#LutumLore

[mourningsbane]

To the team of cats quietly hiding evidence of Honeyspring’s haunting, how are you not freaking out? Messed up prey with goopy eyes and fur of a dead clanmate would be enough to send me running for the hills! (To pull the fur out, are they using their teeth? If they close their eyes does it feel like grooming Honeyspring’s fur? Like they never left at all..)

Caterpillarpelt trusts Rootstar implicitly. She would never lead them wrong.

(If anyone's confused, Caterpillarpelt was referenced in this post!)

[mourningsbane]

Does Flaildrizzle know that Rootstar broke Flailkit’s neck? If so, has she come to accept it as a tragic but merciful act, or one she holds resentment over?

WHY ARE YOU BREAKING MY HEART?

[mourningsbane]

so uh i've heard we can do ask for the characters? So. . .

Honeyspring, what are your objectives?

Just past the bramble, Honeyspring smiles and beckons you closer.

Gr brx zdqw wr nqrz d vhfuhw

[mourningsbane]

Here's a slightly more proper allegiance page for the cats of LutumClan! I don't have references for every character, but this is all the cats LutumClan currently has (that are alive, that is).

[mourningsbane]

A little white lie never hurt anyone. I promise.

Moon 1, Pt. 1.

Beginning. Go back?<< Proceed? >>

[mourningsbane]

Wait was honeyspring 100% dead before they buried her or is there a possibility she wasn’t dead *yet* and they buried her accidentally while she was still semi alive

Wr eh;

Lw zdv gdun dqg kxplg; wkhuh zdv qr dlu wr euhdwkh, qr oljkw wr vhh.

Dqg vr vkh odb, xqeolqnlqj, xqprylqj, dqg xquhdo. Vkh krshv wkh zrupv slfn khu dsduw, vkh krshv wkhb gr lw txlfnob. 

[mourningsbane]

i have a couple questions about honeyspring's kits. what even happened to make them phase out of existence and non existence? did they die too soon to make it to starclan? did the mourningsbane somehow make it so that they couldn't go to the afterlife?

what did they even look like?

I say that Honeyspring's kits phase in and out of existence because while they physically exist, it's difficult to say if they could form spirits! They never had the chance to form likes, dislikes, friendships, etc...and they never will.

They're blank slates, and they'll be that way forever, never to grow up or become their own individuals, can something like that even form a tangible spirit? Can they exist in an afterlife when they never had the chance to exist at all?

Though, here's what Honeyspring's kits spiritually look like if you're interested! I do have actual designs for them from The Incident, but they were a bit gruesome! <3

[mourningsbane]

If I could, I'd give you my still-beating heart.

Moon 1, Pt. 2.

Beginning. Go back?<< Proceed? >>

[mourningsbane]

The incident?

(Since it's been a bit, The Incident is referred to in this post!)

Bearface, being an outsider, was never close with many clan cats. He originally joined LutumClan because of Tanglefern, and came across as standoffish and rude. As such, it was quite a surprise when he and Honeyspring became close friends, and Rootstar's final decision became all the more sour.

They had a nasty brawl outside the burrows, and Bearface has the scar to prove it.

[mourningsbane]

So something is blocking starclan, and we know that some sort of cat afterlife has to exist because honey and her kits are around. Did Honey's death cause some sort of trigger event? Did starclan get closed off or did they willingly close themselves off?

As above;

As StarClan looks down from the heavens, over the rolling hills and fields that make up LutumClan, they see nothing. A veil of shadows covers the land, pitch-black darkness deep and impenetrable.

A crowd of whispers emerges, but the only words that Flightpaw can make out is a hushed eulogy for the damned.

[mourningsbane]

this is all getting so genuinely disturbing, I love it… well done!!! the pacing at which things are being revealed is really giving it some good buildup!

Also! did/does honeyspring know that tanglefern poisoned her? i’m guessing that once she started getting sick after being given the “clottingroot”, she would have started suspecting that it wasnt really the right herb… it sounds like she was sick for a little while before she died, so did she keep quiet during that time because she was too sick to say anything, because she didn’t make the connection, or just because she knew it was an accident and didnt want the rest of the clan to condemn tangle for it? …does she resent him at all, if she knows or if she has since figured it out?

STARCLAN SAID SAID SAID SAID SAID SAID SAID SAID SAID—

And I will not forgive you.

[mourningsbane]

Giving Honeyspring a beautiful flower crown… anemone for forsaken, begonia for beware, and chamomile for patience in adversity; purple hyacinth for sorrow, lady slipper for capricious beauty and lemon balm for sympathy; rhododendrons for danger and rosemary for remembrance; willow for sadness and yarrow for everlasting love…and daylily for a mother’s love

Honeyspring accepts your gift and weeps. It is nice to not feel so alone.

[mourningsbane]

is it weird that this comic gives “old Disney cartoon but fucked up and evil” to me? also what is Honeyspring’s gender… or is it secret

I wouldn't say it's weird! I started the blog with a few fake Disney-looking screencaps I whipped up of Bearface and Sweetkit for fun! I took some inspiration from how Disney draws cats since I was trying to find a relatively easy and expressive style for the comics.

Honeyspring is a female with they/her pronouns! I didn't intend to keep Honeyspring so tightly under wraps, so I'll include a little secret Honeyspring for those curious about their full appearance! <3

[mourningsbane]

I couldn’t find any info on mourningsbane (is it a plant you created for the story?) buutttt I do know that lilies are poisonous to cats, which is just casually growing in the healer’s den… hmmm suspicious. As for why Tanglefern would (theoretically) do this? I have no clue! Bearface and Honeyspring were friends, but that’s about as much as I know! Maybe his biggest mistake was killing Honeyspring too early

Having a blast reading this and throughly enjoying the art with it, I can’t wait to see where this goes!!

Mourningsbane (and its partner, Clottingroot, was created for the story! Mourningsbane itself, though resembling lilies, is not a true lily. It's actually in the Veratrum genus and contains veratridine and 2-Deoxyjervine.

Clottingroot is a flowering plant that heavily mimics Mourningsbane to deter predation. It's called Clottingroot by the clans because its roots are gathered, crushed, and rubbed into moss to encourage blood clotting.

It's an easy mistake to make, isn't it?

[mourningsbane]

How did each kit die? They all passed away at different times so I feel like each one of them died due to different things. [Sorry if you've already covered this!! Ty if you do entertain my ask :3]

Worry not! I love entertaining asks! <3

Smallkit had cyclopia, and thus no higher brain function. She could do things like swallow and cry, but that was about it! She died within the hour from breathing complications.

Palekit had a severely cleft palate, and, oddly enough, didn't have eyes! He couldn't suckle at all, and a portion of his face was segmented and exposed. He died after twelve hours due to an infection spiraling into sepsis.

Flailkit had harlequin ichthyosis and was in a lot of pain, hence the constant wailing. It was a miracle she survived as long as she did but had a difficult time moving and breathing due to her plated, leathery skin. Flaildrizzle kept her under constant attention despite Tanglefern advising her that Flailkit would likely not survive. She died after twenty-eight hours after Rootstar came in when Flaildrizzle was briefly absent, and gently broke her neck.

[mourningsbane]

Tanglefern be honest and admit wrongdoings challenge. Over here like 'I don't know why the stars won't take you' my bud you LEFT HER IN SOME RANDOM HOLE IN THE GROUND WITHOUT HER KITS. You LET that happen. Absolutely NO respect. You should be telling the clan. Begging Honeyspring for forgiveness. Respecting her body and giving her a proper burial with her kits. Find a new healer and train them to replace you, as you clearly don't deserve the title. I hope the stars turn you away when your time comes.

"It was too late. Too much time had passed, I couldn't tell them. They'd all hate me, I—"

Tanglefern's jaw works further, but no sound comes out. For a moment, all is silent, until a quiet mantra of "I can't, I can't, I can't" escapes from under his breath.

Somewhere, deep under the ground, bones creak.