#ask warrior jaypaw

[ask-warrior-jaypaw]

NO HAWKFROST DONT YOU DARE HURT JAYPAW!!

[vixenday]

AUGUHHH SO MANY SCRAPPED TAWNY INTERACTIONS. i was supposed to have so much more for the longest night. journey group reunited ft tension most of them don’t know about was one of my favorites but i could not keep up with all the asks and ideas

[crazylavenders]

For Mousefur:

Could you describe Longtail’s actions and demeanor during the time before his death?

Did anything seem off about him or any of your clanmates opinions towards him?

What did you do in the day before you found his body?

[bonefall]

⭕️Hey Bones! Is it ok if you explain and/or elaborate how Crowfeather is abusive to Breezepelt if please?⭕️

I do KNOW that crowfeather is indeed, abusive to Breezepelt, due to the fact that he emotionally and/or physically neglected him - with child neglect being known to BE a form of child abuse - and I also heard that he slashed and/or hit him within one of the books, which I believe is in the book Outcast, in chapter 16.

But I also wish people would talk and be informed about it more within the fandom, because in the parts of the fandom I’ve known portrayed Crowfeather’s neglect on Breezepelt as negative and bad, but not in a way that made me think and/or feel: “Wow, that’s pretty bad. That’s…actually abusive.” I suppose? So I hope more people will talk about it more in that type of way.

Also, please be aware that I have NOT read PoT, OoTS, etc. or barely any warrior cats books, since the majority of the information I got from the series is from the wiki and the fandom, so that probably explains why I didn’t know this part of Crowfeather’s character is as bad as it actually is until now. Also, feel free to talk about Crowfeather’s abuse on Breezepelt I haven’t mentioned and/or don’t know right now as well if you want.

I’m SO sorry that if this ask is unintentionally quite long, and feel free to make sure to take all the time you need to answer it. Thank you!

OH LET'S GOOOO

Breezepelt is both physically and emotionally abused by Crowfeather. I'm not talking about only child neglect; he is screamed at, belittled, and even once hit on-screen.

The fact that Crowfeather both neglected and abused him is very important to the canonical story of Breezepaw. There's actually a lot more to this character than people remember! Even from his first appearances he displays good qualities, a strained relationship with his father and adult clanmates, and is clearly shown to be troubled before we understand why.

As many problems as I have with the direction of Breezepelt's arc (especially Crowfeather's Trial), his setup is legitimately a praiseworthy bit of writing from Po3 which carries over into OotS. To say that Breezepelt was not abused is to completely miss two arcs worth of books SCREAMING it.

BIG POST. Glossary;

INTRO TO BREEZEPELT: The Sight and Dark River

ABUSE: Outcast, Social Alienation, the Tribe Journey.

DARK FOREST: How these factors push him towards radicalization.

For "brevity," I'm not getting into anything post-OotS. I'm just showing that Breezepelt was abused, the narrative wants you to know that he was abused, and that his status as a victim of child abuse is CENTRAL to understanding why he is training in the Dark Forest.

INTRO TO BREEZEPELT: The Sight and Dark River

Our very first introduction to Breeze is when Jaypaw walks off a cliff in the first book of Po3 and is rescued by a WindClan patrol. He's making snarky remarks, and Whitetail and Crowfeather are not happy about it. Whitetail snaps for Crow to teach his son some manners, and Crow growls for Breezepaw to be quiet.

But our proper introduction to him is at his announcement gathering, when Heatherpaw playfully introduces him as a friend,

From the offset something's not entirely right here between Breezepaw and his father. He's cut off by Heatherpaw here, but he's touchy whenever his father is involved, and we're not entirely sure why.

Throughout Book 1, he's just rude, with a notable xenophobic streak. He's a bit of a mean rival character for Lionpaw, as they're both interested in the affections of Heatherpaw and make bids to get her attention, but nothing particularly violent yet.

He participates in the beloved Kitty Olympics and gets buried in liquid dirt with Lionpaw, basically a rite of passage for any arc.

(And Nightcloud has a cute moment where she watches over them until they fall asleep)

As the books progress, the relationship between Crow and Breeze visibly deteriorates. They start from being simply tense with each other in The Sight, to the open shouting and hitting we see in Outcast.

In the very first chapter of Dark River, we learn where his behavioral issues are really coming from;

Crowfeather.

Breezepelt is getting xenophobia from his father. Occasionally he says something bigoted and his dad will agree and chime in, and those are the only positive moments they have together.

(Note: In contrast, Nightcloud explicitly pushes back against xenophobia, chiding Breezepelt for his rudeness to Lionpaw in back in The Sight, Chapter 21. The Sight is the book where a lot of "evidence" that the Evil Overbearing Woman is actually responsible for the rift between father and son but. No. She's not. Though she can be overprotective; Crow and Breeze have a bad relationship when she's not even around in Breeze's first appearance and even his Crowfeather's Trial Epiphany refutes it. Anyway this post isn't about Nightcloud.)

So he starts acting on his bigotry, accusing cats in other Clans of stealing, running really close to the border. What's interesting though, is that this is not entirely his doing. The first time we get physical trouble from Breezepaw, DUSTPELT aggressed it. Breezepaw and Harepaw were just chasing a squirrel and hadn't yet gone over the border at all.

We learn that WindClan is teaching its apprentices how to hunt in woodland, and tensions between the two Clans is starting to escalate as ThunderClan isn't entirely trusting of their intentions.

The second time, fighting breaks out over him and Harepaw actually crossing the border and catching a squirrel. WindClan is adamant that because it came from their land, it's their squirrel. So it's as if Breezepaw is modelling the aggression around him, learning how to behave from the older warriors and his father.

When he joins Heatherpaw and The Three to go find Gorsetail's kits in the tunnels, he's grouchy towards the ThunderClan cats, but very gentle with the kittens. Notably so. When Thistlekit is dangerously cold, he cuddles up next to her, and even assures Swallowkit when she's scared,

Through this entire excursion, he's the one in the comforting roles for the kittens. Breezepaw is the one who is taking time to tell the kits they'll be okay, that he'll protect them, and physically supporting them when they're weak, even when he's terrified.

And it's always contrasted to Heatherpaw who's way more 'disciplined,' as a side note. It's a detail I'm just fond of.

All this to point out,

Breezepelt displays his best qualities when he's away from the older warriors of WindClan, and he's at his worst whenever he's near Crowfeather. Even while he's essentially just a bully character for The Three to deal with. He's gruff but cooperative when it's just him and Heatherpaw interacting with The Three, but mean when there is an adult to please.

We're getting to the on-screen abuse now, but Po3 actually sets up Breezepaw's troubles and dynamics well before it's finally confirmed that he is a victim of child abuse.

ABUSE: Outcast, the Tribe Journey.

In Outcast, Breezepaw's problems have escalated into open aggression towards cats of other Clans, and is now a legitimate concern for his own safety. Yet, he's spoken over by older warriors, and reprimanded at nearly every opportunity, right in front of the warrior of another Clan.

Squilf just asked the poor kid how his training was going, and then Whitetail JUMPS to talk over him so she can complain, RIGHT in front of his face.

They can't even wait until they're alone to grumble something rude about Breezepaw, who is still just a teenager here;

They taught him already that a bit of prey that runs off their own territory still belongs to WindClan, encourage him to blow past borders in pursuit, and started a battle with ThunderClan over this. And then they're pissed off at him for being aggressive, thinking it's deserved to scold him in public.

When Onestar announces that he wants Breezepaw to go on the Tribe Journey, he's devastated by it...

Because he thinks WindClan doesn't like him, and he's right. He's gossiped about, torn into in front of a ThunderClan warrior, and even his own dad doesn't want to be around him. It's clear that Breezepaw's impulsive "codebreaking" behaviors are a desire to prove himself, and once you realize that, the way that he's being alienated is heartbreaking.

But Wait!! Hold on a minute! Where did he get a "patrol of apprentices" from to confront the dogs with, exactly?

Simple. Breezepaw CAN make friends! He actually values them a lot! So much that it's the first thing Crowfeather snaps at him over, out of frustration that his son is also being forced on this journey with him. It's an angry response to his child having emotional and physical needs, resentment that will continue all journey long.

Note that it's plural, friends. Breezepelt has multiple friends, at least one who is not Heatherpaw, and she promises to say goodbye to them.

Up next, they state over and over, Crowfeather and Breezepaw do not like each other. Crowfeather resents being around him and dealing with his rudeness, embarrassed and angry, and Breezepaw is absolutely miserable being sent on a journey to the mountains with a man who hates his guts.

The whole while, Crowfeather is brooding longingly about Feathertail, already thinking about her as soon as he kitty-kisses Nightcloud goodbye, his eyes looking somewhere distant. He makes a jab about loyalty when Breezepaw doesn't understand why they're helping the Tribe.

Breezepaw gets smacked after he's "shoved" at Purdy and acts rude to him, while the other three manage to be polite (while still having internal dialogue about how stinky he is).

Without so much as a, "cut that out," Crowfeather raises his paw and hits him. Breeze is quiet after that.

I don't give a shit how rude your teenager is being. Do not hit kids. Being throttled on the head is not okay.

In spite of the Three not liking Breezepaw, or even Crowfeather, they're constantly noting that their arguments are not normal, and that Crow is a cold, unsupportive father who digs into his kid constantly, and the only time he ever DOES "discipline" his child it's through immediately smacking him.

At one point, the apprentices get hungry, and decide to foolishly hunt in a barn that they know has dogs in it against Purdy's warnings. Once again, JUST like the first two books, Breezepaw is more friendly when Crowfeather is not around.

EVERY time he is alone with cats his own age, he's grumpy but cooperative. Even enthusiastic at times! The minute Crowfeather is in the picture, he's nasty.

Naturally, the dogs show up, but Purdy rescues them. Though Brambleclaw also chews his kids out (and i have strong opinions about bramble's parenting style for another time), Hollypaw is taken aback by the contrast of what a scolding from Brambleclaw looks like vs how Crowfeather reacts.

The narrative is desperately trying to tell you that the way Crowfeather treats his son is not normal.

And then Crowfeather is pissed off that Breezepaw is exhausted from running for his life from hungry dogs,

And he's constantly losing his shit whenever Breezepaw says something as innocuous as "dad im hungry"

Then, Breezepaw is made to watch his dad pine over the grave of a woman who died long before Crowfeather was even considering his mother for a mate. What he feels is jealousy, because he knows his own father doesn't love him anywhere near as much as he loves the memory of Feathertail.

This really goes on and on and on. The ENTIRE trip is like this, with Crowfeather treating Breezepelt poorly, giving him a smack before even verbally warning him, pushing him past his limits and blowing up on him when he asks simple questions about eating or resting.

It all comes to a head in this one exchange, towards the end. Hollypaw ends up snapping at Breezepaw for his rudeness, before having an epiphany.

It's explicit. Crowfeather's emotional abuse, his "scorn" for Breezepelt, is what is driving a wedge between him and all of his older Clanmates. Between EVERYONE in Breezepelt's life who wasn't already his friend. This awful treatment is only making him worse and worse.

Realizing this, she has more sympathy for him, but it's too late. He continues to be rude to her because he feels insulted, and her patience completely runs out. She's just a kid. They're both just kids. She's not responsible for fixing him when he's pushing everyone away at this point.

That's the end of Breezepelt in Outcast. It can't be helped anymore. Any spark of friendship they had together in the barn, or in the tunnels, is gone.

As the series progresses, Crowfeather continues to refuse any personal responsibility for the mistreatment of his son, even pinning all of Breezepelt's behavioral problems on Nightcloud. He is a cold, selfish father who only ever thinks about his own pain and reputation.

DARK FOREST: How these factors push him towards radicalization.

Everyone talks about the Attack on Poppyfrost, which happens in the first book of OotS, in oversimplified terms. YES he is going after a nun and a pregnant woman. I've never said that's not Bad.

But no one talks about "WHY", and that reason is NOT just that he desires power like so many other WC villains. Breezepelt makes his motivation very clear on the page.

Escalating to violence was about making Jayfeather feel the way that he does.

When Breezepelt says that he wants Jay to be surrounded by "lies, hatred, and things that should never have happened," he's talking about the way HE grew up, knowing his father never wanted him, and that his Clan HATES him as a result. Killing Poppyfrost is about trying to frame Jayfeather for her murder, so ThunderClan won't trust him anymore.

When Jayfeather points out the simple truth that what Breezepelt is saying doesn't make any goddamn sense, his hatred "falters." He's blaming his half-clan half-brother for his own treatment because of the reveal, but totally failed to consider that JAYFEATHER'S ALREADY GOING THROUGH IT... so his response is just this pitiful, "s-shut up, man."

Then the ghost of Brokenstar and Breezepelt bounce him back and forth between them like a beach ball for a bit until Honeyfern's spirit shows up.

Breezepelt's childhood abuse and social alienation was a hook that the Dark Forest latched onto, to reel him in. His anger at his half-brother is so obviously misplaced that its absurdity was something Jayfeather pointed out.

We soon learn that it's the Dark Forest who's planting that ridiculous idea in his head;

The narration is SCREAMING, "The Dark Forest is validating the anger he feels towards his father, and redirecting it towards The Three." He's described as 'kitlike,' Tigerstar's eyes are compared to a hypnotizing snake.

This prose could not make it more obvious if it drove to your house, beat you with it, and then spoon fed you the point while you were hospitalized.

At the end of this scene, Tigerstar sends Hawkfrost to recruit Ivypaw. This scene where Breezepelt is being lovebombed, and the command to start grooming Ivypaw, ARE LINKED. That was a choice.

A VERY GOOD choice! Again, as many issues as I have with OotS, its handling of indoctrination is unironically fantastic, and it owes a good amount of that to the outstanding setup of Breezepelt that was done back in Po3. And that setup doesn't work if Crowfeather was merely distant.

Breezepelt was abused by his father, both verbally and physically. It drove him to be more aggressive to prove himself, modeling the battle culture around him. The adults of WindClan judged him based off Crowfeather's responses, shunning and belittling the 'problem' teenager, which eventually drove Breezepelt to the only group that he felt "understood" him.

In a book series that is RIFE with abuse apologia, this is one of the few times that there's any behavioral consequences for abuse and the narrative holds the perpetrator accountable for it.

But people hear Crowfeather's deflective excuse in The Last Hope where he says he never hated him, blames Nightcloud for everything, and just lick it up uncritically.

Gee whiz, I wonder why the guy who never blames himself for any of his problems would suddenly say it was his ex-wife's fault. Real headscratcher!

(Crowfeather's Trial then goes onto, for all my own problems with it, also hold Crow accountable as the reason why Breezepelt turned out like he did. But that's a topic for another day.)

[fox-whispers]

9 Live + Extras AU

so i have this half baked au where leaders get an extra thing/body-trait/power-up to help them lead battles and said is specific to said leaders territory.

(Example: Riverclan's leader gets a fishtail and can hold their breath for way longer than a normal cat giving them a huge fighting advantage over Non-Riverclan cats in their hometerf.)

But ive only been able to come up with ideas for Skyclan's, Shadowclan's, and Riverclan's leaders extra power.

Heres a dumb sketch to explain what i mean:

Im having troble Deciding on what to give to Windclan's Leaders besides something lame like:

"longer legs" because there are two cats that have unusually long legs already both of which arent even FROM Windclan!!! (Tallpoppy of shadowclan, and our boi Spiderleg)

Then i thought oh! I could give them Cheetah Claws!! Which give them lots of traction So they can run faster!!

Cheetahs are one of the few big cats who cant retrack their claws tho and that somehow makes it feel like a downgrade.

(Also bloodclans whole thing was "unnatural big claw extentions" so thats a no-go)

My brother joking suggested i give them unicorn horns for areothynamic reasons

(but now that im thinking about it the horns could glow and that could help them with their whole tunnel thing but idk "unicorn horn" doesnt sound very Windclan in the way that "MermaidTail" sounds Extremly Riverclan, u know?)

I really want to give Windclan something that would help them on the moor and in the tunnels.

I have no idea what to give to Thunderclan either, i want it to be like- a visable thing. Like- the tail or the wings that river and sky have!

Which is why im not going with my brothers idea of "fur that turns into camo like that lizard from Tangled" but i cant think of something to give them that would help them with the Thickket/Brambles/Underbrush their Terrotory is knwn for.

I want to Write an Rewrite of Power of 3 where:

Graystripe runs into Skyclan, (who have been expecting him cuz Echosong got a vision/message for starclan about a friend of a friend being lost and needing their help to get home.)

(I have a whole plot written out where my oc Foxwhispers, who is a blind skyclan warrior helps them find the lake. When they arrive at the gathering Shes all like "Leafstar says hello" and after being introdusd to leafpool by sandstorm "oh! Leafstar named her kits Firekit and Stormkit" because i think thats Really Really cute how they named their kids after eachother))

Honeyfern lives!,

Jaypaw becomes a warrior,

And the fourth cat isnt Firestar.

but ive stalled cuz im at a loss for whatto give wind&thunder, so im here asking for ideas if anyones got any.

oh and ive been tossing around the idea of medicine cats having antlers(like in the hollyfawn map.)that have one type of herbs growing on them (the herb in question being different per cat) but i feel like mothwing would lose her mind if sticks started growing from her head. So maybe not. Might give thunderclan antlers if i cant think of anthing.

[firestorm09890]

more disorganized organization xiii warrior cats thoughts

Vexen medicine cat would be really funny. Zexion medicine cat apprentice is the next logical step which I think recreates the early Jaypaw Leafpool dynamic which is even funnier because Jayfeather was the first character I was ever obsessed with

also completely erases any competition for Saïx though. so. congrats Zexion you get to live

wait I just realized none of these bastards are canonically specialized for healing. the closest would be Vexen (knows how the body works) and Zexion (highest magic stat and only true caster, and cure/cura/curaga are spells)

back to Saïx, even though I think the "Luna Diviner" title is lame as fuck and doesn't represent Saïx very well, when you consider the line in kh2 where he asks Sora if he can hear the euphoria of the hearts gathered in kingdom hearts + the part of that one short story where Saïx asks Axel if he can hear the world's screams and Axel goes "what the hell are you talking about", I think he probably CAN actually hear that shit. which means he's definitely one of those cats constantly being plagued by visions of dead ancestors

that's the medicine cat's job though and generally cats who can hear that stuff from early on end up going into the medicine cat role but look at Saix he is NOT about to be a fucking medicine cat. middle manager assigning missions is basically the same as deputy assigning patrols, he's the deputy I've decided

actually... Vexen doesn't seem like a very spiritual guy... maybe it's like Mothwing and her apprentices, where he only does healing and Zexion handles all the prophecy omen StarClan stuff as well. He would be into that

I think Roxas being an apprentice to Axel sounds about right but idk about Xion... could be a situation where her mentor is Saix and he's being absolutely shitty about it but if the Chain of Memories crew is still alive in this setting I think. maybe. he should not be the one mentoring her.

Vexen can't do it though if he's the medicine cat and Xion's going to be a warrior

wait would this au have Vexen be Xion's biological father

then who's the mother

the worldbuilding of this group is in shambles

I have backstory for Zexion (abandoned kit found on the edge of territory) and no one else

okay that's not true I have one for Xemnas

Xemnas is the leader. he started out as a loner and then joined the clan and either charisma'd his way to being leader or there was a violent coup, which would imply... a number of things

like they'd definitely be put in their place after a coup if there were any other clans around

why is the group so small? why are they exclusively growing the group by recruiting outsiders when warrior cats almost all hate doing that? if we start with an established group where Ansem the Wise is theoretically the leader and Xemnas takes over after they collectively beat Ansem's ass, what happened to the entire rest of the clan? also where are the women

Lauriam/Marluxia and Elrena/Larxene's deal is somewhat similar to Jay's Wing/Jayfeather, Dove's Wing/Dovewing, and Lion's Roar/Lionblaze, but instead of reincarnations they're time travelers. I don't think they get magic powers as a result because they didn't get any more special powers than the other org members in canon

I'll come up with warrior names for all of them I promise

[overmorrowpine]

imagine if jayfeather never became a med cat. hollyleaf became a warrior too, sure, but jayfeather has his whole "i can't believe he gave the blind kitten to the half blind cat you still have one working eye" in front of brightheart and she's like "it's because i had to learn a whole new style of fighting when i lost my eye and i can fucking do it again"

so she works with jaypaw to figure out his strengths in battle and weaknesses. his problem with visual tells? she interrogates everyone about other clans' fighting styles and recreates them on her own time, and then she works with jaypaw until he can recognize the sound of someone planting their hind paws to rear up, the sound of a front paw rushing through the air, the sound of riverclan warriors emerging from the river when most warriors wouldn't be able to hear it because they wouldn't be listening for it. she runs drills with him again and again, not telling him what clan's fighting style she's emulating before starting and letting him figure out. he gets lightning-quick reflexes, and the ability to tune out most battle sounds to focus on the cat in front of him. he learns how to get his subconscious to focus on the sounds of battle and filter in the sound of approaching pawsteps. he learns how to go for the main parts of the body, the head and legs with a sideswipe and the full body itself by crashing down. he learns that if he scoops up sand, dirt, leaf-litter, and throws it at their face, it'll fuck them up completely. he learns how to track a moving target while he himself is moving.

she brings him out to pieces of the territory without telling him where they are, and has him guess. she has him learn to pinpoint a scent and sound more precisely than any sighted cat, to brush a paw over the ground so lightly that it doesn't crunch dead leaves or snap twigs. she has leafpool cobweb a leaf over her good eye and tries to hunt, to figure out the problem areas, and she figures out workarounds. she brings him to different spots of the territory and quizzes him on the location, on how to get places from there. she has him move silently all the way back to camp.

his siblings graduate. everyone tells them to give up. jaypaw looks them in the eyes and says fuck you, he's learning to be a warrior and it's working.

he and brightheart run drills where they borrow other clans' cats and have them attack jaypaw. he defends himself startlingly well, in their eyes.

at one point he, in typical prickly jaypaw fashion, asks longtail why tf he's still an elder. longtail finds the idea of becoming a warrior again insurmountable. jaypaw flounces off thinking he's better than longtail because of course he does, but it makes longtail happy to see a cat who is like him doing what he couldn't.

brightheart grabs the leader himself and is like "watch jaypaw's assessment. he's doing ridiculously amazing he should be a warrior" and he has to agree, jaypaw has somehow mastered being a warrior despite his disability.

jaypaw gets to be a warrior and spit in the faces of everyone who told him he couldn't, brightheart becomes the de facto mentor of disabled kittens, and the rest of the clan learns an Important Lesson about disability

(edit we have a poll abt his warrior name now)

[troutfur]

Hey just a suggestion for you; you mentioned in your answer to my last ask that you were struggling with the Tribe, where you didn't want to include them but you also wanted to include the Outcast plot to explore the relationship of the Three and Breezepelt. I was thinking an angle you could make to rewriting the Tribe, given the setup you have of the Clans being nepotistic and made up of loosely connected family lines, is to have the Tribe be the opposite of that - valuing individual family loyalty too much being taboo and more connected as a larger community. I think seeing a society like that would be interesting to reflect and mirror all four characters' views on family and fit thematically with what you are going for.

That is an interesting angle to take, but I do have to point out how it'd make my portrayal of the Clans and the Tribe mirror opposites to how Bonefall does it. I have said to Bones before that I sometimes feel like an annoying contrarian when sharing my ideas with him because a lot of what I do is so diametrically opposed to what he does (his family tree reworks try to reduce the incest, mine try to tangle the family tree further but with intent; his Clans have many social mechanisms in place to prevent nepotism and frown on instances of it heavily, my Clans are nepotistic to the point they have no word for "nepotism" as that's simply how politics is done; etc.).

As I mull over how this cat society may work, I'm wondering if they could operate as a republic of some sort, carrying on the voting by means of casting stones and other lake cat traditions Jaypaw would have witnessed back in his memories. Letting Jaypaw see this evolution of institutions would be useful in fueling his political ambitions to restructure the Clans more to his liking. And of course, it would be a very interesting challenge to the politics and values of the soon-to-be-warrior-named Lionpaw, Hollypaw, and Breezepaw as well.

And, if I take a page further from Bones' book and have the Republic of the Waterfall divided into different camps located across the mountain, operating as a federation. And maybe some sort of mandatory civil service that has young cats moving away from their camp of birth to somewhere else in the mountain to work and earn their citizenship rights. That would encourage there to be internal migration, intermingling, and a sense of loyalty to the federation as a whole rather than to one's family or even camp of birth.

[kestreljaylover]

Random's top 10 favorite warrior cats ships.

even though my favorite ship is incredibly obvious, I still did this list.

10. This is my favorite Canon ship in Warrior Cats because it is healthy, (Other ships are healthy too, but they never really got in conflict with eachother). Unfortunately Willowbreeze and Crookedstar had a very sad end in Crookedstar's Promise. Overall, love these two dearly.

9. This is real, and canon. If you guys disagree with me either you are homophobic, or just never read Tallstar's Revenge. A couple of years back, I didn't understand the ship, until I picked up that book, opened it, and read it. My mind was like, "Oh! So that is why people like them so much!" Because Tallstar seemed pretty attracted to Jake, and attached to him. It was sad when they departed.

8. This is really good, and awesome, they loved being around eachother in Graystripe's Vow. Honestly, Flipclaw should have never left the tribe so he can be with Feather.

7. I feel like the books in A Starless Clan just says that Whistlepaw and Frostpaw should be together. Whistlepaw has helped Frostpaw out during the newest book. Well at least the first half, I have not finished it yet.

6. I think the dynamic of these two are hilarious, just think that after a long time of Sunbeam and Lightleap hating eachother, they would just be together, and Nightheart would be just like, ":o" and I just love Lightleap in general.

5. I think of the same for these two. Honestly it would make Lionblaze the slightest bit more interesting than his relationship with Cinderheart. Same for Berrynose. I also respect Jayberry as well. Jayberry is the other best Jayfeather ship besides Jaykestrel, and Jayfuzz.

4. This is Canon too. I think Ravenpaw x Barley is more clear than Tallstar x Jake, and Barley is the definition emotional support for Ravenpaw. Ravenpaw's Path is cool, and Ravenpaw's Farewell is okay. I hope Barley will see Ravenpaw again someday, he is basically 10 million years old if there is no more info on Barley.

3. I think everyone expected Mothpool to be on everyone's top 10 list. It really reads like Leafpool had a crush on Mothwing before Crowfeather came along. I was obsessed with this ship back in March of 2023.

2. This is my favorite rarepair in Warrior Cats for literally no reason. I just think that Hazeltail being happy to be around Hollyleaf is really cute for like I said, no reason. I am glad this ship is getting noticed by other people.

1! My heart is so happy to put Kestreljay on this list! Jaykestrel, Kestreljay, whatever you call it is my life! I get so happy when someone makes Kestreljay. Even draws it. I love this ship because back in the book Long Shadows, Jaypaw showed up in Kestrelpaw's dreams, and it seems like Kestrelpaw dreams about him often because he didn't seemed weirded out, or bothered. He was happy to see him. And what also gets me is back in Outcast where Kestrelpaw asked Jaypaw what is it was like to be blind. I thought that was funny. Everyone knows how Jayfeather acts. Thank you for your time!

[justapossum]

Alright, first post on here so forgive me if it’s awful.

Let’s talk about my Warriors Rewrite (specifically the Three)

Who are their parents? Their biological parents are Mothwing and Leafpool. Their adoptive parent is Squirrelflight. Squirrelflight presents them to the Clan as her own kits, but they go unsired. The Clan respects this because it is a she-cat’s decision to reveal her kits’ lineage. (I am the biggest mothpool fan 😤)

Why do they have powers? StarClan has granted the power of the stars to the Three because they are Tiger Fire kin. This is their way of apologizing for/fixing their mistake of granting Tigerstar nine lives.

Jayfeather/wing: Jaykit wished to become a warrior, however his clanmates are concerned about how well he could defend his Clan. During the upcoming moons to his apprenticeship, Leafpool tells Mothwing about how ThunderClan is unsure whether to allow Jaykit to train as a warrior. Mothwing is taken back by this and decides to do something to persuade Firestar. She confronts Brightheart and Longtail at a Gathering and acts as a concerned medicine cat. She urges them to speak up for Jaykit and they agree (especially since Cloudtail is Jaykit’s first cousin). Brightheart and Longtail address their concerns to Firestar about how ThunderClan doesn’t see Jay as a capable independent cat. Firestar agrees and apologizes for how he was complicit in this mindset. Jaypaw trains as a warrior apprentice under both Longtail and Brightheart, honing his skills to become an excellent hunter and fighter. As a nod to Mothwing who convinced Brightheart and Longtail to speak up for Jay, Jaypaw is named Jaywing. When Longtail catches a nasty bout of greencough, Jaywing pleads for Leafpool to train him as a half medicine cat (half time med cat half time warrior). He wants to protect his mentor and realizes that maybe it’s not so bad to heal the cats he cares about.

Hollyleaf: Hollykit always longed to be a warrior. She upheld the warrior code more than any other cat in ThunderClan. She grew up hearing stories of Tigerstar’s tyranny from the elders and vowed to never misuse the code StarClan had so graciously provided the Clans. When ThunderClan was debating what to do with Jaykit, Hollykit begged Leafpool to make her a medicine cat apprentice instead. She would rather her brother live her dream of becoming a warrior than be stuck doing a job he never asked for. Leafpool is hesitant because she doesn’t want Hollykit stuck in a role she doesn’t want, but respects how determined she is to protect her brother (this reminds her of Squirrelflight) so she accepts. Hollypaw is really terrible at healing cats. She cannot comprehend any of the lessons Leafpool teaches her and almost comes to resent her decision to become a medicine cat. But she preserves for Jaykit until he’s finally made a warrior apprentice. During her training as a medicine cat, Squirrelflight trains Hollypaw as a warrior in their free time. Hollypaw asks Leafpool and Firestar for permission to train as a warrior. Both respect her strong desire to protect her brother and accept. When Firestar is about to dub her as a warrior, Hollypaw stops the ceremony to ask if she can be named Hollyleaf after Leafpool who never lost patience with her. (Leafpool nearly cries at this and so does Mothwing when she’s told).

Lionblaze: Lionkit was the biggest of the Three, leading to him taking a very protective role over his siblings. He and Hollykit were the first cats to speak up against how the Clan treated their brother unfairly. While Hollykit became a medicine cat apprentice to prevent Firestar from making Jaykit one, Lionkit flat out refused to be made into ANY apprentice. As long as Jaykit couldn’t become a warrior apprentice, Lionkit wouldn’t be one. This led to some of his clanmates seeing him as wasted potential and a disgrace to Fire Kin. Firestar would immediately shut that mindset down as soon as he heard it, but rumors would spread regardless. When Jaykit became an apprentice, Lionkit became one. They were both excited to train together and became as well known as Firepaw and Greypaw in their apprentice moons. Firestar names him Lionblaze after Whitestorm who sparked a blaze in Fire’s life. Everyone else just thinks he named Lionblaze after himself though. Lionblaze has a fierce sense of protection for his family. He would die for his family if his power allowed him. He is protective to a possessive point. He needs to know where his siblings are and who they're with at all times. This is probably the result of Tigerstar influencing him in the Dark Forest. He is highly defensive and this amps up his issues with Breezepelt because Breezepelt hates Firekin. Breezepelt would call them entitled and only half clan due to their kittypet roots. This leads to Lion lashing out physically out of rage, not realizing how strong he is compared to everyone. Despite his strength, Lionblaze is super caring of his Clan. He makes sure that his clanmates are eating and feel comfortable. He'll even help out the elders (despite it being considered an "apprentice's" job and causing some of his clanmates to snicker at him). He definitely inherited Firestar's caring nature (which could get him into trouble with his granddad like how Fire used to get into trouble with Bluestar).

Powers: Jaywing has the power to walk into cats’ dreams, Lionblaze has the power to be unharmed during battle, and Hollyleaf has the power to persuade cats to do as she says.

//////

The tism has won. Hope you enjoyed this if you actually read it! This has been in my head for MONTHS. Literally clawing at the walls of my enclosure

[mouthsfullofsharpteeth]

frothing at the mouth pls give us the timlex

Okay youre getting my warrior cats au then. Im not sure i ever properly shared about it all. Im gonna be referring to the characters with their cats names, so here is that quick list of our main guys:

Alex Kralie- Hornetkit, Hornetpaw, Hornetstripe

Tim- Maskkit, Maskpaw, Masktuft

Jay- Jaykit, Jaypaw, Jaysight

Brian- Hawkkit, Hawkpaw, Hawkprowl

And heres my main ref for them :3

Okay now to talk

Theyre all a few moons apart, with Mask being the youngest, then Hawk, and then Jay a few days after Hornet.

When Hornetpaw is eight moons old, Maskpaw becomes an apprentice, and his mentor is Slendermange. Slendermange is one of the oldest warriors in the clan, even older than some elders, but he refuses to retire and since hes such a skilled fighter, he hasnt been forced to yet. Slendermange has always been interested in Maskkit, who was an orphaned kit the clan found and brought back to care for. Maskkit was skittish and quiet, but Slendermange seemed so focused on him that he was allowed to mentor him.

During their apprenticeship, the four cats become good friends. They were already friendly back in the nursery with the other kits, but now that they can start training and hunting and patrolling together, they become even better friends. Maskpaw always seems to be on the outskirts of their friendship though, always tugged away by his mentor when he seems to be getting more comfortable. Slendermange is very secretive of their training, and won’t allow the other apprentices to be around while he trains Maskpaw. Due to his training, Maskpaw is led to become a warrior early. Too early, if you asked the other apprentices. It wasn’t fair. He was the youngest of them, why should he get his warrior name first? Hornetpaw struggles to be happy for him when Masktuft get’s his name, and this drives a crack between their unsteady friendship.

When Hornetpaw is eleven moons old, tragedy strikes.

A fire starts in camp, and the clan loses everything. Their numbers are decimated. Hornetpaw’s mentor suffers severe burns, and is rendered unable to train Hornetpaw. Slendermange is killed in the fire, along with Hornetpaw’s parents and several other warriors and elders. Their leader loses more than one life trying to escape. And Masktuft’s body is never found. The worst is assumed.

Hawkpaw and Jaypaw become closer in their grief, losing friends and family. Hornetpaw however isn’t given that time to grieve, because soon, he starts having strange dreams. Slendermange appears to him in visions, a shadowy blood red forest surrounds them. He promises Hornetpaw that he can train him in place of Hornetpaw’s injured mentor, and says that he is a StarClan guide. Hornetpaw agrees, thinking this opportunity was too good to ever pass up.

He was wrong.

The lessons that Slendermange teaches him are cruel. To attack first and ask questions later. To avoid his friends, because they don’t understand the warrior code like the two of them do. He tells Hornetpaw how special he is, more special than Masktuft.

Then, their training starts to bleed into the day. Hornetpaw is exhausted all the time. He wakes up sore, with bites and scratches littering his pelt. He’s sluggish on patrols, and it’s enough that Jaypaw and Hawkpaw notice. They want to reach out, and see what’s wrong, but before they can, their relationship with Hornetpaw is ruined.

They graduate together. Given the names Jaysight and Hawkprowl, before the oldest of the group is even close to becoming a warrior.

The wedge that comes between them seems permanent. Hornetpaw won’t speak to them, won’t even look at them. He trains by himself, sneaks out of camp constantly, and as he sleeps in the apprentice den alone, it seems he has lost all connection to his clan. When his mentor dies from the burns, that is the nail in his coffin. Hornetpaw is entirely alone.

Except for Slendermange. Their training in the dark forest becomes more and more intense until, one day, during Hornetpaw’s training, Slendermange appears to him. Ghostly and dripping liquid shadow, this vision now follows him everywhere. Slendermange’s demonic presence is pressed to his pelt where ever he goes. Whispering nasty remarks about his former friends and clanmates, clawing at him when Hornetpaw doesn’t listen or behaves wrong. When Hornetpaw finally becomes Hornetstripe, Slendermange’s voice is the only one he can hear calling his name.

It’s only a matter of time before other cat’s start disappearing.

The already dismal numbers of the clan get even smaller, as cats are picked off one by one. Where are they going? Why is this happening? With only their leader, a young deputy, a handful of medicine cats and mediators sharing the workload together, and enough warriors to count on two hands, Hornetstripe is the last to vanish. Without a trace.

Its then that Jaysight and Hawkprowl independently decide to hunt him down and find him, Jaysight wanting to find his old friend and Hawkprowl having caught him in the act, blood staining Hornetstripe’s pelt and the lifeless body of another warrior at his paws.

Hornetstripe flees his clan, unaware that he’s being distantly tailed, and Slendermange still lurking in his peripheries. In his new life as a rogue, he encounters the assumed to be dead Masktuft. Masktuft had made a home for himself as a barn cat, and for some reason, allows Hornetstripe to stay with him. There was plenty of prey around to keep them fed, and a blossoming closeness begins to thread them together. Gradually, the shadows of Slendermange leave him. Hornetstripe’s pelt is scarred but soft now, and his tail no longer tucks between his legs.

One night, huddled together for warmth in the straw of the hayloft, Hornetstripe confesses everything he’s done. Shares what Slendermange did to him and made him do. Masktuft does not snap or hiss at him. He wraps his big, fluffy tail around Hornetstripe, and murmurs that he understands more than Hornetstripe could ever know. Satisfied with that, Hornetstripe curls closer, nosing into Masktuft’s fur and purring softly, for the first time in moons. Masktuft gives his pelt a few calming licks, and purrs that he’ll keep watch so that Hornetstripe can sleep safely.

I haven’t decided what happens if or when Hawkprowl and Jaysight find them. But I know it’ll have a happy ending, because I cannot emotionally handle sad endings in fanfiction lol

I hope you all enjoyed :3c

[ask-warrior-jaypaw]

aye. pssst. lionpaw. look behind you 👀

[vixenday]

ask credit - @aerial-jace

after this jaypaw would’ve probably gotten to meet tawny, which is what i’d initially planned. but at the time i was going through a lot of stress, and couldn’t keep up with the amount of asks at the time that i’d gotten, so i ended the longest night a bit sooner than i wanted. now, obviously, i can keep up with the asks.

i’m thinking of making an awj masterpost, and having asks i didn’t yet answer (like this) be eventually fully drawn and put somewhere in between the current canon parts. im also thinking of redrawing the old awj asks, before i got the designs updated and everything. it’s been over half a year since the blog started, and a lot of things have changed since then!! i don’t want anyone reading awj from beginning to end in one go see my old art.

[crazylavenders]

Warriors murder mystery

How this works. Question the characters and after three days a poll will be released where you can decide who the murderer is. If it’s incorrect the murderer continues to kill off clan mates until the whole clan is dead. This is set in Warriors the sight.

Allegiances

Leader:Firestar

Deputy: Brambleclaw (apprentice: Berrypaw)

Medicine cat: Leafpool (apprentice:Hollypaw)

Warriors: Dustpelt (Hazelpaw), Sandstorm (Honeypaw), Cloudtail (Cinderpaw) , Brackenfur, Thornclaw (Poppypaw), Brightheart (Jaypaw), Ashfur (Lionpaw), Sorreltail, Spiderleg (Mousepaw), Brook where small fish swim, Stormfur, Whitewing, Birchfall, Squirrelflight

Queens: Ferncloud (Icekit and Foxkit), Daisy

Elders: Longtail, Mousefur

A yowl of shock and fear awakes the cats of Thunderclan. Leafpool is one of first cats to erupt from her den towards the yowl coming from the elders den. When she arrives she sees Mousefur pushing against the den wall trying to get a far away from the dead body of Longtail.

Ask the clan cats questions to figure out who the murderer is.

[bonefall]

again looking over the reworked history what the hell happened with Ripwater, I wanna know. What *was* that? How did Riverclan kill it?

Oooooh, quite a request! Ripwater, Queen of the Lake, one of the episodes of BB!Po3!

Ripwater is a Wels Catfish, the largest freshwater fish in Europe. The biggest specimen EVER caught was just landed last year, in 2023, 9.4 feet long. It wasn't weighed, but smaller fish than this one have broken 300 pounds.

And it's not a good thing that we're catching so many big ones.

Wels catfish are extremely invasive across most of Europe, introduced for anglers who want to land record-setting catches. They're massive, intelligent carnivores, sometimes called the "freshwater orca" because they will lunge out of the water to catch land prey. They DESTROY the population of anything big enough to fit in its terrible mouth, including fish, amphibians, and even turtles.

They get that big from a mix of constant food and hot temperature. It's a sign that they're devastating their surroundings, and that nothing has been able to kill them for the decades it takes to get so large.

So of course, some dunderhead put them in British rivers, where they've been spreading upwards ever since. Thankfully they thrive better where it's warmer, so they're not too massive of a threat to BB's modeled regions in Northwestern England, but they're fucking coming.

Ripwater's name isn't an exaggeration. That's how they hunt. They gape their jaw and beat their fins like dragons, creating eddies and currents that suck their hapless prey in. When RiverClan names her, it's because they see her ripping the water in half. I was thinking about her recently, and came up with some new stuff. I'll take a brief break from my drafts to serve up some fragments for you.

[A gray cat with blue eyes, Lakepaw, later BB!Lakeheart, swims in bluegreen water surrounded by lilypads. Below her is the massive shadow of Ripwater, a gigantic Wels Catfish. Its eyes flash in the depths.]

SMALL RECAP OF BB!PO3: (to set the stage)

It is now a breather arc, just dedicated to some worldbuilding!

I feel pretty strongly that Po3's strength is how AWESOME of a slice-of-life arc it could have been. To this end, I removed the Kin of your Kin prophecy from it, until it's revealed only at the very end just before Cruel Season.

That's so I can focus on The Three and their adventures around the lake, without this big prophecy looming over them and making the lower-stakes conflicts look small.

Instead, the various episodes of Po3 are related to problems that their new home presents, with just a teeny bit of Sol's magical influence to spice things up.

While Lionpaw learns about the "meaning of strength" and ultimately learns a terrible lesson he will extend to his kits, and Jaypaw finds his limits and learns to prevent others from defining them for him, Hollypaw is grappling with Fire Alone and how to reconcile her grandfather's legacy with her strict dedication to the Warrior Code.

And SO we find ourselves in one of the earliest episodes of BB!Po3; Ripwater the River Demon. This is like... episode 3 or 4, it's a REALLY early one.

I'm just shuffling it around with ANOTHER RiverClan-centric episode; the Shinewater Plague. The oilspill from TNP is now going to be bumped up to Po3 so it's more about establishing Mothwing and her apprentice Willowpaw, to contrast Leafpool and her apprentice Hollypaw, before Holly swaps to being a warrior. Jaypaw completes warrior training before becoming a Cleric apprentice.

So I don't want them to be TOO close together. Maybe put Ripwater in Book 2 and have RiverClan comment that they don't really want to ask for help because of the last big event, Mistystar hates feeling indebted to ThunderClan.

After all, it could basically replace the "flood" episode from Canon Po3, which is often forgotten about anyway. I'm already having ShadowClan construct dams instead of RiverClan anyway...

ANYWAY RIPWATER

I want to start this episode off with Sol/Harry, who is unnamed, messing around near water. He has a bit of a fish motif going on that I want to establish, and I need to get him to start messing with the Clans good and early.

(Specifically his motif is going back and forth between the koi, also an invasive and notably domesticated species, and the atlantic salmon which is famous for its changing life cycle.)

The Wels Catfish is an invasive species to England, slowly making its way up the island from the South. The fish who will become Ripwater, at this point, is already HUGE but not cat-swallowing huge. She's an 80-pounder.

Sol hits her with some godly magic, which allows her to grow at a rapid rate.

The sort of thing where it wouldn't be COMPLETELY implausible. He just... helped it along.

When we get to her first true on-screen appearance interacting with RiverClan, she is nearly 300 pounds of monstrosity with a length of about 8 feet

I'm unsure how, exactly, ThunderClan comes to know of this. But I DO know that I want Hollypaw to be snooping, and heavily encouraged by her mentor Brackenfur to do so. So, somehow, SOMETHING starts going wrong across the lake and ThunderClan catches wind of it.

Thinking about it, this should probably be her first big action after swapping out of Cleric apprenticeship.

One of the few things she's missing about Clerichood is the way she could be close to Willowpaw without needing to sneak around so much. It's easier to just pass it off as "friendship" and "Clerics need to be close." Leafpool and Mothwing are a similar way.

Possibly work in that Hollypaw's also already seeing Heatherpaw in the tunnels, contrast the two things...

At this point, Hollypaw has a crush on Willowpaw, which is requited, but... it's kinda fading.

She still loves her like a friend, but she's liking Heatherpaw a lot more. It doesn't mean she doesn't CARE for Willowpaw, of course, but

Willowpaw is still IN love, and it's slowly becoming unrequited, when it didn't used to be.

And from RiverClan's POV...

The first disappearance is so sudden they have no idea what's happened. I'm planning for it to be Robinpaw.

(I go back and forth on if it's Robinpaw or Dapplepaw, but I'm leaning towards Robinpaw again, because I like Dapplenose too much to have her get killed off here.)

She went out clamming in the lake with her sisters, Lakepaw and Otterpaw, there was a swirl in the water, and that was it. She was gone.

Just like that.

She never came back up. RiverClan searched for her, following the currents, checking the shoreline, everything. It was like she vanished.

Mistystar is suspicious and doing everything in her power to figure out what happened, but... let's face it. It's the word of two apprentices, who were swimming alone, who swear Robinpaw just went under.

Misty JUST got done with the Shinewater Plague and isn't trying to make RiverClan look like it can't keep track of its own young. The most likely situation is that Robinpaw was sucked down by an undertow that the three of them were too inexperienced to recognize.

So... she's pretty adamant about not sharing this information until Robinpaw's body is found. Jaws Style. "We cannot let the other Clans be alarmed by this, else they might meddle in our affairs..."

(and she's still maybe a little paranoid that some snoop in another Clan is going to find out that Leopardstar wasn't killed by a rogue, y'know.)

I don't want it to be TOO much of a bloodbath, so I'm capping Ripwater's body count at three and just aiming for two deaths total.

I'm also going for a coincidence RiverClan is going to interpret as a pattern; this happens a lot, specifically, when they're hunting Freshwater Pearl Mussels.

Ripwater doesn't like the river as much as she likes the lake, but it has nothing to do with their clamming. They're just going to interpret it as such.

Anyway.

The next one she goes after was lucky. By some stroke, she opens her jaw, and the victim is able to grab onto something before they're sucked in. (Maybe toss in something here were it was Holly who was able to help save them.)

Since the WHOLE Po3 Apprentice Generation is going to be getting more focus, there needs to be more input from the RiverClan apprentices. Lakepaw and Otterpaw obviously need time here, but I also NEED to involve Ripplepaw, to establish how he's going to be seen as one of the strongest in RiverClan by OotS.

EDIT FROM THE FUTURE AS I FIGURED STUFF OUT:

It was Ripplepaw, Otterpaw, and their two mentors on a raft who were attacked next. They were fishing for mussels in a shallower part of the lake.

Otterpaw was tethered to the raft with a flax lead, so it wouldn't float off. Or just tugging it in her mouth. Either way she had a line.

When Ripwater attacks her, she is swallowed on the line like a worm on a hook

And it starts pulling the WHOLE RAFT down, just a crummy bundle of sticks

One of the mentors started shouting to cut the line, else it would drag all of them under, but Ripplepaw dives right down to beat its ass without telling them he's not gonna cut it

Hollypaw just rushed right in, didn't think about it, forgetting she was supposed to be trying to sneak around

Taking control as the natural leader she is, she ordered them to shut up and start pulling the opposite way

Underwater, Ripplepaw braced himself against the fish's lips, grabs Otter's tether, and YANKS

Abovewater, the adult warriors are pulling together, Holly grabs the raft and pulls too

Once their paws touch the bottom of the shallows it's over, one last HEAVE-HO and POP!

Otterpaw is FREE

And when it's finally known that the apprentices weren't mistaken, there's a monster in the water, THAT'S when the debate really starts up. Mistystar does NOT want ThunderClan meddling, and she'll already be pissed off that Hollypaw (and any OTHERS who tagged along with her, I wouldn't put it past Honeypaw to wriggle her little yellow butt into a later draft, or Lionpaw for his massive strength) witnessed something that's not her business.

There's a moment from canon I desperately want to keep; where Squirrelflight comes to fetch her daughter.

(more reason to just say this is replacing The Flood Episode from canon lmao)

It's such an interesting moment, and so forgotten. In a nutshell, Squilf is both furious and concerned that her kit went missing and meddled in another Clan's affairs, but... understands the impulse.

Because it's something she would have done.

So when she scolds Hollypaw, there's this aching feeling that she's scolding a younger version of herself. Calling her arrogant and disloyal, that an apprentice's opinions mean less, and that she needs to listen to "older and wiser" warriors within her own Clan.

In BB, I want to do something big with this. Firestar is the figurehead of Fire Alone, who encouraged Hollypaw's behavior through his deputy, Brackenfur, who he set as her mentor for a reason.

But Squirrelflight is being abused. By Brambleclaw.

This is one of the lowest points in Squirrelflight's life, and she is walking a line between self-worth, the warrior code, and her personal beliefs, just like her daughter is.

SO, since I'm already using Brambleclaw's enabling of Ashfur's physical abuse as one of the contributing factors to Hollyleaf's descent, I ALSO want to show how he acts on other characters.

Brambleclaw, Clan Culture, the pressures of their strength-obsessed social system. So it's gotta be Squirrelflight that reminds her, or even plants the seed in her head;

"What you did isn't consistent with the Warrior Code."

Maybe even have Mistystar herself state this earlier, to be echoed by Squirrelflight, offering an alternate perspective to Hollypaw. Make her realize that ThunderClan's political leanings are not universal or even popular.

But when Hollypaw comes back to ThunderClan, whoever set her to be a snoop wants her to spill the beans. This is also a big WIP part, as Hollypaw struggles with if she's going to obey or not, and I still need to set all the political "players" in this moment.

I know for sure, though, that Firestar's IMMEDIATE desire is to meddle like it's an episode of Scooby-Doo. Though he's savvy enough to be smart about how he phrases it and what actions he takes, his ultimate goal is to put his little cheeto-dust paws all over this. And Hollypaw is starting to question how appropriate that actually is.

This is where it starts to really be a rip in Holly's mind. Clans aren't JUST big, blanket groups with united opinions, they're collections of individuals. Mistystar doesn't want meddling, but Willowpaw is in danger. Otterpaw and Lakepaw went all that time without being believed, after they watched their sister die, because they're lowly apprentices like her. Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw are angry and disappointed, while Firestar and Brackenfur are secretly lathering her in praise.

Now imagine me standing in front of a big board where I'm writing ??? because there's a missing chunk here.

I need to connect THIS part to what comes next, which is where ThunderClan DOES come in and help out. Here's the thought process going on in RiverClan;

Willowpaw comes in to do something important. She adores Hollypaw, knows her value as a Cleric, and knows that StarClan can sway Mistystar.

I want her to have a couple of pieces of a vision... BUT. She decides to interpret it in a way that's convenient, and add a few details.

It's not a tooootal lie lmao. It's just 75% true.

This is the true power of Clerics, when they realize it. No one can actually challenge them without just ignoring them or stripping them of power. They are accountable to StarClan alone.

A mentor simply doesn't say this out loud to their apprentice. It's a quiet secret. And Willowpaw just realized it.

and thinking about it... this should be the thing that finally breaks the budding romance Holly and Willow had. Holly is sickened by this, when Willow confesses how she convinced RiverClan to work with ThunderClan.

But, without even being a full Warrior, the apprentice leverages her power as Cleric of RiverClan, and 200 skill points of Improv Acting, to tell them these things;

"StarClan is so angry with us that they've sent a hog to the water! It's why they've sent a ThunderClan apprentice, we must work with them to eliminate the beast that lurks in our waters. With spears and plans, we must hunt it honorably!"

(Mistystar is defensive, but it's not known why) "We haven't disobeyed StarClan in any way. We'd already accepted their help once before, when sickness drove us to weakness, and it's only let them think they can disrespect our borders as they please. This can't be the holy will of our ancestors."

"It's-- We've been disrespecting this bountiful new land that they've so generously given us. That's what the pile of shells in my dream was. Think about it! The last attack was on the shore where we collect mussels. The second attack was on a cat latched to a raft, and it was only the tether that saved them. And the first..."

IVE GOT AN IDEA, Robin, Lake, and Otter WEREN'T clamming when they were attacked. She gestures over to Lake, knowing that if she doesn't back her up, the theory crumbles.

(Otter is in the Cleric's den, unconscious.)

Lake hesitates, not wanting to lie. Willow jumps back in,

"It's why Otterpaw was attacked," does those little jazz-hands to be like 'come in bitch work with me,' "And it's why Lakepaw has to be involved in killing it, to end what she started, and appease StarClan."

Lakepaw more like I LIKE-what-you-just-saidpaw, "It's true, we were so ashamed to admit it, Mistystar, this is all MY fault, I wanted my siblings to dig up mussels, PLEASE let me atone by stabbing the fish to death"

AND AFTER THAT IT'S NOODLIN' TIME

Mistystar, begrudgingly, accepts Firestar's help, or perhaps reaches out to him. Ripwater is a "Hog in the Lake," a beast too big for them to kill honorably on their own.

ThunderClan is the ONLY Clan that uses spears, and only for boar hunts. To protect themselves and to give their quarry a quicker death.

No other Clan touches weapons for dishonor reasons, as they're heavily associated with the demon Shredtail.

I should have Willowpaw explain her half-truth to Hollypaw here, and it's where Hollypaw just... so very suddenly can't look at Willowpaw the same way.

Jaypaw would definitely face an ableist moment from someone, but it's going to have to be one of those times where he accepts that there IS a very real limit to his ability here. Spears are range-weapons and his whiskers don't reach that far. He can't tell where he's stabbing, and the water is going to make it too hard to smell where Ripwater's dangerous mouth is. He can't be chosen for this hunt.

Meanwhile Lionpaw learns from Willowpelt how to make a spear and it is one of the most satisfying things he's ever done in his life, he's like "this is so awesome oh my god i love weapons"

just gently setting up that he's going to eventually become ThunderClan's head of hunting, and also that he's a lil violent

I feel like him and Lakepaw should hit it off a little because they both think the idea of stabbing a fish in the face is super cool, only for someone to growl at them that they shouldn't be enjoying themselves so much

Maybe Blackclaw, fuck that guy

(absolute tangent but BB!Lionblaze is kind of evolving into a little dork and I love that for him. Local himbo only capable of making friends or enemies, all Clanwide opinions on him are polarized, more at 11)

THE PLAN

So how DO they kill that thing? First of all, it's all about strategy.

Immediately they started making a couple of specialized spears. Most spears they make are exclusively for boar-hunting, so they have a distinctive "lug" that prevents a boar from impaling itself down the shaft to get you.

Someone in RiverClan explains that you don't want a fish having the chance to get off a claw. If Ripwater escapes, they might not find her again until she kills someone else

The solution is that these need to be custom-made, with special claw-shaped prongs, so they're chevron ^ shapes instead of tear-drop points. They stab in, and don't pull out.

So they need to make spears from scratch, which is an intensive process, and they don't have time to waste. RiverClan doesn't want to hunt by water that has a chance of having a freshwater orca spawn and drag you in; they'll starve

And there's only so many artisans in TC that can MAKE spears. Glue, twine, shafts, blades... these are all things that take hours of labor to create.

And MORE IMPORTANTLY, they realized from the Raft Rescue that a tether, attached to a floating object, can be very useful. Each weapon has rope tied through it and is tethered to a raft-- which is even MORE intensive, RiverClan had to repurpose several nets to create so many lines, and they only own three rafts, so the rest have driftwood.

So they only have time to create 3 special water-spears, and bring in 2 modified boar-spears.

Lionpaw is like visibly disappointed he can't have one lmao

The only apprentice given a spear is... Lakepaw. And it's a boar-spear

Because she's gonna be bait. They believe the litter is cursed for their "sin" and she'll be the next target.

But still, they chum up the water near the last sighting with blood and crowfood, like hog slop, and wait.

(Heavy WIP stuff here as we get to a play-by-play I haven't fully figured out yet)

Their plan is to get it on the shore as quickly as possible.

Four cats could pull Otterpaw from its mouth, so 5 spearcats and a dozen strong warriors could pull it onto the shore. Surely.

shorely.

It comes as expected, lunging at Lakepaw. She leaps back and tries to use her spear on it, but she is NOT properly trained with it, she stabs its face, but can't break the skull

RiverClan manages to toss a net at the beast, but it's NOT heavy enough

And they managed to get LAKEPAW with it, pressing her to the beast, her spear is dropped into the water

Someone shouts that it swims like an eel, able to just reverse course unlike a REAL fish which must turn

In the panic, warriors start mobbing it.

she thrashes, and splashes and the net is barely holding her back at all

She smashes a warrior with her tail, buffs another with her powerful head

She's stabbed in her side by a ThunderClan warrior (probably Sandstorm), and she turns on the raft they're standing on, breeching and SMASHING it to bits. Lionpaw and the rest of the cats on this raft get dunked

In the water, ThunderClan cats are useless, and RiverClan cats can't properly handle spears.

Someone from RiverClan, probably Blackclaw, tries to free Lakepaw but is scooped up in Ripwater's mouth.

He's screeching and yowling and trying to hold onto its upper jaw, regularly cut off as she dives under

When Willowpelt gets her spear in, she holds onto that damn stick with her LIFE, getting swung around and dunked in the water and then going back up into the air

Thornclaw, holding the other boar-spear, aims for its tail

But it's not enough; Even with several warriors of RiverClan, five spears, a net, and the weight of the two remaining rafts, Ripwater's managing to pull them towards the depths

She's too big to bite, too large to claw, and too strong to hold down

LIONPAW TIME

He grabs the spear that Lakepaw dropped

Ripplepaw seems to zoom right passed him, running away from the fish. He thinks he must be some kind of coward, the fight's NOT OVER YET!! WE NEED TO HELP LAKEPAW

(In a later draft I might have Lionpaw be on the smashed raft, and Ripplepaw brings the spear to him before turning and bolting back to shore. Either way he doesn't explain himself)

He paddles near one of the rafts, and is pulled up onto it

Firestar calls him a WONDERFUL BOY for bringing the spear

Lionpaw mumbles something enthusiastic around the stick in his mouth, wriggles his butt, and jumps back into the water

Grabbing the net sticking to Ripwater and using it like tree bark, he pulls himself on

Bites the spear by the lug like a handle

And stabs it in like a knife

But it's already starting to pull out, too shallow

Filled with anger and resolve, he bites the shaft, and PUSHES

Harder and harder and harder until there's a crackle, the twine breaks loose, and the lug snaps

The rest of the spear slips in as if Ripwater's made of butter

Figuring that's probably deep enough, he lets go of the net, breaching the surface, sputtering and hacking

He's about to dive again to go get Lakepaw, but to his surprise, she breaks the water next to him

and then he feels the fish bump his paws

His name is called from the shore, and there's Hollypaw and Ripplepaw waving. Ripplepaw TOOK HIS SPEAR'S ROPE. Like a GUY WHO THINKS.

Now there was a team of cats on the shore, all the spent warriors who got thrown off, pulling Ripwater to the shore.

And from the feeling of slimy fish under his paws, it seemed like her fight had been all but spent.

And more cats were swimming to shore now, with the ropes attached to the other spears.

Once on the shore, they're able to discover that, tragically, Blackclaw has died. Mistystar in particular looks deeply torn by this, as their relationship was notoriously toxic. But still, he had been the father of her children, and drowned trying to save a Clanmate. She jumps up onto the massive fish, giving a speech about sacrifice, how Blackclaw and Robinpaw would be honored, and that RiverClan has learned its valuable lesson.

Ripwater was symbolic; it's the greed they had unleashed upon the lake by over-exploiting one resource. From now on, they would be respectful of StarClan's bounty. She thanks ThunderClan for helping to fulfill a prophecy, and offers that their debt be repaid by splitting the meat of the hunt.

Hollypaw, internally: "Oh she's doing that on purpose. She knows ThunderClan hates fish and it would be rude to refuse."

Firestar: "well. how could we refuse."

Sandstorm, quietly, in the distance: "easily actually ew"

CLOSING STUFF

I kinda want some kind of "epilogue festival" where the two Clans legitimately celebrate with a somewhat somber meal sharing. Some of these episodes in Po3 will result in lasting traditions and holidays that are celebrated annually.

At that little "fish festival," it works for Holly to officially break it off with poor Willow, to leave this episode off on a bit of a sad note.

This was one of the first times Lionpaw's power becomes obvious, and it's the sort of thing that wasn't really noticed. I figure it would be good for Lakepaw to ask how that lug snapped, she could barely even get the spearhead in. Lionpaw just brags and says it must be because he's SUPER STRONG.

For some reason he's just making a ton of friends whenever I write these out, I think I'm going to lean into it. Lionpaw's got friends when he's a kid lmao, starts losing them over time as he gets more violent.

It's probably because I really need a comic relief in The Three's dynamic. Hollypaw is very dramatic, Jaypaw is dealing with legitimately stressful social issues, and Lionpaw is violent. Someone has to lighten the mood up a little and it's probably because he's The California Girl himself lmao

At this fish festival he also discovers fish isn't actually that bad. Everyone's being weird about this. It's not really that slimy. It's got a strong taste but that's kinda nice, actually?

Could use some berries but like... "damn why don't we do this more often. this would go great with blackberries."

Ripplepaw: "You think so? I can taste sweetness, can I try to make it at home and tell you how it works out at the next Gathering?"

Lionpaw: "It's not hard, you just mash the berries and stew them in a little water before pouring it over your meat. I learned it from Willowpelt, she's got a mad sweet tooth."

Lakepaw: "No offense Lionpaw, but I always thought you were a total lunkhead. I never thought you'd like, cook?"

Lionpaw: "I mean not really, I'm an awful cook, I can just make simple stuff. Willowpelt's just nice enough to be patient with me, my mentor Ashfur says if I can learn something anyone can, haha."

Just a nice little moment for him.

Blackclaw is being mourned in the mortal plane, but secretly, getting a SCATHING trial up in StarClan. His death was heroic, but his ENTIRE LIFE was treacherous.

From teaching Hawkfrost to follow in his father's pawsteps, to joining him in WindClan's Civil War, and his constant arguing and undermining of Mistyfoot back when she was just a deputy trying to do the right thing.

He goes on trial for a bunch of things he did in TigerClan, too, facing his victims who took his misdeeds to their graves. He's not the only cat in RiverClan who is getting a review like this.

Leopardstar is already in the Dark Forest, and soon, Blackclaw's sent there too.

I decided to kill off Blackclaw here so he could have a VERY cool Land Mar;

(context: all Dark Forest demons now get a cool little evil playset area just for them, where they spawn into after they're thrown out of StarClan. These are called Land Mars)

It's still unnamed, but it's basically an even BIGGER Ripwater. It goes above and below the river and lakes of the Dark Forest, popping up in any body of water big enough to hold her.

[rainsnap]

Kit of Secrets - A Hollyleaf AU

Part 1

When Leafpool and Crowfeather’s secret was revealed to the clans. Both cats struggled to find their places in their clans once more. One day, Nightcloud approached Crowfeather with a proposition: she was pregnant by a loner, who, upon hearing of her pregnancy, fled. Afraid that her kits would be raised in hostility, she asks Crowfeather to pretend to be their father. As a means for both of them to be seen as loyal Windclan warriors. Crowfeather accepts, unaware that Leafpool is pregnant with his kits at the same moment.

Upon the winter time birth, the kits of Nightcloud are born weak and frail, each passing shortly after birth. Crowfeather and Nightcloud are both devastated, they watch their last kit (a small black she-cat) and wait for her to take her final breath. Then Crowfeather sees a vision of Feathertail, beckoning him to take the kit away and to follow her. He does exactly this. Feathertail leads him to the hollow tree where Leafpool is laid, birthing her own kits - their kits. As Crowfeather learns this discovery, the kit he is holding passes away and he demand to know why he had brought her here only to lose her too and be shown the kits he cannot have. It is then that Feathertail and Yellowfang point out the nearly identical black kit.

They tell Leafpool, Squirrelflight, and Crowfeather that the other two kits are gifted and will grow into greatness, but this third kit has no such powers and will grow to envy them and turn against them. So take her away to be raised in Windclan, a normal kit with a normal life. They all agree in the end and Squirrelflight requests that she is named Hollykit.

Crowfeather returns with Hollykit, alive and well, to Nightcloud. She is thrilled and grateful that Starclan saved her kit.

-

Hollypaw grows as a normal kit, doted on by both her parents. Unaware of the origins of her birth. When Crowfeather is invited to travel up the mountains, he wishes to bring Hollypaw with. It is here that Jaypaw, Lionpaw, and Hollypaw form a friendship and Hollypaw learns of their powers. All is well until the return from the mountain, when Hollypaw awakes in a field of flowers and meets a strange blue-eyed tom who tells her the truth: those two apprentices were her brothers and she should have been raised alongside them. Perhaps if she had, she would have had powers too.

Hollypaw grows resentful, beginning to train in the Dark Forest, but at the same time growing closer to her brothers. Often meeting in the tunnels beneath the moor. They train together in attempts to try to get Hollypaw’s powers to spark, but nothing happens and this pushes her only further into Hawkfrost’s manipulations. Perhaps being able to walk in the Dark Forest is her power? But her brothers would never listen to her, so she keeps it a secret.

After the three receive their warrior names. The fire scene occurs with Ashfur - Squirrelflight reveals the truth of Lionheart and Jayfather’s parents, Ashfur recalls the odd story surrounding Hollybreeze (a combo of Breezepelt and Hollyleaf as Breeezepelt does not exist in this AU)’s birth is now seeming a bit peculiar with this new information.

Lionheart and Jayfeather tell Hollybreeze of what had occurred with Ashfur and how he has threatened to tell all the clans at the next gathering. Hollybreeze begins to worry about the secret coming out, so she strikes out and murders Ashfur. Only for Hawkfrost to appear to her again and point out that her parents had lied to her this entire time, that the stars had turned against her, even Nightcloud was a liar - the kit she replaced wasn’t even of the clans to begin with, but the kit of a filthy loner. Hollybreeze is overcome with rage and anger, she appears before the gathering and declares the truth. Only moments later realizing the harm she had caused when she looks upon the faces of her parents - Crowfeather, Nightcloud, and Leafpool. When she looks at her brothers, as she sees is the hurt of her betrayal.

She flees into the tunnels and is never seen from again.

Part 2

Hollybreeze has lived in the tunnels for ages now with Fallen Leaves. She has grown accustomed to the darkness and still often visits the Dark Forest. Wandering it, believing that this is her power and that someday it will come in handy. Fallen Leaves tries to keep her away from the Dark Forest, fearing the shadowy cats, but she refuses to listen to him.

Then one day, Hawkfrost brings a new apprentice to the forest: Ivypaw. Hollybreeze is made Ivypaw’s secondary mentor (With Hawkfrost as the main influence). The two grow close, closer after Hollybreeze learns that Ivypaw’s sister is the third cat from the prophecy. This fuels their anger of being abandoned by the stars, so they train together and become like sisters. At one moment, they meet briefly in the waking world when Hollybreeze aid’s in helping Ivy out of the tunnels.

Then comes the day of the great battle and Ivypool has shown that she had turned away from the Dark Forest, becoming a spy for Hollybreeze’s brothers. Hollybreeze is hurt and refuses to turn against the Dark Forest, for they had been by her side when Starclan and the rest of the clans had failed her. Ivypool is disappointed and leaves, but Hollybreeze does not tell of the truth of the plan to the Dark Forest cats.

Instead the Battle begins and Hollybreeze finds herself unable to fight for either side, torn by who she should be loyal too. It is only when she sees Hawkfrost about to kill Ivypool that she chooses who she wants to fight for - she saves Ivypool and the two fight side by side, killing Hawkfrost. They fight together thought out the entire battle, only for Hollybreeze to vanish when the fighting is done.

Part 3

Hollybreeze has remained in the tunnels, living her life between the two clans she was born from. She sometimes visits Ivypool and the two remain close after all they’ve been through. Ivypool encourages Hollybreeze to return to Windclan or to join her in Thunderclan, but she just can’t face the clans after everything she had done and seen.

Then one day, when Ivypool goes to visit her, she notes that the tunnels smell strange. Stoats begin to swarm out of the tunnel mouth, causing Ivypool to flee. In fear she tells Dovewing of Hollybreeze. Leafpool, Jayfeather, Lionheart, all hear of this news and worry about the safety of Hollybreeze. They all go out to search for her, only to be spotted by a Windclan patrol who ask what’s up. When told, Crowfeather and Nightcloud both join the search party, Nightcloud grows the most desperate of the them all, daring to take the plunge and enter the tunnels.

The patrol follows her, but are split up in the fight and each must flee. Only Nightcloud doesn’t make it out. The group continues to try to search for any signs of the two black she-cats, but with no luck. Eventually, Ivypool discovers that Hollybreeze had fled to the abandoned two-leg place after the stoats had taken over. She tells Hollybreeze of the party of cats, of her family, who were all searching for her worried and how Nightcloud is now missing. Hollybreeze still sees Nightcloud as her mother and joins the patrol. The rest of the cats are hesitant to enter the tunnels again, but Hollybreeze refuses to leave Nightcloud down there.

So she takes the plunge and fights against the stoats, making her way down into her old home. Discovering where Nightcloud has been stashed away by the stoats. Still alive. Hollybreeze saves her and the two fight their way out of the tunnels, joined by the rest of the patrol and greeted at the end by Jayfeather and Leafpool who are eager to treat their wounds. The family is reunited. Hollybreeze returns to Windclan and makes amends with her family.

After this, Hollybreeze struggles to settle back in clan life, but this time her family is there to help her. Encouraging her on and making sure she knows she isn’t alone. She grows close to her parents again and settles into clan life once more, Heathertail and her (who were close as apprentices) are now low-key mates. Eventually this leads to Hollybreeze being declared the deputy by Harestar (who, like her, trained in the Dark Forest and knows just how strong Hollybreeze can be.)

Part 4

The time has come for the cats to face Ashfur in the Dark Forest. The chaos he had wrought upon the clans has gone on for long enough. Each clan choose a cat to enter the Dark Forest, and Hollybreeze is one of them. She tells Ivypool that she will do everything in her strength to protect her daughter, Bristlefrost. Ivypool doesn’t wish for Hollybreeze to leave, no one does, but she enters the Dark Forest and is a great aid, for she knows the forest well having trained in it since being an apprentice.

The fight with Ashfur begins, she sees Bristlefrost racing to save Shadowsight from Ashfur’s grasps. They begin to go over, into the dark waters and Hollybreeze cannot let this happen. She cannot allow Ivypool to lose her daughter, she promised to protect her! Hollybreeze snatches Bristlefrost away, throwing her back to land and taking her place. Fighting Ashfur again. She makes a comment about not having killed him good enough the first time, gotta try again. The two drown together in the darkness.

Hollybreeze dreams not of a world that doesn’t exist, but of the world she ended up gaining in the end. Of her mate, of her family, of her parents (Leafpool, Crowfeather, and Nightcloud are now in a poly relationship), of her aunt and her uncle, of her brother and of Ivypool who was like a daughter to her and of Bristlefrost, who can now live and be free to love. She dreams that she was part of a prophecy, one that no one was aware of, of a kit born into the darkness of secrecy in order to truly defeat it.