#Warrior Cats Fanfic

[mothdapple]

All I'm saying Erins, is that I did it first.

(But I forgive you for copying since the Frostpaws at least don't share a warrior name.)

Here's the link, if you want to read about my Frostpaw :)

[himboblaze]

goldenflower being horrified to learn the man she trusted, the man she had kits with, the man she loved, attempted to murder her dear childhood friend, their clan’s leader.

goldenflower not being able to look bluestar in the eye after tigerclaw is exiled. she knows deep down she’s not to blame, but the idea she was so infatuated with a man who would soon attempt to kill for purely selfish and evil reasons haunts her to her core.

goldenflower feeling hollow and yet so full of despair, like a rock sinking helplessly into the river, when she receives the news that it was because of tigerclaw’s betrayal and jealousy that her brother died in that battle. that his and rosetail’s deaths were completely avoidable, and that her past mate was the reason they happened.

goldenflower feeling a deep, burning hatred, one hot enough to burn a thousand forests to ashes, when she discovers that swiftpaw, her firstborn son, someone who tigerclaw seemed to get along with so well, was torn apart by the dogs that tigerclaw lead into the forest. that her baby boy never got to become a warrior after he waited so long and tried so hard, all because of him, makes her claws ache, desperate to sink them into that terrible man’s throat.

goldenflower feeling so incredibly guilty, a feeling akin to being crushed by a hundred stones, whenever she looks at brightpaw. such a sweet, beautiful girl. her son’s best friend. inseparable, the two of them were. she looks at brightpaw’s disfigured face, chewed and spat out like a rejected play thing, and yearns for the life that was ripped away from that poor girl.

golden watching her sister tirelessly treat brightpaw, forced to become a medicine cat after falling for a cruel trap left for bluestar and feeling so hopelessly lost and confused. why would starclan punish so many cats with tigerclaw’s treacherous greed? why did cinderpelt’s dreams have to be crushed so ruthlessly? why did brightpaw have to suffer? why did swiftpaw and lionheart and runningwind and brindleface and redtail have to die? why was she cursed to fall in love with a murderer? why?

goldenflower staring blankly at bramblepaw, the only piece of her heart she has left, as her brings her fresh kill and encourages her to eat. her daughter is gone, left her without saying goodbye to join her father, for a reason goldenflower will never understand. she can only hope her dear tawnypaw is still alive. bramblepaw is all she has left, and cruelly, as if another terrible joke from starclan, he looks like a spitting image of the man she once loved.

goldenflower, who can only hope, with guilt and sorrow threatening to drown her, that her precious son turns out nothing like his father. that he will be kind, caring, compassionate, a loving mate, and perhaps even a wonderful leader. bramblepaw is old enough to make his own choices in life now, without his mother doting on him constantly. she can only hope, with all her broken heart, that he makes the right ones.

[kudossi]

like water through weeping rock

Hollyleaf looks exactly the age at which she died. Looking at her, Jayfeather feels his age in every creaking bone, every painful joint. He wonders what image he’ll take, when he ascends to the stars: will he be young, unburdened by knowledge or secrets or death? Will he assume the shape closest to his sister, when she’d been back and they’d fallen into their old habits, their old piles of pelts and purrs? Would he be older than her in death, an age she’d never reach — the shape he had been when he had forgiven his mothers? When he had trained Alderheart fully? Or would it be a form he hadn’t yet discovered, one far away and shrouded by time?

Hollyleaf hadn’t lived to be anything other than a young cat. Jayfeather has the opportunity to grow old, to die peacefully in the elders’ den, to walk the forest paths for season upon season. But his sister looks happy here, content in a way she had never been in life. The weight of the forest has been shrugged from her shoulders, and as she approaches, he sees echoes of her spin around him, muddying the skies with turmoil and fear and anger. Each defining moment sinks into his soul as easily as one sinks into their nest, eased by the peace she’d found with herself before she had died. He edges away from the ideas of the futures she could have had that pelt him like sleet — stinging pains against his face like staring into rain-drenched winds.

“Holly,” he says instead, a relieved sigh that rips almost violently through his chest.

“Jay,” she returns warmly, pressing her starlight-cold cheek into his own. A purr rattles in her throat, warming him from nose to tail-tip.

It’s been years since she died, but it feels like moments as her loss carves through his chest once more. “It’s good to see you,” he whispers.

“You see me every moon, you goof,” she returns. He can feel her whiskers twitch against his spine in amusement.

Jayfeather closes his eyes, shutting away his star-given sight, and focuses on the scent of his sister underneath the tang of night sky. “It’s not enough,” he murmurs.

“No,” Hollyleaf agrees. “It never is. But it’s more than most cats get.”

“Most cats don’t spend their lives in service to the stars,” Jayfeather replies. It’s an old argument, the familiarity making the words easy.

“It would have been nice,” Hollyleaf says, “to live a life with you and Lion, no matter the form it took.”

Jayfeather is struck—again, again, again—by how young the ghost she inhabits is. “It would have been wonderful,” he says softly. He’s not here for this — for a too-brief conversation with his dead sister — but he thinks the stars can afford him this, a few stolen moments with the sibling they stripped away.

Cruel, unnecessary; callous and cold as starlight. There’s grief blanketed over his shoulders, bitterness spreading on his tongue. None of these are unfamiliar to him. He knows what Hollyleaf chose. He knows he’s lucky that the stars took her at all.

He knows that Cinderpelt was given a second chance, even though the life she’d lived was one that she’d loved.

Hollyleaf looks at him steadily. There’s no sympathy or pity in her gaze, and he’s thankful for this cat who knows him so well.

She seems dimmer than she was last moon, and the moon before. He wonders if he’s imagining that she’s fading, but knows he isn’t. He knows that she’ll be gone before him, taken again from those who loved her best. The living world forgets — there’s no such thing as permanency for the cats who swear their lives to the stars. And forever…? What is forever?

[trinitywc]

“The Light will bring danger, you must stay in the shadows to find your way home”

The Clan cats have survived the Great Light, but, scattered and displaced, they now must find their way home- with or without their ancestors guidance.

Burdened with guilt, Pinefrost must keep the last remaining member of her Clan alive. Leafbare is closing in, and the journey across Twolegplace is fraught with danger; when a mysterious guide promises to lead the Clan cats across the river, Pinefrost finds herself confronting her past, and her future- find and reunite her shattered Clan, or run away with a stranger who promises her adventure and acceptance?

TL;DR Pinefrost, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying, and Love the Nuclear War

[iamfabiloz]

have a little idea of a drabble if that’s ok!

just. some squirreljessy fluff. maybe squirrelflight has had a fight with bramblestar, so jessy comforts her and then they decide to run away together?

this is such an old ask WAA when i was doing writing rqs in 2022 (i am no longer but) this one is for u anon *looks up at the sky* i started this almost 2 years ago and its not rlly done but I am all out of steam and am in no way a real writer so i just gave up this is what i got cw bad (i do not feel this vehemently abt anything here sorry i just got rlly into character LOL

“Run away with me, Squirrelflight.” 

Jessy’s meow was level, calm, as if the words she had just uttered were completely ordinary and not life-changing in the slightest.

Squirrelflight sputtered, choking on the mouse she had just settled down to eat. 

“W-what?” 

The deputy was now acutely aware of the deafening silence all around her, occasionally broken by the occasional squawk of a bird or creak of a branch. 

Unnerved, Squirrelflight suddenly wished for the comforting babble of her clanmates to fill the air, draining the tension from the too-quiet woods. But she knew none would come, the area they were in was a little more than a 10-minute walk from camp after all.

 It was just the two of them. 

The dark ginger molly suddenly shifted uncomfortably as the air seemed to get heavier, the little patch of forest they were in seemingly more enclosed and less spacious by the minute. It was as if the whole territory was as shocked by Jessy’s words as Squirrelflight was. 

The deputy’s partner had wheedled Squirrelflight for a moment alone all day, much to Bramblestar's chagrin. Squirrelflight’s former mate kept making up excuses for her to ignore Jessy’s request, sending Squirrelflight on errand after errand as if she were nothing but a misbehaving apprentice!

It made Squirrelflight’s claws itch and pelt prickle with frustration and she so longed to fire back at the brown tabby tom’s nonsensical demands, but she held her tongue, just this once. She wanted to meet with Jessy without being interrupted or hounded about undone checklists, thank you very much. 

So she trudged along the obstacle course Bramblestar had purposefully set for her, completing task after task (which included elder den management, tick-removal, border re-marking, herb stockpiling, and fresh-kill charting) until she was finally finished with a good enough portion to be excused for personal time. 

 Squirrelflight had quietly slipped away with a mouse in maw to meet her mate at their favorite spot in the territory: an old crooked oak tree with gnarled roots and a gaping hole beneath it big enough to house two full-grown cats. Squirrelflight had squeezed in, waiting for Jessy to meet her there. 

She momentarily relived the burst of affection she’d felt when she’d seen the brown she-cat pad closer to her location.

Whatever Squirrelflight has been expecting Jessy to say, it had certainly not been this. 

“You heard me.” The brown kittypet snapped, leaning in closer to meet Squirrelflight’s bewildered green gaze. 

“We can’t be happy here, love. Not with him around. Run away with me, Squirrelflight.” 

Squirrelflight gulped down the rest of her mouse, the prey dropping into her belly like a cold stone. 

“I- he… I know Bramblestar can be a bit… difficult.” 

“A bit is an understatement.” Jessy unsheathed her claws with a growl. 

“The guy’s a total asshole, Squirrelflight. We both know it.” 

Squirrelflight flattened her ears. 

Damn. She’s right. 

“I know, Jessy.” Squirrelflight sighed. “I know that better than any cat. But…” 

Jessy frowned. 

“But what? You’ve dealt with enough of his bullshit for a lifetime! I’ve only been here for a season and he’s already driving me crazy! I don’t know how you put up with it for so long.”

Jessy lashed her tail, her claws kneading at the ground impatiently. Squirrelflight placed her white paw on the she-cat’s shoulder, gazing at her with a silent plea. The molly’s amber gaze softened for a heartbeat, melting into the warm honeyed kindness that Squirrelflight had fallen for, before hardening back into the stern amber the deputy also admired. 

“Please try to understand, Jessy. I can’t just pick up and leave my clan out of the blue. I have responsibilities here.” 

An image of a lithe brown and white tabby flashed in Squirrelflight’s head, along with an elderly pale ginger molly and two younger toms. 

Leafpool, Sandstorm, Lionblaze, Jayfeather. 

Another vision crowded Squirrelflight’s mind, one of ThunderClan cats, big and small, hunting, patrolling, sharing tongues, and laughing as a group. 

My family and my clanmates are both so precious to me. Oh how could I be so cruel as to leave them? 

Squirrelflight closed her eyes, trying to choke back her rising distress at the thought of abandoning them all for her own desires. 

They need me. It would be selfish to just walk out when I’ve dedicated my whole life to them. 

“Are you thinking about your kin?” Jessy’s voice softened, her usual fire dimming. 

Squirrelflight nodded, blinking. “And my clanmates. Oh, Jessy, I can’t. I couldn’t. How could I leave them all?” 

Jessy looked away, her gaze darkening. 

“Squirrel…” Jesse’s maw slowly closed. 

Squirrelflight felt a rush of panic.

“It’s not that I don’t love you, it’s just-“

“Your duty. I know, I know.“ Jessy leaned over and brushed her muzzle against the deputy’s cheek.

“I just wish it could be easy.” 

 “I know Jessy, me too.” Squirrelflight sucked in a breath. “No matter what I think of Bramblestar, my clan always comes first.”

“But what about you?” Jessy burst out, bristling. 

“Why should you continue dealing with that whiny bastard just for the sake of another cat’s wellbeing? Gah- what about your own?” 

Jessy’s teeth grinded and she let out an irritated hiss. Squirrelflight was pressed against her side in an instant, curling her bushy tail over her companion’s back as an attempt to soothe her nerves. 

Jessy took a deep breath through her nose and let it out through her maw, the tension in her frame slowly softening. The brown molly sagged against the deputy’s side, her face pressing against Squirrelflight’s thick-furred shoulder. 

“Feel better?” Squirrelflight offered, giving one of Jessy’s ears a quick lick. 

“Mmrgh… no.” Jessy grunted, lifting her head, her expression twisting into a deep frown. 

“I love you so much, Squirrelflight. You know that right? So it’s absolutely infuriating to watch that rotten pile of manure treat you like a kitten who’s wet behind the ears and not the capable pillar of ThunderClan I know you are.” 

Squirrelflight felt a deep purr rumble in her chest, words unable to express how thankful she was for her companions' support. 

“Oh Jessy, I love you too. I’ll have to consider it for a bit though. I hope you understand.” 

“Of course.” Jessy meowed, padding forward to affectionately bump foreheads with her. 

“Hey, I know I said a lot of shit alright, but this is your decision. I won’t force you to do anything, and whatever you decide, I’ll be fine. Don’t pay any mind to my emotional blubbering, this is about you and what you're comfortable with. I can handle that fuzz-brained idiot myself, I was just concerned about how he affects you. I know it’s a huge thing to consider, with you having folks here and all and it’s reasonable to have doubts. Just know I’ll be with you through thick and thin, Squirrelflight.” 

Jessy pulled away, a twinkle in her amber eyes.

“No matter what.” 

“Thank you Jessy.” Squirrelflight grinned, suddenly feeling a rush of energy she hadn’t felt since she was a young cat. 

“Now… I think I’d like to have a little chat with Bramblestar. I didn’t appreciate how he made me his errand cat today.

[saltsongwc]

What all gives Spotted her lives?

-🐻

Spottedstar's 9 Lives Ceremony

The darkness of the cave only highlighted the drops of rain down into the crystals.

Drip.

Drip. 

Drip.

Runningnose was ahead of her, lean and slightly sickly body, the one outline she could still perceive in the darkness that engulfed them both.

‘This is it’ She thought, a proud purr escaping her throat, her whiskers twitched with anticipation and she raised her head proudly while her paws bled from the hard rock ‘I will face them and claim what I earned’.

She’s taken back to her first time as an apprentice, seeing the giant crystal, even more recently when Bluestar had asked for company while communicating with Starclan, when Fireheart was just an apprentice, the night Lionheart died.

The crystal was glowing under the moonlight, she felt her pelt rise when what received her was not the cool welcome she had felt the first time, etched into her memory, rather an oppressive frost that was hostile to whatever cat dared to enter. A final test, the question she needed to ask herself and the one the stars needed an answer for.

“...Are you ready Spottedstem?” The medicine cat asked. 

“Of course I am” it’s spoken as softly as she can muster, with the underlying hiss of an impatient kit, and her walk towards the crystal makes her paws freeze, frost building underneath them, her body colder despite Leaf Bare being moons ahead.

The touch of her nose however, basks her in a soft comforting warmth, she’s back in the nursery being tended to by her mother Swiftbreeze, the queen shielding her and her siblings from the elements, it’s easy to fall asleep like that.

When her eyes open, she is not greeted by the clearings and fields that had first greeted her, rather the oppressive forest which resembled Shadowclan, scarcely sparse, gray in color, faintly ahead she could see the fields of Starclan hidden between the trees, and behind her, the forest becoming denser and denser.

“Was it worth it?” Her head snapped up, the glowing body of stars tilting their head to the side, like a curious owl playing with a mouse. She squinted her eyes, and the body became clearer, the familiar pelt and face, red tail curling over their paws, and a mournful expression “Everything?”

She felt words fail her for a moment, a regret she could taste all those moons back when his blood was running down her jaws and his body lay heavy on her back.

“Everything”

His face turned away from her, for a moment his eyes could only tell her a disturbance, a regret, a yearning to return to their apprentice days and hunt together in the first all those seasons ago.

When he looked back, they were hazy and cloudy with the wisdom of seasons beyond what any of them had seen, and probably would see.

“Very well, Starclan will grant you your nine lives”

In a moment, the branches of the trees that hid the clearings opened and parted, a quiet permission shared between her and the Clan, she began walking forward but spotted once the rustle of the leaves were not accompanying, and she turned back to her brother who just remained seated.

“I will not give you a life, sister” His words stung, worse than what Spottedstem could imagine they would, his eyes sad “...But what you want to carry forward, what your plan is, please, think it through again, and if you do, you’ll come back to me safe and we will hunt together in the fields when you pass”

Before she could answer, he disappeared between the starry foliage.

Ahead, the ten cats that greeted her were familiar and unfamiliar, faces from her past woven between those of ancient history. The first cat that stepped forward, thankfully, was a familiar one.

“Oh my kit” her brown tabby pelt had the scent from new leaf and the hug she gave her returned her to just apprentice days, when she was scared to hunt, Swiftbreeze’s eyes however, were soured in disappointment “...The seasons have not been kind Spottedstem, my sweet, sweet kit”

“I stand before you as a new leader” She grits, and her mother’s whiskers twitch before taking a step back.

“Yes… And with this life, I give you strength. Strength of character, in battle, may all your foes remember who you are, who you’ll become, the strength to carry forward and know when to change, it takes more strength than one might know”

Swiftbreeze’s life made her legs almost give out on her, all the air escaping from her lungs, a final breath in one's sleep, peaceful and heavy, but she remained up.

When her mother stepped away, the next cat was a ginger and white she-cat, with a flower-like patch of orange on her shoulder, long flowing fur and a kind smile.

“I am Flowerstar, I was leader of Shadowclan many, many moons ago” she was tall, taller than Spottedstem, so her eyes looked down not in arrogance but rather understanding “I was not my leader’s deputy, like you, I was chosen by Starclan to succeed our would be leader as she died the night before. I admire your desire to make Shadowclan safe and great, after all the sickness we have endured for moons” She touched her nose on her head “With this life, I give you Faith, in Starclan, in your Clan, in all the warriors around you so you might know that if you put your faith in others they will follow as well”

A sudden, quick and precise strike to her throat had Spottedstem gasp, her claws digging on the soft grass, and when she looked up, Flowerstar could only smile.

The small pawsteps of a cat no older than 6 moons turned her attention away from the leader, with a badger pelt and a head held as high as he could.

“Hi! I’m Badgerfang”

“A warrior huh?” She whispered, her mind coming to the understanding of what had happened.

The little warrior walked up to her, and she lowered her head so he could touch it better “With this life, I give you compassion! To those around you, to the ones who you don’t know, may you always use it to the smallest of mouse and the biggest of deers”

She was not ready for the strikes that fell upon her pelt, like a thousand claws that tore her body like a scrap of prey, her eyes widened and stared at the little cat, who just smiled sadly before following Flowerstar away.

The next cat, boney and with a light gray fur, almost white, stepped forward, she passed Badgerfang with a soft touch to his nose with her tail and approached Spottedstem with the gracefulness a father would do through a gentle breeze. Her eyes sized her over, just a bit taller than the stranger, and the grumble in her throat was given to a satisfactory nod.

“We would have been strangers across battlefields, and barely a passing prayer lumped with others” she stretched her neck and touched her forehead “But tonight, we are clanmates in the afterlife, I am Whitetail, and I give you the life of Skill, admire what you have done to get here, stand proud for you have achieve what all kits dream”

It was the first praise she has gotten since reaching here, and it came with a piercing strength that almost tumbled her over from her side, powerful force, and yet the pain persisted for a moment, before her lungs heaved out her final breath.

Whitetail’s whiskers twitched, and her eyes unclouded from wisdom for a moment “Beware the frost Spottedstem” she whispered, almost secretively before retreating back into the starry fields.

The next cat was one she could not picture in her ceremony, the feathery long fur of Featherwhisker, the old medicine cat that could one day had been her mentor stood in front of her with a regret deeper than even Swiftbreeze’s, as soon as she saw them, they clouded in wisdom.

“I didn’t need herbs to guide me here” she spat, and he took a step backwards before sighing and looking away.

“No, no you didn’t Spottedstem” He places his nose on her forehead, a soft whisper in her ears “I give you a life for Spirit, in youth and in death, know that we have not abandoned you” 

She never really thought how he must’ve died, cold and shivering, her cough was unstopping and hurt with each one.

The next cat, a long running scar that opened the side of his muzzle and showed his teeth, stepped forward, redish pelt and mangled unkept fur, he glanced back to Featherwhisker, who nodded his head in respect and moved away, the strangers eyes seemed to be searching for someone among the crowd, and his lack of findings finally made him step onwards to Spottedstem.

“You are one smart kit I give you that” he grumbled “and I can just wonder if it’ll continue to be like that”

“You sound like an old bird I used to know” her remark made him wheeze out a lough, loudly and booming.

“Oh I know your old bird, I’m nothing like him, when Flowerstar was just a warrior, I faked the omen to make her leader, much like your medicine cat faked your predecessors ceremony to the whole clan” Her eyes glanced behind her, to the oppressive forest, to her body sleeping beside the moonstone guarded by Runningnose “Don’t worry, you’re in good paws, he knows it’s going well”

“And you tell me this because?”

“Faith is good, I did not act alone, Starclan told me themselves to pick, but faith cannot just be your guide, so with this life, I give you Instincts, trust in them, and you will get far”

His death was much similar to Swiftbreeze, heavy and empty.

From the shadows, a black cat with specks of gray stepped forward, eyes green and sickly, yet his frame looked healthier than what it’d probably been in moons, Nightstar walked to her and gently pressed his nose to her head.

“Know I do not approve of the path you took, but I cannot deny when Shadowclanasked for a leader you were the one the stars accepted” it was a small admission, and a single nod to continue “with this life, I grant you Foresight, to be aware of what the future holds, so you might use it to be aware of what it might happen”

It wasn’t Featherwhisker’s sickness, it felt like something gnawing at her bones and through her chest, overpowering her eyes and clouding them until it stopped suddenly, when she finally regained her vision, her old mentor’s gaze was the one that first thing she saw.

“Thrushpelt” The kind tom nodded, and gave her a comforting lick between her ears.

“...I will not repeat to you what they have all said, or thought, I’m sure you’re aware of it, and you know why” she resisted the defensive growl that threatened to espace, but the flick of his tail and head turning away told her that perhaps he was expecting it “I just wish you would be standing her with bloodless claws, but I will not deny my apprentice her right, so with this life, I give you Bravery, may you never flinch to the choices you must take… but I don’t think you needed that” they both chuckled.

His death was not something that was at the back of her mind, because her mentor left no bad memories to mourn, his vigil was not one with sadness, rather laughter at the memory of the warrior, his death despite in battle, was comforting even in his life.

The second to last cat, a dark speckled she-cat walked up to her and gently touched noses, her yellow eyes like the morning clouds of Green Leaf were gazing far away from her.

“Your path, bloody and broken by bones, you have taken many cats far too soon Spottedstem, remember that, only act when necessary, never kill for security” she mumbled, shaking her head and stepping away “use this life of Mercy wisely”

The last cat was a lean and long furred molly, with a pelt as dark as the pine’s bark and eyes green like the foliage of the swamp, she stood as tall as one, and stars seemed to follow her pelt and her eyes.

“Greetings Spottedstem” her voice was barely a whisper, but she seem to be speaking with thousand of ones, booming through the fields and across the clearing, now onl holding the two she-cats “I stand before as Shadowclan’s first leader”

“You are my final life” The dark molly nodded and stepped forward.

“With this life, I give you Regret” she hissed the word, when it washed over Spottedstem she could only hold the ground with her claws and grit her teeth as 9 deaths came over her, one more painful than the rest “May you walk the path forward knowing what actions allowed you to thrive, and may you always regret the shadow that haunts you”

The leader stepped away from her, her gaze hardened and nodded, voice booming as if it commanded even the most reluctant of stars to chant with her.

“Starclan has granted you the nine lives of a leader,” they spoke, in a chorus as a single entity before her, gone were the familiar faces, now all amalgamated into a single pelt of stars “use them for Shadowclan, for you are its protector and star in the ground, and we welcome you as such as Spottedstar!”

“Spottedstar! Spottedstar! Spottedstar!”

“Spottedstem!” she opened her eyes, claws unsheathed and clawing the crystal with it, the fur on her neck stood up in attention, and her eyes quickly snapped towards Runningnose. The medicine cat shifted awkwardly under his paws, “Did it work?”

She stood up, feeling more energy than she had ever felt, the stone was alive and pulsing in front of her, she could see the eyes that curiously watched her, the smell of the marsh and pines accompanied her, keenly aware of the clan that was expecting with hold breaths the truth.

“Rest assured Runningnose, you will not need to lie again”

[veiledaura]

If Hollyleaf survived

Dovewing's Silence:

- Hollyleaf's encounter with Hawkfrost goes mostly the same: She's badly injured and gets dragged to Thunderclan camp by Ivypool. She forgives Squirrelflight and Leafpool, assuming that she's going to die. As she becomes unconscious, Jayfeather refuses to give up on her, working on her wound throughout the night. As her brother is on the verge of fainting, Hollyleaf becomes stable and wakes up after a few days. As a consequence of Jayfeather not being available to check on other patients, Cloudtail dies of an infected wound.

- While recovering, Hollyleaf spends a long time speaking to Leafpool and Squirrelflight. Finally, Hollyleaf asks for her mother's reasoning for keeping her birth secret. Hollyleaf asks if she should publicly admit to the death berry incident, but Leafpool declines. Her mother says a public outrage won't help, citing the Gathering where Hollyleaf revealed the secret. Instead, Leafpool wants them to learn to understand and forgive each other, by slowly building their relationship up. Millie becomes guilt-ridden seeing these interactions and kicks start her own reconciliation with Blossomfall.

- Hollyleaf has a moment with Dovewing. The grey she-cat blurts she worried that she replaced Hollyleaf and her brothers resent her for it. Hollyleaf said she can't speak for her brothers, but Hollyleaf assures she doesn't blame Dovewing and she proved herself unworthy due to her crimes. When Dovewing admits to the three losing their powers, Hollyleaf says it could be better in the long term. The three will no longer be expected to be the main protectors of the Clans and they can settle into a more casual life.

- Ivypool is grateful that Hollyleaf saved her and wants to form a friendship with her. The two she-cats mutually bond over their similar circumstances. Hollyleaf suggests to Ivypool, that not being a part of the prophecy, could be a blessing in disguise. Hollyleaf had witnessed first-hand, the expectations that prophecy cats can put on themselves. The black she-cat wonders if she hadn't mistaken herself as the third cat, for so long, perhaps her fragile ego wouldn't have cracked under Ashfur's influence.

- Hollyleaf encourages all the trainees to redeem themselves, despite how hard it seems. However, since Hollyleaf is being asked to make all these speeches about redemption, it makes her realise she's still got a long way to go. Her nightmares about Ashfur's murder return and she wonders if she needs to go into self-exile again, to continue her atonement. Since she passed on her underground fighting skills, Thunderclan didn't seem to need her so was she staying out of her own selfishness? Jayfeather snaps her out of it: Pointing her out her family wants her here and leaving again, would hurt them more.

Bramblestar's Storm:

-After Jayfeather makes her promise to stay indefinitely, Hollyleaf needs to regain normalcy with her family. In the tunnels, she expected to die young and didn't see a future for herself. While her grand gestures of atonement are important, she needs to consider the everyday too. At first, she can be overly serious and isolate herself. But she learns to open up and have fun around her brothers over time. There are glimpses of a simpler time before it became so messy.

-Hollyleaf reaffirms her connection with Bramblestar. At one point, he pulls his adopted daughter aside. He recalls how her brothers already heard this, but she never got the chance after the tunnel collapsed. He promises his heart will be open to her but he understands if it's too awkward to consider him a father. Either way, he will respect whatever Hollyleaf chooses. The black she-cat snorts, saying she would never choose Crowfeather over him. Bramblestar winces, wondering if it should be obvious.

-Hollyleaf asks why Bramblestar lied about Ashfur accidentally slipping into the stream. He admits he panicked slightly and thought she'd been in self-exile for long enough. Hollyleaf acknowledges how he risked his ranking for her, but she must be judged alone and not use her family connections to gain an advantage. At that point, Hollyleaf's clanmates had figured out Ashfur's death was purposeful. Most cats didn't particularly care after discovering Ashfur's crimes, only judging Hollyleaf for not trusting Firestar to uphold justice.

-Bramblestar asks if Hollyleaf still has her childhood dream of being a leader. He remembered how she followed him as a kit and said she'd become like him. The black she-cat declines, saying she can't trust herself with that power. Hollyleaf feels sorry for her younger self and doesn't grow into the cat she expected to be.

-When Squirrelflight announces she's pregnant, Hollyleaf is overjoyed. After a while, her mother noticed slight doubt on her face. Being told to be honest, Hollyleaf admits she has irrational feelings of being replaced. Squirrelflight ensures her emotions are only natural after the trauma she suffered through. She ensures they can work through them as mother and daughter.

Crowfeather's Trial:

- Hollyleaf would see the similarities between herself and Breezepelt. Additionally, as the one to expose the secret, she feels somewhat responsible for Breezepelt. Therefore, she feels obligated to set the record straight with him. She details how she killed Ashfur to Breezepelt and the two help each other realise where they went wrong. Crowfeather is shocked about Hollyleaf's crimes, feeling even more of a failure of a father.

- When he realises Hollyleaf is already reconciling with Leafpool, he feels pressure to speed things along with Breezpelt. Besides helping Breezepelt's redemption, Hollyleaf feels wrong to have a long-term friendship with him, due to Jayfeather's discomfort. She wishes Breezepelt the best but says it's best to live their separate lives, as they did before the secret's exposure. While this is all going on, Nightcloud refused to speak to Hollyleaf at all, blaming her for telling the secret. After Crowfeather's Trial, Breezepelt would go on, to make serval hypocritical statements: calling Kin defectors and Squirrelflight traitors. Hollyleaf would glare at him in disbelief, wondering how he could be so unaware.

- There's a moment, where Hollyleaf wonders in on Leafpool and Crowfeather speaking at the border. The mother and daughter thinks it's his right to know and Hollyleaf confesses the death berry incident to him. Crowfeather flinches, wondering how he'd feel if Breezepelt tried to kill him directly, instead of his half-siblings. Hollyleaf states her actions overshadow anything her parents did against her. So she says Crowfeather should be forgiving her, not the other way around. Crowfeather says only the victim, Leafpool, can decide if she deserves forgiveness or not. Crowfeather says it's impossble not to feel some disgust at Hollyleaf's crime; but he'll react to it as a fellow warrior, not as a father, as he never earnt being called her 'father'.

A Vision of Shadows:

- Hollyleaf is working hard to be a good daughter to Leafpool and Squirrelflight. She'll go out of her way, to do helpful things like replacing their nests or collecting herbs. She can be overly polite around them, thinking they've been criticised too much already. This annoys Squirrelflight, as she knows her daughter is natrually headstrong and says she should have the guts to be herself. The black she-cat would be the middle point between her two brothers: Jayfeather has unresolved feelings, while Lionblaze has let go of the past. Hollyleaf tries to get along with her mothers, but there would always be the occasional awkwardness, not forgetting the past.

- Hollyleaf is struggling to find her place in the Clan. She doesn't want to get involved in too many battles, fearful she could kill again. Additionally, she doesn't want any authority she could potentially abuse. She asks Bramblestar to never consider her for deputyship and vows she'll never return as a Medicine cat apprentice. For a while, she tries training under Daisy as a permanent queen. Though she learns the position isn't right for her, not having the patience for so many kits.

-When Leafstar creates the mediator rank for Tree, it sparks her interest. It could let her avoid hurting others and the job requires memorization of the code, which she already has. She works with Tree, to become Thunderclan's first mediator. This inspires the remaining Clans to train their own mediators. For Shadowclan, Strikestone steps up as he blames warrior life for his loved ones' deaths. Minnowtail becomes Riverclan's mediator to repent for her Dark Forest training. Finally, Heathertail volunteers due to her caring nature and experience with angry toms.

- Hollyleaf helps to raise Sparkpelt and Alderheart, while Squirrelflight grieves for her lost kits. Out of her litter, she would be the closest to her adoptive siblings. Hollyleaf is quite protective of Alderheart, reminding her of Jayfeather when he was a weak kit. She likes to ensure that Jayfeather isn't too harsh on his apprentice, reminding him of their parallels. Hollyleaf and Sparkpelt are the most alike, with Sparkpelt claiming she's a "mini-me" of Hollyleaf. The two even become mentor and apprentice, at Sparkpelt's request. Hollyleaf is determined not to disappoint Sparkpelt - She can waver between being strict and soft-spoken, as she desperately tries to get the balance right. Even after her warrior ceremony, Hollyleaf assures Sparkpelt that she can always ask for advice.

- Hollyleaf has some moments in the Darktail and Onestar conflict. When Onestar compares his situation to Hollyleaf and Breezepelt on the possibility of convincing Darktail to stop - The black she-cat dismisses it, saying Darktail is truly too far gone. Hollyleaf encourages Onestar to fix his past mistakes, but he needs to be prepared to make the hard choices if he goes down that road.

Squirrelflight's Hope:

- As a mediator, Hollyleaf joins Tree in his missions, to negotiate with the Sisters peacefully. Due to her past, Hollyleaf doesn't feel like it's her place, to assume she knows better than the Clans. So Hollyleaf feels compelled to act in an offical capacity. So when Squirrelflight starts going against Bramblestar's orders, Holyleaf can't trust herself to join her mother. She simply says to Squirrelflight, 'I hope you know what you're doing'. Though when the Sisters are driven out of their camp, Hollyleaf can't stand aside at that point. She helps evacuate the sisters' kits, including helping with Moonlight's birth.

- As Squirrelflight and Bramblestar argue over their politics: Hollyleaf feels it would be nepotism if she used her position as their daughter, to voice her own politcal opinions to them. Instead, as a mediator, Hollyleaf sets up a meeting in a calm setting, for Squirrelflight and Bramblestar to have a proper heart-to-heart. Also, Hollyleaf acts as a middle-man for other family members: She asks Tawnypelt, to start supporting Bramblestar with his relationship struggles. Then Hollyleaf relays Sparkpelt's story, of her panicking due to her parents aruging.

- When Leafpool dies, Hollyleaf blurts she wishes she'd taken her place. Though Squirrelflight counters that Leafpool wants Hollyleaf to be happy and she needs to live on, for her sake. Hollyleaf and Jayfeather spend more time together, due to their shared grief.

Broken Code:

- When "Bramblestar" first starts his code-breaking agenda, he questions why Hollyleaf isn't more happy about it, considering her old dedication to it. Hollyleaf utters she can't let her dangerous obsession resurface. She states that as a mediator now, she must be able to see the warrior code critically. She gets suspicious of "Bramblestar", noticing he's never cared so much about the code before. She warns him about how that type of obsession can be all-consuming.

-Hollyleaf is the first cat to be exiled, due to her criticisms of "Bramblestar". She attempted to gather the mediators from the other Clans and convince him to stop his cruelty.

- When she discovers Ashfur's identity, she makes it her personal mission to defeat him. Though Hollyleaf refuses to join the rebels, saying she won't fight against anyone else, not even the Imposter's supporters. She swore she wouldn't kill anyone else. Her sole target is Ashfur. Instead, the mediators create a refugee camp for the Imposter's exiles. They guard the most vulnerable while others fight their fellow Clan cats.

-Hollyleaf is shocked when Lionblaze kills Harstar, dragging him off his victim. When he is appointed deputy, she tries to voice her concerns about his bad headspace. However, she is outnumbered, so she is forced to accept it.

-Hollyleaf volunteers to enter the Dark Forest, thinking innocent cats shouldn't need to sacrifice themselves. She briefly encounters Stonefur in Starclan. He recounts his execution and says it was truly sad to see another Half-Clan internalise that hatred. Holyleaf promises she'll make the younger generations less biased towards Half-Clan cats.

-Hollyleaf is distressed by her time in the Dark Forest. She realised she could've been condemned if she died in the tunnels. She is conflicted about evil spirits atoning and going to Starclan. Hollyleaf knows she was lucky to live long enough to redeem herself - At the same time, Ashfur took advantage of Starclan's leniency. The black she-cat suggests a purgatory, which is more pleasant, but residents lack the power of Starclan cats.

- Ashfur taunts Hollyleaf for her hypocrisy for killing him and leaking her parentage anyway. She responds it was wrong for her to take justice into her own hands. But at the same time, Ashfur shouldn't have expected to get away with his own crimes. The grey tom is bitter that Hollyleaf got to live on when he didn't. He claims she's as bad as him. Hollyleaf remains realistic, acknowledging she's a killer, but enforcers that Ashfur's crimes vastly outweigh hers by now. She hits Ashfur to his core when she says he's in the same leagues as Tigerstar.

-Hollyleaf feels incredibly guilty when Bristlefrost dies, feeling like she failed her friend Ivypool.

- Before Ashfur faded away, he played his trump card against Hollyleaf. He exposes her as Leafpool's attempted murderer. The black she-cat was shocked since Leafpool wanted to keep it between them. Though her family understood why Leafpool herself chose to keep it a secret, they still felt betrayed. They weren't surprised by Hollyleaf's other crimes but were still disappointed. Some loved ones take a while before they can speak to her again. Meanwhile, Hollyleaf's more distant relatives, like Lionblaze's kits, refuse to acknowledge their kinship with her.

- When Bramblestar returns, he decides it's pointless to exile her again. He reasoned it had been so long, and she'd already punished herself that way. Instead, Bramblestar explains that many warriors feel unsafe, sharing their den with a killer. He thinks it's unfair to force them to compromise. Bramblestar allows Hollyleaf to remain in Thunderclan but must have her own isolated den outside the camp boundaries. She can return to camp to receive assignments but can't sleep there anymore.

Starless Clan:

- Hollyleaf supports the warrior code changing, arguing that some rules do more damage than good. She points to her broken family, saying it could've been avoided with proper protocols. She says good mothers like Leafpool are unfairly forced to give up their kits and branded traitors.

- Hollyleaf fosters Flinchkit and Flamekit while Sparkpelt grieves. Flamepaw comes to see Hollyleaf as a mother figure. Sorrelstripe still nurses them but she's more hands-off, wanting to give Hollyleaf space to bond with Flamekit. Flamepaw has a mostly good relationship with Hollyleaf, much better than Sparkpelt. However, he has underlying doubts about her, knowing her murderous past. He is aware that Hollyleaf is the black sheep of the family and fears he might be the same. He knows he gets the occasional worried looks from his clanmates for being so close to Hollyleaf. Sometimes, he has overdramatic fears that he'll hurt Sparkpelt, as Hollyleaf did to Leafpool, artificially drawing comparisons between them.

-When Flamepaw struggles to find his place, Hollyleaf wants to help her nephew. She suggests the mediators could train him to become her successor. However, he shuts her down. He says Hollyleaf is doing the very thing he's trying to avoid: Using nepotism to get a special ranking. Hollyleaf claims mediators aren't glorious, and the Clans still question their value. However, Flamepaw refuses to humour the idea.

-Nightheart becomes bitter at Hollyleaf's choice to raise him. He argues that their clanmates look at him strangely because the resident murderer decided to get close to him. Hollyleaf mutters she was trying to help Sparkpelt, but Nightheart isn't fully convinced. He says her past makes her unfit to be a foster parent, and she shouldn't use kits to reconcile her own guilt. While Nightheart's words were excessive, Hollyleaf knew he was partly telling the truth.

-Alongside Tree, Hollyeaf tries to convince Tigerstar to leave Riverclan alone. They partly succeed, as Shadowclan warriors are slowly withdrawn from Riverclan camp.

-On one occasion, Hollyleaf overhears Berryheart trying to guilt-trip Sunbeam into abandoning Nightheart. Hearing this slander against Half-Clan families, Hollyleaf gets into a brief fight with Berryheart.

-After Nightheart matures, he believes he was too harsh towards Hollyleaf. So the next time he sees her, he apologises. The black she-cat admits she should give her nephew space and rethink how her reputation could affect her loved ones.

-As Splashtail's tyranny grows, he sees Riverclan's meditator threatening his rule. He accuses Minnowtail of being Frostpaw's conspirator and exiles her. Hollyleaf invites her to shelter in Thunderclan, and the mediators are spurred into action. During the next gathering, the five remind Riverclan that they can vote Splashtail out of power. However, the brown tom cuts the gathering short and takes the kits hostage before a vote can take place.

-The mediators make a final attempt to end everything peacefully. They appear at the Riverclan border and demand that Splashtail appear. Since they may have an important message, he appears with Floatkit in tow. Speaking carefully, Hollyleaf questions what Splashtail's endgame is. He spends every waking moment in paranoia - To sit on a throne where everyone hates him. On top of that, Splashtail is condemning himself to the Dark Forest. Hollyleaf says he will find no happiness in this life. Hollyleaf says he is still young and may still make it to Starclan if he redeems himself - That means stopping all this and surrendering.

-However, Splashtail delusionally declares that he is going to Starclan. As he threatens Floatkit, the mediators are forced to act. As Hollyleaf grabs the kit, Heathertail tackles Splashtail, but she is killed in the process. Her murder is the final straw for the Clans. They invade Riverclan's camp, and Splashtail meets his end.

[wclovewhatismortal]

What if Starclan wasn't as safe as everyone thought? What if something dark lingered within the starlight?

Warrior Cats: Love What is Mortal is a mystery, alternate-universe, Whodunnit? fanfiction story that takes place inside of Starclan and the Place of No Stars. It follows the dual-protagonists of Sorreltail and Hollyleaf as they struggle to unravel a dangerous web of lies and deceit, before it's too late.

It's been a year since the completion of the story, so I decided to do something special and get this comic done for it. Credit to the incredibly talented panthera.arven on Instragram, whose artstyle you may recognize if you're an existing reader. As always, story banner credit to cinnabarlab!

[snowheartsquest]

Prologue, pg 1

[ruins-of-volatility-clangen]

‼️‼️ ON A SMALL HIATUS!! I WANT TO HAVE SOME MORE DRAWINGS QUEUED SO I CAN REMEMBER TO MAKE POSTS EVERY MONDAY! SO FOR NOW, NO NEW POSTS, IM SO VERY SORRY </3 ‼️‼️

Hiiii!!! Welcome to my silly Warrior cats side account where I let my music playlist create a whole entire lore!!! :3

Volatile Fortunes is a very impulsive Warrior Cat OC story made by @ditzyfinalgrlowo (aka me!!! :3) but there's a twist!

The plot is almost completely from my playlist and taste in music! I take my playlist, I randomize it and pick the song then make a whole scene based on it!

Due to me creating many stories right now, I wanted to make a new Warrior Cat story but I didn't have the time to actually think through plot points so I'm letting my playlist do it! I'm also going to be using a rather simple picture to text format so I can push posts out faster :D (Think of like the layout of the Undertale intro)

The goal is to try and make it all connect!!

🔥 Current Arc: Careless Embers (The art is a bit old as I tried to start this on Instagram originally)

✦ Prologue - "Nobody ever wants to die" ✦

✦ Chapter 01 - Who's in the Shadows? ✦

[since-times-long-forgotten]

drew JayBerry based on a fic by @tigerclawstar-shaped-cookie! :D

close up image & fic below <3

The fic: "OCD be damned." "real."

[mothdapple]

Now that we have more insight about how Leopardstar thinks and deals with Tigerclan, how does Blackstar deals with Tigerclan? considering that he is not very innocent about everything

Great question. Leopardstar and Blackstar definitely have very different feelings on the subject. Blackstar— at least my protrayal of him in Shaken Roots— thinks of TigerClan very little. He does not carry a lot of guilt for killing Stonefur. In his mind, he was just following orders (following the warrior code,) and Stonefur was an enemy warrior, not his own deputy. I think Blackstar is far more emotionally torn up by his actions (or inactions) during Brokenstar's reign (especially the preventable deaths of ShadowClan cats/kits) than he is by anything that happened during Tigerstar's time.

Blackstar's morality is very interesting to me. I think in his heart-of-hearts, he's not a horrible person (like how Brokenstar or Tigerstar were.) But Blackstar is very easily influenced by the cats he respects and views as powerful. Put a cat like that in a position of power over him, and their orders easily override any of his internal morality. Blackstar is THE quintessential follower, and yet he somehow found himself in a leadership position. And it is only when he becomes leader, when no one else is "above" him, telling him what to do, that he can finally listen to the sound of his own conscience (which is, in fact, actually not telling him to kill half-Clan cats or train kits too early!)

Blackstar is at least self-aware enough to not want to fall into his predecessor's footsteps, and he is aware that it is him alone now making all the decisions when it comes to ShadowClan. So I think that has forced him to think for himself more and ask himself how he actually feels about whatever thing. If this version of Blackstar was transported back in time to be Blackfoot again at the Bonehill, ordered to attack Stonefur, he would not just leap in to kill him without hesitation. Granted, he may still kill Stonefur, but he'd at least think about it first.

Blackstar's indifference towards TigerClan is also encouraged by the general attitude in ShadowClan towards Tigerstar. ShadowClan has the most favorable view of Tigerstar out of all of the Clans. This is despite the fact that ShadowClan is actually one of the more generally accepting Clans towards outsiders (they have a long history of letting in rogues/non-Clanborn cats— some rogues even joined during Tigerstar's time. Although "soft" kittypets are the exception here.) Blackstar made Russetfur his deputy without any doubt about her loyalty despite her being non-Clanborn. And in present Shaken Roots time, Blackstar trusts Tawnypelt as much as any of his warriors despite her being originally from ThunderClan.

So many ShadowClan cats didn't necessarily ideologically agree with Tigerstar's anti-half-Clan campaign during TigerClan, but ShadowClan still respects Tigerstar for making them strong and feared again after the disasters that were Brokenstar's reign and the sickness during Nightstar's. And again, it helps a lot that the cats Tigerstar imprisoned during TigerClan were all RiverClan cats— not any of their own non-Clanborn Clanmates.

So that's Blackstar's attitude towards the situation. Leopardstar, though, certainly resents Blackstar for killing Stonefur, and she resents him even more for the fact that he's so indifferent about it lol.

[himboblaze]

the idea of curlfeather becoming a guardian ‘angel’ of sorts to frostpaw after she dies lives in my head rent free.

curlfeather who never leaves her daughter’s side, who lays with her when she’s grief stricken and mourning, who beams with pride at her warrior apprentice ceremony, who’s heart swells with joy finally seeing frostpaw able to live a normal, happy life without overwhelming responsibility…

curlfeather, who’s hatred for splashtail is so intense she could start forest fires wherever she walks from the rage and disgust burning through her veins, as she can do nothing but watch in horror as he almost murders her beloved kit. who cries and begs and yowls for anyone to save her little one, knowing no one can hear her.

who reluctantly leaves frostpaw’s side, knowing she won’t survive without immediate care, and races across the moorland, desperately searching for anyone who could help.

who finally finds whistlepaw, and uses all of her strength to send a strong gust of wind carrying several small, curled feathers rushing by the apprentice, urging her in the direction of where her baby lays bleeding out.

it is in that moment, where curlfeather lay exhausted and terrified beside her dying kit, that she wishes most intensely she could actually be there for her daughter. in that moment, curlfeather’s deepest desire is realized, if only for a few precious seconds, and frostpaw inhales a comforting scent she hasn’t in so long, before drifting uneasily into unconsciousness.

[kudossi]

hear the crack of lightning (where your heart will break)

“Don’t you understand?” Hawkfrost hisses, spits like it’s deathberries, like poison curling his tongue and blackening his gums. “We’re the same, you and I!”

Hollyleaf stares at him, still as the grave.

“Hollyleaf, no!” Dovewing shouts out. Thunder rips across the sky, breaking and rending and tearing apart. Lightning flashes, hot and acerbic, the taste of ozone and the dizzying light of uncountable seasons of greenleaf suns.

Hollyleaf doesn’t move. She’s a dark outline in the aftereffects of lightning, against smoke sputtering toward the sky. “You’re wrong,” she says, quiet, and Dovewing pictures rolling hills covered in prairie grass, whistling softly, something beautiful and magnificent and simple all the same, her teacher and her friend and her family, all wrapped up in one cat. “End this, Hawkfrost. You don’t have to do this.”

Hawkfrost snarls. “I think you’ll find that I do,” he says, anger and fathomless, incomprehensible emptiness.

The sky opens. Rain pours down around them, obscuring Dovewing’s vision. Maybe that’s why she isn’t quick enough. Maybe that’s why she doesn’t see the blow levied for her until Hollyleaf intercepts it, bowling Breezepelt over in the span of a blink. Maybe that’s why she doesn’t comprehend Hawkfrost’s movement, the way he digs his teeth into Hollyleaf’s scruff and his claws into her throat.

Hollyleaf gasps.

Dovewing had always wondered what would happen when the prophecy came to bear. She had pondered over it on sleepless nights, during early patrols, when she guarded the camp while the Clan slept around her. The night before hadn’t been any different — she had tucked herself underneath Hollyleaf’s chin, leeching comfort from her pelt, and the thought had come — what would she do if something happened to her?

She’d thought she would rage, would scream to the sky, would take her revenge with tooth and claw. But instead she stands stock-still as Hollyleaf struggles to stand, as Hawkfrost’s bloody mouth turns to her, as Breezepelt grins, crooked and eager.

Hollyleaf laughs. It’s choked with her own blood. “You’ll have to get through me first,” she says, this self-exiled loner, this fully-trained warrior, a cat who had watched her grow up and had realized what she held that Hollyleaf herself had not; a cat who had come looking anyway, who had come to rescue her when everything else had gone hopeless and fuzzy at the edges.

“No,” she breathes, and Hawkfrost leaps, but Hollyleaf is ready, and her fangs sink deep into his throat. Black blood spurts from any gap her mouth creates, stinking and shiny like the puddles they sometimes found on Thunderpaths. It’s muck and mire, not clean blood, and yet—and yet—

Lionblaze and Icecloud interrupt her panicked musings, fighting back-to-back as they take on Breezepelt, as Hawkfrost’s body deflates like waterlogged moss, as Hollyleaf slumps back, stunned, her face and neck dripping.

Dovewing knows what to do. She knows what to do — what Hollyleaf taught her to do between battle practice and hunting, in the mornings and the evenings where being prophesied might as well have been a death sentence, where even Hollyleaf’s simple knowledge of herbs might give at least a slim, wild chance —  but as she rolls Hollyleaf on her side, she knows that anything she does will only prolong the end.

She does it anyway.

The herbs don’t matter anymore — nothing matters anymore. Breezepelt and the monsters behind him could kill them all where they stood and it would make more sense than this, than Hollyleaf bleeding out at her paws, than the way the cobwebs run red with blood, than the way the herbs she presses in don’t help the clotting.

She can’t think. It’s only instinct. No, no, her heart beats. No, no, not her, not her, anyone but her.

Dovewing presses more and more cobwebs to the wound.

A voice echoes from somewhere, and it takes Dovewing a moment to realize that it’s from Hollyleaf. “I knew you’d make a good medic,” Hollyleaf manages. She reaches out a paw to tap one of Dovewing’s, a purr in her throat. “You’ve made me proud. So, so proud.”

No. Dovewing snatches the paw back as if Hollyleaf had touched it with fire, and she busies herself again — herbs, herbs, what to stop the blood, what would stop the blood?

“It’s okay,” Hollyleaf says. “I always knew, Dovewing. I always knew this would be my fate.”

“It’s not okay!” Dovewing snaps. “You have your whole life to live, and, and—I’m going to stop the bleeding, and we’re going to go home, all of us, and you can be deputy one day, and then leader, Hollyleaf, you deserve it, and maybe I can train as a medic — really train — and Ivypool can be your deputy, and nothing will hurt — nothing will hurt ever again, Hollyleaf, wouldn’t that be nice?”

Hollyleaf says nothing. There’s a gentle smile on her face, something knowing.

“Why isn’t—why isn’t it stopping?” she asks. “I’m doing everything you taught me, everything, Hollyleaf, please—”

“Sometimes… it’s not enough,” Hollyleaf whispers. Dovewing flinches away, reaching blindly for more, and Hollyleaf’s paw touches her again. “Hey. Hey, Dovewing. It’s—it’s no use. You have to save those, okay? You can’t go using them all on me.”

“I’ll get more, okay? I will!”

“Dovewing.”

“I’ll—I’ll use more moss, and they’ll take patrols past the borders—”

“Dovewing.”

“—and it’ll all be okay, Hollyleaf, you’ll see—”

“Dove!”

Dovewing reels back, slipping in Hollyleaf’s blood. For the first time since she’d started packing herbs into the wounds, Dovewing looks Hollyleaf in the eye. They’re green, of course — a shade so similar to her own that it was as if they’d been born to be two halves of a whole.

The light in them is dim, the life slipping steadily away. But she sees affection there, sees pride, sees love.

Gently, Hollyleaf offers Dovewing her white paw.

Trembling, Dovewing puts her own white paw atop it. She’s warm, so warm, like life and sunlight and those stolen training days, where nothing mattered but the next herb, the next piece of knowledge to slot into her mind so easily, so perfectly that she’d known it had always meant to be there.

“You’ll find another cat to teach, won’t you?” Hollyleaf asks, a weak smile on her face. “Illicitly, of course?”

Something bubbles in Dovewing’s chest. She thinks it would have been a laugh, any other time. “This isn’t funny.”

“No,” Hollyleaf says quietly, “but I wish you wouldn’t cry for me.”

Dovewing snorts, the sound watery. “A little too late for that.”

Hollyleaf purrs, exasperated and fond. “Look at you, Dove. You’re—you’re fully trained, in every way you could be. Let Jayfeather tell you how proud he is in my stead, won’t you? When you don’t have to be a warrior anymore? I—I had wanted to be the one to tell you, after this all was over. After you didn’t need to fight anymore… when you could rest.”

“Then why won’t you let me save you?” Dovewing demands. “You could—you have a future, Hollyleaf. Don’t you want to seize it? To take it for yourself, to live it?”

“My future has always led me here.” Hollyleaf coughs. Blood splatters on the ground before her, bright for only moments before the rain whisks it away. “But I would have liked to.”

Dovewing looks down at her wound, at the bloodied herbs scattered at her paws, at the empty forest where Lionblaze and Icecloud and Breezepelt and faded Dark Forest cats had once stood. “Kestrelflight!” she realizes. “I can get Kestrelflight!”

“You know you can’t get Kestrelflight,” Hollyleaf says kindly. “He wouldn’t make it here in time. I know you know that.”

“No—you—please—what am I supposed to do without you? There was so much left for you to teach me. You can’t go, please, Hollyleaf—”

“It’s okay, Dovewing. Dovewing, look at me.”

Dovewing looks studiously at the wound, as if a solution is going to drop into her paws like the prophecy she’d never asked for. 

“Shh. Look at me, Dove. It’s okay.”

Her peaceful expression made her look impossibly young, impossibly happy. Dovewing releases a hiccupping sob, trying to memorize each individual whisker. If—if she looked hard enough now, maybe—maybe she could remember.

“I’ll be with you, I promise.”

“How can you promise that?”

“Because I know. I know, okay? I’ll be beside you with every patient, every time you look for herbs, every time you lie in the sun. I’ll be in every blade of grass and every leaf on every tree. I’ll never leave you. I won’t.”

Dovewing held back a sob. “Please.”

“I wish I could give you what you want,” Hollyleaf murmurs, “but this’ll have to do. I’ll watch over you, wherever I go, as much as I can. I want you to—to live, and love, and do everything you’ve ever wanted, and I don’t want you to let anyone stop you.”

“I can’t go on without you,” Dovewing pleads. “I can’t.”

“You have to,” Hollyleaf wheezes, her breath coming shorter. “There are other cats to treat, other cats who need you. And it doesn’t hurt, Dove, not anymore.”

It hurts for me, Dovewing doesn’t say.

“I can hear—you never met her, but—my birth mother’s name was Leafpool,” Hollyleaf murmurs. Her sides rattle as she takes a breath. “I can—she chose me, once. I betrayed her, and—and she’d suffered enough, but StarClan doesn’t forgive even the cats they ask to do impossible things.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Hollyleaf says softly. “I can hear her. It’s been… it’s been so long. She���s—she’s telling me about marigold. Marigold! As if—as if I were six moons old again… I thought… I miss her.”

“I’ll remember her for you,” Dovewing says softly. “I’ll teach the kits when I’m old and gray. I’ll threaten them into telling their kits, too.”

Hollyleaf laughs. It’s a horrible, wheezing thing. “She’d like that,” she murmurs. Her eyes are glazing over. She’s looking—she’s looking so far away, as if she can see something seasons and seasons past.

Dovewing hopes she can.

Hollyleaf doesn’t speak for a moment, the only signs of her life the continued rise and fall of her flank.

“I’m sorry,” Dovewing says, low enough to where she knows Hollyleaf won’t be able to hear. “I’m so sorry.”

Hollyleaf’s breaths hitch for a moment, then resume. Her eyes slide closed and then open again.

“Can you still hear her?”

“I can see her,” Hollyleaf says deliriously. “We’re—having my favorite prey. She’s going to—she’s going to teach me everything she ever wanted to.”

Dovewing rests her head on Hollyleaf’s shoulder. “It sounds beautiful,” she murmurs.

“It is,” Hollyleaf mumbles. “It’s—forgiveness, Dove. I forgive her. I forgive them all.”

Her breath rattles in her throat. The rain beats on the leaves above, unheeding.

Hollyleaf stills, and Dovewing does too, as if every part of her needed to match Hollyleaf’s. As if syncing their bodies will give her enough of Dovewing to come back.

She doesn’t, of course.

Dovewing weeps.

[blizzardstarx]

Blizzardstar’s Storm - Prologue

AO3 Link Table of Contents

No warnings, other than mentions of animal death

A/N: I’ll try to keep each chapter at 2k words or more! This one though, is at 1k.

Night fell upon the StormClan camp, the moonlight shining softly down onto the clearing. Cats of all ages lay inside the dens, most of them peacefully sleeping. The border patrol, consisting of three warriors, had just returned, silently sliding through the undergrowth of the entrance. Two other warriors that guarded the entrance greeted them with a nod, protecting the camp from any threats. In the back of the camp, stood a large, jagged rock, and near its base, a fallen, rotting log with a mossy nest inside. To its right lay a pile of fresh-kill, consisting of various birds, mice, squirrels, and voles. Five other dens were spread out across the camp, consisting of rocky crevices, trees, and some even woven from intertwined reeds, branches, and feathers. The nursery, a soft, large den formed under a bramble bush protected and kept the queens and kits of StormClan warm. Inside, a white she-cat lay with her three little kits—a gray tom, a silver and white tabby she-cat, and a gray and white tabby tom. Another queen, a brown and white she-cat, was laying near the back of the den, resting, expecting kits in a couple of moons.

The white she-cat rolled a moss-ball towards the three kits, and they bounded after it, tussling with each other to get to the ball first. The gray tom leaped onto the other tom, the latter squealing and struggling to get free, wriggling out from under him. The white kit bounded after the moss-ball, and the gray kit darted past her, launching himself at the moss-ball. He stumbled, and the gray and white tabby took the chance to leap past him, catching it in between his paws.

“Hey, no fair!” The gray kit mewed.

The gray and white tabby stuck his tongue out at him, giggling softly. “Not my fault you’re as clumsy as a badger!”

The queen’s blue eyes glittered with fondness as she called the kits back. “You guys have so much energy for being such little furballs,” she teased. “Would you settle down if I told you a story?”

“Ooh! What story?”

“Can we please hear about the story of how StormClan was created?”

“Yeah! I’m booored. I can’t sleep.”

The queen twitched her whiskers in amusement, chuckling softly as she meowed, “Alright, but if you promise no interruptions, okay?”

“We promise!” The kits squealed in unison.

“A long, long time ago, Soaringhawk, a warrior of SkyClan, one of the five ancient Clans, sought a new home for his clan after their territory had been destroyed by Twolegs, receiving a prophecy from StarClan saying “The sky will part, and you must embrace the storm that approaches.” On the way, however, he was attacked by a dog and saved by a kittypet named Morning. He found this area, but when he returned to the forest, he found out that he was too late.” The queen paused, as her kits below her stared at her eagerly, waiting for her to continue. “SkyClan had left without him. So, he journeyed back, rescuing the same kittypet that saved him after she had been abandoned by her Twolegs, joining him on his journey. They traveled together for many moons, Soaringhawk teaching Morning the ways of the clans and telling her about his life as a warrior. He named her Morningdawn, and eventually, they fell in love, settling down here, in the territory he had discovered.”

She glanced fondly out of the nursery entrance, nodding to the StormClan clearing.

“One night, he was sent a dream by StarClan, telling him that he needed to create a new clan, and gave him a second prophecy: Only the morning dawn brings light to a storm. They showed him a vision of the Starry Cave, where he could contact them, and he woke up. They knew they had to recruit cats to join the clan, which they named StormClan in their interpretation. Moons passed, as the clan slowly grew, and Morningstar received her nine lives. As promised, she led them through many hardships and challenges, from badger attacks, fires, droughts, she lost many lives protecting her clan. Until one leafbare, she caught greencough.”

They gasped, as they had heard tales of terrible outbreaks of greencough ravaging the clans, causing the deaths of many cats.

“Oh no!” The silver and white tabby squeaked, before the gray kit cuffed her around the ear.

“Ow!”

“Shh! No interruptions, remember?”

The queen sighed as she knelt down to lick the silver and white tabby.

“Spiderkit, no hitting your sister. Splashkit didn’t interrupt me.”

“Awww, okay,” Spiderkit murmurs, groaning softly.

“If you two don’t stop talking, we’ll never get to the end,” the third kit complained.

Their mother hushed them, smiling. “There’s no rush, Blizzardkit. We always have tomorrow. But you’re right, you’ll wake Fawnleap up at this point.”

“Sorry,” Splashkit and Spiderkit mewed.

“But you’re always busy with patrols and stuff,” Blizzardkit whined.

“I know, and I’m sorry,” the queen murmurs gently. “I wish I could spend more time with you all. But your father and I have to do our duties.”

“Now, if you’d let me finish, Morningstar was expecting Soaringhawk’s kits, and during a stormy night, she got weaker and weaker, giving birth to two kits. With her final breath, she told him to take care of their kits, losing her last life. The storm raged on for three days, almost as if StarClan itself was mourning.”

A pang of sadness pierced the queen as she recalled the story, looking down lovingly at her kits.

“Soaringhawk went on to become Soaringstar, and his kits went on to create a legacy, leading all the way down—”

She gestured to the three kits. “—to us.”

“That was so sad! He lost his mate that he traveled and lived with for so long!” Splashkit mewed, her big, blue eyes wide with empathy.

“He did, but he knew that he had to follow her dying wish, taking care of their kits and leading the clan, even through the loss and grief. He knew that Morningstar was watching him from StarClan, and that in due time, he would meet her again.”

The queen looked up at the sky, a soft, sad smile on her face. “Last leafbare, the clans lost many cats from a terrible famine. But they are still here with us, up in the stars, up in Silverpelt. They will always be with us.”

She nudged the kits closer to her, licking their heads gently. “Now, go to sleep, little ones. You’ll have plenty of time to play and hear stories tomorrow.”

“Aww, okay,” Blizzardkit groaned, curling up to their mother, and his littermates nestled next to him, closing their eyes and drifting off into sleep.

Next chapter:

Chapter 1

[lambfromfield]

Family is supposed to be easy. Mother, father, siblings, if applicable, and the list ends there. Mothwing discovers this is not the case.

hi mothwing fans! i wrote eleven thousand words about the healer ever! please enjoy!