealed the ability they were given by Smoketrail: the ability to take over other cats' bodies upon death. They needed to be in close proximity upon death or it wouldn't work. Smoketrail, who died abanoned, couldn't find any body to move to and became a spirit. Nightstar always kept a spare body around when going around to make sure they had one.

Wisteriashell sees Wolverinewish walk out of the den, pronouncing Nightstar dead and themself as Wolverinestar, the new leader, she is clueless that it is in fact Nightstar themself.

Nightstar continues leading the clan in the new body, gathering power and finally takes on MoonClan, defeating it with smaller numbers as the cats of the clan weren't very loyal to begin with.

Nightstar continues switching bodies unknown to everyone else. The clan cats tolerate them better than the previous leaders as they know how to appeal to them, while hiding the fact that they are taking over the bodies of each new leader.

As a side note I also thought about Rootstar and Duststar having their own special powers. Rootstar had the ability to somewhat see the future, though very flawed. This was one reason for his take-over of other clans. He foresaw a threat outside of his clan, but in the end he himself was the cause of it.

Duststar's power was the ability to read other cats' feelings. Lie detection, general vibe checks and the sorts. He knew Nightflash was rebellious, but didn't see them as a threat. What could they do alone? Most other cats weren't very willing to rise up against him either.

Nightstar could have used the body snatching ability to take over someone important and close to Duststar to assassinate him, but knew it wouldn't work with Duststar's ability, so they went for the more straightforward method.

[blueblossem2]

[mapleleafsunset]

I'm thinking about Leafpool's trial in Squirrelflight's hope again, because whilst it's a stupid concept, it's actually very impactful and sticks in my brain the most from that entire book. I love the way it shows StarClan's hypocrisy, but I do think that it needs a bit of a reworking with what cats are involved in it

Currently the cats who take part are : Tallstar, Bluestar, Yellowfang, Moth Flight, Crookedstar and Littlecloud My first changes would be to remove some cats entirely from this line up, and my first removal would be Crookedstar. He is no reason to be there, no connection to the code that are broken, and no personal connection to the Firestar lineage. Tallstar is removed for the exact same reasons. He doesn't need to be there, there's no emotional beat he can add. For similar reasons I'd remove Littlecloud. He's a medicine cat so does have more ties to the codes broken, however he feels a weird pick especially as he is portrayed as antagonistic, which is entirely against his character. He doesn't seem like someone to want that position of power either, I think it would be nice to see him in StarClan but his involvement in the trial doesn't make sense.

This brings us down to Bluestar, Yellowfang, Moth Flight. Now, we need to add some cats to fill out the ranks again. Which brings us to the question of how they were chosen in the first place, and I'll break this down into two criteria : - High ranking (leader, medicine cat, clan founder) - Would want to be involved If it was just based on how long the cats had been in StarClan and their ties to the code, then the cats holding the trial would be the Clan founders. So there must be an element of cats who have an active interest in the trial get involved. My suggestions for replacement cats are : - Oakstar - Goosefeather - Duststar - Hollyleaf Oakstar is a cat who despises cross clan relationships, and general code breaking. He's a known asshole, who relies on harsh punishments. He seems the sort of cat who wants to involve himself in everyone's business, and would still hold a grudge from the Mapleshade situation. He would be all for sending Leafpool to hell Goosefeather is a bit of a wild card in the situation. I like to imagine that in StarClan he gets himself involved in almost everything. He would flick what side he was on randomly throughout the conversation so no one could really tell what his viewpoint was. Duststar. Duststar is the cat who created the code that bans CrossClan relationships, because cats in his clan died due to their relationships with other clans. However, I believe he'd be all for Leafpool. He's there to contrast Moth Flight who wants to enforce her rule with an iron fist. He understands that Leafpool did wrong, but no one got hurt in the same way he experienced, so in his mind the code is void here. Hollyleaf would not be an official part of the trial, however I think she would barge her way in. I just want to see more of her I'm a big Hollyleaf fan. I think Leafpool would freeze up at seeing her, thinking that Hollyleaf would want to condemn her, but I'd like to give Hollyleaf a chance to properly show her forgiveness after death as well. So we have the line up as In support of Leafpool : Yellowfang, Duststar, Hollyleaf (eventually) Against Leafpool : Duststar, Oakstar, Moth Flight, Bluestar (I LOVE the depiction of her as a hypocrite here. It stays. She is eventually convinced to join the other side but it takes a while) Wild card : Goosefeather (they should ban this man from these meetings) I don't know. I just feel like Tallstar, Crookedstar and Littlecloud have no real emotional stakes in it, when the trial is really a chance for cats to air their own grievances with the code or the way that StarClan functions. It's clear no one cares about Leafpool's situation and only wants to insist on their views, so I feel like we should drag up some old bitter cats to highlight that. The contrast between Duststar and Moth Flight would also be an incredibly fun debate about the harsh nature of the code.

[residences-of-the-darkforest]

Cobweb's Trial (short story)

Duststar’s muscles locked, the tendons in his muscles pulling together like taut strings all along his body, keeping him as stiff as a rock as he stood overlooking the gathered crowd. 

He couldn’t tremble, and that felt horribly wrong–he felt such nausea, such horror and sadness and anger that every limb should be shaking to the point that he fell off the edge of the Tallrock. But he was still, so very still, as if even his heart had stopped beating and his lungs stopped working, and he couldn’t take in any air.

“Explain yourself, if you can,” he managed.

Before him and the crowd was Cobweb, a she-cat whose pelt was criss-crossed with ragged scars. She had come to them as a frightened young kit, and though seasons had passed since then, she remained the wary and distrustful cat she was when they had first taken her in. 

Cobweb didn’t flinch under the gaze of the whispering crowd, nor under her leader’s intense glare. Blood ran down her limbs, and she made no effort to lick them clean or to show that she was aware of them–of any of it–at all. She gazed blanklessly with a face bathed in red splatter, staring not at Duststar, but at the stone slab straight ahead of her. 

“Am I free?” she asked.

“‘Free’? After what you’ve done?” Hawkfur’s shout was almost a screech.

“You’d be lucky if we let you live past dusk!” Flintmoss snarled. 

“Silence!” Duststar’s deputy, Rabbitmask, snapped before the Clan could lose control. 

Duststar dipped his head gratefully. He took a deep breath as he looked again to Cobweb, who had not removed her attention from the rock. “Exile is the typical punishment for a traitor. But after what you’ve done, I should have you killed.” His jaw was tense to the point that he was sure his teeth would crack.

Cobweb blinked slowly. “Am I free?” she asked again.

Duststar shook his head, bewildered. “No.” His heart began to move. His lungs regained function, but it was too fast, too quick, and he felt himself panicking, as terrified as if a fox had him cornered. He dug his claws into the stone, struggling to appear as collected as he possibly could. 

“For the love of StarClan, you killed two innocent cats! And if that weren’t enough, you took the lives of their kits as well, and the lives of the little ones still in their mother’s belly. You did this all without apparent reason. Have you nothing to say for yourself? Have you no guilt, no shame?” Duststar prayed for a glint of anything in the she-cat’s eyes–fear, anger, even eerily pleased would have been better than the blank, emotionless responses that Cobweb gave. “Do you even have a reason to give us?”

Cobweb was silent for a long, painful moment. Duststar felt the tense air as the Clan held their collective breaths. 

“Are we free?”

A few yowls of outrage broke out, and it took a few attempts by Rabbitmask to silence them. Meanwhile, Duststar, stared in utter shock at Cobweb. How can she ask for freedom after such a horrendous act? 

“Are we free now?” She asked, voice as blank as her expression. Why was she still talking when no one had addressed her? Duststar had hardly heard the murmur above the ruckus of the crowd, it was only because he was directly above her that the words caught his ears. 

It wasn’t him that she had been answering, he realized, blood going cold.

Who was she talking to?

“Will you let me go now?” her vacant words were becoming pleading. Her attention had never shifted from the stone wall of the Tallrock, hidden from Duststar’s view, sat upon it. She was simply looking at the rock? Duststar wasn’t sure why he pondered the question. Of course no one was beneath him. All of his Clanmates were in view in the clearing just a few tail-lengths ahead. And surely, one of them would have brought a stranger’s presence to his attention?

“I did it. We’re both free. Are we?” 

There was no one under there. Duststar knew it. But then who was Cobweb speaking to, if not him? What was she looking at, if not him? He had to know. He had to find reason for any of this madness, even if that reason turned out to be a speck of dust on the stone wall.

Taking a breath, he shifted carefully to the edge of the Tallrock. Stretching his neck out, heart inexplicably racing, he peered over the edge–

And saw nothing.

===========================

--Cobweb is a future resident. We will get a full explanation for her murders and what's going on with her. For now, I will give a vague hint: she is based off of a movie character.

She also kept her loner name because.....I like it as just being Cobweb.

--Duststar and Hawkfur are canon characters! They appear in Code of The Clans as the first law. Here, Duststar has not been leader long, maybe roughly for the same amount of time Cobweb has been in the Clan.

His canon deputy and successor is Stonetail/star, who at this time is roughly an apprentice or older kit. His father is Duststar's current deputy (noncanon), Rabbitmask!

--I did not go into writing this planning on making it scary, but I was watching horror movie reviews just before it, so no wonder it took that turn.

--Thoughts?

[rosemist50]

Code of the Clans! One of my favorite Warrior cats books. The first code has Cloudberry, her Windclan lover Ryewhisker, her father Emberstar, Thistletail from Thunderclan, Duststar, Stonetail(star), Hawkfur from Windclan, Birchstar, Hollystar, and Whitestar. I have a theory that this Duststar here is actually Dust Muzzle, but it's not confirmed so they have different designs. The second code has Brindlestar, her deputy Lakestorm, plus Vinetail, Rainsplash, and Mudpuddle.

Originally posted on IG August 2022

[lightningwaters]

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Mistpaw awoke on the day of her warrior ceremony with a painful lump of dread lodged in her throat.

The sharp smell of newleaf bedding filled the apprentice den, mixed with the fear scent of the other sleeping apprentices.

Mistpaw sighed as she looked at the warriors already gathered below the Speaking tree.

Duststar was watching her already, and Mistpaw sighed before waking the other apprentices.

Mosspaw and Bubblingpaw were already waking up, trembling and avoiding eye contact with her, as though that would save them from a horrible fate.

Beetlepad poked his head in.

“Get up.” He growled. Despite only being four moons older than Mistpaw, he had the air of a much older warrior.

Mistpaw obeyed, ignoring Basspaw’s mew of protest as he was jostled.

If there was even the slightest hint of weakness, then she would be killed.

She walked out, half-tail twitching nervously.

Her mother-Shadepelt, watched her coldly.

Mistpaw looked down at the feathers laid at the bottom of the speaking tree by Turtleheart’s paws. She stifled a gulp as the medicine cat drew a circle around the feathers, eyes fixed on the items.

The gathered warriors were silent as Duststar spoke.

“Mistpaw. You have survived the Trials, and, as such, we must give you a name to honor your perseverance.” Turtleheart nodded and grinned, showing old yellowed teeth. “However, there is one more trial you must pass.”

The trial of Feathers. Mistpaw had seen it happen before, but the gravity of what was about to happen.

Turtleheart stood slowly, summoning the other healers- Quickyowl and Ganderpelt- to stand beside the circle.

Quickyowl stared at her, then- without breaking eye contact- he reached out and snagged a feather, pulling it towards him. Turtleheart nodded, still smiling.

“An owl feather. Good hunting will follow you wherever you go.”

Ganderpelt nodded approvingly, then turned to stare, moving slower, but grabbing a feather as well.

“A peacock. You strive to be known.” Turtleheart licked his forepaw. “Not a good omen. You can be blinded by hidden dangers and your own vanity.”

Then, moving deliberately, desperately, slowly, Turtleheart reached into the circle, and snagged a third feather.

Duststar spoke.

“Golden eagle. You will be ambitious. You pass. I now dub you.. Miststem.”

The new name was chanted quietly among the warriors, and Miststem took her place among them.

=============

HMMMMMM

[stus-warrior-designs]

One of the leaders that outlawed half clan relationships

[pythonclan-gen]

NewLeaf 0 (Art below)

Bright sun twinkled like stars between the leaves of the trees as the three cats passed underneath, unbothered by the last of the winter chill left their forest home. Duststar couldn’t believe how much time passed when she became leader. It was bittersweet knowing this is what she was meant for but losing her leader in order to get here. She felt guilt in these feelings, but it was what Starclan wanted, right?

Shaking the doubt out of her fur, she bounded forward to mark the border and watch for any dangers as the rest of her patrol marched after her. It was an easy winter and newleaf was giving a promising start. The trees were past budding and leaves threatened to burst into full, beautiful wings of green any day now. Warmth of sunlight pierced her fur and she couldn’t help but breathe in and let it out in a heavy relaxed sign.

“Anything to report, Duststar?” Firegaze asked, bringing Duststar back to her patrol. They caught up to her and her loyal deputy and friend was watching her with a fierce passion. She knew the lengths Firegaze would go for her.

“Not currently, Firegaze. But we still have a lot of border to check.” Duststar mewed happily. She pointed forward, where the trees thinned to bushes. “We should make sure the WhimsyClan border is also properly marked as well.”

Charfeather snorted. “I guess. Not like they’d care if we just strayed a bit here and there.”

Duststar hissed in disappointment. “You may be young, Charfeather, but I know you’re not stupid enough to do that. We’ll respect the borders as always, understood?”

Charfeather rolled his eyes but flattened his ears when Firegaze growled at him. “I understand. No need to get all haughty with me.” He trudged forward, keeping to the PythonClan side and marking occasionally.

Duststar sighed. Firegaze shook her head. “Don’t pay attention to that cotton-brained tom. He’s got adventure on his mind and there’s nothing to curb that.”

Duststar nodded, a little glum. “I….suppose.” She shook her head to clear her thoughts. “No matter! We have a task to do! Let’s get this done before dark. Let’s hope Piperstripe and Ghostpaw manage to find some Newleaf prey by the time we get back.” She bounded forward before Firegaze could say anything.

As the sun rose higher and higher and the chill became a comforting warmth surrounding them, the patrol relaxed more and became more lax in the border marking. They were just here to make sure there was no danger after all. Firegaze and Charfeather started a conversation about badgers and how to find a set while Duststar pulled forward to sniff around.

Duststar opened her mouth to call the others when a rancid hot stench wafted over her tongue making her nose wrinkle. Charfeather and Firegaze must’ve scented it as well as they both fluffed up their pelts in alarm. “Dog?” Duststar said, worry edging her voice. “It’s too cold for Twolegs to be patrolling with them yet.”

“Maybe it escaped?” Charfeather suggested. Immediately the three shuddered. A dog with a Twoleg is alright, the tall creature will usually just call them back if they dared venture too far. However, an escaped or wild dog is unpredictable.

“We can’t let it just wander in our territory, “ Duststar mewed. She turned to Firegaze. “Let’s follow the scent and make sure it leaves. Whether it goes home or to another clan’s territory, it’s far too early for us to be dealing with a dog this season.”

Firegaze nodded dutifully and started following the scent. Duststar and Charfeather followed closely behind, letting the capable tracker do her work. The scent was so strong, they must be right on it’s tail, but they didn’t dare get any closer than they needed. It veered into their territory to the border and then back within the territory. This dog seemed to just be wandering and Duststar took note of the lack of Twoleg smell.

The thing must be escaped, Duststar thought grimly. This could turn dangerous really quickly if the wind ever changed or if it somehow finds them stalking it.

They walked in silence for so long, passing over rocky terrain where few trees grew to under the Thunderpath where unknown lands sprawled out like a wide green sea. Duststar didn’t realize her paws hurt until Firegaze flicked her tail, signaling to stop. Duststar and Charfeather looked at her then followed to where her intense orange gaze was pointed at. There! A large yet wiry brown creature loped over the valley, sticking its nose into holes and bounding through the grass, so carefree like a kit on its first day out of a nursery.

“It’s far enough away it shouldn’t be a bother now,” Firegaze stated. She looked back at Duststar, pride in her eyes. “Hopefully if it knows what’s good, it won’t come back.”

“Hopefully.” Duststar murmured. A pit in her stomach grew. “It’s only been a few weeks and this is what my leadership is offered? I’m concerned this might be an ill warning.”

“Don’t think too much of it, Dusty.” Charfeather gave her a friendly nudge. “All clans deal with dogs. They’re not a big deal.” He stretched his back legs, his chest fur puffing out more than usual. “Ah, my paws are killing me! Let’s head home before Skyspore sends a patrol of kits and apprentices to find our bodies!”

Firegaze purred in tense amusement. Duststar chuckled, still feeling that pit, but decided Charfeather was right. All clans deal with dogs. Together the three cats raced home. Their paws may be tired, but their legs certainly needed a stretch.

By the time they reached camp, the sky was a violet hue and stars were blinking into existence. Duststar could see Ghostpaw and Piperstripe hauling a large amount of prey to the pile and Cloverkit and Wolfkit excitedly bouncing up and down as they watched.

Skyspore was dutifully keeping guard on a tall rock and sat up when the three cats entered camp. He lept down to meet them and touched noses with Duststar. “Took you long enough,” he drawled. “Came down with an issue, Dust?” There was a tang of disrespect there, making Duststar want to wrinkle her nose.

“No issues, Skyspore,” Duststar said with a forced purr to sound friendly. The older warrior narrowed his eyes slightly and she hurriedly continued. “Just a dog. We scented it along the border and decided to shadow it out of our territory. We should be safe for a while until the weather warms up more.”

“Very well. If you say so.” The white tom didn’t sound too thrilled. He started to walk past her but stopped to look back. He looked a little more concerned now. “Be careful out there. We don’t need any more leaders dying on us.”

Duststar nodded, proud to have been chosen to lead this clan. She can't wait for what the future holds.

[stillreadingwarriors]

Duststar

Originally posted on May 28th, 2020

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