#anyways. in MY ‘Leafpool runs away’ au-

[the-owl-tree]

If there’s one idea I really like in au’s where Leafpool and Crowfeather actually do run away, it’s the idea of the three being raised away from the Clans and returning with an outsider’s gaze on how repressive and violent they can be

[yuridovewing]

people get soooo up in arms about making crowfeather "bad" in his not-nightcloud relationships, when like he really works best as a shitstirrer and absent dad. leafcrow is just inherently more interesting if you play it as something that is doomed to fail on all accounts. i love forbidden romance but i particularly love it when forbidden romance fails not necessarily because society forbids it but because the characters cannot actually be in the same general area for too long before they melt down

love leafcrow being portrayed not as something wholesome but as something ominous

[squirrelshine]

AU, what if Leafpool and Crowfeather did run off together?

I've always loved the idea of characters getting a happy ending instead of their shitty Canon one. Ones I think about a lot are crow/leaf getting to leave without starclan/midnight interrupting them from leaving, so they have lion, holly, and jay somewhere pretty far away from the clans. But after that I took some creative liberty so here is some information

In this AU, Crowfeather and Leafpool where somewhat truthful with their kits, and told them about them leaving the clans. And they gave them apprentice/warrior names. Also like don't come for me but I like to think that lion, holly, and jay's warrior names would stay the same. Cause I like them.

I also think that Crowfeather and Leafpool would have another litter of kits. Now this is where I take a lot of liberty, not to be a little "omg these are my ocs they are the kits of these canon cats" but like this is my interpretation of more crowpool babies. So first of all I wanted to explain Lionblaze's name, so Leafpool's second littler is also a littler of three, Blazekit, Shinekit, and Ashkit. But Blazekit dies at about 3 moons old and so Lionblaze is named after Blazekit. Shinekit and Ashkit survive thankfully tho.

Also in the AU, Crowfeather is very protective of his kits and he was an advocate for Jayfeather to be a warrior in his eyes. So Jayfeather has a good amount of warrior training but Leafpool had all of her kits dabble in a lot of medicine cat training as well. So like in the end they are all kinda like medicine cat/warrior training. Although Jayfeather is way better at it then any of his siblings but he refuses to be a medicine cat fully. Anyways so overview: Leafpool and Crowfeather live in their own territory and have two litters of kits. Hollyleaf, Jayfeather, Lionblaze, Blazekit, Shinepaw, and Ashpaw.

Blazekit is a dark ginger tabby tom, Shinepaw is a golden colored tabby she cat, and Ashpaw is a dark gray, blueish she cat. Just some descriptions for you guys 👍

So then story time, basically when leafpool left Squirrelflight became like depressed and the whole badger attack happened. But Ashfur also died in it along with Cinderpelt. So Brightheart became a part time medicine cat but not a full time one. So now Ashfur is non existent and Squirrelflight turned to Bramblestar for comfort which is a bad choice tbh but whatever.

Anyways back to the present day, basically starclan tells jayfeather that they gotta go back to thunderclan and jayfeather finds out about the prophecy. So they all have a family road trip to thunderclan and go help them. And that's all for now, tell me if your interested or like if I should change anything 😭🙏 Thank you for reading!!

[pumpkinnkidd]

sorry if somebody has already asked you this, but do you have any favorite characters from warrior cats ? personally mine are firestar, scourge, ferncloud, & sorreltail, but i kinda wanna know yours ! :3

no one has ever asked me this!!! i love talking about my favorite characters im so happy you asked

those are all amazing fav character pics btw!!! my favorites are hollyleaf, bristlefrost, feathertail, and dovewing!! i love crookedstar, squirrelflight and leafpool, and briarlight too but the previous four are my beloveds of all time.

little ramble, i love hollyleaf because her story is very tragic to me and she is cringefail! she is so interesting… most of these characters i really love because me and my gf has a massive rewrite au and hollyleaf gets the glow up of the century. a traumatized murderer loose in the tunnels can only end well! other than that, i love hollyleaf for all the other reasons people love her: sacrificial lamb with no powers >:))

bristlefrost is a much more recent fav but she is probably my favorite warrior cat of all time. i actually really like bristleroot, though it has its flaws. her death parallel to ashfur’s ( and how her and hollyleaf should have met ) is so good. she died thinking only of love while ashfur is obsessive and filled with toxic malice. it’s beautifully poetic. she is also big strong battle women i love her 💖

feathertail i love for similar reasons to hollyleaf. her and tawnypelt could have had the relationship ever if written about. i wish she stayed bitter longer. i have an au idea where when she died midnight reincarnates her into jayfeather! i love thinking about her… i could go on and on about the bonds she has with other characters and how they can be dissected and elaborated. especially sasha + her kits… hawkfrost should have been a journeying cat with feathertail over stormfur imo

AND DOVEWING!!! I LOVEWING DOVEWING! she is even more of a sacrificial lamb than hollyleaf but she doesn’t even die. she should have gone deaf after losing her powers that would have been very cool. she was used for her entire life as a child of war running away to shadowclan was the best thing ever for her. tigerheart should have been a girl they coulda been lebsians… and remove all the weird stuff about their age gap pretty please. i really love the two of them together but the fact they are related + weird age gap is… so unfortunate!!!

anyway thank you so much for letting me ramble i love these dumb battle cats

[twistedclaws]

hollyleaf and scourge brainworms... I’ll share what I said on Twitter. 

“ yes, holly's "collar" is supposed to be an homage to scourge's once-upon-a-time collar... yes, this is a continuation of my scourge lives AU-induced madness  I feel like while Scourge adores Leafpool and Squirrelflight, I think he would have this uncanny bond with Hollyleaf that borders on them nearly sharing the same soul. Also, Scourge would've admitted to killing Ashfur first regardless if he did or not. Anyway, Scourge would've stopped Hollyleaf from running away or they would've done so together. He would eventually convince her to go back, though. Anyway I have... THOUGHTS, I'M SORRY!! The circumstances that happen after that would go down a lot differently, but 1. potential RBS spoilers 2. I'm undecided if I'll get this far in the story, mostly because it would be in a completely different era/a sequel. I guess it DOES spoil that Scourge lives to be an old man, but... that's obvious. I can't destroy my boy. “

[goatpaste]

mm thinkin bout my half ass evil mothwing AU

it kinda formed out of how much i think about like! i think hawkfrost being a villian was lazy, like him jut being the other tigerclone son who just did end up being evil kinda meh. like i dont hate it theres some fun to it and the parallel to how it plays with ‘what bramble could have been’ and his place in the clan religion vrs mothwing

so was like mm maybe evil mothwing, its djksgh not like a top teir AU for me but i like the concept of like like i think if one of tigerstars kids was gonna be evil i think mothwing woulda had more potential for it like

hawkfrost and bramble training with tigerstar and for bramble its this moment of misjudgement and wishing maybe he could find tigerstar bearable and the father he wanted him to be. not to mention hawkfrost is also there and its a chance for bramble to have a brother, he’s getting a family. and hawkfrost is very similar. despite choosing to stay in the clans while his mom left he still has this weird emptiness with his parents gone and being this weird big gap in his history. wanting to train with tigerstar out of pure naivety.

they come to a point where they both have to accept tigerstar is using them and will never love them or be what they want him to be. brambleclaw relearns that firestar was always there for him as a father and for hawkfrost he realizes he still has mothwing and brambleclaws only a few clans away. and like hawkfrost IS ambitious and some of his actions are questionable but he isnt evil, just kinda a jerk. 

so when ashfur comes running into came screaming his head off about firestar no would have expected it to be the riverclan daughter of tigerstar, the medicine cat who so desperately wanted to help her clan. to find her standing over the writhing body of their leader. The brothers who truly believed on tigerstar came for them, wrapped up in themselves and leafpool who admired her older friend and let herself not see the changes in mothwing over the moons as well as her romance with crowfeather.

Mothwing the medicine cat who struggled day after day to learn to be a medicine cat and to speak with their ancestors to get some sort of sign they were out there with no a single word. frustrated beyond belief that she couldnt do what her clan expected of her so when the dark forest visits her mind she truely thinks its finally happened, she’s made a connection to their ancestors and she wouldnt fail the clan as a medicine cat anymore. Little would she know she was falling for the same game as hawkfrost, being lied to being told fake prophecies while hoping to get to know her father. Training alone with Tigerstar for moons not realizing what kind of person she was being turned into. 

It was so easy to get firestar, one helpless medicine cat crossing the borders? of course firestar wouldn't suspect anything of her, he would welcome her with open arms and never see it coming when she walks him right into the foxtrap.

the only snag would be ashfur, the little tattle tale ratted her out. then she is found by hawkfrost and leafpool, the two closest cats in her life looking on in horror as she stood over firestar’s struggling body. (i imagine leafpool was going to riverclan to speak to mothwing about something and ran into hawkfrost who is trying to find mothwing) mothwing looking at the horrified faces of her best friends broke her heart.

anyways idk! i love mothwing a lot she’s neat and whatever. and hawkfrost being evil is fine, its just idk! very typical to me

plus i love a lady villian with fun motives, and i think mothwing being written in hawkfrost’s place could be interesting

[duck-era-lexi]

legit one of my biggest gripes with warriors canon that i refuse to accept is that in twilight, leafpool and crowfeather leave for ONE chapter. they leave for like, one day. we never really see them meet up (like bluefur does in bluestar’s prophecy) but it’s mentioned that leafpool had been sneaking out frequently to see him. so it can be assumed that like 5+ times. 

but anyways my point is!! they literally LEAVE for like 2 seconds. and then come back. it’s something really specific and unnecessary but it’s so dumb. my hc is that they were gone for about a quarter moon (aka a week). in comparison, in crookedstar’s promise, crookedkit leaves his clan for a moon.

everything’s the same pretty much, crowf and leafpool meet midnight and she tells them about the attack. so they go back, it’s sad, they split apart.

this way, they have time to yk concieve their children and it’s not super quick. i don’t think they should stay for THAT long because they might bond really strongly together and be more reluctant to go back

it’s a really unfortunate coincidence that they JUST so happened to see midnight. it’s really like, what if leafpool & crowfeather actually did run away? then we get into crowfeather’s character and how he would act if he was with her for an extended period of time. they’re opposites, feathertail was the opposite of him as well, and he softens around both of the she-cats. but would he eventually crack or something like that? i like to think not, i like to think that leafpool would soften him and make him kinder. but we’ll never know, because the crowfeather we know not only did not go through that, he got pushed further down and ended up in a worse situation.

i think them staying for a short time was like intentional though, it does explain some aspects of why no one made the correlation of leafpool’s kits. but also like, they probably wouldn’t have turned back if it weren’t for them not fully settling in yet. like it hadn’t even been ONE day. they were in that nervousness, unsure of themselves stage. midnight could’ve warned the clan cats on their own.

also random but i feel like if cinderpelt survived, there was a chance that leafpool would just be like, “I’m sorry, but this is not my calling. My life is not meant to be here among the Clans.” and then LEAVE. bc if she really wanted to, she could have left with crowfeather. but, that wouldn’t happen with cinderpelt’s death.

i also wouldn’t like this au because then the three never would’ve been born so. 

tldr; chapter 20 of twilight is dumb and should be longer.

disclaimer - i also wrote this slightly out of context, like i wrote this not during my full re-read of twilight but during a partial re-read where i only read certain sections. 

[mallowstep]

Questions about the latest po3 au (whitewater)

Did Brambelstar genuinely pick Cloudtail because he thought he would be a good deputy or just to...give him the position as an apology for forcing Brightheart to be med cat? Cloudtail seems like he would be the kind of deputy who would question his leader and call him out and that doesn't at all fit with Bramblestar's vibe

Second...did Bramblestar consciously kill Firestar or was he did he just conveniently run out of time while he was fighting Hawkfrost?

alright, if you haven't seen, the basic concept of whitewater is a po3 au where leafpool and crowfeather don't return to the clans, and where firestar dies in the fox trap.

astatine is a squilf-pov one shot that focuses on what occurs in thunderclan between leafpool leaving and the start of the main work, which doesn't have a title (yet).

anyway. answering under a read more. (at least, to the extent that i'm answering. i'm not going to give away everything ;3)

q1: cloudtail. it's worth mentioning that bramblestar, at least nominally, wants a deputy who will challenge him. that's the reason he gives for choosing squilf in canon, and well.

sd

okay i have no idea wtf happened there, thank u so much tumblr.

anyway.

i'll let u decide where bramble is on this grid.

bramble chooses cloudtail for some pretty specific reasons, which i don't really want to give away here. but the fact that brightheart was forced to be the medicine cat is important.

i also just. kind of think of them as friends? like cloudtail and brambleclaw are close. imo. i can't remember my rational for this, but this is what i think now, and i stand by it.

i will also say, bramble does not at any point in astatine lie.

q2: firestar? definitely not answering that ;3

anything else you want to know, feel free to ask! i'll say what i can in as much detail as i can.

<3

[malkumtend]

Contact.

Squirrelflight x Crowfeather AU.

This story is based on the AU by my friend @lonely-ghost-606 - please go check them out, their artwork is beautiful! They shared their AU on my favourite ship with me, and there are moments in there that are too beautiful to just ignore. It demands writing, and they’ve given me permission to do so! 

This AU centres on how Squirrel and Crow fell in love during the journey, to the point where they were ready to run away together after the clans found their new home, only to be driven apart after Leafpool is injured during the badger attack. Squirrelflight cannot find the heart to leave her sister and Crowfeather respects her decision to stay. They separate and Squirrelflight gets with Brambleclaw in Thunderclan. 

It has been moons since then. And it is time for a gathering.

...

Crowfeather hated gatherings.

It puzzled Windclan cats as to why, but he did. He was a cat that was sharp on his best days, but when those times when they were meant to meet under a truce with the fellow clans, Crowfeather always appeared worse than ever, ready to cut any cat who dared even speak to him.

Only one cat knew why he did, and that was his mate. Nightcloud was the one cat they hadn’t seen him snap at. Or maybe she was the one who was the most understanding whenever he looked ready to snap. She was the one who would usher soft words into his ear that somehow made him calm down and respect the truce.

Not even their son could understand it.

At least it seemed different tonight. Crowfeather knew that he had to be calm. It was his son’s first gathering.

Breezepaw had been keeping a stoic expression but his fur had jittered with excitement the whole way from Windclan. Nightcloud had smiled at the scene, nuzzling her kit’s fur affectionately.

“Mum!” Breezepaw complained, shaking off her touch with embarrassment. “Other cats will see!”

“Oh, hush.” Nightcloud uttered, nudging him forward. “No cat cares! Besides, I have a mother’s right to be proud!” She smirked, ruffling his fur with her nose.

Breezepaw pulled away again, but not without a small laugh of delight.

A few steps behind, Crowfeather watched on in amusement. He of all cats knew that Breezepaw was not one to be openly happy, even on a good day. But Nightcloud had a way of breaking through his invisible barriers. Perhaps she was the only cat who could do that. If Breezepaw were to catch Crowfeather’s eye now, the young cat would almost certainly go back to glowering.

Which was proven as Breezepaw’s good mood did transform into a cautious glare when he looked back at his father.

Crowfeather tried to give his son an encouraging look. 

It must not have looked good; Breezepaw turned away again, determined to ignore Crowfeather’s presence.

Crowfeather sighed. Was Breezepaw still angry about that morning? Crowfeather had just been trying to correct his son’s hunting techniques, but he had just gotten more and more frustrated as the rabbit heard him and dashed away every time. Crowfeather had tried to be helpful in pointing out the young cat’s mistakes, but Breezepaw had decided that it was the fault of his father’s ‘terrible advice’. The tom’s temper was as delicate as a robin’s wing. Admittedly, Crowfeather may have been a little too flippant in scolding the young cat, but it was only because his son had struck a nerve.

After all, it wasn’t Crowfeather’s hunting advice he had mocked.

Breezepaw had apologised later, but only on the instructions of his mother. It was clear he didn’t mean it, not that his parents expected him to.

Nightcloud glanced back at Crowfeather gently. “Just let him calm down.” She mouthed to her friend.

Crowfeather nodded back at her stiffly. He felt his fur prickle as the chorus of cats became clearer along the distance. He could smell his clan intermingling with the different corners of the forest, pungent with the aroma of the other clans. Breezepaw must have noticed it too, as his head craned up in excitement.

“Come on!” He sprang forward into the clearing. His parents looked on, it wasn’t so far now

“Hey, wait for me, rabbit-brain!” Crowfeather looked back to see Heatherpaw chasing after the dark apprentice. Breezepaw did wait for his friend, coyly anticipating a race and then the two rushed off towards the beach.

Nightcloud laughed tenderly, slowing down in her pace to walk besides her mate. “See? He’s too excited to really be angry.” She mewed. “Just wait until tomorrow and he will have forgotten all about earlier.”

“Until next time.” Crowfeather said dryly. Soon enough, he knew he would be arguing with his son again.

“Crowfeather.” Nightcloud said pointedly.

“I know, I know.” Crowfeather rubbed his tired eyes with his tail. “Keep a straight face, I know it. But I don’t hear you denying it.”

“You just have to be patient with him.” Nightcloud purred.

Crowfeather raised his brow. “Have I not?”

“Not enough for him.”

Crowfeather rolled his eyes. He’d have to wait a long time then, it seemed.

“I saw that.” Nightcloud’s voice lowered, her eyes narrowing. Crowfeather felt a guilty churn in his stomach. He was already breaking his promise. Nightcloud deserved better than that.

“I’m trying, Nightcloud. I don’t mean to be curt. I just get-”

“I know, Crowfeather.” Within a breath, Nightcloud’s voice was close to a purr again. “Believe me, I understand.” And she did, that was something Crowfeather alone knew. It often baffled Crowfeather how she could act like nothing was bothering her at every gathering. How could she be so strong when he still found it so hard after moons? “But please, try to keep it together, for Breezepaw’s sake.” She said, gingerly rubbing her pelt against Crowfeather’s. “Even if he doesn’t show it, he really does want to see you proud of him tonight.”

Crowfeather’s eyes flashed, “I am proud of him!” That wasn’t a lie. His son was already an apprentice; how could he not feel proud?

“Well you make sure he knows that then.” Nightcloud enunciated, giving her mate a strong smile. Her pink eyes glittered kindly under the full moon. 

Crowfeather almost felt stupid that he wasn’t in love with her.

Still, it wasn’t like she loved him either. Not in that way.

She had her kit though. And she loved him more than anything. Crowfeather had helped her get the kit she loved so dearly. That was always going to be their bond, and it was still strong despite how their hearts were set on other cats.

Nightcloud was happy enough with the situation, as much as she could be anyway. Crowfeather envied that.

“I’ll do what I can.” Crowfeather promised. He still didn’t think it would be enough. Nightcloud smiled at his answer though.

“Thank you.”

Crowfeather may have continued, but the scents of other cats suddenly wafted around him as if to smother his muzzle. The shape of the island loomed in the distance, soon Crowfeather would find his paws near that familiar place. He could smell every clan in the air.

One was stronger to him than the others.

One that made his eyes drift down and his back arch. He was good at hiding it by now, but Nightcloud always noticed it. “Steady.” She purred, resting her tail on his flank.

Crowfeather muttered a brief thanks to her. A shame crawled over him, it had been moons, he should have been strong enough to get past it by now.

She certainly had.

Soon enough, the two dark cats had found their way to the beach. Cats chattered around them, from new apprentices to cats who were a moon from becoming elders. Crowfeather looked up mildly at Onestar who sat next to Firestar on the tree branch. It would begin soon.

“Crowfeather!” 

The grey cat turned, his mood relaxing a little as a familiar tortoiseshell strode up to him. He nodded as friendly as he could. “Tawnypelt.” He could feel more comfortable around cats he had spent a significant time in his youth with. “How are things in ShadowClan?”

The ShadowClan cat nodded to her friend. “Well, thank you.” She looked over to the black molly beside him. “Nightcloud,” She nodded politely, which the Windclan molly returned. “Are you doing well?”

“Just fine.” Nightcloud mewed, flashing a genial grin. “It’s my son’s first gathering!”

Tawnypelt beamed, “Really?”

“Yes!” Nightcloud pointed her tail towards where Breezepaw sat talking with Heatherpaw and two other young cats. His fur was on edge, looking up at the leader’s tree with unmissable elation.

“He looks strong.”  Tawnypelt chirped, casting Crowfeather a sly look. “He must have gotten that from his mother. This one was as scrawny as a mouse tail.”

Crowfeather rolled his eyes as the two mollies laughed. “Ha ha.” He mimicked tonelessly.

“Oh, cheer up. You’ll have all the time to mock me soon.” Tawnypelt meowed, a grin turning onto her muzzle. “I’ll be looking a little bigger by next moon.”

Crowfeather’s ears perked up and Nightcloud’s tail curled in glee. “Oh, Tawnypelt! You’re expecting!”

Tawnypelt’s smile confirmed it. “I am!”

Crowfeather couldn’t stop his jaw from dropping. Even though Tawnypelt had already been a Warrior when they had journeyed to their new home, it just struck Crowfeather then how much she too had changed since then. Luckily for the better. She had found love and a good place in ShadowClan. “That’s... wonderful.” Crowfeather managed to say.

“Congratulations!” Nightcloud cried, pressing her nose against the cat’s pelt. “How has Rowanclaw taken it?”

“Oh, he’s just over the moon.” Tawnypelt said, flicking her tail in amusement. “He hasn’t left me alone for days! Always on alert, checking my prey for me like I’m already in the nursery!”

Nightcloud chuckled, “At least you’ve found yourself a good tom, then.” Even though Tawnypelt didn’t see it as the two mollies continued to talk, Crowfeather noticed the small wilt of sadness that dimmed Nightcloud’s eyes. 

Crowfeather felt a stab of pity. He could see her quickly looking over to where a certain medicine cat sat, who was trying just as hard as to look like she wasn’t meeting Nightcloud’s gaze.

Eventually, Nightcloud took the time to seize her moment. “I think I’ll go talk with Leafpool before the gathering starts.” She’d become so good at saying that name like it was nobody special to her. She offered a quick nod to Tawnypelt, “It was nice to talk to you, Tawnypelt. Congratualtions, again.” She waited for Tawnypelt’s farewell before striding over to the medicine cat.

The two met with the same sad, loving gaze. They sat close as they talked, occasionally ‘accidentally’ rubbing their tail against the other. it was all they could hope for.

It was another reason Crowfeather admired Nightcloud. She took every chance she could. She didn’t just sit in the shadows thinking about what she should have done and regretting every action she didn't take.

Tawnypelt was right. Breezepaw probably did get his strength from his mother.

Crowfeather was about to turn back to talk to Tawnypelt some more when his nostrils flared again.

That clan scent came back, approaching.

Hastily, he turned to it, and his stomach coiled. The Thunderclan deputy was padding up to meet his sister. Crowfeather had history with him as well. He wished it was better.

“Tawnypelt!” Brambleclaw exclaimed, rubbing up against his sister, a deep purr rumbling in his throat. His amber eyes caught sight of the grey cat and, while he remained smiling, Brambleclaw became a little more stiff. “Crowfeather.” He greeted.

“Brambleclaw.” Crowfeather mustered curtly. 

“Have your responsibilities caused you to go mad yet?” Tawnypelt jibed, smirking at her brother.

Brambleclaw seemed to forget his awkwardness. “Unfortunately for you, I think I’m handling it pretty well.”

“Well that settles it. Hedgehogs will be flying soon.”

“Yes, go ahead and laugh; don’t hurt yourself though.” Brambleclaw turned to Crowfeather. “Has she told you yet?”

Crowfeather kept his composure settled. “Yes, it’s... very good news.”

“Isn’t it?” Brambleclaw beamed, rubbing against his sister affectionately. “You’re going to be an amazing mother.”

Crowfeather could agree with that. He still remembered how protective of the group Tawnypelt had been during the journey. When it came to her kits, Crowfeather had no doubt that they would become respected members of ShadowClan.

“I certainly hope so.” Tawnypelt said, a rare vulnerability in her tone. “I’m still getting used to the fact that it’s actually going to happen.”

Brambleclaw gave her a kind look. “That’s normal. I was scared stiff when I found out I was going to be a father, as well.”

Crowfeather’s ears flattened against his skull and his stomach churned like it was full of poison. Keep calm. Keep calm. Keep calm. His mind roared at him; he couldn't afford to show any weakness, he couldn’t act like he cared. No matter how much he did. The ground around his feet became cold and the scent of Thunderclan became stronger in his mind, raking through him like a hawk’s talons.

“But before you know it, they’ll be apprentices at their first gathering.” Brambleclaw finished with a proud chuff. “Just like mine.”

The air was suddenly colder than before. Crowfeather was struck still, staring at his own paws, claws sinking, clenching into the ground. If he faced anyone, they would see his expression, and someone would notice something was wrong.

Brambleclaw’s kits.

Her kits.

It shouldn’t have been so surprising. Every cat already knew that the Thunderclan deputy had children by this point. It was something his remembered clearly from the last gathering. The news had spread through the clans like wildfire. Crowfeather visibly remembered having to hold himself up as Firestar confirmed the news.

Had she felt the same way when Onestar had revealed Crowfeather’s kit to the clans?

He hoped she hadn’t. It was a selfish paradox; he wanted her to be happy more than anything. Another part of him, hidden and dark, wanted something else. He was a fool. It was him who had suggested they never speak again when she stayed with her clan to look after her sister. He had no right to feel this way.

“Really now?” Tawnypelt said with a smirk, “Well that makes two of you then!” She piped, looking coyly at Crowfeather.

Brambleclaw followed her gaze, “Oh, it’s your son’s first gathering as well.” His tone was friendly enough, but the artificial tang clicked on his tongue. 

Crowfeather forced himself to meet the ton’s eyes. No weakness. It didn’t matter. As long as he told himself that, he could move past it. Just another meeting between old friends. That was all it was to them, it had to be the same for him. He craned his head upwards, keeping firm. “Yes it is.”

“Good!” Brambleclaw didn’t pursue it further. “Hopefully he’s caught the better aspects of his father.”

“From what I’ve seen, he has.” Tawnypelt added, nudging Crowfeather good naturedly.

Crowfeather made a small sound that resembled the beat of a laugh. “I certainly hope so.” He said stiffly. He flicked his tail in Brambleclaw’s direction. “I’ll hope the same for yours.” He added with a dismissive twitch of his ear. 

Maybe it was too cold. He didn’t really care.

The memory of how little they’d gotten on during the journey looked to come back, as Brambleclaw’s eyes burned silently. He remained jovial though, he couldn’t bite back. Like Crowfeather, he had to take it as a cut of friendly banter.

“I wouldn’t worry about it.” Brambleclaw assured. The three cats noticed the storm of voices beginning to quell around them. They looked up and saw the leaders preparing themselves. “Well it’s about to begin. I’ll have to get going.” Brambleclaw rubbed up against Tawnypelt once more. “I’ll speak to you guys later.” He finished, strolling away to the roots where the other deputies sat.

“I better get back to my clan.” Tawnypelt mewed, pressing her tail against Crowfeather’s. She left him with another smile. “Until next time!” She piped, racing back to her clan.

Crowfeather called a goodbye after her, then paced over to where his own clan had begun to gather. He just wanted to get this done. He’d had enough pleasantries for one night. Amid his clan, he found Nightcloud. She sat behind Breezepaw patiently, a gentle smile on her face. Crowfeather felt his chest rush with warmth. At least she’d been able to spend some good time with her.

He sat down next to her. “Are you alright?” He whispered.

Nightcloud responded with a simper. “As well as I can. She’s doing really well.”

“That’s good.” Crowfeather purred gently. Nightcloud looked at him gratefully, her fur rising with relish.

“Shh!” Breezepaw sibilated, glaring at his parents. “It’s about to start!”

Nightcloud chuckled deep in her throat. “Okay okay, bossy-pelt.” She scoffed, placing her tail over her lips playfully. Despite himself, Breezepaw smiled a little. Crowfeather inwardly shook his head; how was she so good with him? He did silence himself though as Onestar’s voice called above the dimming voices, calling for the gathering to begin.

It went as normally as expected. All was well in Riverclan. The same in ShadowClan, though Blackstar of course took every opportunity he could to spite Firestar about a piece of land. At least nothing came from it. All throughout though, Crowfeather saw his son beginning to rise as Windclan’s turn approached, his fur prickling with anxious confidence.

Crowfeather felt a sympathetic rush for his son. He remembered this well. He still remembered how he’d felt at his first gathering. He’d been excited surely, but his nervousness had been indescribable. Ashfoot had been there to cheer him on, but Crowfeather could still picture himself hardening with hurt as he realised that Deadfoot would never be there to see it in the flesh.

Not that Crowfeather had expected he’d cheered anyway.

Words from long ago sparked in his memories.

He shook away those thoughts. He didn’t have time to waste on that. He needed to be for Breezepaw what Crowfeather had missed in his youth. Even if Breezepaw rejected it, Crowfeather knew it would mean something. It had to.

“This last moon has been kind to Windclan.” Onestar announced, his voice carrying an authority Crowfeather one day wished to gain. “We have one new apprentice this moon.” The leader’s eyes glinted over the branch, staring down at the young cat with a noble honour. “Breezepaw.”

Breezepaw lifted his chin high, soaking in the stares of every cat, taking in their silent judgement. Crowfeather rose his brow in astonishment. His son wasn’t even phased a little by the attention of the entire forest. He relished it actually. Whether or not if was a brave face, Crowfeather didn’t just have to look proud anymore. His chest burned with respect for his son. Not even he had managed to look so strong under a thousand eyes. He looked up absently, feeling a twist of relief as he saw the pride reflected in Onestar’s eyes. Nothing was a greater compliment for an apprentice than seeing that look from your leader.

Crowfeather didn’t notice he was smiling until Breezepaw had turned around and ,for the first time in a while, looked genuinely surprised. As Onestar carried on, the young cat stared up at his father like it was for the first time.

Crowfeather wanted to say something, but the rules of the gathering meant that would have to wait.

So he settled on a slow nod.

Breezepaw gazed back for a long while, and even though he didn’t smile, eventually he nodded back. There was a rare gentleness in his eyes. 

Crowfeather could feel Nightcloud’s bliss beside him. He could smile at his ‘mate’ and know it wasn’t forced.

For the first time in a while, Crowfeather felt a small peace.

And of course, it faltered as soon as it came.

Onestar turned to give Firestar the opportunity to speak next. The orange cat leant forward on the branch, levelly addressing the crowd. “Thunderclan is fortunate to announce we have three new apprentices this moon.”

Crowfeather’s smile dropped with his gaze. He didn’t want to look. Not at them. Not at her.

“They are all here tonight!” Firestar called on, his voice raising with pride. “Lionpaw, Jaypaw and Hollypaw!”

He felt the cats around him turn to look at the named cats. So those are their names... Crowfeather felt his teeth grit in frustration, but he found himself feeling disgusted by his actions. If he wanted to move on, he needed to face it. They were the kits she loved, and he knew she wasn’t cowardly enough to hide when Breezepaw’s name had been announced.

She deserved the same from him.

Just look at them and that’s it. He reasoned. They deserved that much. Maybe, in it’s own stupid way, it would make things easier. Then he could go back to Windclan and maybe not feel that stinging regret as frequently as he did.

Slowly, Crowfeather opened his eyes and glazed them over to where the others looked. 

He saw them. Three young cats, not one as openly confident as Breezepaw had been. A tom with golden fur had his head raised up, but the perceptible tremor in his tail spoke his uneasiness. Next to him, a small light grey tom kept his gaze to the ground, hiding away from the stares, a small frown on his muzzle. Lastly, a molly, the only one who looked genuinely happy at the attention. She puffed her small chest out, her black fur shining under the full moon.

Crowfeather turned away with a breath of relief. Okay, it was done. He’d seen them. That was all he needed to...

Wait. Crowfeather’s eyes shot open again. Black fur?

He looked back at them again, trying not to look suspicious. Had he seen correctly? Black fur? As far as he knew, neither of her parents had a hint of darkness in their family history. Yet, she was there, ebony fur as obvious as the night. Come to think of it...

Crowfeather’s wide eyes whisked around the area, searching frantically. But he couldn’t find more. In all the clans, there were only three cats with fur that dark. Nightcloud, Hollypaw, and himself. Even as he ran through the memories of his youth, the only other cat he could think of was his own father.

Crowfeather felt his claws rake across the ground like it was his own mind. A cloud was overshadowing him. An idea that made him look closer at the other two.

Lionpaw certainly took after his mother, but when Crowfeather examined Jaypaw a little more closely, a series of things struck out like thorns. His lanky body which stood on strong, defined legs, and eyes that, while clouded, were a clear glistening blue. Crowfeather’s breathing paced, his vision spinning a little like he was being dragged under a river.

Not one kit had taken any of Brambleclaw’s likeness.

The ghost of a night loomed in Crowfeather’s widening eyes. The last night that he had ever felt anything like peace.

No. No, they couldn’t be. She would have... Surely, she would have told me if what I think is...

He had to be wrong. It had to be a misunderstanding. It was too far gone at this point to do anything.

His gaze refocused as he found her.

She still glowed in the night. A joyful smile on her muzzle as she stared down at the kits. When Firestar moved on to other matters, het attention only remained on her father. A small doubt crawled down Crowfeather’s fur. If she wasn’t phased at all, he must have been wrong. She wasn’t even looking in his direction-

Not once had her gaze drifted anywhere near Windclan. Crowfeather’s throat tightened. She almost looked stiff as she ignored him.

Crowfeather’s breathed in heavily, ignoring when Nightcloud tried to whisper to him to ask what was wrong. He could only focus on one thing. He wanted, and would get, answers.

When the gathering finally ended. Crowfeather turned back to Nightcloud, apology soft in his face. “Sorry. You go on ahead, I won’t be long.”

The dark molly frowned, but her eyes glistened with worry. “Why? What is it?”

“I just need to say something to some cat.”

“Who?”

Cowfeather was firm. “Squirrelflight.” It felt strange saying her name again.

Nightcloud’s face dropped, the pity of a thousand past conversations darkening her expression. “Why?” She mumbled, tiredness and pity straining her voice.

It probably went against the trust he had built with her, but Crowfeather couldn’t bring himself to tell her what he was thinking. “There’s just something I need to ask her.”

Nightcloud sighed, understanding and frustration mixed. “Crowfeather-”

“Please.” Crowfeather didn’t notice his voice growing more desperate, twisting into a frailty that didn’t suit him. It might have been for that very reason that Nightcloud relented, chewing on her lip, then groaning as she turned away. 

“Okay.” Nightcloud’s voice was soft and caged. “But come home soon.” 

Crowfeather wanted to thank her but she had already turned away, saying her own goodbyes to the cats around her. His heart throbbed, but he didn’t have time to waste. 

He weaved himself through the cats, doing all he could to look natural as he approached the area where Thunderclan was beginning to break away. Some cats cast him funny looks but no one intervened. His chest pounded as he searched through the clowder. For that ginger fur. He finally saw her waiting with her kits as Brambleclaw spoke with Firestar by the roots of the tree.

He quietly approached the molly, her back still towards him. Crowfeather felt a part of him urge him to flee, to respect what they had promised, to never let that pain return. Walking was like running his paws through a stream of tar, primal nature holding him back with every breath. But by the time he was ready to run, he was just behind her.

And then her ear twitched.

And then she turned around.

Blue met green.

Their eyes were linked for the first time in moons.

It took all the strength Crowfeather had to not lose himself in the knowledge that he was face to face with her. He forced himself to say what he needed to say. “We need to talk.” He said quietly, his gaze going downward again as he realised what he had broken by even speaking to her. “Meet me at the usual spot.”

And then he stalked away. Quickly, before her kits could notice anything wrong. And even swifter still so he wouldn’t lose his nerves because of how happy he was to see her again.

He began his way to the border, covering himself in the shadows as his clan made their way back to their dens. He wavered along the path, making sure to miss the areas where the moonhigh patrol would be lurking.

That wasn’t an issue. He’d practiced it enough in the past. And he was sure that she would remember how to make it there as well.

For a moment, Crowfeather felt the question of whether she would turn up at all. But it passed by his next breath; he knew she would. He would have done the same if she had come to him. Then again, he had nothing to hide.

Crowfeather let out a jagged groan. He didn’t want to believe what he thought, not because of what it meant for those kits, but because it rose the question of why she had never told him.

Surely she trusted him like he still trusted her...

Right?

He had to hope.

...

Crowfeather paced back and forth, muttering to himself as his pelt began to prickle with impatience. It had gotten to the time of night where he knew every cat except the patrols would be asleep. The wind raced in an icy breeze at this time of night, and the moon glowed brighter than ever before, shining of off Crowfeather’s smooth fur.

Where is she? Crowfeather growled to himself. He sniffed at the air, but it offered no help. Her scent was nowhere, the wind blew towards Thunderclan territory; he could only hope that meant his scent would reach her faster.

That was if she was even coming. Crowfeather shook his fur down to his tail, partly to keep warm, partly to keep his thoughts away. She had to be coming! If not for him, then for herself! Squirrelfight couldn’t just ignore him if he was right in his assumptions.

Or maybe he really was mistaken after all.

The Winclan cat sighed, casting stream into the night. Did she even remember this place at all? Or had those nights of meeting just vanished from her memory? She might have even stumbled across a Windclan patrol; that thought made Crowfeather cringe with dread. Fox-dung, I’m not helping myself here!

No. The area was indistinguishable. On the west side of the border between Thunderclan and Riverclan was a patch of the forest where the trees clouded over like wisps of dark smoke. Not even the moon could trace its light through the army of thick branches. Patrols kept clear of the place normally, sticking to the line between the two clans.

Crowfeather knew the place well.

When they’d first found their new home, it was the only place they’d been able to meet without fearing being discovered.

The tom felt his pelt chill at the memories. He had done everything he could to keep them at bay, but he still found himself failing, and now it was stronger than ever. He rose his whiskers to the shadowy tops of the trees, its leaves stretched around the air like claws, abandoning him in the murky darkness.

The wind changed, slashing Crowfeather’s face with a burst of cold air. The tom grit his teeth at the freezing grip that raked across his muzzle.

Inside that grip was a different aroma. A familiar fragrance of forest wildflowers. Floral, but sharp.

Crowfeather’s heart rose and sank at the same time.

He stared into the shadows, heart pounding harder than it had in forever, trying to remain stoic as he saw two emerald orbs peer through the dark blanket. They grew closer as her paws were now audible through the hiss of the wind, swaying her fur like a forest blaze.

She was there. Retreading the path from so long ago.

Squirrelflight didn’t look straight at him. Her expression was thin and hard, hiding away any semblance of emotion. Her stomach twisted with every step. I shouldn’t be doing this. But she knew that was wrong. She knew she should have expected this.

She stopped when she felt she was within a tail-length of him. Her whiskers twitched and her face broke a little. Heather and rain... The air of windclan. Him.

When she spoke it was without any power. “So, what did you want to say?” As if she didn’t know.

She could hear his face change. He sighed gruffly. “Did anyone see you leave?”

Squirrelflight shook her head. “No. Th-They were asleep when I left. I’m certain they didn’t hear me.” She had waited long enough, watching her kits snoring softly for a few minutes before she had been ‘comfortable’ enough to make her way. “I didn’t see any patrols, so I don’t think they saw me. What about you?”

“I came here after the gathering. No one will be coming now.”

Squirrelflight nodded, but her pelt prickled with tension. “So, again, what did you want?” She still wasn’t looking at him.

The air somehow wasn’t as cold as the silence that followed. 

“It’s about your kits.” Crowfeather’s voice changed into something low, something that made Squirrelflight’s insides clench. Not with fear, but with guilt. 

“Yes.” Squirrelflight said in a small murmur.

Another silence struck the pair, harsher than before; Crowfeather’s breathing became heavier.

“I’m right, aren’t I?” Crowfeather croaked. “About what I think?”

Quick to the point, just like always.

Did she even have to ask what it was he thought?

Squirrelflight suddenly felt weaker. She’d been able to mask away everything for so long, from so many cats. But in front of him, she had faltered somehow. He could see everything just by looking at her.

Or should she have expected that from him.

After all, she could tell from his voice that he wasn’t angry. He just sounded distraught, betrayed.

They knew each other too well.

There was no hiding it now. It was time to old bones to resurface. 

“I-I wanted to-”

“Squirrelflight.” She found her breath shaking as he said her name. Crowfeather’s voice was cutting, but it was also pleading. “Look at me.”

The Thunderclan molly kept still, only looking at her twitching paws. She didn’t want to look up. She wanted her memories of him to be what she had cherished, only fragments of what she longed for but could never have without ruining everything they had worked to forget. If she faced him now, he wouldn’t just be a memory of a smiling cat she loved. He would be as different as she had become and everything...

Everything would be real again.

With her eyes to the floor, they squeezed shut, blocking away the idea. “I can’t.” She hated how she sounded. Squeaking like a kit. She was meant to be strong, but Crowfeather knew something that placed her in his paws. With just a few words he could ruin everything around her.

“Yes you can.” Crowfeather’s voice was closer. Squirrelflight involuntarily shivered as he padded closer to her. For a moment, she wondered if it was still possible to run far away from the cat, back to the safety of her den and her kits. Once again sleeping away the hurt.

It was momentary, though. Even when she could feel him in front of her, she can’t run away. She wouldn’t do that to him. He wasn’t the one who needed to come clean after all.

“Look at me and tell me the truth!” Crowfeather’s tone was gruff but Squirrelflight heard it; the brief crack, the faintest tremble. She recognised it from a distant memory. It was that that made Squirrelflight drag her head towards his eyes.

Behind the hard glare were blue pools rippling with desperation and hurt.

This had never been what she’d wanted when she’d dreamt about seeing him again.

“Squirrelflight.” Crowfeather’s brow creased, his tail slipping down against the floor. It clearly hurt him as much as her to meet like this. “Please, just tell me.” Squirrelflight can’t escape his next words. “Are...Are they ours?”

She still had the chance to get away, didn’t she? All she had to do was say no and he couldn’t prove her wrong. No matter who he told they couldn’t call her a liar. Thunderclan would certainly not believe him over the deputy’s mate. Things could go back to normal if she just denied it.

But denying meant carrying on like this. Living the icy way she had for moons, and this time he would be dragged into it further than before.

So she spoke. Condemning and freeing herself all at once.

“Yes. They’re your kits.” It was more simple to say than she’d thought. She felt as if a lion had freed her from its jaws, yet blood would seep from the scars for eternity.

They stared at each other for the longest second of her life. The wind mockingly slowed in its assault on the pair, leaving her words to corrupt the serene night.

Crowfeather’s head drew back, his eyes were wide as if he were dazed. His fur spiked as he sat down on his haunches. Squirrelflight felt herself take a step towards him but she held herself back from reaching out her paw. 

A deep rumble left his throat, dripping with confused anger. “Does anyone else know?”

“Nobody.” Squirrelflight replied.

“Not even Brambleclaw? Your family?” Squirrelflight cringed at the mention of her ‘mate’. 

“No cat knows. I told everyone they were Brambleclaw’s.” She could still feel how much she had disgusted herself when she saw how happy the tom had been. She’d known that he’d liked her from afar, she thought she might have been able to do something good by letting him believe they were his. And it would keep peace between the clans.

Stupid. She hadn’t stoked the fire, she’d just covered it with leaves.

Crowfeather exhaled tightly, the fur on his neck prickling. “So you’ve been lying to us all for that long?” He said, seething.

Squirrelflight looked up hopelessly, her heart breaking more and more at his words. “I didn’t know what else to do! If I’d told everyone our kits were half-clan they would have been exiled! I didn’t want that for them, and after how we promised we’d never speak again, I thought it would be best to raise them as Thunderclan kits!”

Crowfeather scowled up at her, “Oh, so the fact that you could have been exiled had nothing to do with it?” He hissed accusingly.

The ginger cat’s head sank down, “Of course that was a part of it.” She wouldn’t lie, not anymore. “I was terrified. But...” She glanced back up at him pathetically, “I was worried about you as well.”

The grey cat looked away from her, his eyes narrowed in distrust. 

“I promise that’s the truth. When the battle with the badgers had ended, I’d heard rumours everywhere that you were about to become Deputy, that you’d...” She took a deep breath, horribly hiding the pain from her voice. “That you’d found a mate... I didn’t want to ruin all of that for you. I thought that you’d be happier this way.”

She knew in her heart she wasn’t lying. Yes, she had done it partly to protect herself, but she’d been set on protecting the reputation of her kits and Crowfeather. They had always been what she’d wanted to preserve the most.

“Happier?” Crowfeather’s breath caught, his head twisting to meet her. His eyes glowed with blue fire. “You couldn’t have even told me?! You couldn’t have just let me know that I had three kits that didn’t even know I existed?!”  His voice rose furiously but his glare began to soften.

Squirrelflight didn’t blink away the tears as they pricked the corners of her eyes. “I’m sorry. B-But you already had a mate and son to worry about, I didn’t want to-”

“Squirrelflight,” Crowfeather cut in, “Nightcloud doesn’t love me.”

Squirrelflight’s mouth hung, her eyes growing wide. “W-What?”

Crowfeather sighed, his eyes heavy with exasperation. “Nightcloud is...she’s like us.” Squirrelflight felt her breath leave her completely. Crowfeather looks up with eyes that share her exhaustion. “Just a cat trying to make the best out of a terrible situation. The only cat she loves in Windclan is our son.”

Did Squirrelflight have the right to have her heart soften at his words? This surely wasn’t the time to feel any kind of relief.

Besides, even if she had known that, would it have changed anything then?

Squirrelflight hardened again when she realised the answer. She turned away again. “Even so, I didn’t want to bother you. We promised each other that we would end this.”

“How could it end when there were three kits that came from it?” Crowfeather’s whiskers twitched irritably. 

“I had to lie, for them! They didn’t have to suffer as well because of our mistakes!”

The silence that followed made Squirrelflight realise that something was wrong.

“You think we were a mistake?” Crowfeather’s voice was dangerously soft.

Squirrelflight’s pelt spiked in horror as she reheard her words in her mind. Crowfeather’s face was shadowy, but she could see the trembling blue. “No!” She yowled, pacing towards him, without thinking. “I didn’t mean it like that!” Standing in front of him, her heart ached at the pain in his expression. “I just- I was just terrified for them! They shouldn’t be shunned by the clans because of their parents!”

Crowfeather stood their, his tail shaking with thought. Squirrelflight was now doing everything to hold herself together, she hated seeing him like this, she hated that this was now what had become of them. She just wanted-

“Did you not tell me,” Crowfeather spoke faintly, “Because you didn’t trust me?”

The hurt in his voice could have killed her. 

She squeezed her eyes shut tighter.  She used to pride herself on her control over her own tears.  These are hers to command, and now they're threatening to unlatch from her nerves.

She looked at him again, at the confusion in his face, and she wanted to touch him. She wanted to mimic the memories that glowed in her dreams. Her paw on his. His head against hers. Laughter. Crying.

But it had been so long, their contact was dry and unwatered, and she didn’t have the strength to tend to it anymore.

She missed that part of herself so much.

But she could still speak, her tongue could still set things right. He deserved that much at least!

“Crowfeather.” She moved closer to him, maybe just a whisker from their noses touching. She made sure that her voice was solid, he needed to hear this. No mistakes. “You know, after everything that happened, after everything we did, that there is no way I couldn’t trust you.”

He blinked at her, exhaling softly. “Do you regret what we did?”

“Don’t be a mouse-brain.” She scolded gently. “I love those kits more than life itself. I’m scared for them all the time, but I never have regretted having them. And,” The air around them slowed. Was it possible to hear the stars twinkling? “I wish things could have been different every day of my life. I should have told you a long time ago.”

Crowfeather had lost the coldness he had kept up for moons, he looked gentle, soft, close to the cat she knew so well. “Then why didn’t you tell me? I could have helped you somehow!”

Squirrelflight laughed sadly, “How?” He couldn’t have helped her, and if he had gotten hurt doing so, Squirrelflight would have never forgiven herself.

Crowfeather stumbled for breath, groaning in frustration. “I don’t know!” He sniffed, “I could have, like, left you some prey on the border, let them meet Breezepaw or something!” Squirrelflight sighed, that was right, they had a half-brother now. “We could have worked together, however we could have!” Crowfeather snapped. She knew he didn’t mean to sound angry, it was just what he was like when he was upset.

Squirrelflight sighed again, looking down. “I know you would have, but I just didn’t want to make you worry as well.” Her green eyes dimmed on her paws. “I thought I could do it on my own.”

She wasn’t sure if that was selfish or generous of her, either way someone got hurt. She thought it had to have been for the best at the time. She’d lost assurance with every passing moon.

She’d also forgotten the feeling of her face against Crowfeather’s chest. That was why she didn’t react at first when he pulled her close to him.

When she did, it was like losing control of every muscle in her body. She felt herself shut down, she didn’t even know how to describe what she was feeling. She could only breathe and blink.

Then she heard his voice again. “You don’t have to do it alone.” He purred. “Never again.” She recognised this voice. It was the Crowfeather of her memories, the one who would hold her and whisper sweet nothings with a voice smoother and kinder than any cat she knew.

As if a the day had risen within a second, Squirrelfight saw a thousand visions spark right in front of her once more.

She remembered fighting with a scrawny black apprentice.

She remembered becoming friends with Crowpaw and Feathertail. She heard their laughter.

She remembered sharing her insecurities with Crowpaw and the warmth that had erupted when he had comforted her.

She remembered crying beside her friend as they saw the Warrior they had been with since the beginning die right in front of them.

She remembered coming home with her best friend and drinking in the stares of his clan as she cheered louder than any of them as he got his Warrior name.

She remembered the sadness she had felt when they had inevitably returned to their own clans.

She remembered what it was like to realise she was in love.

She remembered the joy that had overcome her when he’d admitted he felt the same way.

The way they held each other. The words they had said. The night they became mates. The escape they had almost made.

How safe she felt in his arms. 

His contact.

It was all there.

The fur on her cheeks was wet and she didn't hold them back. She didn’t cry because they were together again, but because she realised, in their own mouse-brained way, it had never really ended for them to begin with.

She didn’t even care that she was crying. He was there. He held her tighter. She nuzzled into his soft chest, not trying to quiet her broken gasps as she finally allowed herself the happiness she had kept buried for too long.

Crowfeather gave her head a tender lick. “You did an amazing job though. They’re all going to make exceptional Warriors.” She let out a tear soaked laugh, wrapping her tail with his as he rested his head on hers. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”

“Don’t apologise.” Squirrelflight consoled, pressing her nose against his neck. “It’s my fault.”

“No, you only did what was best for them.” Crowfeather admitted, his voice cracking a little. His muzzle connected with her ear. “I just missed you so much.”

This wasn’t on her dreams. He was really there. She could say it.

“I missed you too.” It felt relieving to say that out loud. But her eyes soon opened again, dim with worry. “What happens now?”

Crowfeather was still, then he pulled his face away, looking down at the molly in his embrace. “I suppose the same thing as always.” He thinks of something quickly when she looks ready to break down. “But, if it’s alright, I would like to hear more about them later.” He smiled when she looked up at him, radiating with hope. “I could introduce you to Nightcloud, she has a lot of things she’d like to ask you.” He chuckled softly.

Squirrelflight knew what he was saying really. And she wanted it. She wanted to meet like this again and again, and savour every moment that she had lost. She grinned through her tears, snuggling against his chest again. “That sounds fine.” She whispered. “We could get caught, you know?”

She felt him nod. “We could.”

Squirreflight felt strange, the idea didn’t scare her like it used to. It was just a numb fact as clear as the world could end any day, or a fox could grab her on any patrol. Things could always happen, but she didn’t need to lose joy worrying about ifs and buts. 

She pulled her face away again, grinning up with a secret spunk she felt obligated to return to. “If we hear anyone coming, I’ll just start clawing you and tell them you were on Thunderclan land.” She piped, “That’ll make a good excuse.”

Crowfeather couldn’t remember the last time he laughed, but he’d be able to now. “I love you, you know.”

Squirrelflight let the happy tears spill. “You better.”

The last time their muzzles had connected, it had been when they’d said goodbye for what they thought would be the last time. Now, they could focus on everything else, and know that more would come their way.

Their muzzles linked. Their noses touched. They were wrapped into the other. That was all they cared about.

Still they probably would have cared if they’d know that inside the shadows of the tree trunks, two amber eyes stared at the display, burning with hate and rage.

...

So that’s a scene from the AU. Hopefully you all enjoyed it, I can only pray to the disapproving eyes of Starclan I did it justice! Please remember to check out  @lonely-ghost-606 - they deserve every bit of love they get! Hope I did you proud, buddy!

Oh, and if anyone hates the Nightcloud/Leafpool stuff, don’t blame them for that, that was completely my idea! 

Hail CrowSquirrel!

[nobettercrowfeather]

fooorest of secrets?

🌲Forest of Secrets -  Make an AU/rewrite for… (free choice for asker)

This isn't very original but I LOVE AUs where Jayfeather becomes a warrior instead, like he wanted, under Brightheart's mentorship. He's named Jayflight after his mother, and Leafpool is both proud Jay is able to fulfill his dreams but also saddened she won't have her son with her 24/7 (I always felt like that was something that brought Leafpool great joy even though they never really mentioned it in the books much, I think?)

This got out of hand and became a complete rewrite I used to keep in my head so here's... more:

Jayflight would work especially well when working as a team with his sibs, I feel. They actually sort of hinted at that in the books, with each of them being 'one of his eyes', so it's just... frustrating that it didn't happen to me :') he wanted to be a warrior, he wanted to have a mate and kits. He even begged Rock to let him live as Jay's Wing so that he could finally have the life he's always wanted. But just because he's talented with herbs and 'useless' otherwise he's shoved into the medicine den.

Continuing on The Power of Three AUs I would've very much prefered Lionblaze to have died in Hollyleaf's stead. Think about it... he's killed 1.5 cats on accident already, and nearly killed his own dad, all in a fit of rage. He struggles with his power making him aggressive. Wouldn't it have been perfect if he was the one to have killed Ashfur? Lionblaze also trained in the Dark Forest, so if HE was the one to protect Ivypool, his apprentice's sister (and sort of his own, since he, Cinderheart and Dovewing worked so close together) and saved her to atone for his misdeeds?

Hollyleaf could still run away upon learning the truth about her parentage, maybe even because she knows Lionblaze killed his clanmate, an unforgivable breaking of the code. Her experience with Fallen Leaves makes her see the code in a different way, namely that they're just a bunch of rules which at some point never existed, which is vital experience for her to eventually become Hollystar. Yes! I think she should've become leader, with Ivypool as her deputy.

Despite Squirrelflight being my favorite character, she shouldn't have been deputy imo (Bramblestar's mate and... too old!). Instead it would've been wonderful if Bramble made his kit his deputy to show how proud he really is of them. He feels bad about not making Jay deputy, but he tells Bramble he never wanted to, anyways.

Lionblaze's kits could have either been born before he dies, or (preferably) they could've been Jayflight's kits, with... I'm thinking Icecloud. Holly never has kits!! That's very important haha. I feel like she's the only she-cat ever to reject the idea of a mate and kits in favor of leadership, and she stays that way!

I'm also thinking Cinderheart might actually take Jayfeather's place as a medicine cat, after Lionblaze dies? Something about it being her own choice... StarClan gave Cinderpelt a second chance at a warrior's life, but I would rewrite her to be very attracted to the life of a medicine cat and for the moral to be that even with an unharmed leg, Cinderpelt would have chosen the path of a medicine cat, since she seemed genuinely excited at the prospect of working under Yellowfang! She might even take over Leafpool's spot considering... I think Leafpool's punishment should have stayed, not because she deserves it, but because there have to be consequences to make the code interesting at all, beyond 1 in every 100 cats going to the DF.

Also... I just think there's a lot of other things that should or at least could have been added... more drama between the tNP cast after settling into their territories, Dovewing and Ivypool's conflict being more satisfyingly resolved, Firestar and Sandstorm being more torn up about all that their daughters are suffering through, possibly some thick rivalry between Breezepelt and Lionblaze, Brambleclaw and Lionblaze caring AT ALL that the DF they used to train in is attacking, literally the entire Dark Forest battle... I would dedicate a full book to that what with there being 11 BOOKS OF BUILD-UP TO THAT....

Anyway, that's a lot, but PoT and OotS would have been my favorite arc if they were A: combined and B: written differently :')

[stars-control-au-archived]

Does CrowLeaf still exist?

yep!! WAY less sudden though, they actually form a bond during the great journey. both complaining about how brash squirrelpaw/flight is probably HAHA.

crowfeather’s character also has some .... depth.... both his parents (ashfoot and deadfoot) are/were highly respected cats. deadfoot was deputy and ashfoot is just. a super respected warrior. he was ALSO the chosen journey cat obviously. he feels pressure on him to be the BEST he can be from when hes quite young, especially bc his littermates died as kittens AND deadfoot died when crow was young. he wants to be there his mom and make her proud !!!

hes still a little asshole tho lol.... impulsive, rude, snappy.... but its not JUST because thats his personality, hes also stressed and worried about his destiny!! leafpaw/pool is a very grounding cat, shes calm and gentle but also can and will call him out on his bullcrap. shes easy to love. i think although his feelings came very fast they were genuine.

they still run away. still have kits. that doesn’t change. the breakup still happens, but leafpool doesnt blame him for a lot of stuff like she did in her book !! speaking of which leafpools wish is changed a bit. starclan still pressure squirrelflight into stuff because thats in character for them, but this time, leafpool is willing to accept the consequences of her actions. her characterisation in LW is changed

anyways. umm... OH. i have literally no self-control so i’ve thrown in my “ashfur lives” au into this. i can talk more about that on a separate post. i mention it bc if u squint there might be some subtle ashleaf, if that floats your boat :)

tl;dr: yes. crowleaf still happens, but its less sudden, and crowfeather’s character is changed a little bit.

[jennrypan]

Firestar and Tigerstar fam headcanons

HUMANS- i never do this but?? Im bored and i actually like the potential these families have.(I have a whole ass human au brewing rn-)

- The Fire family and the Tiger family are all black, thank you (Most of Thunderclan is black and so is Shadowclan but anyway-)

- Tigerstar has really long dreads that he actually takes really good care of, he keeps them in a pony tail to keep it out of his face though.

He wears a lot of black clothes, he makes sure its easy to move in and keeps him in the dark. Hes 6'4, bitch is Tol

- Goldenflower always has different braid styles in her hair! She has vitiligo. Shes like 5'10, she always has flowers in her hair.

- Brambles and Tawny were close to getting dreads to look like their dad but after finding out what he did they were determined to leave their hair in styled braids like their mother. Bramblestar has green eyes!! Tawnypelt has amber eyes, they also both have tattoos honoring their mother, Bramble has a golden flower on his left bicep, Tawny has their mothers name on her right bicep. Theyre both 6'3, theyre tall, Tawny is an inch taller though and brags about it constantly

- Sasha is mixed, shes 5'7 and she used to get her hair straightened until she ran away from home and stopped caring about whether it was straight or not, she and Tigerstar conceived in a barn. She actually wanted kids but after she found out about who Tigerstar was she was devasted, and panicked, and when Tadpole died she didnt think she could care for kids by herself so she led them to Riverclan.

- Hawkfrost has dreads, theyre long like his dads and he actually prides himself on that fact. Hes 6'0 but hed absolutely wear platforms to make himself taller, I said what I said- anyway, he thought Leapordstar was his second mom for a long time until truth came out that he and his sister were Tigerstars kids. And he was ecstatic to learn he had siblings though. He dresses like an eboy dont @ me

- Mothwing has long curly hair, she occasionally cuts it when it gets too long, and lets Willowshine play with it and teaches her how to braid. Shes 6'2, when she was little she use to slouch a lot because she didnt like being the tallest one but now she uses her fall height,she either stands tall or not at all.

- Firestar has twists in his hair! They stand up, and since theyre red it looks like fire. He wears a lot of dark reds and oranges. Hes 5'11 (yall can rip tall firestar from my cold dead hands o k-) as a human instead of a collar it was probably a bow tie cuz he absolutely would wear those

- Sandstorm usually has cornrows, the style can vary. She always wears something she can run in, she would have a tattoo of Redtails name on her wrist (cuz thats her dad and no one talks about how he died when she was a kid-) she loves jogging in the morning and jogs with Firestar. She cant cook- shes 6'2, and her and Firestar can pick each other up. Hes usually the one to jump in her arms though-

- Squirrelflight has really long poofy hair, she keeps it in a pony tail, like Goldenflower she has vitiligo from her fathers side (Princess, Tiny etc, it just skipped Firestar) Shes 5'5 but strong as hell, she WILL fight you and God if she could.

She had a crush on Tawnypelt and Feathertail, and only started developing a crush on Bramblestar after the journey as they became closer. She is rather very attractive, (which doesnt go unnoticed by a lot of people)

- Leafpool has braids that let out into into curls, she has great posture. She speaks softly but if you even say one wrong thing about Squirrelflight shes not afraid to get loud. She and Squirrel played pranks on each a lot, they both also learned how to curse from Sandstorm but they say Firestar did it- shes 5'9. Her and Squirrel are twins, but shes a little darker, she bites her nails a lot.

- Cloudtail! Is albino, his eyes are sensitive to light so he always has shades on, hes chubby and at least 5'8, he wears a lot of fluffy sweaters, or jackets, cuz he gets cold really easily-

Sandstorm and Firestar taught him how to fight! He developed a crush on Brightheart first and constantly tried to impress her,he was good friends with Swiftpaw and felt bad that he was recognized before them. He will fight to the death for Brightlight,even anyone looks at her the wrong way he will throw hands. Him and Mothwing have Atheist™ jokes together.

____________

Please lemme know if anyones actually interested in the au i have lmao- i also might draw them probably.

[yuridovewing]

If you're really curious to see how it ties into TBC, you could probably just skim Squilf's SE and mostly read any time the sisters show up and the chapters where she's in starclan, I think. But if you want the full context reading in short burts might make it less frustrating than all in one go. Depending on how you plan to rewrite BrambleSquirrel you might also want to see their interactions- but be warned seeing the moment people did (and still do) baby Bramblestar over where he's attempting to intimidate Leafpool out of helping an injured Sister before going 'why are you doing this to me :((((((((((((((((' be portrayed as symapthetic can REALLY make it more frustrating. Actually? Just assume all Bramblestar moments people painted him sympathetic for are on the same tier as Gray Wing moments lmao

yeah, you got a point about reading in short bursts. im sure i would have hated tigerheart's shadow a lot more if i read 2/3s of it in a day like I did with darkest night.

i'll be honest, i don't think i'll read the bramblesquirrel parts. ive already read a lot of their content and i don't think i need to read more, i already know he sucks here and he's one of those characters that makes me uncomfortable the more i think about him. now that i know for sure that i'm not even adapting this or the entirety of tbc anymore, i doubt i'll have much use for this stuff anyways, especially since bramblestar and squirrelflight don't get back together in my au (bramble becomes leader earlier and i'm thinkinggg he will be pulling a pinestar after oots like that one scrapped plotline. in a "run away from your problems" way.)

[dovewingz]

ideas for my crookedblue au

the original posts about it if ur curious: x  x  x  insp

anyways these are just some ideas and will prob be changed!!!

- sooo like. bluefur still gives her kits to RC, mosskit still dies, she still becomes leader, etc... 

- HOWEVER if i wanna get funky i could say that mapleshade doesn’t create the squirrel w/ a crooked jaw omen and crookedjaw doesn’t become dep (she do this bc she wants to punish him for being in a forbidden relationship). oakheart would become dep instead!! then he’d eventually become leader and appoint crookedjaw as deputy. crookedjaw would be the one to die at the start of the first series

- although i rlly rlly like the concept of crookedstar and bluestar being leaders at the same time (in general but especially in this au) so i probably wont change it. mapleshade will create the omen to remind crookedjaw of what path he “should be on”

- willowbreeze lives!! she and crookedstar never become mates and silverstream is never born. i’m not sure if i wanna do something with oakheart/willowbreeze or like. graypool/oakheart or something else entirely

- mistyfoot and stonefur go on the great journey instead of feathertail and stormfur. stonefur doesn’t die defending feather and storm during the tigerclan days because... they’re not there to defend, obviously lol. stonefur is the one to die for the tribe (maybe)

- crowfeather never falls in love with feathertail. he is no longer scared of loving cats and is more open. he still falls in love with leafpool but their relationship is more developed and genuine. they never run away from the clans and are there for the badger attack, but stay together afterwards.

- leafpool is expecting kits (accidentally.......... maybe) so crowfeather leaves windclan for her. they tell thunderclan the truth and of course not everyone is happy but they can’t exile their only medicine cat. the three are raised knowing who their true parents are. also, breezepelt is never born

-  and that... is pretty much as far as i’ve really thought about ???? the fire scene has.... a lot of options. it could just never happen bc why would ashfur go after kits that he KNOWS aren’t squirrelflights, or it could still happen bc uhh squirrelflight is their aunt and def helped raise them so??? and then from there like. she could attack him and ashfur dies or like SHE could die!!!! but yeah its pretty wild either way

- since hollyleaf never runs away its... odd (a good odd tho.) like either she’ll still be one of the three orrrr dovewing still will be but hollyleaf will be there. and if dovewing isn’t one of the three ivypool’s entire plot will be changed bc she wouldnt be jealous which.... means there wouldnt be a df spy soo haha yeah its pretty wild

 im totally accepting ideas/suggestions!!!!!

[doves-wing]

Warriors Song Post

what up here’s a bunch of songs that i connect to warriors in some fuckin way. this took way too long and i’ll add more later because i couldn’t everyone in the tags lol

People in my Head by Oceans on Mars: Goosefeather - If the title wasn’t obvious enough as to why it fits him, the song is about hearing voices and going mad because of it. If that doesn’t fit Goosefeather, what does?

Twisted by MISSIO: Darktail - The whole song is about a bad guy with fucked up thoughts and how his dad was a shit but had a good mom. 

Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea by MISSIO: Bluestar - The song is about addiction and depression. And well, Bluestar has depression so there we go already but it uses the specific metaphor of drowining which is strongly connected to Bluestar’s character, so it fits even better! 

Everybody Gets High by MISSIO: Sol - It’s his tragic backstory. I mean if this was a human AU this would just be his backstory. Sol is an evil gay, makes sense if he had a homophobic upbringing which led him to drugs and eventually running away. Makes sense to me at least.

Kamikazee by MISSIO: Sol - This is a song about greed, desire, and dark hearts. Who has all three? That’s right, it’s Sol baby! The boy desires all the nice things in life and will not stop at anything to get them.

Best Friends by Grandson: The Kin - So I’m kinda cheating with this one as it isn’t a singular characer but my post, my rules. I feel as if this fits best when Needletail and the other apprentices joined The Kin. Thinking they’re so cool and shit.

Kiss Bang by Grandson: Leafpool/Crowfeather/Nightcloud - Okay again not a singular character but my post, my rules. Basically this song represents Crowfeather’s relationship with the two of them. In short: a fucking mess

Things Change by Grandson: Crowfeather - I’d say this is specifically about Leafpool soon after the badger attack, but could still work for him and Feathertail. Either way, this guy is dumb angst monster lmao

Saint Bernard by Lincoln: Mapleshade - This is a song about one-sided love and how the singer won’t be going to heaven. Also it’s fucking scary so Mapleshade :)

Hellbent by Mystery Skulls: Ashfur - It’s him about Squirrelflight. He does not care that she is in a relationship. All he cares is that the relationship she’s in, isn’t with him. All he wants is her and he truly won’t stop at anything to have her.

The Wolf by SIAMES: Tigerclaw - This is another song that’s about addiction but it has a strong theme about being out of your mind, and well, if you kill people I don’t think your sane. And in a way, Tigerclaw could’ve been addicted to killing. Either way many of this song’s lyrics (and especially the chorus) remind me of him so he gets this masterpiece of a song to himself.

Same Old Forest by Nathan Sharp: Firestar - This fits Firepaw/Rusty specifically but hey I prefer using the most recent names of a character in the title. Anyway though, this song is all about beginnings and wanting to be something (while also being a protaganist) and who could fit better than Firepaw? I mean one of the lyrics is literally: “Because compared to every child you know, you’re something else”. Tell me it isn’t about Firepaw.

Far Away by Nathan Sharp: Spottedleaf - This is a song sung by a female about the character from the previous song on this list, who knows that the character is destined for greatness. Tell me it isn’t sung by Spottedleaf. 

Time to Go by Nathan Sharp: Yellowfang - Yellowfang is the grumpy grandma we all know and love. If you know her and then listen to this song and say she didn’t sing it you’re so wrong it’s unbelievable. Did her savior just wake up? Yes. Is she going to push him out and force him to save the world now? Yes.

Drowning by Nathan Sharp: Bluestar - Look at the title. Okay but the song is about losing everything in your life and well, the water metaphors :}

Shell by Nathan Sharp: Bluestar (w/ Firestar) - I think this fits really well for Bluestar and Firestar’s relationship. Bluestar after having been almost murdered by her trusted deputy, Tigerclaw, has lost faith in everything. Fireheart is desperately trying to keep her what remains of her, alive. The chorus speaks for itself, she is a shell, almost entirely withered away. Just, it’s mostly Bluestar but the way the lyrics go it sounds as if someone is speaking to another character about Bluestar, which in this case is probably Tigerclaw and Firestar.

The Evil King by Nathan Sharp: Tigerclaw & Firestar - This is their final battle in song form. At the end it becomes a duet, but for the majority it’s Tigerclaw monologuing about why he should and deserves to win. How Firestar should’ve never come to the forest, as he was meant to rule the forest as his father did before him, unfortuneately this is a YA novel which means that evil can never win. 

Unaligned by Nathan Sharp: Ivypool - I imagine this is when she’s starting to realize that the Dark Forest isn’t good. That it’s full of evil cats, but because she’s only started to realize this their abusive teachings are still in her head, thus “You took me in, showed me love when I had nowhere to run” is a lyric. She’s done bad things by joining them, she doesn’t know if she can be good but she knows she doesn’t want to be bad.

Dead Silence by Nathan Sharp: Mothwing - Mothwing can’t get it out of her head that she is the daughter of Tigerclaw. The worst cat in the history of the Clans yet she chose to be a medicine cat, a peaceful cat who does no harm. Her intrusive thoughts won’t stop reminding her of how brutal her family as been. Her father first and then her brother, Hawkfrost, second. Maybe she is destined to be a violent monster, she knows it isn’t true but those evil thoughts say otherwise, and she can’t ignore them any longer.

Epcoh (TLT Remix) by Salvonic: Hollyleaf - After she ran away from the gathering, she had a lot of time to think about everything. She had time to regret her actions and came back to apologize, and hope that she would be accepeted. Just about everything in this song fits her and someone needs to make a map for her with this song because it fits her so fucking well it’s insane.

Terrible Things by Brick + Mortar: Ivypool - She sees no difference between her and her sister, Dovewing, yet her sister is consistently praised more than her and gets more attention. Ivypool then joins the Dark Forest as they claimed to have seen in her, what her Clanmates saw in Dovewing. Instead of dreaming, she fought hard to get the attention and mild praise of a few dead cats. She murdered cats for them and all she got in return was a free t-shirt.

Burn The House Down by AJR: Squirrelflight - Honestly this just gives me some lighthearted Squirrelflight vibes. More so when she was still an apprentice and wanted to be treated with the same amount as respect as a warrior but she tried to gain their respect in ridiculous ways, such as joining Brambleclaw on the journey to the Sundrown place, for instance.

G-G-Ghost by Steven Universe: Fallen Leaves - He’s just a ghost boy who wants someone to notice him!

Noticed by MandoPony: Sol - This theatre gay just wants someone to pay attention to him! And if you do look away, he might have to kill you. M i g h t

Nothing Personal by Night Riots: Darktail - He came to erase the Clans. He will wash away their history, he will make himself the leader of his own group and lead them with an iron fist, his ideology is correct. To the members of his group he is a shining star, a beacon of light and truth.

Contagious by Night Riots: Shadowpaw - This is more speculative but it seems to me that he could definitely start to think that he is bad, wrong. Because of the voice in his head. He is plagued with lies, just by existing he has broken the code. He has to remind himself, it isn’t his fault that he is shunned, looked down upon. But everything is wearing him down. Reminding yourself that it isn’t wrong to exist is tiring.

On the Line by Night Riots: Tawnypelt - Tawnypelt is the type to give all she has for her Clan. Sometimes she gets nervous but she fights through it because her Clan is what matters most. 

She Wants Me Dead by CAZZETTE: Crowfeather - This is just every female in Crowfeather’s life at him.

Bet on You by The Man Who: Mistystar - Back when Mistystar was known as Mistyfoot, she crtiticized her leader, Leaopardstar harshly. The latter did let her brother be murdered. Though Leopardstar would’ve risked her own life, among everyone in her clan’s life, had she tried to stop it from happening. Leopardstar made many mistakes throughout her life but Mistyfoot always came back to her, in the end she knew Leopardstar was only doing the best she could. 

Choke by I DON’T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME: Darktail - Only he would say the most fucked up things while having a genuine smile on his face and making it sound nice. He only cares for himself, and a distorted love for his mother, painting her as this perfect being who was ruined by his father. I have no doubt that he would do all the things in this songs, given he were able to of course.

Crossing a Line by Mike Shinoda: Leafpool & Squirrelflight - This is all about the truth of Holly/Jay/Lion and how they want to tell them, but don’t know how, and just that whole mess is this song. 

Play with Fire by Sam Tinnesz: Brokenstar - He is one of the most evil characters in the series, using child soldiers will do that though. He takes pleasure from seeing cats die, especially kits. He enjoys watching others suffer, especially if he can gain something by it. He forced WindClan out of the Clan territories because he wanted the extra hunting land.

Monster (Under my Bed) by Call Me Karizma: Tigerclaw - After his father left, Tigerkit felt alone. His sisters were dead, and his mother was heartbroken. He looked for friends in the shadows, hoping that they’d take form and want to play. It took some time but they took form in the shape of a cat. She was a transparent tortoiseshell, claiming to be of ThunderClan’s past. It didn’t matter to Tigerkit though, she promised to make him the strongest cat in the forest, in all of the Clan’s history even. That’s what mattered to Tigerkit. He wanted to be strong enough to take down any of his enemies and most importantly, his father.

Wolves (You Got Me) by DREAMERS: Fire/Raven - Firepaw is the new apprentice and oh no there’s a cute anxious boy. “Guess we’ll fall in love” they said, and then they did. Firepaw learned how to hunt, and fight. Though it was a bit harder because he was absolutely smitten with Ravenpaw.

Our Song by Vinyl Theatre: Sandstar (w/ Clan) -  (Med-Cat!Fire AU) This happens before the battle with BloodClan, when they’re still preparing. 

High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco: Hollyleaf - (Wind!Holly AU) - This is her coming home after leaving the tunnels and rescuing Dovewing, and Ivypool. She is welcomed back warmly by her mother, brother, and best friend (Heathertail)

[lesbiansandstorm]

redid my warriors au, long post

i’ve made a few posts about this au before but i’ve changed things

series 1

events of into the wild are basically the same,(i.e. firepaw joining clan etc) however sandpaw and dustpaw are the main characters

after ravenpaw’s departure, firepaw, dustpaw, and sandpaw realise tigerclaw is a threat, put aside their differences and eventually the three become best friends™

graystripe is a little bit older than them (about the same age as longtail) and was trained/manipulated by tigerclaw

the three get their warrior names and are happily doing warrior things until about 12 moons later

tigerclaw murders bluestar; he becomes leader of thunderclan and isn’t sure whether to pick darkstripe or graystripe as deputy, he encourages the two toms to fight and prove themselves

graystripe wins, tigerstar disposes of darkstripe

sandstorm + friends talk to whitestorm about their suspicions, he believes them and encourages them to tell the rest of the clan (-tigerstar and his friends)

the clan, after some convincing believe tigerstar is a bad dude and try to think of a plan to get rid of him

they have to be careful as tigerstar has a group of cats that are like bodyguards to him - former rogues that dont take warrior names or participate in clan duties (that turn out to be bloodclan spies)

but wait! there’s more! tigerbutt takes over riverclan after crookedstar’s death, the thunderclan cats wonder if they should tell leopardfur about tigerstar’s evilness - will she believe and side with them?

spoiler: she does and immediately tries to break their alliance, but seeming she wasn’t able to get her nine lives or name she is no more powerful than any other warrior and tigerstar threatens to murder her clanmates so she backs down

fireheart’s personality is a bit different to canon - he’s more easygoing and chilled (think of a mix between canon firestar, graystripe, and brackenfur)

silverstream and graystipe have a one night stand type thing causing her to fall pregnant

silverstream doesnt want anything more to do with him and doesnt want the kits to know he’s the father

some of her clanmates turn on her (even though both clans are all living together its very crowded) so she ends up making friends with the thunderclan cats

specifically sandstorm

they become very good friends

yep...just gals....being pals...

the main character squad (sandstorm, dustpelt, fireheart, and now silverstream and cinderpelt) realise they need tigerstar to trust them or they might just end up ‘accidentally’ murdered

he hates fireheart because he was a kittypet, thinks dustpelt is too short tempered...so then there’s sand™

sandstorm fools tigerstar and graystripe into thinking she’s on their side, and reports back their plans to the other cats

tigerstar exiles goldenflower because she doesn’t want to be his mate anymore and refuses his advances - tawnypaw goes with her and they flee to shadowclan where goldenflower later dies of carrionplace disease

graystripe is killed in a battle against shadowclan and windclan, and sandstorm is named deputy as tigerstar thinks he can trust her (surprise! sandstorm was surprised..)

silverstream survives her kitting

ferncloud is closer in age to dustpelt and they arent related

fast forward another 6 moons, the stress of having to suck up to tigerstar yet prove she is still loyal to the other cats is getting to sandstorm

some of the riverclan cats are accusing her of really being on tigerstar’s side

knock knock get the door its bloodclan

one night, tigerstar tries to use bloodclan to take over shadow and windclan

scourge murders him - sandstorm reveals the truth about tigerstar to everyone

riverclan finally go back to their territory and leopardstar gets her nine lives that night

sandstorm is unsure if she’s fit to be leader - she’s struggling as she feels she hasnt been a warrior long enough and her deputyship was a result of deceiving tigerstar

silverstream makes the difficult decision decides to stay in thunderclan as her ‘friendship’ with sandstorm would make it hard for her to stay loyal to riverclan, her kits, featherpaw and stormpaw go to riverclan and are raised there

the night after tigerstar’s death, sandstorm gets her nine lives from starclan (goldenflower - protection, brindleface - love, crookedstar - determination, snowkit - hope, thistleclaw - fierceness spottedleaf - wise judgement, bluestar - faith, lionheart - courage, redtail - loyalty)

whitestorm is appointed deputy

the four clans join together to fight bloodclan, they win, but not without a cost - whitestorm dies, sandstar loses a life

sandstar struggles to choose between fireheart and dustpelt for deputy, the two toms are her closest friends and best warriors

she eventually chooses dustpelt - fireheart doesn’t mind and continues to support them

a moon after the battle, sandstar tells silverstream she loves her

silverstream loves her back

gays

sandstar and fireheart are still super close best friends, but theres nothing romantic between them though he fathers her kits, squirrelkit and leafkit as they both wanted to be parents

squirrelflight and leafpool are raised by sandstar, fireheart, and silverstream and the whole clan loves them

basically sandstar, fireheart, silverstream, dustpelt, and cinderpelt are best friends for life and all of them are gay in one way or another

new prophecy:

as a leader, sandstar is a little less hesitant to cross borders to help other clans like firestar would, but is still willing to provide assistance when others are in need

she is more sure of herself and more confident in her decisions compared to the first series

leafpool is openly bi

feathertail and crowfeather have more of a sibling relationship

fireheart is captured by twolegs

sandstar and dustpelt usually rely on fireheart to help them with leader/deputy duties

so dustpelt begins to assign more duties to brambleclaw, given his experience with the sun-drown-place journey

hawkfrost traps sandstar in the fox trap and encourages brambleclaw to kill her, stating that if she dies dustpelt will surely choose him for deputy, and he can get rid of him too

he doesn’t because he is a good dude

cinderpelt dies and cinderkit is born but cinderkit is herself and not a reincarnation

power of three

fireheart returns! with millie 

bumblekit is blind in one eye due to an infected thorn scratch - it doesnt stop him though - he is apprenticed to brightheart

rowanclaw is a trans dude - his and tawnypelt’s kits are fathered by an unknown tom

sandstar and silverstream are close with their grandkits

lionblaze and jayfeather are the kits of brambleclaw and squirrelflight, hollyleaf and breezepelt are leafpool and crowfeather’s

leafpool has her kits (she could hide it due to having strong scented herbs around her and shes fat and fluffy) but is weakened and feels squirrelflight is kitting (remember that bond they had)

crowfeather shows up and takes breezekit to windclan as leafpool cant carry both of them - nightcloud has also kitted an identical kit but its born dead so crowfeather kinda just swaps them (nightcloud agrees to this bc she wanted to be a mother)

leafpool gives hollykit to squirrelflight to raise

sandstar suspects hollyleaf is leafpool’s kit due to her resemblance to crowfeather and the fact that she guessed leafpool’s pregnancy anyway

the fire scene: jayfeather is trapped, hollyleaf helps him out but becomes stuck herself, assfur shows up and says he’ll kill her to cause squirrelflight pain

leading to squirrelflight’s ‘she is not my kit’

lion holly jay assume she lied to get assfur away, lionblaze asks squirrelflight privately if shes his mother, she says yes which is true  

as in she said yes she is lionblaze’s mother, says nothing about hollyleaf

assfur intends to reveal the secret at the gathering but shows up dead

sandstar killed him - she found him on the windclan border, he confronted her saying her daughter was a liar and he threatens her, saying he will reveal the secret to everyone - sandstar warns him, saying he shouldnt for the good of the clan

this enrages assfur, who attacks sandstar

sandstar kicks his ass and kills him, though she is overwhelmed with guilt, thinking that she let her emotions get in the way of what was right for the clan

breezepelt discovers his true parentage and reveals the secret, hollyleaf is so shocked that she runs into the tunnels and ‘dies’ 

crowfeather is rejected by his clanmates and ends up leaving windclan, becoming a rogue

lionblaze and jayfeather are understandably shocked, they still consider hollyleaf their sister anyway 

breezepelt’s revelation and disgust at his parentage boosts his status in windclan

omen of the stars

dovebriar is a thing, tigerheart who?

hollyleaf returns. as crowfeather is gone, she doesnt feel much connection to her birth parents. shes still close with lion and jay but not with squirrel and leaf

shes not as mad at them though, she understands why they did what they did but she feels hurt that she was lied to for so long and wishes to get to know breezepelt better 

breezepelt doesnt want much to do with her

the series is pretty much the same except for the last hope

silverstream dies along with mousefur and ferncloud

sandstar and fireheart work together to kill tigerstar

sandstar narrowly survives, but wishes she hadnt due to her mate and sister dying - she is on her last life

she stays in her den, depressed, and doesnt bother to check in on her clanmates or issue orders for camp rebuilding

an also-heartbroken dustpelt struggles to keep the clan in order

ivypool ends up yelling at sandstar to get her shit together, saying that she may be very sad but the clan still needs her

sandstar eventually gets up and tries to bring thunderclan back to normal, though cats notice she is much less enthusiastic and more withdrawn

a vision of shadows

in between the last book and the apprentice’s quest, dustpelt gets a bad leg injury and voluntarily steps down from his deputy position

he doesn’t join the elders yet though, he just becomes a normal warrior again as he can still perform basic duties

hollyleaf is named deputy

the birth of alderkit + sparkkit cheers sandstar up a bit, she is very close to both of them

sandstar loses her last life in battle, hollyleaf becomes leader

she names ivypool as her deputy

alderpaw goes on his quest, sandstar guides him towards skyclan in his dreams

alderpaw voluntarily becomes a medcat

leafpool returns to her position