#SO MANY WET CATS IN THIS CLAN…

[mommyclan]

Nothing worng with being alittle soggy

I really want to make a new wc oc...

[firefly-factory]

WIP Wednesday <3

Almost didn't do it, but the lovely @changelingsandothernonsense and @skyrim-forever and @theoneandonlysemla tagged me this week, so I decided to post my WIP of this horrible rat man (affectionate?)

This fellow has been trying to hijack my brain for the past like three days (which is annoying because I haven't even played the game he's from and I'd much rather focus on my skyrim stories atm) but his name's Astor and he's a spooky antagonist from the (non canon) zelda game Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.

Already coming up with loads of headcanons (because, like many of my loves, he has painfully little canon backstory) but I'll probably share some of them when I

I lowkey hate his pose in this but, much like me whenever someone takes a picture, I had no idea what to do with his arms. *shrugs* Im pretty pleased with the anatomy though, and I like how the eyes look

[evilminji]

Oh god :Dc a Danny Summons Contract

No you guys DON'T UNDERSTAND-!

Just. Danny! Only Danny! He fucked up. Some ancient Warring States Ninja fucked up. They BOTH agreed to NEVER talk about it again.

Cause like? That ninja? Was a GROWN ASS MAN. A qualified BAMF of the highest order. He WAS the Danger, thank you very much. So, he? Will NEVER live down being saved by...well...

*holds up wildly struggling, noodle limbed, sad wet raccoon havin a terrible day lookin, meat thresher on legs*

THIS.

It's a BABY. Honestly, his Clan's TODDLERS know how to throw better punch. This scrawny infant baby child is both? His new son. AND an embarrassing trainwreck in motion. FFS kid, that's not how you- No! NO! Don't you DARE bite that opponent! You don't know where they've B-!

Kid they could have BEEN POISONED!!! Spit um OUT! DROP UM! Drop that RIGHT NOW! What are you? A dead Inuzuka? A god forsaken Hatake!? DROP IT!!!

It...sure is An Adventure™.

One of many early "here's how you DON'T make a Summoning contract" experiments, that Clans without seal masters were attempting. He's honestly lucky HIS attempt ended with him still... you know... ALIVE. Problem, though? After bunking for like... a few months? A year? In the command center?

And you know, terrorizing the GIW into complete collapse. Parenting him through some pretty serious life changes. Somehow making Sam MORE terrifying. And a whole host of off screen ninja shenanigans? They figure out? Oh. Only way to send him HOME is to either accept or refuse a Contract.

They gotta make one.

First they head to Frostbite for a recommendation, then? Off to a reputable Ghost Lawyer they go! They have to camp in the waiting room for like... a week. But? Worth it! The contract is AMAZING. And terrifying! Protects them both. Can't be used against EITHER. And that loophole you're thinking off? Ten pages worth of point 4 script, twenty three yards down, for why it's a BAD IDEA and breaks contract~!

Neither of them can make the other do SHIT! Only fully consensual, mutually beneficial, ass kicking here! If we FEEL LIKE IT!

Ninja dad insisted. Never sign a contract with anything less then extreme paranoia, kid! Leave no "implied" or "spirit of the rules"! Loopholes are holes in your armor, with which your enemy stabs you in the back!

Danny, tearfully, sends ninja dad home.

Gross. Emotions all over his armor. If only there wasn't all this sand in his eyes, he'd definitely complain about it. *stoic ninja hug*

Danny? Become a king. One of many. An Ancient. Becomes FUCKING HUUUUUUUUGE. Like? "Aw, your city is so pwecious~☆ n smol~♡! Whats it called again? New York?" Huge. A fuckin LEVIATHAN made of void, stars, and space ice. A Winter corpse, marked by lightning, that became the night sky itself. With a crown of aurora borealis, ever shifting, like flame.

Proportional, in a way, to Summon Bosses. Just as a normal human is to a normal toad, a normal cat, a normal slug. So too, is Danny LARGER then them.

You know... when he feels like it.

The contract? Passes down. Ninja dad does warn his kin. Prooooobably not gonna answer you. He only answers ME cause I'm, well, ME.

Fuckin BET. They declare. And lose. Repeatedly.

Time marches on. The Senju and Uchiha has their Drama. Dear KAMI do they Have Their Drama. Please Stop, says everyone. They... do not. The contract? Fuckin STOLEN. Because of course it is.

It's a HUGE, glowing, death radiating Summons Contract kept in a shrine behind like... SO MANY seals. It makes anyone less then a full grown JOUNIN physically SICK to even touch! Prolonged exposure kills people! Of COURSE it gets fuckin stolen. It's obviously a super, mega, ultra rare AMAZEBALLS Summon Contract... right?

Eeeeeeeeeeeh *so-so hand motion* KINDA!

It IS technically that.

They ain't wrong. Cause Danny IS an Adult now. A King. Connected to the Zone. An ANCIENT. Beyond and Above his mortal origins, even as, by being a Halfa, he is utterly the same. That contract is as close as one could GET to having a contract with the Sage himself.

You know... if he answered you.

Felt like your petty bullshit was worth getting up off the couch for.

Not to MENTION? He can make clones! Like.... billions of them now. Has a skeleton army. Is kinda one of the stronger Ancients. But that's not the point. The POINT? Clones. Don't have to be EQUAL facets of self.

You CAN make a .00001% clone of yourself!

Behold *summons poof noise* Lil Baby Man!

The harbinger of Danny! Here to Test Your VIBEZ™. He sends them each time. To be an adorable menace. Cause problems on purpose. Be gremlins, chew on table legs, maybe. You know, the works! They RADIATE his " I Am Death." Energy. But also his "winter, protection, and starlight" vibes... if you're brave enough to LOOK.

If you don't flinch away from a spirit of the dead. Can embrace the chaotic nature of a Zone ghost. Are kind to something that isn't what you expected, that you can USE, that appears weaker then you. Something that seems dumb. Distractable. Useless in battle.

Can you be kind? Do you immediately give up? To recognize a test when you see one? Is your first impulse cruelty? Distain? It tells Danny a lot. Saves him time.

Which? Is how a young Itachi, freshly Jounin'd, gets thrown through an old and rotting wooden gate into what LOOKS like a vaguely demonic death shrine. Hmmm, concerning. Baby 'tachi has been separated from his teammates. Is having a Bad Time™. The crows can't really help much here.

And, well, that IS a Summoning contract...

He's outnumbered. Low on both weapons and Chakra. Refuses to do anything BUT return home to his family. His baby brother. Is it WISE? No. It is in fact, incredibly, incredibly UNWISE. He has no idea what he'll be agreeing too. But... so long as he live just a bit longer...

He slams an earth wall against the entrance.

Falls back to the Glowing Contract.

Stumbles, as even landing near it makes his insides revolt. His skin prickle and burn. Colder then the nine tails Chakra, emptier, yet somehow endlessly more ABSOLUTE.

It's like the very Chakra in his body screams against it. Rejects it's mere presence. As though all thing alive REFUSE it with desperation and fear. He has no time to muse upon this. It hurt his hand to touch. He does so anyway. Struggling to hold the earthwall against enemy attacks.

He doesn't bother to read the contract. Flings it from the pedestal, to unravel, so he may sign quickly. There. With a practiced motion, he nicks his finger, and scrawls his future away. Whatever demons may come. Whatever monsters this brings. Please... let him live long enough to say goodbye.

The world CRACKS as he summons.

Death and the Shinigami are not the same.

Even those without the ability to sense are battered by the tsunami of... not killing intent. No. There is no intent. No killing. Just... knowing. Heraldry. That Death comes for us all. You can not escape. Foolish and small, is this what you waste your existence on? Ants before a god. Dust before the heavens. He... he can not... breathe...

Frozen. Eyes wide. Sharigan spinning, spinning, spinning. Capturing the delicate lace of nothingness, absence of life, as it drifts by. Unable to move from where he kneels, bloody hand pressed to the ground, in a Summoning.

What Has He Done?

Outside there is panic. Screaming. They flee. He... he wishes he could flee. W...why can't he-? *THHHWAP!* Mmmmph?! Something small and almost bird shaped smacks into his face like a flung ration. Tiny arms spread wide to cling to his bangs and dangle. The deathy power fades... almost... almost as though it were... a threat display?

He focuses on the tiny creature whining and hugging his face. It... is a floating snake toddler? Or is it dragon? They have sharp little claws and stars along their face, a tiny whispy mane of white. Likely a dragon child then. They stick their small tounge out slightly, eyes the blankly trusting stare of small children everywhere.

He clearly want to be carried. Ah. Of course, little one.

Did... did he agree to raise a dragon?

Just?

Itachi, smol. Serious. With lil baby man floped on his head or tucked lovingly in his arms. The TEXTBOOK definition of "he don't bite" "YES HE DO!!!" For everyone but Itachi and Sasuke. To whom he is, of course, an INNOCENT BABY who has NEVER done anything wrong EVER. An angel! Why is everyone being so MEAN to poor innocent baby man? Boo hoo~!

It fucks up SO MANY plans.

Because Itachi. A smol child. INSISTS he is a Father now. What are you going to do? Say he can be? Why? Because he's a CHILD? Which is it? Is he a Jounin or a Dependant? An adult in the eyes of the law or a child to be protected by said law from pushing him off to war? Old enough to die, old enough to parent his dragon son!

And SORRY Father, he CANT join Anbu. Who would be there for his child? Ah, he should join a parenting group. *various competent parent instincts go haywire over this tiny Uchiha child in need of parenting* Danzo? For some reason his son seems to really, REALLY hate him. Better avoid him. His child doesn't know yet not to bite respected elders.

Sasuke? Gets to be an UNCLE! To a DRAGON! He takes his job very seriously.

It's the best PR the clan has ever had.

@hdgnj @babbling-babull @hypewinter @nerdpoe @the-witchhunter @legitimatesatanspawn @lolottes @mutable-manifestation

[bonefall]

what are the main prey animals that Shadowclan eat in better bones? because in my rewrite, i can only find like 5 british marshland birds, the frogs like canon, and a common lizard, while the other clans have dozens of prey species. I don't think 7 prey species can feed 50 cats for the generations i need them to, yknow?

This is hard to find out because of the unfortunate reality that wetlands are an "unpopular" natural biome. It's hell out there. No one appreciates their local swamps and marshes </3

But I'M here, NUMBER 1 GOO FAN. Quickie on some of the most common species ShadowClan will be hunting, in an English wetland. 5 for your convenience.

Small intro/recap to BB!ShadowClan's food culture; For a mixture of several reasons, including early collaboration and trade with WindClan, living in an area heavily affected by seasonal changes, and cultural pride in being able to eat anything, ShadowClan has one of the most varied diets of any Clan. Mammals, fish, birds, if they can get their mouth on it, they will eat it.

(Yes. This means predators as well. Other Clans will avoid eating predators for culture and taste reasons. ShadowClan finds it offensive to just let good meat rot.)

The most important reason in that list must be stressed; winter is CRUEL to ShadowClan. The RiverClan river is a moving source of water which rarely completely ices over, most animals in ThunderClan don't hibernate, WindClan's rabbits are active in the snow. For most Clans, they will not feel the "bite" of winter until towards the end, when the prey populations crash. ShadowClan feels it immediately.

That's a problem because Prey Item Number 1 Will Surprise you. The most popular prey in ShadowClan is...

1: Ducks.

And with the most common species, mallards, at about 2 pounds on average (with males being slightly larger) you're looking at 5,442 calories each. Enough to feed 15 warriors for a day.

(Note: This estimate is low; actual value would probably be higher. This measurement is taken from this chart which measured whole carcasses and caloric value rounded from 5.9 to 6, and this particular duck was "dressed"-- so its organs, the most valuable part of the animal, were already removed.)

Ducks are SO valuable as prey it's hard to oversell them. They're huge, they're highly nutritious (thiamin, vitamin a, vitamin b, iron), and they're PACKED with fats. They also lay eggs, TONS of them, which ShadowClan will happily snatch from inattentive hens.

The problem with ducks is, they don't stick around in the winter. Mallards might stay if the weather is mild, but if the water starts freezing, they're a-leaving.

That means that right when ShadowClan needs them the most, they'll vanish. If the marsh freezes, which is VERY likely because it's stillwater, they can't access ANYTHING under the ice. So Prey Animal Number 2 ALSO becomes an issue;

2: Carp

Their size and weight varies immensely, but the european carp is a species that AVERAGES 6 - 15 pounds. Using our rough estimation numbers and only a 6 pound fish, that's 10,884 calories. That's a whole Clan fed, if it's rationed perfectly.

Many carp are larger and heavier than cats. Here is a picture of a human fisher with two 5-pound bass so you can get a feel for just how big fish are

The biggest problem with carp, aside from the fact that icy winter conditions will block access to catching them, is that their gallbladders are poisonous. Carp bile is the only dangerous type of bile Clan cats encounter (that I know about so far). When being eaten, Clan cats must take care to gut them gently and remove the organ without spilling toxic green slime everywhere.

(ShadowClan actually collects and uses this bile for other purposes. Dried and diluted, it can be used as a medicine for treating parasites, and wet and mixed into a poultice it can be used to dress wounds. If gargled, it can also dissolve and loosen stuck bones in the throat, VERY important for unknowing kittens who tried to eat cooked bird bones.)

These two are the most common animals in the highly varied ShadowClan diet. Hunt in the shallow marsh, and you're bound to bump into either a duck or a carp at some point.

But when winter rolls in, they start to rely on mammalian prey.

3: Rats

While some rats can breach 2 pounds (SHOUT OUT TO ALL MY NEW YORKERS) most of them only clock in at about half a pound-- 250 grams. That's 1,250 calories. About 3 cats fed.

(NOTE: These estimations of how MANY cats they feed assumes that these bites are being distributed evenly, such as if the animal was being put into a soup or meticulously portioned. It's more likely that a single rat is eaten alone or only shared between two warriors who then bulk up. The sensation of "fullness" is determined by weight rather than caloric value.)

Rats are highly adaptable omnivores, but most of their diet is actually plants! Humans associate them with garbage and filth, and yes, the rats from carrionplace would certainly taste awful. But most of the rats ShadowClan catches would be living in natural conditions, eating nuts, fruits, and smaller animals. So it doesn't make sense that canon sees ALL rats as dirty-- they should actually be a HUGE part of a warrior's diet!

Especially in ShadowClan, where the invasive brown rat has all but eliminated the native black rat population. Brown rats are huge, thick-tailed, excellent swimmers who stick around in the winter and find themselves right at home in a marsh or swamp.

In fact, ShadowClan thinks hunting them is a two-way blessing. A cat stays fed through the winter, and more resources are freed up for the rarer, but more delicious water vole. ThunderClan isn't the only Clan that understands population management.

And speaking of...

4: Squirrels

Significantly smaller than carp and ducks, gray squirrels are usually about 500 grams. I've heard it said that they triple in mass over the winter, but since I'm not sure if that means they triple in weight, I'll simply rule that a wintertime gray squirrel is 1000 grams. Which means about 5,000 calories, enough to feed 14 cats.

...but also. don't underestimate how big a squirrel is. You are a 200-pound bipedal ape, these are 10 pound cats. They are also eating all the organs you, a human, would usually toss.

The general term, wetland, refers to all land that is... take a guess... wet. The difference between a marsh and a swamp is that a swamp is wooded land, which means squirrels can live there!

ShadowClan often finds itself in conflict with ThunderClan over squirrels. The native, endangered red squirrel is a cultural icon to ThunderClan and they believe it's important to protect it at all costs by killing gray squirrels whenever possible. ShadowClan, meanwhile, agrees red squirrels are beautiful, but isn't willing to be aggressive with gray squirrel populations to protect them.

5: Cheating

In true ShadowClan fashion I do what I want and use number 5 to babble about several animals they turn into grub

And SPEAKING of grubs, they love to forage for larval treats. They regularly make snacks out of chafer grubs, stag beetle larvae, cutworms, and if they can manage it, baby honeybees. Chafer grubs are their absolute favorite, which is another reason why WindClan is so passionate about maintaining their moorland; when it turns into grassland, ShadowClan is energized to fight for grub foraging space.

The "problem" with the meat of predators is that it's said to be tough and taste strong and unpalatable. ShadowClan doesn't entirely mind it, but if they end up with a predator in spring and summer, they like to use the seasonal stream (called a syke) that cuts across ThunderClan to soak the meat in running water for a few days.

Not to mention that they really will just grab at any animal, in addition to those lizards and frogs they're notorious for. Hedgehogs, crayfish, waterbirds, snails. There's all sorts of spices they'll use to try to season a strange meat, between mushrooms, pellitory, juniper, rosemary, so on.

It's harder to find something they WON'T eat.

[rippleclan]

RippleClan: Moon 75

Yellowpaw, Sandpaw, and Stormpaw are apprenticed to Asterblaze, Spikecrash, and Clammask.

[Image ID: Yellowpaw, Sandpaw, and Stormpaw are apprentices. Sandpaw says, "Do you think Thunderpaw is impressed?" Under Yellowpaw, it says LEVEL UP! YELLOWKIT → YELLOWPAW, NOISY → COLD. Under Sandpaw, it says LEVEL UP! SANDKIT → SANDPAW, SELF-CONSCIOUS → LOYAL. Under Stormpaw, it says LEVEL UP! STORMKIT → STORMPAW, KNOW-IT-ALL → CHARISMATIC.]

(Yellowpaw: 6, female, caretaker apprentice, cold, quick to make peace)

(Sandpaw: 6, male, mediator apprentice, loyal, interested in Clan history)

(Stormpaw: 6, female, caretaker apprentice, charismatic, loves to eat)

Honeybuzz helps the three star-blessed apprentices.

[Image ID: Honeybuzz, Weevilpaw, Wolfpaw, and Anchovypaw watch Estherfern talk with a Dark Forest spirit. Under Honeybuzz, it says + NEW SKILL: GOOD TEACHER.]

---

Honeybuzz cupped his paw around one of the many plucked mushrooms that formed the unholy circle. He sniffed at the herbal mixture that sealed the pickings together. A few strands of black and red fur clung to the wet earth that lined the edges of the muddy den. The constant rain of the last four days made the ground slick and sent water dripping from the root-lined ceiling. Anchovypaw, Wolfpaw, and Weevilpaw stood outside the den, heads close together as they peered inside. The rain glued their pelts to their skin.

“And you’ve known about this for how long, Anchovypaw?” Honeybuzz asked. He absently batted at his wooden necklace, the freshly plucked cicada wing glistening with raindrops. He pointedly sat outside of the circle, mud sinking into his thin fur.

“Only a few days,” Anchovypaw admitted. “I didn’t want to say anything until I could come back here, but there’s even more ichor here than there was when I first found the den.”

“You should have told us sooner,” Weevilpaw huffed with a glare so sharp that, had she had her sister’s ability, Anchovypaw would have frozen stiff.

“I wasn’t going to scare anyone if I didn’t have to!” Anchovypaw huffed. A sharp flick of his tail sent a stream of water flying over Weevilpaw and Wolfpaw’s backs. “It could have just been where the beast that killed Weedfoot went to die. I only waited a few days! It took me that long to get away from Halibutdusk!”

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Honeybuzz promised. He squeezed around the apprentices, squinting as the rain splashed his eyes.

“Now we know someone else has been here,” Wolfpaw pointed out. 

“What is it, Honeybuzz?” Weevilpaw asked. She moved further into the den, eyes locked on the circle.

“You remember my lessons on channeling StarClan?” Honeybuzz said, shivering. “It exhausts power StarClan wasn’t planning to use, but the immediate and physical communication can justify an absence of subtle signs and assistance.”

“But we don’t use mushrooms,” Weevilpaw said. She poked at a mushroom, making it roll out of its spot. “We form a circle of cats, not plants.”

“But do you remember when you met Terracottafoot?” Honeybuzz sighed. “I asked them to tell you about last Harvest Moon, and some of their knowledge of the Dark Forest. Newtstream, their mentor, taught them about channeling Dark Forest spirits using a circle of mushrooms.”

“Someone’s summoning Spirits of Shadow,” Wolfpaw gulped.

“Who would be that mouse-brained?” Anchovypaw growled. His claws left gouges in the mud. “We all remember the Shardling. Who would want to bring something like that back?” Anchovypaw looked like he was going to be sick. Wolfpaw rubbed against Anchovypaw’s side. “You were right, Weevilpaw. I should have destroyed this den as soon as I found it.”

“Then they would have made another one,” Honeybuzz pointed out. “No, we need to find a trusted warrior to watch this den. They can wait until the culprit visits again. Waspdawn or Puddlewhisper would do well. I trust them.” Weevilpaw’s soaked fur prickled. Her eyes widened, locked on something Honeybuzz couldn’t see. Her mouth dropped slightly, breath catching. 

“Out, out!” Weevilpaw hissed, lunging past Wolfpaw. She scrambled into a thick bush, still bursting with summer life. Wolfpaw and Anchovypaw were instantly at her side, following her into the shadows. Honeybuzz stumbled in after them, sharp branches poking his ribs.

“Who did you see?” Anchovypaw whispered just as the shrubbery on the other side of the dark den shifted. Bicolored eyes glimmered through the mid-morning haze.

“Estherfern?” Honeybuzz gasped as the older cleric stepped into full view. Estherfern carried a ball of fur in her jaws, the same red and black colors Honeybuzz found in the strange den. Her fur on her cheeks drooped like heavy leaves. She strolled into the shadows, ignorant to her spies.

“The Shardling almost killed her kits,” Anchovypaw growled, his rage making the leaves shake. “Why would she deal with the Dark Forest?”

“Keep listening,” Wolfpaw whispered. “We might find out.” Estherfern placed the furballs in the center of the circle. Her cool gaze settled on Weevilpaw’s disturbed mushroom. Honeybuzz grit his teeth. Estherfern carefully nudged the mushroom back into its original position. She sat in the den’s entrance, back to Honeybuzz and the apprentices.

Estherfern declared, “I call upon the spirit of Hawthornstealer, banished from StarClan for murder in the name of his kits. Despite your sins, your assistance is required. Return to the Clans, if only for a moment. Speak to us.”

“Do you see that?” Anchovypaw whispered, pressing into Weevilpaw. “Do you see that?” Honeybuzz squinted. The circle was still. Suddenly, Weevilpaw gasped. She bit into her paw to muffle her shock. Honeybuzz braced his heart for whatever the star-blessed apprentices saw.

It began as a shift in the mud, like water in a pot at the first stages of boiling. The ground around the fur offering darkened. Black sludge bubbled out of the mud and lapped up the fur balls like medicine. The sound of its formation reminded Honeybuzz of paws trapped in thick gunk, pulling out of the mess with a sucking slurp. It leaked from under the mushrooms and collected in the circle’s center. The ichor pulled itself upward like drops of water falling from the ceiling, perverting the pull of the earth. A subtle red glow illuminated the den.

“It’s finally working,” Estherfern gasped as the ichor took shape. It lifted itself high like a cat arching their back. It clung to the ground at four points that slowly took on the details of paws. A claw-like tail sprouted from its back. The ichor bubbled and bulged into a muzzle. Two glowing red eyes erupted from the spirit’s face. StarClan help them all.

“So you are Estherfern,” the spirit said. Its voice was as sticky as the mud from which it was born, dissolving into the sound of the tumbling rain.

“Hawthornstealer?” Estherfern asked. The spirit blinked slowly, its eyelids like a mudslide. 

“Why do you call?” the spirit groaned.

“Oilstripe and Lavendertwist told me your story,” Estherfern explained. She inched closer, back still stuck in the rain. “You killed an elder to ensure more food for your kits in a famine. You would have done anything for them. StarClan doesn’t seem to have the power I need. I’m hoping you can help.”

“Explain.”

“My kits are sick, and RippleClan can do nothing to help them. One of my daughters is going deaf, the other is half-blind. And now my only son has issues of the head, issues the mediators are simply bandaging, not fixing.” Was she talking about Brightpaw? Spikecrash had asked Honeybuzz and Troutpool about any relaxing herbs the young tom could take before the Gathering, something to ease the panic that overtook him when too many cats surrounded him. It was manageable. There was no need to resort to such extremes.

“You are searching for a cure.”

“I can’t let them struggle like this. How can I fix them?” The spirit stared at Estherfern silently, the rainfall burning into the background of Honeybuzz’s mind. The only sign of un-life in the spirit rested in its long, slow blinking. Even Estherfern, collected as she was, twitched under the spirit’s unending, blank stare.

“I…,” Anchovypaw whispered, “I don’t think that’s the ghost of Hawthornstealer.”

“Why not?” Wolfpaw whimpered.

“It’s too empty,” Anchovypaw groaned, struggling to find the right word. “Weedfoot’s stories said Dark Forest ghosts looked like themselves. Even the Shardling looked a little like Autumnstar, isn’t that what Downstar told us? This thing doesn’t look like anyone. It looks like a shadow."

“We may have the power,” the spirit finally coughed through its thick ichor. “We need help.”

“That’s what I expected,” Estherfern sighed. “What sort of ritual do I need to perform? Is there another spirit I should talk to?”

“Your children were destined to develop these afflictions,” the spirit gurgled. “Their destinies must be replaced. Replaced with another’s.”

“Elaborate.” 

“The eyes of the clear sighted.” The spirit’s red eyes shone like a flickering fire. “The ears of the cautious listener.” Its pointed ears flicked, their first movement since the spirit’s arrival. “The tongue of the charmed.” Its black teeth peered out from muddy lips. “Three sacrifices. Three kits.” Estherfern stilled. Honeybuzz’s heart sank. Despite her standoffishness, despite her argumentativeness, Estherfern was part of the Clan, her kits were part of the Clan. How could she throw that away to fix what didn’t, what couldn’t be fixed?

“We’ll stop her before she begins,” Anchovypaw growled, inching a paw out of hiding. StarClan asked for Estherfern. Why would they send for her if she could be swayed like this?

“Offer the dead��”

“No.” All four hidden cats perked their ears high. Estherfern stood, tail rippling slowly as she stared the spirit down. The spirit, to Honeybuzz’s continued shock, flinched.

“No?” the spirit spat.

“What do you take me for?” Estherfern scoffed. “You think I’m so blindly devoted to a cure that you can turn me into a murderer? A sadist for the sake of my children?”

“You want them cured,” the spirit growled. Its paw lingered at the edge of the circle. “This is how you cure them.”

“And what happens when I do?” Estherfern asked, tilting one ear in a shocking taunt. “I know how your land works, the rules of your afterlife. They will go to StarClan some day and learn what I did for them, if they do not find out in life. They will despise me for what I have done.”

“But they will be cured.”

“Furthermore, I know the creatures that inhabit your Dark Forest.” Estherfern walked around the circle like a hunter. The spirit never turned its head, face stuck in a sneer. “It is the home of murderers and scoundrels. I would surely arrive there after my own death were I to kill three innocents for you. You would condemn me to eternity without my children.”

“You’ve already been damned, Estherfern. You brought forth the Skin N’ Bones that slew your deputy. You are the cause of your Clan’s suffering. Do you believe StarClan will forgive you for that?” A Skin N’ Bones. Of course. Nothing else would have injured Downstar like that. Nothing else would have devoured Weedfoot alive. Estherfern stopped. The calculated and callous look that always hung in her eyes cracked. Honeybuzz could almost see Estherfern’s soul drop. “Why give up now? You’re too far gone. Your children are not. Why summon us if you were not willing to do whatever it took to fix your kits?”

“I will not have them hate me!” Estherfern rounded on the spirit, lips curled tight. “I will not have them curse my name!” She shook her head low. “I will find a different cure for them. I will find another way. I send you back, spirit, back to your dark wanderings, where StarClan’s light does not reach.” Estherfern reached for one of the mushrooms. Her paw breached the circle.

“No!” The spirit dug its fangs into Estherfern’s paw. Ichor dripped into her fresh wound. She pulled back, ripping more of her skin in the process. 

“I respect what you did for your kits, Hawthornstealer,” Estherfern hissed, licking her paw. “I realize now, however, that where you could put aside your kits’ emotions for their futures, I cannot.”

“We,” the spirit growled, voice dissolving, “are not Hawthornstealer.” 

The spirit’s legs melted like snow. Its form dissolved and splashed about in a massive sticky pool. One by one, the mushrooms rolled into the ichor and vanished under the writhing mass as though falling into a great black hole. The ichor bubbled and squirmed as though in a death rattle. It leaked from the confines of the circle and coated the den floor. Estherfern backed up, back paws slipping on the soaked grass.

Weevilpaw raced out of the bush before Honeybuzz could react. She threw her full weight into Estherfern’s side. The two clerics tumbled into the shrubs. In that moment, the ichor exploded. It sprayed the walls of the dirt den and shot into the rain in an endless cascade. More ichor escaped the den than could have possibly made up the spirit in the circle. As it flew into the forest, large clumps tumbled to the side like wayward drops from a massive wave. The glops tumbled and sloshed against the wet ground before launching through the trees and out of sight. More and more of these glops scrambled away until finally, finally, the spray slowed. A long black trail led out of the den, which was now nothing but ichor and goop. 

Honeybuzz, Anchovypaw, and Wolfpaw crept out of hiding as Weevilpaw got off Estherfern. Mud coated half of her brown pelt. The ichor stunk like rotting flesh and mushrooms.

“How long have you been there?” Estherfern asked, slow to her paws.

“Wolfpaw, you might have to freeze me,” Anchovypaw growled, claws out. “I’m a whisker’s length from killing her.”

“Anchovypaw, no!” Weevilpaw stood in front of Estherfern, paws skidding. “She didn’t want to hurt anyone. She was trying to help her kits. We can’t blame her for that!”

“But the Dark Forest…” Wolfpaw gulped. With the puff in her fur dissolved in the rain, she seemed half her size.

“It is full of dead cats, not unlike StarClan,” Estherfern huffed. She stepped around Weevilpaw and faced down the furious crowd. “All I wanted was a way to cure my kits, something you’ve shown you cannot do.”

“Estherfern, you weren’t talking to a dead warrior,” Honeybuzz groaned, almost stepping on the ichor trail. “That was a Herald. Their entire purpose is to trick the living into allowing Spirits of Shadow into the territories.” His gaze lingered on the forest. He could almost hear the half-formed monsters slurping across the grass, taking their true, cursed forms.

“You heard her!” Weevilpaw huffed. “She wasn’t going to listen to the spirit. She was going to destroy the circle.”

“She didn’t commit murder,” Anchovypaw scoffed. “You did well, Estherfern. You did the bare minimum.”

“Is it your fault?” Wolfpaw muttered, voice almost lost in the rain. “Did you get Weedfoot killed?” Estherfern stared into the ichor-soaked den. 

“I didn’t know,” she said softly. 

“She didn’t know, Anchovypaw,” Weevilpaw snapped. “She’s a good cat!”

“She didn’t care about killing anyone, she cared about what her kits would think,” Anchovypaw growled. “How can we trust a cleric who doesn’t care if you live or die?”

“I trust her,” Weevilpaw huffed, pressing into Estherfern. “Even though she’s strange.”

“Weevilpaw,” Honeybuzz sighed, jumping over the ichor, “take Anchovypaw and Wolfpaw and go back to camp. Just go to the medicine den and wait for us.” 

“What are we going to do with her?” Anchovypaw asked.

“Leave that to me,” Honeybuzz said, shaking his head. “Now go. Stick together, and hurry. We’ll follow you soon.” The apprentices hesitated, all glancing at one another. Weevilpaw was the first to break; she joined Wolfpaw and nudged her onward. The sisters ran toward the coast. Anchovypaw followed, his burning eyes digging into Estherfern as he vanished into the foggy trees.

“It seems I underestimated the vigor of the Dark Forest’s supernatural entities,” Estherfern hummed, cleaning the mud off her injured paw.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?” Honeybuzz hissed softly.

“Of course I do,” Estherfern snapped, curling her lips. “You love to tell the story of the Rippling Ashes. They ventured into the Dark Forest, they had Newtstream’s advice. What made my own approach so wicked?”

“Because it’s dangerous!” Honeybuzz groaned. “Because channeling Dark Forest souls, even when they want to help, clears a path for Spirits of Shadow, and they don’t care about any of us. They’re born to hunt. This isn’t worth it.”

“If your kits were sick, wouldn’t you do what you could for them?” Estherfern growled with a large thrash of her tail. “You can’t fix them. I thought the Dark Forest could.”

“They don’t need to be fixed!” Honeybuzz yowled, throwing his whole height up to glare down at Estherfern (who, unlike Rapidleaf, would not cower). “They aren’t dying, Estherfern! They can adapt! I’m sorry I can’t cure Thunderkit or stop Brightpaw’s anxiety, but they’ll be fine!” As Honeybuzz yowled, the first crack appeared in the sky, striking through the gray clouds. Thunder echoed far overhead. Estherfern stared at the growing storm.

“What’s out there now, do you think?” Estherfern sighed.

“Dog-cats, forsaken prey, honeybites…” Honeybuzz muttered, spine itching. “There may even be monsters we rarely see, ones we don’t have names for. We don’t want to know everything that’s out there now.”

“This is something we can fix,” Estherfern huffed. She marched around Honeybuzz and stood on the roof of the wicked den. Jaw tight as her bit paw moved, Estherfern dug at the soaked grass. Her pelt was more mud than fur. Chunks of earth tumbled into the den. The sopping ground folded in on itself like a wave. Estherfern rolled away as the roof of the den fell and covered the sticky, stinking ichor. Grass stuck to Estherfern’s underside. Honeybuzz hurried to her, helping her away from the crumbled remains of her sins.

“We can,” Honeybuzz gulped. “We can fix this.”

(Honeybuzz: 23, male, cleric, daring, skilled toolsmith, good teacher)

(Anchovypaw: 10, male, warrior apprentice, playful, curious about StarClan)

(Weevilpaw: 10, female, cleric apprentice, adventurous, curious about StarClan)

(Wolfpaw: 10, female, codekeeper apprentice, thoughtful, curious about StarClan, confident with words)

(Estherfern: 109, female, cleric, bloodthirsty, great mediator, prophecy seeker)

Sandpaw and Spikecrash arrange time for Estherfern to see the kits she worked so hard to “fix”.

[Image ID: Estherfern faces Thunderpaw, Wolverinepaw, and Brightpaw.]

---

Estherfern didn’t belong at such a lively celebration. The sumptuous food, the well-rehearsed performances… Harvest Moon was as grand as RippleClan claimed it to be. Every Clan gathered as the sunrise poked through the trees, preparing their stews and games and performances. But it was a holiday to drive off Spirits of Shadow. What good would it do to have their herald nestled in the safety of the firelight?

“Spirits of Shadow hate charms,” Troutpool explained as she tucked a cat’s wood-carved face into the boughs of a low-hanging pine. “AshClan spends a lot of time carving these trinkets, and all that care under StarClan’s protections makes them especially useful in warding off danger.” All the clerics roamed the edge’s of the great clearing with baskets of charms and other concoctions to protect the five Clans. Estherfern carried RippleClan’s heavy basket as Honeybuzz, Troutpool, and Weevilpaw prepared the defenses to Troutpool’s instruction.

“How many do we have to place?” Weevilpaw asked, shoving a charm as far into a bush as she could reach.

“We’re covering this entire corner,” Troutpool explained. “We don’t want to leave any openings for spirits.” Estherfern nearly broke the charm in her jaws with how tightly she grit her teeth. She quickly passed it to Honeybuzz.

“Estherfern!” Two figures slipped through the massive crowd. Spikecrash and Sandpaw walked side by side, mentor and apprentice in sync. Sandpaw’s gaze wandered throughout the clearing, taking in the sights of all five Clans for the first time.

“You want to speak to me?” Estherfern asked. While her tone made her question sound casual, the brown priestess hid her surprise deep. She didn’t talk to many cats outside of the medicine den. Why would two of the Clan’s mediators want her? Did they know the real reason why Honeybuzz reported a surge of spirits in the Clan? The reason it was too dangerous to leave camp alone? Why all five Clans, not just RippleClan, now had a newfound fear for their lives? Had Honeybuzz not lied for her, Estherfern would have told the truth and accepted the consequences, yet why he kept it secret, Estherfern didn’t know She glanced at Honeybuzz, but the young gold and white cleric focused on his charms.

“I’m hoping we can borrow you,” Spikecrash explained. “Troutpool, do you still need Estherfern’s help?”

“We’re just placing our wards at the moment,” Troutpool explained, reaching into Estherfern’s basket. “We could finish without her if you really need her.” Estherfern carefully slipped the basket off her neck.

“Thank you, Troutpool,” Spikecrash sighed. She flicked her tail for Estherfern to follow. It seemed no one cared if Estherfern actually wanted to speak with Spikecrash, but who was she to refuse? She trailed after Spikecrash and Sandpaw, heading over to the ovens. Clammask and Stormpaw worked with Drumtooth and Thunderpaw, laughing over an unheard joke as they tended the fire under a massive pot of stew.

“I hope this isn’t too much of an invasion of privacy,” Spikecrash began, her scarred flank lifted high in a long stretch. “Honeybuzz and Weevilpaw spoke with me a few days ago and said you were having some difficulties with your kits.” Estherfern narrowed her eyes.

“If we’re going to discuss my kits,” she sighed, “maybe you could tell me why no one told me about Brightpaw’s meetings with you?”

“So you do know about that,” Spikecrash sighed. “Brightpaw is an apprentice now, Estherfern. We aren’t pressured to tell you anything he didn’t want you to know.” 

“If he’s sick, I want to help him,” Estherfern huffed.

“Why do you think he didn’t want you to know?” Sandpaw scoffed. “Look how you acted with Wolverinepaw and Thunderpaw.” Oh if only he knew just what Estherfern had done for them. What the Dark Forest wanted her to do.

“I’ve only ever tried to help them overcome their own limitations,” Estherfern said, her sharp stare ricocheting off Sandpaw and muting his confident words.

“That’s why we wanted to show you a few things,” Spikecrash explained. She waved a paw toward the oven where Thunderpaw and the other RippleClan cats gathered.

“The only goal of tonight is to have a better stew than WheatClan,” Drumtooth explained, shooting a friendly sneer at WheatClan’s oven and their large pot. He licked the surface of the stew and smacked his jaws. “It’s good, but it’s missing something.” Thunderpaw copied her mentor. Her face squirmed, thinking hard. She then made a strange motion with her paws; balancing on her back legs, she brought her paws close to her mouth and wiggled them as they moved away.

“I know this one,” Stormpaw chirped, completely focused on Thunderpaw. “If the wiggles are the sea… seaweed! That’s seaweed!”

“Yes!” Thunderpaw squealed. The two young apprentices cheered and giggled at their success, bunting one another

“AshClan borrowed our basket of seaweed,” Clammask explained, nudging Thunderpaw. “Grab some for us.”

“Grab seaweed,” Thunderpaw laughed. She quickly swiped the air like she was dragging a mouse out of hiding, then made the ‘seaweed’ motion again. Stormpaw mimicked the dragging motion as Thunderpaw hurried to AshClan’s oven.

“Why is Stormpaw learning Clan-sign?” Estherfern asked her mediator companions.

“Because Thunderpaw’s teaching her,” Sandpaw chirped. “Whenever Thunderpaw gets back from her sign lessons with Mummichogleap, she practices with us apprentices. Most of us are learning a few words so Thunderpaw isn’t left out.”

“And you want to learn?” 

“Thunderpaw makes it fun!”

“You can’t expect the whole Clan to learn this second language.”

“No one does.” Spikecrash touched her tail to Estherfern’s shoulder.. “But there are cats who want to make the effort. They can translate for those who don’t know. It puts pressure off Thunderpaw. She can miss what someone said, but she’ll have friends and family who can let her know.” Thunderpaw trotted back to the oven with a few long strips of seaweed. Clammask tore the seaweed into stew-sized chunks, showing the apprentices how to curl their paws just right. Thunderpaw seemed… happy.

“Now if you’ll follow us over here…” Sandpaw purred, strolling around the Leader’s Stone. Estherfern followed, tail a bit higher than before.

Brightpaw, Ravenpaw, and Vervainpaw sat with a gaggle of apprentices from the other Clans. They lounged about, chatting and laughing. Brightpaw nodded along to an apprentice’s story, his flank stretched out like frog legs. Ravenpaw relaxed on top of him, oohing and awing over the tale.

“I don’t know what your birth place thought of disorders of the mind,” Spikecrash whispered, brushing against Estherfern once more, “but like most disabilities, you can learn to live with them. There was a great gathering of warriors and codekeepers here at the new moon, do you remember? Brightpaw managed to befriend these apprentices during the visit. They invited their friends and littermates to chat today, and Brightpaw is happy to spend time with them. His mind is likely lying to him right now, but he knows ways to manage that. He could overcome his anxiety naturally some day, but that’s a minor part of who he is.”

“I know that,” Estherfern huffed. “He loves to play with Rabbitjoy’s paint supplies. He’s sensitive, and loves his sisters with all his heart. I’ve only ever wanted to help those traits shine.”

“That’s not how Brightpaw sees it,” Sandpaw scoffed under his breath. The comment hollowed out Estherfern’s chest. Before she could respond, two brown blurs shot past the Leader’s Stone with a horde of apprentices and young warriors at their tails. Wolverinepaw and Yarrowpaw led the crowd to an open spot within the festivities. They studied their followers like leader and deputy, the sunrise framing their profiles.

“We’ve got until after sunhigh to prepare!” Wolverinepaw cheered. 

“Are we going to let some dusty old bones beat us?” Yarrowpaw cried.

“No!” the young crowd yowled joyfully, already shoving and jumping over each other.

“Let’s show them what the new generation can do!” Wolverinepaw called. Her followers cheered, yowling to the high branches. They scattered throughout the clearing and split into sparring groups. They steadied their stances and wiggled their flanks. With sheathed paws, the youth of the Clans launched into training, trading blows and careful bites. Slushpaw lingered near the edge of the training grounds, cheering the others on.

“Slushpaw!” Sandpaw yowled to the older mediator apprentice. “What are they doing?”

“Well,” Slushpaw laughed, trotting up to Sandpaw, Spikecrash, and Estherfern, “Yarrowpaw and Wolverinepaw were arguing with Darkkick and another old warrior about what was a better trait in a fight; youth or experience. Suddenly all these other cats started joining in, and now the senior warriors are going to have a big mock-battle with the apprentices, plus some warriors who haven’t attended a Harvest Moon before.”

“And Wolverinepaw’s participating in this?” Estherfern huffed. She searched for her daughter in the crowd. She found Wolverinepaw rolling about with Yarrowpaw in the middle of the mess. Yarrowpaw shoved Wolverinepaw’s head into the dirt. Wolverinepaw snapped her jaw around Yarrowpaw’s leg and pulled her onto her shoulder. Yarrowpaw laughed as Wolverinepaw took her place on top of the older apprentice.

"She's as capable as any apprentice her age," Spikecrash assured Estherfern.

"She seemed so insecure during her ceremony…" Estherfern muttered.

"Wolverinepaw?" Spikecrash chuckled. "I don't think so. From what I've heard, she thinks she's strong enough to take on an actual wolverine."

"She didn't choose a role in time, though," Estherfern pointed out.

"Because she wanted to do everything!" Slushpaw laughed. "I talked with her right up to her ceremony. She had a new role in mind every day!" Oh. Had Wolverinepaw's sight not come up at all? Surely her decaying vision would make it hard for her to fight. Yet she kept up with Yarrowpaw, tumbling across the clearing with abandon. Had Estherfern's kits always been so sure of themselves? Surely they wanted cures. How else could they survive in a world that showed no mercy to the weak? In the cat-minded human's den, if you couldn't match up to the others, you wouldn't eat. Three of Estherfern's brilliant kits would have died in that awful place. Except…they weren't there anymore, were they?

"Can I guess what's been going on?" Spikecrash asked. "You've been so focused on a cure in their future, you've ignored how they are in the present. When's the last time you talked to them about something, anything but their health? Have you talked to Foampaw or Boughpaw at all?" Estherfern glanced from one kit to another. Their faces glowed with holiday glee. Did they ever glow around Estherfern anymore? When was the last time she shared a meal with them?

"Spikecrash," Estherfern muttered, her pride burning her words, "I need you to teach me something."

A short time later, Estherfern approached Thunderpaw and the RippleClan stew. The bounties of the ocean danced in the broth, specially prepared for that oh so exciting celebration. Thunderpaw stared eagerly into the stew while Stormpaw and their mentors talked with other caretakers. She spotted her mother and her eyes grew big and calm, mimicking Estherfern's eternally serene expression. Estherfern's heart did not carry that serenity as she approached her bold daughter.

"Do you need…" Estherfern said hesitantly. She awkwardly sat on her hind legs. She held out one paw, pads down, and angled the other on top of it, claws out. Thunderpaw's eyes sparkled at the sign.

"Help," she whispered as Estherfern quickly returned to a natural position. Thunderpaw made the sign with ease, quickly hopping from her hind legs and back. She ogled Estherfern, her thoughts not caught up to reality.

"I want to spend time with you," Estherfern explained. It felt like someone carved her pelt off, leaving her exposed. "I want to share your stew with you and your littermates." Thunderpaw blinked slowly. It took her so long to reply, Estherfern was about to repeat herself, just in case her pounding heart muffled her words.

"Do you want to learn the sign for littermates while the stew finishes cooking?" Thunderpaw gulped. The tip of her tail twitched wildly as her earlier joy bloomed across her face once more.

"If it means time with you," Estherfern sighed.

(Estherfern: 109, female, cleric, bloodthirsty, great mediator, prophecy seeker)

(Troutpool: 36, female, cleric, insecure, ghost sense)

(Weevilpaw: 10, female, cleric apprentice, adventurous, curious about StarClan)

(Honeybuzz: 23, male, cleric, daring, skilled toolsmith, good teacher)

(Spikecrash: 50, female, mediator, wise, good speaker, lore keeper)

(Sandpaw: 6, male, mediator apprentice, loyal, interested in Clan history)

(Drumtooth: 23, trans male, caretaker, loyal, great hunter, clever)

(Thunderpaw: 7, female, caretaker apprentice,

(Stormpaw: 6, female, caretaker apprentice, charismatic, loves to eat)

(Clammask: 69, female, caretaker, righteous, lore master, good teacher)

(Brightpaw: 7, male, warrior apprentice, lonesome, lover of art)

(Wolverinepaw: 7, female, warrior apprentice, compassionate, always asking questions)

(Yarrowpaw: 10, female, warrior apprentice, thoughtful, stares at fire)

(Slushpaw: 11, female, mediator apprentice, wise, quick witted, bats at string)

[saltsongwc]

I just had an 'OH CRAP' moment when I read your answer. Tawny would have more of a reason to leave! Because she'd look EXACTLY LIKE SPOTTED!!!

And poor Nightwhisper man! I hope he finds a better life after getting screwed over like that.

See in my mind BRAMBLE is the one that leaves. It makes sense why the sibling that looks the most as the parent is the one that stays in canon because that is a great use of the trope "I am not my parent" that I do applaud because it's interesting and great. Like no complains with that 10/10 it's always dramatic it's always great (i could go on a tangent but I won't).

The problem in canon is that the narrative never treats Tawny and Bramble as equals unless it finds it convenient, she is never Tigerstar's daughter after that point just Brambleclaw's sister.

I love Tawny as a character, I find her conflict of isolation inside the clan she chose over returning home so interesting that it genuinely was wasted potential.

Tawny is in this version is isolated just as much as she was in canon because both Darkstripe and Bramblepaw leave her, she chose to stay but they both assume she'll be fine, because she chose that, she's an apprentice she'll be fine. It is the same story but she stays and they leave, she looks more like her mother, she must be better than her mother and father, because she chose to stay so it must be worth it.

I imagine Tawny and Spotted have a very Mel and Ambessa relationship like in Arcane, did she love Tawny? Yes, did she love her and cared for her like a parent should her children? No. Not in death, not in life, Tawny's arc is she learning she was never unworthy of being loved, by her clan or by anyone, she does not to prove she isn't Spottedstar, because that should've never been something she needed to prove. There is no grand act that would prove that, she just needed to find and be herself.

I have a lot of thoughts about how the narrative treats many of the female characters in warriors, but that is a rant, and frankly while I love the series for nostalgia, I am not that invested to deconstruct it into a 2 hour video, I like the warrior cats for the cats.

I think he comes back home to his twolegs and they just go "Oh Mowgli our baby!" and thats it he's well he's happy he gets extra wet food that night (success you left your kits)

Thank your for the ask! Sorry for the totally not a tangent-

[alldthoughtsinmyhead]

Chapter Two

A Great Horned Owl hooted in a nearby tree and Nia cracked an eye open. Her whole body ached from the pummeling Aaron had given her all through the night into the crack of dawn. He had fucked every crevice in her body till they were both spent with nothing else to give. She looked over at him, his boyish features were relaxed in his sleep. His lashes were so long that they created shadows on his cheeks, and his full double toned lips were ever so slightly parted. Her heart tugged and she stifled a sob. She was hopelessly in love with him against all good sense. She had been warned repeatedly by everyone including Aaron himself, to protect her heart and not lose it to him. But he was such a beautiful man, both inwardly and outwardly. Everyone loved him, so how could she not? When he knew all her deepest secrets and touched her deepest parts.

The Owl hooted again and Nia rolled her eyes in anger. Her clan didn't care that she was up all night in the king's bed, she had work to do and they wouldn't give her a break for any reason. She dragged her tired bones out of the large warm soft fluffy mattress and out of the comfort of Aaron's side. She stretched and walked towards the large window the Jaguar had come in from last night. As she walked, her skin began to fold and brown and white feathers extended to cover them. She stretched her arms and brown plumes extended into wings. Her face was the last thing to morph as her eyes enlarged into twin globes, transforming her into an enchanting large Barn Owl. She flew past her brother who rolled his eyes and took flight beside her-It was going to be a long day scouting with the King's mistress.

*************************************************************

Aaron reached out to his side and it was cold. He sighed at the loss. He was hoping to keep her in his bed for at least three days--it was the least she could do to make up for lost time. He frowned and sat up, her smell lingered in the air; the smell of wild berries and rainwater. Her taste lingered on his tongue from all the times he paused fucking her to dip his whole tongue in her sweet cunt. As much as he enjoyed the feeling of her warm wetness gripping his cock, he enjoyed eating her out more. She tasted sweet and salty at the same time which suited his human sweet tooth and his cat's love of salty things. He had taken many lovers in his life, but none ever sated him like Nia did. His council had started to press about his marriage, which he had absolutely no interest in, but it had to be done and he was suddenly impatient to get it over with. She would be his queen and figurehead, but Nia would always be his woman.

A short rap sounded at the huge double mahogany doors of his chambers and after he gave permission, a ruby teen boy brought in a pitcher of water and a silver bowl. Aaron grunted, after the intense session he had with his delectable lover a pitcher of water was definitely not sufficient to clean him. He was obsessively clean and took his personal hygiene very seriously. He waved the young servant away and stood fluidly from the mattress. He yawned and stretched his long limbs. He stepped into the sunlight shining in from the window and basked in it for a minute before leaping out the window. The black Jaguar's paws landed gracefully on the bed of leaves down the stories below and it stalked off to the stream for a proper bath.

***********************************************************

Milele hurriedly took her dress off before dipping herself in the fast-flowing stream. She had been running all morning trying to burn off some excitement before her marriage feast that evening. She had never seen the King but she had heard of him. He was called The Jaguar and she assumed it was because of his felinity as her mother described it: whatever that means. She stood up from the water and the cool air blew against her nipples. She watched as they hardened and stood some inches from her areolas. Her long nipples were her favorite thing about her body. They were hypersensitive and hardened at the slightest sensation. She touched them and giggled. She pinched and rolled them and her giggles caught in her throat and came out as a squeal-ly moan. A dampness was starting to form between her legs and she caught herself. The rest of her bath was taken care of quickly and she wadded out to the bank to find her dress.

They were dangling out of a person's fingers and she angrily tried to snatch them but it evaded her hands. She tried again with the same result and she impatiently shot a furious glare at the person with such effrontery. She cranked her neck up. . . and locked eyes with the most unearthly beauty she had ever seen.

Previous Part Next Part

[nanistar]

one of the reasons that i like jaybriar so much is because i’m a sucker for long, slow burn relationships that develop naturally over time, and warriors doesn’t have very many of those. they start out as patient/doctor, then they become friends, then they become close friends and after that it feels natural for them to share a nest and curl up together. firestar and sandstorm develop naturally over 6 books, which is about a year and a half and you grow with them. they were rivals, then friends and then mates. it feels natural. bristlefrost and rootspring weren’t even friends.

briarlight gets injured just before she turns one year old, and then she dies at about 5 and a half, and jayfeather is about 6. that’s 4.5 years of living with jayfeather in the medicine den. they have spent a majority of their life together, and were together through major tragedies like hollyleaf’s real death and the great battle. she starts out as his patient, before a verdict is reached and she’s told she can’t be a “full warrior” (not getting into that now.)  after she gets well enough to start moving around again, he helps her with her exercises and stretches (as is his job) and keeps her spirits up and reminds her that she’s a valuable member of the Clan even if she can’t do typical warrior activities and he helps her come up with jobs to do, and then she is referred to as “jayfeather’s assistant” several times in the actual text (this progression from patient to assistant happens over about 2 books iirc). she very much does not put up with his grumpy bullshit, she’s shown talking back at him and they have a lot of back-and-forth banter. they’re shown to have a very close bond at this point, sharing a first Close moment when he comes back from the tunnels soaking wet and he lays beside her as she grooms him dry, and he falls asleep like that. he refuses to take her as his apprentice because he doesn’t want her to feel forced into the job like he was, or cinderpelt before him, but he teaches her a lot and she is shown sorting herbs, preparing herbs for him, and helping out with small remedies which helps her stay positive and gain confidence and feel “useful”, and he trusts her to do so (especially compared to how much he micromanaged and didn’t trust alderpaw at first). and she comforts him after the gathering where he is accused of killing flametail, taking care of him and again grooming him to sleep, and then fetching food for him in the morning. he encourages her and helps her work on her goal of climbing a tree with just her front legs. she’s the first person he thinks of when rocks start falling into the quarry, throwing himself over her to protect her. he blames himself for her death, and he chokes up to the point where he can’t continue speaking and alderheart has to take over when trying to speak at her vigil.

the two have two major gestures; jayfeather massages briarlight’s back and hind quarters, which yeah, is a medicinal thing, but it’s also an intimate gesture. cats kneed as a comfort thing. idk it’s the close skin-to-skin (fur-to-fur?) contact. it’s different when millie or alderpaw do it. it would be different if they were humans. and then the other gesture, is briarlight grooming him to sleep. he allows himself to relax only for her, and is comforted by her. not an easy feat for emotionally constipated jayfeather. i never see these two actually talking about being mates or talking about their relationship at all, and they would absolutely deny it if anyone ever asked them. but they have a very deep bond, are unequivocally and undeniably in love with each other. it just sorta... happened. it makes sense for them. their physical and emotional closeness feels natural to them because it just is.

(additionally, i’m not making this post to defend them or convince anyone! just to think out loud about them, essentially. i saw a few folks tag my most recent jaybriar post as qpp and honestly if you see them more that way, that’s awesome. if you don’t sip them at all, hell yeah. peace and love on planet warrior cats)

[antaresr]

Ok, but listen (and welcome back to another crazy analysis that I came up with out of nowhere because I had a lot of free time)

The Ishtar as representations of the Egyptian gods.

Bastet's mission was to protect the home and symbolizes the joy of living, as she is considered the deity of harmony and happiness. She is the personification of the warm rays of the Sun, she is the representation of femininity and elegance.

Marik was supposed to be the leader of the clan and protect it, but he wanted to be happy and be out of the tombs, he wanted to live, he wanted to be under the sun's rays, plus his hair is blonde, a color associated with the sun, He is handsome, he is masculine and elegant.

Plus his eyes look like cats' eyes if you ask me, with his outlined like the stripes of tabby cats.

But he was traumatized and filled with anger and wanted revenge, so he created Yami Marik.

She was a symbol of strength and power. She was considered the goddess of war and revenge, but also the goddess of healing, she was the protector of the pharaohs and guided them in war.

In some cases she was considered an ally and protector of Ra, since she killed those who dared to confront or attack the divine or earthly monarchy.

She had an insatiable bloodlust, to such a degree that she did not distinguish between allies or enemies.

Like YamiMa, he is powerful, the representation of Marik's fight and revenge, he protected Marik from everything that could harm him to keep him safe, he caused death/coma to those who stood in the way of Marik's wishes (Jounouichi , Mai, Rishid, his father).

Plus we've all seen the thousands of references to YamiMa's hair to a lion's mane and both YamiMa and Sekhmet have many names.

And YamiMa only calmed down when he saw Rishid.

She represented music, dance, joy, love, sexuality and maternal care, and acted as consort to various male deities and mother to their children. These two aspects of the goddess exemplified the Egyptian conception of femininity. She served as a wet nurse for the king and his court, and in this way she fed all the people of Egypt since the prosperity of the country was closely linked to the health, well-being and stability of the king.

She was part of the divine entourage that accompanied Ra as he sailed through the sky in his boat.

Rishid was a fundamental part of Marik's upbringing, he was like a father to him, replacing the biological father as a wet nurse, he wanted Marik's happiness, he loved him like a brother and took care of him like a father, he took the punishment when Marik and Ishizu came out of the tombs, and he wanted to take Marik's place in the ritual to avoid the pain and trauma it would cause him.

He was also part of the Ghouls to continue with Marik, after leaving the tombs, we can assume that he was the one who was in charge of maintaining his mental and physical health.

But his role as a father was also slightly overshadowed by Ishizu.

She is typically depicted as the generous and selfless mother, wife, and protector who puts the interests and well-being of others before her own. She was considered the divine mother of the pharaoh, who was identified with the god Horus. She as well as the most powerful sorceress Egypt ever saw. With this power she managed to save her son Horus, but she also became the patron goddess of people who practiced magic.

Ishizu is the selfless mother who fulfills the role assigned to her, fulfilling her duty to the pharaoh was important and almost a priority, however when it came to her brothers, mainly Marik, she did not mind leaving her duty relegated in favor of hera brother's well-being.

Just like Isis, she sought help from humanity (Yugi and company) to unite the pieces of her brother and return him to normal.

She is feminine, selfless, protective, maternal, she took care of Marik when they were children, stopping living her own childhood so that Marik could be happy, she helped him see what it was like outside the tombs because that is what he wanted to do.

Furthermore it is quite clear that she is Isis when we remember that her past life in ancient Egypt was called that.

[deepclan]

Moon 0:

Next >>

A ragtag group of loners, rouges, and a former kittypet band together. Together, they are looking to escape their former lives of solitude to pursue the valliant lives that can only be led within a warrior clan. Deepclan finds a little spot in the open plains, digging warrens in the ground and spending their first few days getting acquainted with their surroundings.

The nearby clans are strange, and small, just like their own. No one has made any aggressive moves so far, but the air seems tentative.

Spiderstar - formerly a loner known as Spider, Spiderstar has easily taken the mantle of leader, by the urging of his clan mates. His confident nature and boastful language makes others tend to hang off his words, and follow his orders. He's hopeful that he can lead this small clan to greatness with the help of his friend and deputy Dawnblaze.

Dawnblaze - formerly a kittypet known as Gravy, follows her friend Spiderstar in this new venture. Born male, she was neutered like most who live with twolegs are- while many toms would be devastated, she didn't entirely mind. She escaped from her home many moons ago, finding Spiderstar wandering in the grasses beyond the fence. They've been inseparable friends ever since.

Rowanstem - having wandered her entire life, Rowanstem has seen many things, known many cats, and made many friends. For a long time, she was content to flitter between friends and foes, taking food from twolegs in her old age, never sticking to one place. But as of late she has decided she is done being so lonely and fighting, leaning into this group as their medicine cat.

Dovepelt - Dovepelt is not the brightest, and it's by his charisma alone that he's made it as long as he has. He's spent most of his life up in trees, finding it odd that his clan has settled in holes in the ground. Not to mention he doesn't like this place... the energy is odd. But it's not really his decision, and he'd rather be here with his newfound clan, than alone again.

Oakgaze - Oakgaze has always been rather compassionate, helping others when she can. It was when she found her two adoptive kits, Figkit and Fawnkit, shivering and cold in a wet dilapidated bag, did she realize she couldn't stay by herself anymore. By the grace of Spiderstar, she was let into the clan with her kits, and is happy to serve as a warrior.

Ryeflow - Ryeflow is not the most personable of cats, having seen how horrible being alone can really be. She carries her scars with shame, keeping to herself more often than not. She's a warrior, and that is enough for her, focused more on her duty to her clan than anything about herself, or her past. She carries a dog tooth around her neck as a reminder, and answers no questions about it.

[bogcats]

𓇼🐚 SEASHORECLAN: MOON 2

A perpetual gray haze still remains cast over the sky, as far as the eye can see. The winds twist through Littlepatch's fur as he pads through the sparse undergrowth, several of his clanmates in toe, their steps all equally silent. One thing he could appreciate about their newfound environment was the terrain; soft and grainy, never exposing the sounds of their movement to unsuspecting prey.

Of course, the silence that the sand provided was only helpful if they could actually find any prey.

"This is beginning to feel hopeless," Darkblaze mutters, breaking the long silence.

"Darkblaze, must you be so pessimistic?" Jaypaw huffs, her eyes narrowing and her tail flicking at the older cat in annoyance.

Before Littlepatch knew it, a flurry of insults began being hurled back and forth. He tries desperately to ignore the sounds of his clanmates bickering like kits as they continue along their path, climbing onto a tall formation of rocks, scaling the rough ground to reach a higher vantage point; however, he winces and loses focus as a sharp howl of indignation from Jaypaw cuts through the air after Darkblaze delivered a particularly scathing insult.

Littlepatch spins around, leaping from the rocks and landing in front of the two cats, their remaining jabs dying on their tongues.

"Enough, both of you. This is the last thing we need right now," he spat out, his tail raised high in the air and his fur standing straight up.

"But he--"

Before Jaypaw could finish speaking, a loud splash erupted nearby, followed by a shrill yelp. The three cats' heads whipped to the side, all of them quickly darting off in the direction of the noise.

There, just through a patch of undergrowth, was the remaining member of their patrol, Stormdrift, flailing about in a murky tidepool, wrestling with some kind of multi-legged creature that looked like the kind of thing a queen would warn her kits about to get them to behave. The strange creature's limbs wrapped around the cat's head, violently squirming away from his snapping jaws and sharp fangs, while Stormdrift helplessly skittered backwards.

"Oh StarClan, what is that thing?" Jaypaw hissed out, her fur bristling upwards.

The three cats watched on for several moments in stunned horror, before their clanmate let out another yowl, clearly in dire need of some assistance. They sprung into action, quickly surrounding the creature from all angles and hurling their bodies into the water, claws wildly swiping at its many limbs. Darkblaze had the sense to scratch at its eyes, causing it to release its hold on Stormdrift's head. The four cats, now sopping wet and sand-covered, watched as the creature scurried away in a bizarre squirming fashion and disappearing beneath the sand.

As Littlepatch turned around and saw the imprints in Stormdrift's fur where the creature had latched onto him, he made a mental note to warn everyone to keep away from the tidepools from now on.

<< Previous

seashoreclan encounters an octopus!! this is based on an actual patrol prompt you can get in-game where your cats find an octopus. sort of a filler post because nothing really noteworthy happened this moon </3 also a good excuse to introduce some of the other clan members

(everyday it becomes abundantly clear that i don’t know what cats look like and would die without a reference. also the ref for this was super blurry so sorry)

[13as07]

Cats and Dogs #3

(Kiba Inuzuka)

[Artwork is not mine! Credit to rereren ren]

Requested by: Myself

Word Count: 4,200

Warnings and/or Pre-Notes:

[Reader] is a Neko (or as close as I could get with my rushed research and to go with the story line) per request

Threats of Violence

Name Calling: Mutt, Dog, Kitty

———————————————————————

     I keep my eyes locked on the ground, a mix of emotions rolling around my head; pain still sizzling from Kiba's bite marks, nakedness from the lack of my headband, embarrassment from the collar - and once again, the bite marks - on my neck, and lastly, anger towards Kiba for making me feel all of this and for taking my headband with him. Dumb, stupid, smelly mutt.

     Since Kiba still has my headband, I've spent the day trying to haunt him down. For my headband. I want my headband, and that's it. It's the only reason I'm wandering around the Inuzuka clan.

     I - and most of my clan - usually avoid their territory for many reasons. Mostly the smell; their stomping grounds always smell like, well, dogs, and wet fur. Another part has to do with our clans' tension with each other. It's not 'war with each other' level but it's definitely 'jumping each other's members' and 'political fighting' level.

     It's dumb that I'm here, especially by myself. I'm a cat prancing on the fence of a dog pound, and the dogs are catching wind of my scent. I should have shown up with a plan, I have no clue how to track Kiba down. I can't pick up on his scent, the smell of his clan overwhelming my nose. Unless he stumbles on my path or I ask someone, I'm going to be stuck wandering around.

     I glance around the road, looking for someone who is somewhat not threatening looking. Everyone out here is either whispering or shooting me a dirty look so maybe it's not the best group of people to ask. I look around again, my eyes settling on a little pop-up store. That should work, I think.

     I quickly scurry around the street, a few snapped jaws and growls shot my way as I pass people. I shove the door open, stumbling into the shop and making sure the door closes behind me. Not much of a line of defense but at least I can be certain no one will snatch me up from behind.

     "Hello, welcome into - " the cashier starts, stopping when his eyes land on me. He blinks at me a few times, eyes rolling over my form before snagging on my ears. "What the hell is an Izuno doing on Inuzuka territory?"

     "I - uh. I'm... looking for Kiba. Do you happen to know where he is?" I stumble out, my hands jumping up to cup my ears, suddenly feeling self-conscious about them. Maybe I should have taken them off.

     "And what might a sneaky cat want with our Delta?"

     "What?" I mutter, quickly blinking as I look over the man. Our two clans share a few traits; animalistic noises, collaring on occasion, heightened senses, and animal-based canines.

     My clan however has a few things that Inuzuka's don't; Ears, bells, some even sport tails, and of course, elegance, grace, and balance that our dog counterparts don't have. I'm not sure what Inuzukas have that we don't but apparently, they have weird names. Rankings, maybe? Like Captain and such. Why the hell is Kiba called a delta? What the hell is a delta?

     "I just... he has something of mine and I need it back," I shortly explain, glancing around the store. There's a stock-boy two aisles in front of me, squatting down, and poking his head around the shelves as he watches this play out. Two verses one; not terrible odds but not the best. I can take on two dogs.

     "What might he have that you needed so bad that you're trespassing?" The clerk asks, teeth barred as he inches his way around the counter. He's bigger than the stock-boy; I should focus on taking him down first if it comes to that.

     "He has my village headband. I can't go on missions without," I mutter, trying my best not to let my eyes slit; if I don't act like I feel threatened, they'll hopefully not feel threatened. Screw the village rules, screw the jounins for being the only ones allowed on missions without the headbands, and screw the Hokage for leaving my rank at chunin. "If it wasn't important, I wouldn't be trespassing. I just need the headband back and Kiba has it."

     "Seems like something a sneak feline would lie about to incriminate our leader's son," the clerk growls, full around the counter now. The stock-boy has started inching forward too, fully out from behind the shelf but still low to the ground. "Do you know why us dogs are superior to you cats?"

     "You're not," I hiss before I can stop myself, my eyes winning over and slitting. My vision slightly yellows, picking up every movement from the clerk's moving forward to the dust on the floor shifting because of the step. My canines and fingers ache too, prepared to rip something apart if a fight keeps brewing.

     "Agree to disagree," Clerk grumbles, a soft wolf-whistle of agreement coming from the stock-boy. "Us dogs are better than you cats because we have our pack. We don't do anything alone, especially enter enemy territory."

     "We're not enemies," I mutter, taking a step back. Would it be better or worse to stumble back onto the street? "Our clans have been in a truce for decades now."

     "We all know that's fake," he cackles, taking another step forward. "It's a façade to keep the village leaders out of our business. Us dogs and you cats are still at each other's throats like we've always been. Personally, I haven't torn up an Izuno in a while. Boy," the clerk calls, flicking his eyes toward the stock-boy for a moment. "Have you ever ripped apart a cat?"

     "No," the younger boy growls, his eyes glowing a soft green in the dim lighting of the store, causing my hair to feel like it's standing on end. "And - "

     " - he's not going to," a voice cuts in, a hand landing on my shoulder. "We're at peace with the Izuno, don't go ruining that peace because you're an old-time racist."

     The two men bow their heads a bit, the glow of their eyes snapping off. "Not liking cats doesn't make me a racist," the clerk says when he lifts his head, a glare still locked on me. "Even if the cat is an Izuno. The truce is as fake as the boy's hair color and you know it."

     The stock-boy grumbles about his boss calling out his dye job, turning away to go back to work. "I don't think the truce is fake," the guy behind me mutters, moving closer so his arm rests on my shoulder, his hand dangling by my side.

     The scent of Kiba envelopes me, tipping off who it is before I tilt my head back. Yep, definitely Kiba. His usual smirk isn't anywhere to be seen, his jaw is locked like I remember it being while he was chewing his way through my skin, his face as hard as stone and his eyes having a flicker of glow to them as he looks at the clerk. Unlike the stock-boy, his eyes glow a hazel color.

     "Of course, you don't," the clerk mutters, sliding back behind the counter. "Is there something I can help you with?"

     "Mom placed an order, I'm here to pick it up."

     "Yes, yes. Alph's order is all packed up and in the back for you. Feel free to use the side door," Clerk mutters, waving his hand toward one of the doors, his full attention still on the magazine he's reading.

     Kiba nods, dropping his arm down to my hips before pushing me forward. I'm shoved across the store and through the door beside her releases me. "You know," he starts, leaving me be to peek through the different boxed orders. "When I said I would see you again today, I meant it as me running into you around the village. Not as you sneaking around my clan and almost getting yourself into a fight."

     "I wasn't sneaking," I huff, rubbing my nose to lessen the smell of the room. It smells overbearingly like bleach.

     "Whatever you want to call it, Kitty. Still, you shouldn't have come around alone. You should have asked Lee or Tenten or even Neji to come with. Shino would have been the best, the clan is accustomed to him being around and actually like him, surprisingly."

     "Why are you telling me this?"

     "So next time you come around you don't almost get bitten. Well, bite by someone other than me of course," Kiba shoots me one of his grins, closing the lid of the box he checked before picking it off the floor. "Come on, Kitten. I'll walk you home after I drop this off to Mom."

     "I'm not coming around again and I don't need you to walk me home," I grumble, jumping forward to stand next to him when the door we just walked through opens. I cling to Kiba's arm, trying to ignore the feeling of it flexed from holding the box in his hands.

     "Do you mind letting Alpha know I need her order a day early this week? The Mrs and I are going out of the village next week and I haven't trained the new guy on ordering yet."

     "Sure," Kiba mutters, his tone rough and slathered in anger again. "Come on, Kitty," he grumbles, shifting his hips to push into mine. I reluctantly let go of his arm, scurrying forward to open the only other door for him.

     Once we're out of the street, alone in the alleyway of the building, the anger leaves Kiba and he relaxes a bit. "Scaredy Cat," he teases, gently bumping into me before he heads down the alley.

     "I'm not a scaredy cat," I scold, staying close to him when he leads me out of the alley and the safety blanket of darkness it offers.

     "Ya? Why'd you grip my arm so hard then?"

     "I was worried your wimpy arms were going to give out," I hiss, accidentally bumping into him, my attention focused on his clan members who are whispering and staring at us. The accidental bump paints a grin on his face again. "I have a question."

     "I have a question too. A question for a question?" He chuckles, the sound cutting short when a member walks a little too close for my liking. Kiba notices right away, jaw locked as he stares down the teenager until he gives us some space. "Ask your question first."

     "Why did the clerk call you a delta and your mom alpha?"

     "They're a sort of pack ranking thing. My mom is the chief so she's alpha, my sister is her right hand so she's the beta, and I'm ranked after that so I'm a delta. Everyone else in the clan is called an omega."

     "Like the writing thing?"

     Kiba lets out an annoyed sigh, glancing at me for a moment before looking ahead again. "Ya, like the writing thing," he grumbles, shifting the box in his hands. "My turn," he adds, his smile back on his face. "Are the rumors about my dick great enough for you to walk into a wolf's den for it?"

     He really knows how to burn through his brownie points and then some. "One, I came for my headband. Two, all the rumors about your dick start with 'five seconds' and 'three inches'. Three, you are descendants of dogs, not wolves."

     "One, I forgot I had your headband. I meant to give it back before I left. Two, I can last for about fifteen minutes and go for quite a few rounds. Plus, my dick is nine inches. Just measured it this morning and everything. Three, dogs descended from wolves, so technically I did too," he teases, making sure to add in his penis brags.

     "Of course, you're obsessed with your dick."

     "Obsessed with putting it in you, ya," Kiba answers instantly, with no shame and not even a hint of teasing in his sentence.

     "What?"

     "You heard me."

                     ————————————

     My eyes jump around the gates Kiba and I have stopped in front of. It's pretty, made out of dark black metal and twisted in a swirly design of two dogs facing each other, the tips of their noses touching in the center where the gates separate. 'Inuzuka Breeding Farm' is curved into the sign standing above the gates. I assumed Kiba's clan was in control of the in and out take of the dog population, I just never thought hard enough to figure out how much of it they controlled.

     Chatter on the other side of the fence fills the silence that made itself welcomed during the rest of our walk, breaking up some of the tension between us. "Kitty?"

     "Kiba?"

     "My key card is in my left pocket, do you mind getting it out and scanning it for us?"

     "Sure," I mutter, keeping my eyes on the ground as I carefully reach into his pocket. The smooth plastic brushes against my fingertips before I grab it. The word 'Delta' is stickered on the plastic above the scanning strip. The Inuzuka's take this dog ranking thing seriously.

     I walk up to the fence, running the card through the reader. Once it's scanned, there's a pop and then the screeching of metal moving. Kiba moves forward without a single blink, walking through the gates and continuing to trudge along. I stand still for a moment, not sure if I should follow after or wait here. "Kitty?"

     "Coming," I call back, scurrying forward to fall in step next to him. The last thing I need is to get corned by a pack of mutts. He seems to be beelining for the big barn in the middle of the field, a few smaller barns, and lots of different fenced areas surrounding it.

     "Not yet, Pretty Kitty." A chuckle follows his boyish joke, making me roll my eyes at him.

     I swear, the only thing Kiba thinks about is sex. "Is there anything rattling around that box for a brain of yours aside from your dick and using it?"

     "Your eyes, usually. How soft and smooth your ears are too... and your thighs. I like how they jiggle and how they expand when you sit down. That shit is hot."

     "You're a pervert," I mutter, looking at the ground again as I try to fight down the heat curling across my cheeks. He can't seriously like that my thighs double in size when I sit down... right?

     "That's not perverted. What's perverted is I shoved my fingers into your scratches and thought about suffocating between your thighs last night."

     "Shut up, Kiba."

     "Yes ma'am," he answers, a hint of a giggle in his laugh. My face feels like it's on fire from his line of confessions. He is just a smelly dog. A dirty, smelly, horny dog that gets a kick out of toying with me... and saving me, apparently.

     The doors of the building slide into my sight. They're barn styled, no surprise there. Like the front gate, the door is covered in a metal design; this one being three puppies dog piled on top of each other. "Is this the puppy barn?"

     "Ya, it's the most annoying barn," Kiba mutters, shifting the box again. "It's always packed and busy. The moms, their litters, people coming in and out to look at and work with the dogs. It's just a lot." I hum along to his ramble, taking a few quick steps forward to scan his keycard again and push the door open for the both of us.

     Instantly the smell of dog assaults my nose, making it scrunch up. The noise of barks, puppy chirps, and people attack my ears, the sound seeming a lot louder than it did outside of the building. Kiba was right, the barn is packed. Members of his clan are everywhere; some walking people around, some in the dog kennels, and some running around doing who knows what.

     "This way, Kitty," he mutters, softly bumping into me to lead me down the right way.

     I follow after him, my hand jumping up to cling to his elbow as I'm led through the crowd. People part for him as we walk, quite a few freezing and staring when their eyes land on me. "Where are we going?"

     "The adoption room. Well, it's the room we use to expose the dogs to their potential owners to make sure everything clicks right but adoption room just sounds better."

     "Oh," I mutter, tightening my grip on him when one of the members wrapped in a doctor's coat shoots me a glare.

     Like clockwork, a door labeled 'Adoption Room' falls into view. This one doesn't have a keypad so Kiba can shoulder it open. When the door swings closed behind us, the noise gets muffled quite a bit. He continues leading me around the sitting room looking space, setting the box down on the coffee table. "Hey Mom," he mutters, snagging my attention.

     I poke my head out from behind him, being met with a desk I didn't realize was there. Sat at the desk is a woman who looks a lot like Kiba, which makes sense since she's his mom. Her hair is crazier than Kiba's though, and a lot longer.

     "Kiba," she greets back, looking up from the paperwork she was staring at. Her eyes instantly lock on me, her frown deepening. That can't be a good sign. "Dear Lord, what happened to that poor girl?" What?

     Kiba goes to raise his hand, freezing for a moment when he notices I'm clinging to it. He switches arms, raising the one I'm not holding up to scratch the back of his head. "Me," he whispers, looking anywhere by his mother or me.

     Heat returns to my face when I realize what she's talking about; the marks and collar around my neck. I look trashy meeting the Inuzuka chief right now, great.

     His mother's face falls to her hands, rubbing her eyes as she lets out a long sigh. "When you told your sister you bit and collared your way into a partner, I thought you were kidding." Partner? Partner?! "Please tell me you at least gave the poor thing some proper disinfectant. Do you know the kind of illness she could get because you bite her too hard? The risks to her health and wellbeing they can cause?"

     "I... did not... do that. But I'm going too," Kiba answers, racing the second half out in a single breath.

     His mother mutters to herself, not bothering to raise her head from her hands. "Kiba, Kiba, Kiba," she mumbles, finally raising her head. "This is not how you treat your partner. Have you even taken the girl on a date? I doubt it. Take her on a date, do you hear me? Make him take you on a date. Somewhere nice, and expensive," she says, turning her attention towards me during the end.

     "Yep, alright Mom. Will do," he answers, turning and tugging me towards the door.

     "I'm not done lecturing you!" She yells after that, her voice being cut off by the door closing, the sound of the barn replacing it.

     "So," I mutter, letting go of him and taking a step away.

     "So," he echos, starting the walk back out of the barn. "I... might have... overshot us - you! - to my sister and she might have... told our mom."

     "That's..." I start, scanning the different dogs as we make our way out. "... nice."

     "Ya... ya... I might have... left out the whole... alley parts."

     "But not the forced collaring thing?"

     ".... No... my - uh... my sister knows... about that."

     "Cool," I murmur, dragging out the word. I click my tongue, scurrying out the door when it falls into view. "Now what?" I ask him once he's out of the building too.

     He glances at me, cheeks blown out as he scratches his head again. "Well, I did save you today. I think that gains me a bit of a hangout before I walk you home."

     "... fine," I mutter, running my tongue over my teeth as I stew on the new information just dropped on me. "We're not a thing though."

     "I don't know about that. You are wearing my collar after all."

     "By force," I hiss, crossing my arms over my chest as I wander after him. "We're not together."

     "You're just playing hard to get. If you didn't like it - or me - you would have had Neji cut it off yesterday." Dumb mutt. Dumb cocky mutt that believes he has some wolfie claim to me. Dumb smelly mutt that I don't hate as much anymore. Dumb stupid mutt that makes me excited at the thought of being his partner.

                     ————————————

     Kiba's house is... very dog. Four or five dogs are stretched out on the porch, one that I notice as Kiba's. Aka-something. His dog is the first to rise, slithering his way over to us. Unlike the other times I've seen him, the dog is pretty calm, even licking my fingers as his master greets him.

"Your dog doesn't hate me anymore," I mutter, rocking on my heels as I wait for him to unlock the door.

"Akamaru has never hated you. He just kind of vibes with me so he feeds off of our enemies-to-lovers thing."

"We're not... that's not a thing. Definitely not a thing we're doing."

"Sure," he mutters, holding the door open for me. Kiba is stupid. His lopsided smile is stupid. His lingering eyes on my thighs are stupid. His not-so-subtle grab of my ass when I walk by is stupid.

"Don't do that," I hiss at him, swatting at his hand. I let out a long sigh as I settle in the entrance, waiting for him to walk in. Despite the house being run by dogs, it's pretty nice. Lots of bright colors, lots of light filtering in from big windows, and lots of dog hair. Surprisingly, it doesn't smell like dog as much as I thought it would.

When Kiba does walk in, he grabs my wrist, using it to drag me around the house, up the stairs, and into his bedroom before he settles me in his bed. His blankets, along with almost everything in the room, are covered in the white fur of his dog.

My eyes jump around his room, my hands situated under my thighs as I sit on the edge of the bed. Almost every inch of his walls is covered in photos. A lot are of our teammates, a few of his sister and his mom, and a couple of random photos of things and people I don't know. My eyes snag on one of the photos. It's a picture of Neji sandwiched between Hinata and me on our last beach day. "How'd you get that?" I ask, pointing at the photo.

I glance around the room, not sure where Kiba is at. He's hunched over a laundry basket, searching the pockets of a pair of pants. At my call, his eyes flicker out, snapping toward where I'm pointing. "Whose camera do you think we used the whole trip?" Oh... ya... I guess it was Kiba's camera. "What? Sad I'm not stalking you?"

"No," I whisper, settling my hand under my thigh again. "Keeping it is stalking enough."

"You looked happy in it. It's one of the only times I've seen you smile. The only time I've managed to capture you smiling. You have a bit of a resting bitch face."

I can feel my resting bitch face deepen from the comment. "Sorry that I'm not as obnoxious as you dogs."

"It's cool," he says, a smile on his lips as he shrugs his shoulders. My headband dangles from his fingertips, the bell still securely tied to it. I lean forward to grab it, but Kiba moves it out of my reach. "Not so fast, Kitty. If you want it back, it's going to cost you."

     "I earned my headband, then you stole it. Give it back."

     "Nope," he hums, toying with it as a way to rub it in my face more. "It's mine until you pay up."

     "If you're going to make me pay for it, I'll just order a new one." I knew this trip was going to be a waste. I should have ordered a new one and taken the unwanted vacation time as I waited for the new headband to arrive.

     Kiba chuckles, tossing it onto the desk in the corner. The metal clinks against the wood, clicking and making the bell ding before it settles in its new spot. "I don't want money for it, Kitty. I want some more play time," he says, a wolfish smile on his face, canines poking out with the threat of more bite marks and eyes slit in their predatorial way as he takes slow steps forward. "So, Kitty, are you going to pay for a new headband or are you going to play with me?"

———————————————————————

———————————————————————

———————————————————————

———————————————————————

[batjoy]

okkk i have just finished thunder and you know what? i loved it! i loved the book. per usual im a fan of the travels away from the clan boundaries, towards a goal, destined to return with character bonding along the way. i thought (as most critiques go) the actual scenes with frostpaw and nightheart bonding could have been written better, or we could have just seen more trust being built between the two but overall, i loved it!

i really liked the park cats, just thought they were super fun and necessary, with all of the repetitive plot lines within warriors, they really felt like a refreshing touch of finding the value in mental processing and fun/play. it was a surprising twist to involve them and i think it really paid off.

i also love the development of nightheart’s character. exceptionally sopping wet whiny at the beginning with just a furnace of teen angst, who develops into a good and caring dude overall without some kind of external tragedy. good on him.

i loved sunbeam’s trials, at least the first two. and i loved her characterization throughout them as she starts to find her place within the clan. i’ve never read the series with cherryfall so this is my first introduction to the character and while i see a lot of folks find her sympathetic, she just gives off darkstripe vibes to me. yucky. but i did like the push and pull of her relationship with sunbeam.

it does feel weird to me that the authors still present thunderclan as the “protagonist” clan after all this time writing the series, but i guess it’s good at least for presenting simple narrative tropes in children’s literature? idk if that’s really it though, just because there’s been many complex plot lines throughout the series so not sure about that decision.

either way i’m having fun! really liking a starless clan so far and im excited for april 2nd when the audiobook of wind drops!

[fulich-bratsxd]

QSMP and their Pandora Clans Pt.1

I just rewatched Avatar 2 again and now that qsmp 2024 has started, it was only a matter of time before the ideas began popping up :)

--

FOOLISH - Metkayina Clan

shark man had to be in the water-based tribe, he just had to be

has adopted son named Arin

strongest swimmer w/ longest breath hold

owns fastest Tsurak

the tribe builder (as per usual lmao)

wears an Akula leather hood w/ an Akula tooth necklace (managed to kill one while lost at sea for a period of time)

blind in one eye (lost during Akula encounter right before Iknimaya)

only has tattoos on right side of body (face tattoos highlight akula encounter via emphasizing eye scar, also has tattoos down his neck, back, chest, and arms)

ETOILES - Metkayina Clan

this is purely bc i think etoiles would be able to travel farther distances a lot easier if he was metkayina vs land-based Na-vi

best warrior of the tribe

uses a selection of weapons he has amassed over the years

fully blind (bc i love that hc idc idc idc)

has traveled very far distances to explore other waters/lands

well-versed in the water and on land due to adventures

has interacted w/ many other Na'vi tribes (some were defo nicer than others)

Owns a Tsurak and a Ikran ("best meta ever" he says)

had begun traveling a few months after completing Iknimaya

face tattoos emulate signature mask look, has other tattoos across his body that represent his adventures

JAIDEN - Aranahe Clan

this clan is full of artists so i thought it was fitting (i also think jaiden would love the Kinglors)

is studying to be a Tiretu

spends most time weaving, painting, and dyeing (she's an expert frfr)

loves to help decorate tribal tents

has multiple Kinglors that just hang around

mostly a pacifist but can fight if needed

prefers purple or red face paint but experiments w/ different colors

has a very rebellious adopted son named Bobby (loves him to absolute death)

has a small, yet special place just outside village where she spends time with Bobby (personally, i think its a cave on a nearby mountain that looks over the sunset)

(cave is also definitely covered in different paintings and sculptures)

MISSA - Anurai Clan

skeleton man deserves to live in a tribe connected to the bone sanctuary

still very much wet cat vibes

has a son named Chayanne

used to have a mate but died during childbirth

has a Nantang that follows either him or Chayanne everywhere

total pacifist, truly is not a fighter at heart

specializes in crafting musical bones

likes to sing and play music (he goes hard during celebrations and rituals, best believe)

the RDA did his tribe very wrong, but he still likes to believe there is good in everyone he meets

[bonefall]

mmm would it be possible for Mistystar and Leopardstar to fight/met during the BOTTE? or was Leopard already fed up with Tigerstar, his batshit insane plans and her status reduced to 'Tiger's another lackey' (like Darkstripe and many others) to really care about revenge? if she ever thought about it, that is.. im assuming she would be pretty pissed about being killed (there was a post about Mistyfoot first trying to poison her and Leopard realized it and instead decided to take her on a solo patrol to.. deal with a rogue i think? and then Misty gave her a rock appointment) and might had thought about making Mistystar pay, but it's been soooo long before BOTTE that she might had.. moved on? or just decided she had better things to do, not sure.

I have a BIG rule for the BOTTE, an unmoveable object, which I will abide by like a solemn vow;

NO spirit will be killed by the same cat twice.

I already changed it so Yellowfang doesn't get Brokenstar (he's not even present) and Brambleclaw doesn't get Hawkfrost, so I certainly wouldn't have Mistystar do it to Leopardstar!

I have some ideas but first; context.

The Killing of Leopardstar

Mistyfoot was sloppy.

Leopardstar recognized the way that Mistyfoot had poisoned her food, because she'd done the same thing to Crookedstar before her. Not enough to make it quick, just enough to weaken.

The emotion that licks at her is frustration.

Is this what her life has come to? Dramatic irony? Is this some kind of cosmic joke? To die just like her predecessor, wasting away for a few seasons in the darkness of this musty den, before solemn mourning and empty platitudes from her underhanded murderer.

What should she even do about this? Reveal Mistyfoot in front of everyone, exile her, she plots against her from the safety of another Clan, some kind of rebellion, rah rah rah we just dealt with this.

It's boring. It's so boring it's offensive. This will be the state of RiverClan forever, deputies poisoning leaders and taking power quietly until the end of days. No honor, no nobility, just treachery until the sky dries up and its rich blue becomes a crackled pale-brown.

If she is to die, she will not go out in the slow and painful way she killed crookedstar without a fight.

So she smacks the limp fish aside and brushes past Mistyfoot with a snarl, not even caring enough to drink in the way her traitorous deputy's ears flushed pale, knowing she'd been caught.

Leopardstar calls for a rushed meeting, telling them all that there's actually 40 - 50 feral rogues on the border right now and she saw them all last night or something, so she's taking Mistyfoot to go confront them right now. Don't follow us.

(Something that the more astute members of the Clan immediately recognize as Leopardstar setting up cover for a death match, including Misty's brother Swansong. She snaps at him when he runs to stop her, Don't Follow.)

Once they're a fair distance away, at the southern delta that divides WindClan and RiverClan, where the cliffs will hide them and the wet stones will not catch the scent (and where Reedwhisker will die, someday), Leopardstar lays it out.

No more tricks. No more schemes. If one of them is to die, it will be with honor.

"You want my lives?"

(Boss music fades in. Misty sees the health bar appear lmao)

"Come and take them."

After she came and took them

Leopardstar is kind of obsessed with the final battle of her life. That fight was everything she hoped for, except that she didn't win.

She wants it again, and she will triumph this time.

Hawkfrost is easily able to twist it into, "You lost only because StarClan shone upon her with that stone. It wasn't real skill. Join our cause and we can get you that rematch, we will defeat Mistystar, win back RiverClan, and dethrone the Stars!" But at the end of the day, it's an excuse.

Same sort of excuse Leopardstar came up with when she believed she wanted an honorable battle, rejecting the guilt and fear that clawed at her to think about dying the way Crookedstar did.

She does this a lot. Dodging feelings of remorse or regret by substituting power fantasies, avoiding any hard lessons. She says she wants revenge, but what she's actually doing is avoiding taking an L. Shame is a vagrant in Leopardstar's heart; she will never let it stay for long.

But...

That's really hard to do when Tigerstar is actively using her and speaking over her in every interaction. Being here, in the Dark Forest, taking the SAME advice she once groomed into Hawkfrost to only look at the positives of Tigerstar's legacy and ignore atrocities, is embarassing.

It's HUMILIATING.

She had her starshine BASHED out of her with a rock and went to the hell she'd been downplaying since she "regrettably" tore down the Bonehill. Being Tigerstar's stooge. Reducing the proud, ferocious leader of RiverClan into a goon.

Towards the end, she will have a scene with Hawkfrost, proud warriors that they are as mentor and apprentice, and vaguely address this. As far as Leopardstar's ego will allow, of course... the shame of it.

It's an important moment, because it's as much about Leopardstar and Hawkfrost as it is about Hawkfrost and Ivypool.

Leopard is too set in her ways to change, even if she is capable of brief glimpses of self-reflection, of which this is one. Hawkfrost, however, is seeing his mentor and himself in a different light. How she'll let herself be humiliated over and over as long as she can cling to her ego... and how by doing Tigerstar's diplomacy work, Hawkfrost is doing the same.

And he's dragged his OWN apprentice into it, too. She accidentally double-killed her friend, Antpelt, but he killed him more by bringing all of these trainees here to begin with. How Ivypool gets pitted against Tigerheart because TigerSTAR is playing mind games, how it's destroying her bond with her sister, how much fun and joy in the Dark Forest he's missing out on by not giving the afterLIFE a chance...

How much he's thrown away for this, before and after his death.

I'm not sure yet if it's the LAST stop before the BOTTE, but it's close to the end of Hawkfrost's redemption arc. Recognition of self through the other. He is part of a cycle he has a choice to break.

But anyway... back to Leopardstar.

She wants to fight Mistystar, but I don't think I'll let her have that satisfaction. She has already gotten nearly everything she ever asked for and can't even acknowledge that she did.

I think it's most fitting for SWANSONG to finally get what he craves; a chance to take a burden off his sister.

Leopardstar allowed TigerClan to STRIP his brotherhood from her because they don't share blood. Forced him to pretend like Rippleclaw meant anything to him, as if Oakheart hadn't been his proud baba as long as he could remember. Stonefur, Mistyfoot, and Swansong are the kits of Graypool; and he's not gonna let this golden FART ignore that ever again.

So my idea is that when Leopardstar meets Mistyfoot in the Second Wave of the BOTTE, she pounces onto her for her rematch, but Swansong BURSTS out of the crowd in response and rips her off, allowing Mistystar to go back to defending their Clanmates

"I don't want YOU," Leopardstar spits, "My battle is with Mistystar!"

"Tough titfeathers! It's MY turn to get a hit in for Stonefur!" He bristles with equal parts fury and excitement, lunging towards a fight he's dreamed of for years.

Still subject to change, though! And I'm not sure if Swansong dies here, or in the 3rd Wave, or if maybe he succumbs to injuries after the BOTTE is over.

It would also be fitting if he got a whack on Mapleshade though... since Maple doesn't even consider him Applekin and won't curse him. It would be neat for him to get angry about that lmao. "What do you MEAN my siblings are haunted by a demon? But NOT ME?? What ELSE am I getting left out of???"

EDIT: I'm currently planning to kill him in the 2nd Wave

[rippleclan]

RippleClan: Moon 16

The war disrupts Clan routine, forcing everyone to adapt.

[Image ID: Halibutpaw, Graypaw, and Shadowpaw stand on the left with Downstar on the right. Downstar says, “If life wasn’t so chaotic right now, I would put all three of you on trial. But right now, we need you at your best. No more heroics, please. I don’t want to lose another kit.”]

(Halibutpaw: 8, male, warrior apprentice, impulsive, quick witted, lover of stories)

(Graypaw: 8, female, caretaker apprentice, bloodthirsty, careful listener)

(Shadowpaw: 8, male, codekeeper apprentice, adventurous, confident with words)

Apple Cider has decided to join the Clan!

[Image ID: Apple Cider stands in the center of the screen, saying “Hehe, hi again!” Under her, it says LEVEL UP! APPLE CIDER -> APPLEPELT.]

---

There hadn’t been too many skirmishes with AshClan since Downstar’s kits took matters into their own paws, but Oilstripe was still glad Scrubmask led the hunting patrol to the river rather than the border. Carnationspeckle wanted to teach Graypaw how to prepare fish (since Downstar was keeping the apprentices in camp as much as possible), so it was up to the patrol to catch suitable subjects for the lesson. The Great Northern River had turned cold, and Oilstripe shivered whenever the water touched her paws, but she pushed on.

It seemed everyone else in the patrol was far more skilled at fishing than Oilstripe. Burdockpaw surpassed Oilstripe moons prior and now carefully sat on one of the stones jutting out of the river, waiting for fish to bite at the small lure Puddlespeckle built. Scrubmask took to traditional fishing and stared unblinking into the water. Even Locustpaw, freed from their mentor for the day, was totally engrossed in their task and proudly waded through the thinner currents in search of prey. Oilstripe was stuck on a rock near the opposite side of the river without a single piece of prey to show for her time. 

Maybe Oilstripe should take a nap. The river’s hum was quite soothing after all. It reminded her of when she pushed her nest close to Weedfoot and heard her purr in her sleep. There were no ghosts around to bother her and earn weird stares from her younger siblings (she knew cats saw her when she spoke to a visitor, but what could she do?). Oilstripe laid her chin on one paw and closed her eyes as a soft mist dusted her whiskers.

Such rest could not last long, sadly. The gentle crackle of fallen leaves brought Oilstripe to her paws. As she turned, a warm brown figure stepped out of the late afternoon shadows.

“Hehe, hi again!” Apple Cider chirped.

“Oh, hello!” Oilstripe gasped. “I haven’t seen you since the storm last moon! I was worried about you!” She leapt onto the shore beyond RippleClan. Apple Cider’s ears tilted back and they glanced about, unable to lock onto Oilstripe.

“About that…” Apple Cider groaned, whiskers twitching, “my humans were out of the den when the storm hit. They didn’t come back.” Oilstripe’s spine shivered. She knew the storm had been bad; it was never a good sign when spirits of StarClan gathered around like they did by the AshClan border that night, as though waiting for a new friend. Still, she had never imagined the storm was strong enough to kill humans. Humans could build grand ships and had a mastery of wood and tools the Clans had yet to figure out. How could a storm take them from this world?

“I’m sorry,” Oilstripe sighed. “I know kittypets can be close to their humans.”

“I wasn’t that close,” Apple Cider stammered. “I was mostly there to catch mice for them. I figured I could stay in the den for longer, but new humans moved in. I don’t think they like cats.” They rubbed a paw into the wet ground. “I don’t want to live alone. I’m not very good at that. I was wondering if I could hear more about your Clan?”

“Yes!” Oilstripe laughed. “I’d love to talk to you! Come across the river with me.” Oilstripe hopped across the slick rocks, glancing about at Apple Cider at each step of the way. Apple Cider perked up and hurried through the water. The pair caught Burdockpaw’s attention before they got halfway across.

“Oilstripe, why are you letting Apple Cider across the river?” he huffed, placing a paw on his fish.

“She wants to learn about RippleClan!” Oilstripe explained as Scrubmask and Locustpaw joined them.

“I’ve heard others say you’re a little strict,” Apple Cider admitted, eyeing each new cat, “but who knows? You might be fun to live with. Do you have any good stories?”

“That’s a historian’s whole job,” Burdockpaw said, sitting tall. “We remember the Clan’s history and tell it to future generations.”

“Can I do that?” Apple Cider asked with a sparkle in her eyes.

“You don’t know any stories,” Scrubmask said bluntly, looking the warm brown cat up and down.

“Burdock and I can teach her,” Oilstripe said, bridging the gap between Burdockpaw and Apple Cider. “Apple Cider can hunt, and we can teach her how to fight! We need the extra paws!”

“I’m not arguing with you,” Scrubmask said, flicking her ears to the RippleClan side of the river. “We need to talk to Downstar. Let’s collect our prey and return home.”

“Oilstripe, Burdockpaw, Downstar…” Apple Cider hummed as Burdockpaw grabbed his fish. “Those are interesting names!”

“They’re designed to be changed as you grow up,” Oilstripe explained. She led Apple Cider the rest of the way over the river. “When I was born, I was Oilkit. When I was an apprentice, I was Oilpaw. Now I’m Oilstripe!”

“I want a name like that!” Apple Cider chirped, gleefully landing on RippleClan’s shores. “New life, new me! No more human names! Call me Apple… uh, Apple…” The brown cat glanced at the other cats, searching for a suffix. She looked at her own fur, and said, “Applepelt! Call me Applepelt.”

“I like that name,” Oilstripe chuckled. With her Clanmates carrying their catches, Oilstripe walked alongside the Clan’s newest historian all the way home.

(Oilstripe: 20, female, historian, charismatic, ghost sight)

(Burdockpaw: 10, male, historian apprentice, loyal, interested in Clan history)

(Applepelt: 25, she/they, historian, rebellious, lore keeper)

(Scrubmask: 33, female, warrior, gloomy, fast runner, good hunter)

Halibutpaw is left sore after intense battle training.

[Image ID: Halibutpaw stands in the middle of the screen. Under him, it says + CONDITION: SORE.]

(Halibutpaw: 8, male, warrior apprentice, impulsive, quick witted, lover of stories)

Eager to help her new Clan, Applepelt runs head-on into a border skirmish and is injured.

[Image ID: Autumnstar leers in the upper left, saying “If you want this land, you have to prove you-” but Applepelt runs up from the right, incoherently screaming. Under them, it says = CONDITION: CAT BITE.]

(Applepelt: 25, she/they, historian, rebellious, lore keeper)