#but she’s just more associated with Riverclan at this point

[thunderc1an]

So warriors spin-off book series would follow this order: (brainstorming)

Book 1: Riverclan

Book 2: Windclan

Book 3: Thunderclan

Book 4: Shadowclan

Book 5: Skyclan

Book 6: the grand finale (maybe bloodclan)

[bonefall]

Did Curlpaw's mentor encourage her associations with strength? Was it a good mentor-apprentice bond?

I want to connect much of Curlfeather's dark sense of honor to the absolute carnage she's witnessed over the course of her life, beginning with the Battle of the True Eclipse. Since I'm making her slightly older to be an apprentice who took part in the battles firsthand, it follows that her first major loss should be during that fight.

The RiverClan Family Tree I made was actually the first big one I did, and one thing I kinda regret is that I removed Dapplenose. I'm gonna bring her back in my next draft, and have her be Curlfeather's first mentor.

Dapplenose was kind and sweet. Friendly towards outsiders and a natural storyteller, she would have started Curlpaw's apprenticeship gently. It was important to her that she not only taught her how to fight, but also to appreciate the history of RiverClan and its culture.

Curlpaw felt unprepared for the maelstrom of fury that the Dark Forest warriors brought to the Lake in the devastating second wave. It was CHAOS. Being able to make pottery didn't help her survive, only the battle training did. When the screeching stopped and the demons retreated to regroup, Dapplenose was just one of the corpses.

It's the practical knowledge that Dapplenose taught which Curlfeather retained; How to structure a speech, insight to the overall functions of Clan operations, and that gentleness will get you killed.

She wasn't nearly old enough to become a warrior by that point, so Mistystar had to assign her a second mentor. Curlpaw seems like the sort of person who would have told her grandmother directly that she wanted someone more strict. Mistystar would have obliged.

There's a couple of good candidates, but I'm leaning towards Duckfur. Xey're one of the most practical, intelligent warriors in the Clan, and someone who quickly swung over to Mistystar's side when Leopardstar ""was killed by rogues."" Duckfur's Machiavellian "might makes right" philosophy, combined with xeir regret about TigerClan feels like something that would have contributed to Curlfeather's ruthless honor.

Plus, I've been meaning to give xem some more relevancy, I just think xey're neat.

To answer you directly; Curlfeather considers her bond with both mentors to have been good ones. She would have stayed close to Duckfur until the day xey died. I might even bring Duckpaw BOTC back and have them be Curlfeather's first apprentice.

[troutfur]

I got the image in my head of Bluestar, as her mental state declines after Tigers betrayal, seeks comfort in a remnant of someone she knew.

With almost all the cats she loved gone from her life, and are in distant Starclanin. Blue is increasingly is drawn the thickets at the edge of the territory (Which have grown out quite a bit) because of the sense of lingering familiarity to them.

Not necessarily a pleasant or good familiarity, but the nostalgia and memories of happier times are there nonetheless.

Just taking a long walk and resting for a minute around the tendrils of the thistle for a moment

So, this mental image inspired a whole ficlet out of me, so, enjoy!

The half-moon hung on the starry night sky as Bluefur walked towards the RiverClan border. She'd just had an argument with Cinderpelt, having forbidden her from making the trip to the Moonstone. And after that and so many moons cooped up in her den she just needed some fresh air.

She felt a tug on her paws, leading her to the RiverClan border. Right at the point where the ThunderClan forest gave way to the sandy banks of the river there was a tangle of thistles, standing tall and proud. She sat about a fox-length away from it and simply dwelt in the silence.

The stubborn plant was the most peculiar thing. Any enemy warrior that tried to cross invariably left with nasty cuts in their pelt, but most ThunderClan warriors could pass through it unharmed. Bluefur was different, though; although never a major injury, the plant had a knack for getting tangled in her pelt or leaving little scratches on her if she tried to go through.

"I never thought I'd be seeking your company, you know?" she meowed eventually. "Seems you are doing well for yourself. I remember a season or two ago I had hope you were finally going to wither."

There was a pause.

Bluefur was unsure what she was expecting before continuing. Could he reply in his current state? Could he even hear her?

"I've been thinking about you a lot more lately," she continued. "I presume you are aware of what your apprentice tried to do."

Out of the corner of her eye, Bluefur noticed a very slight hint of movement in the thistles. Without taking a moment to consider that it could have been the wind or her imagination or something else of the sort, she took that as a response.

"I just..." Bluestar gave a long sigh. "I didn't think you taught him like that. You were many things. Aggressive, rash, sharp-tongued... But would have you killed me to become leader?"

There was another pause. The thistles seemed to remain still this time.

"Did I soften too much?" she meowed. "Was that my problem? Was that that made him think he had to do it?"

Bluefur looked at the ground between her front paws as she went over her memories of these last few years she'd spent as leader. After a few moments she stood up to walk closer to the thistles and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I'd just... taken your offer back when I could."

The thistes rustled vigorously in that instant, and Bluefur flinched. After a couple heartbeats she took a step closer to the thistles once again. "I wonder if you could have come to love them too," she said with a wistful sigh. "Much as raising Whitestorm alongside you made me want to pull my fur out, we didn't do a bad job at all as a team."

The thistles seemed to part slightly, giving her a look the the other bank of the river through its branches. Snowkit... Moonkit... Mosskit... In a sense all three of them had died that night, even if two grown warriors now wore the pelts of the former two.

That pregnancy had come at the most inconvenient time. They had only agreed to remain as empf that long for the Whitepaw's sake. The moment he had his warrior ceremony they had been planning to break up the nest.

But of course he knew immediately that he could have never sired her kits. As much as the idea of half-clanners being associated with him disgusted him, however, he was willing to not denounce them under one condition: step out of the running for deputy. Giving them up had been the only way to get out of check.

As she was lost in thought, the thistles reached out to caress her face. Bluefur immediately raised a paw to her cheek where she felt the thistle connect to her. She held it there for a moment then looked at it. There was no blood drawn.

Bluefur relaxed, letting out her first genuine laugh in many moons. "The things I put up with for Snowclaw..." she meowed. "You really were named well, you know? I still remember how itchy your fur felt back when we were all in the same pfurr. Not having to put up with it any longer is enough to make all those freezing nights in my nest worth it."

Bluefur stayed there for a few more moments, dwelling in the peaceful quiet of the night, before standing up and returning the way she came. The thistles rustled one more time as she left, and she turned to look over her shoulder. "Goodbye, Thistleclaw."

[warrior-cats-rewritten]

do the cats have any like. things with bugs? like symbolism or stories?

Ants - Ants, due to their strength in numbers, are seen as very good friends and an example as to why working in teams in a good thing. A single ant can hardly move anything, but an entire team of ants can move huge pieces of food! The Ant- prefix is supposed to inspire the thought of a cat who is a team player, someone who works well with others. The ancient cat Antcloud of Riverclan, Cloudberry's brother, was known as a friendly cat to all. Antpelt's mother named him Antkit in hopes he'd make lots of friends...

Ladybugs - These little critters are actually associated heavily with motherhood! It is said that if a pregnant Queen sees a ladybug with many spots, the queen will have many kittens! If the ladybug does not have many spots, they will not have many kittens. Superstitious cats believe in it, like Brightheart, where cats who don't, like Cloudtail, tend to just think they're pretty. Ladybug is a very, very rare prefix, seen in ancient times with an underaged Shadowclan apprentice, Ladybugpaw. He is demoted back to Ladybugkit, and his future name was Ladybugfur.

Praying Mantis - These tough bugs (seriously I'm pretty sure fear is a foreign concept to these things) are seen pretty differently by each Clan. To Shadowclan, they are a snack, albeit a more bizarre one, often paired with roasted poultry and spicy Juniper berries. To Riverclan, they're a sign that the meadow in their Lake territory is healthy! Before that, they were mysterious, seen more like spirits than anything, and a sign that Starclan was watching the land by bringing its grass blades to life. To Windclan, they are valued for their resilience, and their willingness to battle despite size... It's relatable to them! If Windclan had movies, they'd be the underdog hero.

Grasshoppers - Snacks! Food! Yummy! Favorite food of Featherpelt, who loves frying some up and dipping them in blood gravy. Oh yeah... We use cooking too, but MUCH more recent in Clan history! Riverclan turns up their noses though, they refuse to eat them, but Shadowclan cats will slather them in vinegar. Grasshopper in general are associated with an old story, one that only Skyclan knows now from their old days. Their very first leader learned how to jump from a large Grasshopper, but when it tried to take her place as leader of Skyclan, she jumped high and swatted it off the high branch, breaking it into lots of little Grasshopper babies. Grasshoppers now have no idea what happened, but catching them is still a point of pride!

Snails (I know they're not bugs but you try telling cats that) - Snails! Their shells are collectible, and sometimes a very hot commodity in Shadowclan and Skyclan! There are stories of giant snails that cats can ride the shells of, and paint with pigments, meaning little painted shells are worth even MORE. The name Snail is meant to inspire peace and thoughtfulness.

Clams/Muscles - Riverclan food! Lots of Riverclan Cats learn to dive down into the river and part of the ocean when they take trips down there, all with the hopes to grab some yummy creature (and hopefully find a pearl!). Cats guard the ones they catch, and they're heavily prized for the possibility that they may hold a pearl. There are Legends about hunting parties that managed to save Riverclan from starting to death by diving down into the depths of the river to grab lots of them. Part of Riverclan mythology is the legend of a gigantic clam that resides in the river that an ancient Leopardclan warrior stashed a giant rainbow coloured pearl inside of to guard...

Crabs (also yes I know) - Beach bugs! A very lovely treat that cats will go to Sundrown Place to get along with salt! Just make sure to bring a basket, so you don't get pinched! Berrynose finds this one out the hard way. They're a delightful food and they're shells and pincers are often kept and traded! Riverclan has now become the lovers of all seafood, and will trade you whatever you like in return for a big crab.

Flies - Flighty around others, but brave enough to withstand sickness, often mate with those huge roaring dragons in the sky! Helpful as well, they point out sick prey or rotting meat. Cherryfall named Flykit the way she did because she feels that they're incredibly important, and wanted her tiny daughter to feel special. Flystar of Skyclan was Honor Titled the name Fly- for their ability to pick our bad prey, saving the Clan from a major outbreak during a very dark time when every other Clan was experiencing a Plague.

Dragonflies - Seen as the gorgeous offspring between flies and Dragons (airplanes) due to their shape, they're associated with grace, beauty, still water, and growing plants. There are however, stories of Dragonflies managing to become massive beasts, joining their dragon parent in the sky... Dragonfly from the Kin gets a huge reputation boost for being cool because of it.

Beetles - Icewing's favorite creature, if you let her, she'll talk your ear off about how pretty they are, their lovely smooth shells, how much she loves the ones with horns... All that. They are seen as very beautiful by the Clans, and I'm pretty sure some apprentices keep beetles in little hideouts to watch them... Or make the horned ones fight because kids will be kids. Icewing and Mintwhisker were big fans of beetle fights, and named Beetlewhisker after the beetles they bonded over as apprentices.

Worms - Lot of different opinions! Though, Thunderclan has a very very sore spot concerning worms. You'll have to forgive them, they're not the type to let things go. Since the move to the lake, things have gotten better, but stories about The Great Hunger are still cause for many cats to very much dislike worms. They'll happily trade them off to Riverclan. Bait in exchange for duck feathers and the occasional egg.

Speaking of, Riverclan LOVE worms. Not to eat, no, but for bait! Not many fish can resist a wiggly worm!

To Windclan, they're kinda seen as annoying. I'm borrowing Tunnelbuns from Bonefall, and a worm getting into your tunnelbun is the WORST.

For Shadowclan, many apprentices try and catch them to put them in frog-filled areas to fatten up frogs for an easier future catch. Doesn't always work, but it keeps them entertained and it's fun to watch!

Crickets - The snack you dare your friends to try. Cool! Weird! A bug that SINGS! Myths linger about a cricket that managed to learn to speak, and gave a sign from Starclan to an old Lionclan cat to save his leader. Cricket songs are enjoyed heavily, and Crickets going quiet is cause for deep concern. It happens right before the Great Battle. The silence is still a... Tough to talk about moment.

Spiders - Skyclan and The Forest Four have very different views!

To the Forest Four, Spiders have a bit of a tough rep. They're eeire, but the cobwebs they make are so, so useful. Plenty of cats have a fear of spiders, such as Cloudtail, Owlwhisker, and Mossyfoot. They're seen as very pragmatic, and Spiderleg was named for his very spider-y body, but also his will to live, and his strength, especially when he was a tiny kitten, and needed his extra leg amputated due to the pain it was causing.

To Skyclan: A tragic symbol of the final leader of old Skyclan. Spiderstar made the final call, like a dying mother spider, to cast off remaining cats of Skyclan out into the Twolegplace. They are seen as beautiful, intelligent, and protective. Spiderstar is often called upon for a blessing when a cat goes on a quest, in hopes they will still come home afterwards. Pebbleshine frequently prays to her, as does Violetshine. They both love spiders as a result.

Ticks - Bad! Awful! Makes cats sick! Hurts and itches! These things caused a terrible Plague during the Homebrew story Wishstar's Abyss, and she used the cover of the sickness to poison the current leader. They need to be dealt with ASAP. Removed with prey bones or carved sticks, mouse bile is a Shadowclan exclusive seasoning once cooking is discovered.

Bees - Seen as less of a threat than their Wasp counterparts, but still creatures to be a bit weary about! They do not take kindly to stealing. The Legend of The Bee is very similar to the old myth in our world about them! A large bee presented Starclan with sweet honey, and Starclan was thankful. When Starclan asked the bee how she managed to make enough to share with everyone, the bee laughed and stated she would attack anyone who tried, that Starclan cats were lucky to have gotten a taste. Starclan cursed the bee, while she was given an incredible weapon to defend herself, it would kill her if used. Since you're able to harvest from bees without getting stung (so long as you remain calm) the Bee name is often associated with quieter, more strategic cats.

Bumblebees - These are seen as SIMILAR to bees, but not quite! They do still sting, but how could something so differently shaped and so very fuzzy be the actual same thing? They're also called Bumbles, making Bumble a suitable prefix (not that it wasn't already from Bumblestripe!) Shadowclan celebrates a Bumblebee Festival, where many Pollen rich flowers are gathered and placed in the middle of camp to attract bumbles near the end of Greenleaf!

Wasps/Hornets - These are actually seen as the same thing! Just different ranking. Since it's known that bees swarm, the Clan cats see these as higher ranked bees. Think apprentices vs warriors. Same THING, different rank. Waspwhisker's name is an indication of his strength in battle (and in being a good tracker, hence the suffix).

[scientist-of-love]

Look at my AITSF Warrior Cats AU!!! Note: Sizes aren't accurate because I drew them all on seperate canvases, I just compiled them to make sharing easier

(Left to right, top to bottom: WC: Pewter, Boss, Date, Mizuki, Aiba, Kagami RC: So, Saito, Renju, Iris, Hitomi, Ota, Mayumi, Ritsuko, Nasu, Amame SC: Moma, Rohan, Dokuta, Chinpei Loners: Falco, Mama)

Specifics under cut

The bodyswapping is still a thing, but I don't really know how it'd work (I haven't read the latest books with the impostor and so on). I think anything is possible in Warriors at this point though.

For plot reasons, cats are able to freely visit other clans' territories and associate with cats outside their clan.

Only based off the first game. While I am aware of the additions/retcons of AINI, I stuck to what was established in the first game for straightforwardness' sake.

-

Saito/Date's colourpoint design is inspired by the lovely @strawby-fields' cat designs! Particularly the fact that colour point cats can become darker.

Although Pewter's role is different here, he's still very clever and talented. Also, he knows what a car is.

Aiba is a normal cat. She was mentored by Pewter, and then was assigned to watch over Date when he arrived at Windclan's territory all confused. They ended up becoming best friends and go everywhere together.

Mizuki is Date's apprentice. She was born in RC, but after Renju and Shoko split up, Shoko left Riverclan and Renju asked Date to raise Mizuki. She doesn't see her parents much.

And yes, no one remembers Kagami's warrior name.

-

Saito was raised in Riverclan by So, but he's off... "Soul-searching."

Renju, Manaka, and Hitomi trained together as apprentices and remained close friends after becoming warriors. The Manaka situation is still a thing, but I don't know how exactly it'd work here.

Renju and Pewter are together, of course! When Pewter doesn't have to attend to his duties, he meets Renju at the borders and neutral grounds to spend time together. It's not forbidden nor a secret, but not a lot of other cats know about it.

-

Shadowclan has a shady reputation because of Rohan, but Moma is trying to clean things up now that he's leader. Oddly enough, quite a few RC cats have connections to SC, both past and present...

Rohan has been missing for quite some time. He's been assumed dead.

-

Mama isn't part of the clans, but everyone likes her so she's friendly with a lot of cats. (Knows a lot about clan affairs despite being an outsider, too.)

Mama lives in the barn and all cats are welcome to come hunt the prey that's around and relax.

Falco is a loner, but he spent a lot of time around the clan and had relationships in several. He attracted Rohan's attention when he went after some clan cats. Rohan kept him around as a sort of "honorary clanmate" to avoid suspicion from the other clans. He also started spending more time around Riverclan to be with Hitomi and Iris.

-

The characters I didn't include (Manaka, Takero, Takushi, Shoko, etc etc) still exist and do their thing, but I just didn't feel like drawing them for one reason or another.

[sunstartle]

“Villain Nightheart AU” this “Villain Sunbeam AU” that:

What about villain Frostpaw AU?

Inciting incident being some combination of the following:

1. Mothwing either dies or leaves or something else happens to her, meaning that Frostpaw has to continue being a medicine cat. I’m truly confused in canon as to whether she wants to be a medicine cat rn or not, but for a villain AU she wouldn’t want to be but is forced to.

2. Manipulation by Splashtail into helping him become leader or outright appointing him as leader. Honestly wouldn’t need much if any manipulation for Frostpaw to do this, but having continued vaguely evil or at least disruptive voices in her ear would help.

3. Anger/Revenge against ShadowClan for their hostile RiverClan takeover. I’m thinking something which initially starts as a “free RiverClan” movement but after they win that battle, it morphs into “RiverClan STRONG”.

Groups trying to take over everyone else is boring at this point, and it’d be hypocritical of RiverClan to be trying something like that after being so upset about ShadowClan doing that to them. I’m talking more like the leadership style (or implied leadership style, I guess, considering their lack of on-screen time) of older leaders like Hailstar or Heatherstar. A Clan which picks battles just because, isn’t abusive or cruel towards their own; but are vicious. I don’t think Onestar fits this bill because he was kind of “separatist” in a sense; I’m speaking of a highly patriotic and aggressive Clan which has no issue sticking their whiskers in other Clans’ business — they’re just not interested in outright conquering, you know? I’m thinking having Frostpaw as the right-hand-man to this, almost, would be neat. A little bit like Hawkheart or Goosefeather? She could even fake or intentionally misinterpret signs to encourage war.

4. Anger at… StarClan? I’m sure Frostpaw has SOME. This could also be inverted into essentially hero-worship of StarClan (or specific StarClan cats like Curlfeather) taken to the extreme.

I feel like Frostpaw as a villain would be really interesting, and especially if she takes protecting her Clan too far. Having Splashtail as Splashstar and Frostpaw as the most senior medicine cat would leave all of the pressure of taking care of RiverClan on the shoulders of two wildly inexperienced young cats.

But instead of associating incompetency with their youth, you could associate it with extremism, black-and-white thinking, and an us-versus-them mindset. This would especially hit harder if they go with Splash/Frost as they’ve been hinting at, because you could morph that even further into a vaguely codependent and toxic us-against-the-whole-world bond.

I don’t know. I kind of just want to see two young people put in charge of a Clan, and proceed to put that Clan ahead of everyone and everything that stands in their way. Frostpaw, someone forced to take care of RiverClan over and over again in her youth, saying, “Oh you want me to protect RiverClan? I’ll protect RiverClan, alright.”

Much more interesting to me than the millionth mass-murderer, that’s all I’m saying :P

[away-from-anthills]

chapter four-

(emetophobia/body horror mention warning for this chapter)

The next morning, Antstar had names on his mind.

Coalpaw, Spiderpaw, and Sparrowpaw were set to have their warrior ceremonies in about a little more than a quarter moon. Spiderpaw was to take her final assessment in a few days, and Sparrowpaw was in the process of hers; Coalpaw’s was to begin the day after (but Antstar was fairly confident he’d pass). This was Antstar’s first warrior ceremony as a leader- and not only that, but one of the apprentices involved was his own, and he didn’t want to let Spiderpaw down. He had quite a soft spot for the little gray tabby- part of him wondered if, granted he made it as a leader that long, she could someday be his deputy, just as Shalestar had chosen him.

Coalpaw, he had already figured out, would make for a great Coalclaw. He was as built like a brick as a WindClan cat could be, big and muscly; and the name clicked off the tongue with the refreshing feeling of a cold spring of water.

Sparrowpaw’s defining trait, in his mind, was how much she wanted to be like her mother, Shadeflower, to the point she was training to be a permaqueen just like her. Sparrowshade for her, maybe?... No, that was almost too obvious, and she didn’t have the sly stealth one would expect of a -shade. Sparrowshadow? No, that was too long, and the syllables blended together too much when one tried to say it.

A blue-gray figure passed him. Antstar turned to see Toadpool, making his way to the fresh-kill pile.

“Toadpool,” he said gingerly as he paced up to the tom, “did your grandfather ever tell you how he named cats? For their warrior ceremonies, I mean.”

Toadpool thought for a moment, clicking his tongue. “He did tell me a little bit about it. Not much, though. Why?”

“I’m stuck on figuring out names for- well, you know.” He pointed to where Sparrowpaw was chatting with her uncle Webwhisker, the little brown tabby molly seeking advice for the hunting portion of her test. Antstar could overhear him soothingly reassuring her.

“Oh, Sparrowpaw. Well… she’s like her mother the most, isn’t she?”

“She is, and I was thinking of incorporating that in the name. She’d be pleased with that. But Sparrowshade doesn’t feel quite right.”

“You could try Sparrowflower,” Toadpool suggested. Antstar mumbled the name to himself a few times, but while it was a pretty name, it didn’t fit Sparrowpaw just right. She wanted to be like her mother, yes, but she had the boisterousness of her siblings; she would need something with a touch of playfulness.

Sparrowstem? Sparrowleaf?

“…Sparrowpetal, maybe?” Toadpool suggested, still scrounging for ideas as he nosed through the fresh-kill pile.

That was it! Sparrowpetal- easy to say, playful, but still reminiscent of Shadeflower.

“… I think that’ll do, Toadpool. Thank you.”

Toadpool nodded cheerfully and Antstar turned away, pacing back to his den where he could survey WindClan’s camp from. Antstar found himself quite liking Toadpool. He wasn’t intelligent in a bookish way, or even in a social way, but there was a quiet brilliance about him that he had to have inherited from Shalestar. And, as anxiety had tickled Antstar’s feet throughout his leadership thus far, Toadpool was something of a constant- always confident in his grandfather’s final choice… or, perhaps, too naïve to ever think Shalestar could make mistakes.

Had it been a mistake?

There was a knot in the back of Antstar’s mind that was well on its way to thinking it had been.

Antstar looked across the clearing, hearing the whisper of his name on the wind. It was Sparkthistle- this time, conversing with Stoatslink and an old black molly.

The old black molly Antstar recognized as Crowflower, who had been leading nursery queen before Shadeflower had taken over the position a couple of seasons ago. She was retired, now, but even still she was one of the Clan’s most trusted cats, and it was she who set the tone of the elders’ den.

“I can’t be the only one who sees it… Shalestar must have been out of his mind. All Antstar does is slip up. I think- personally- we’d be better off without him…”

Antstar’s windpipe tangled itself into a knot. Crowflower’s expression was slightly doubtful; Stoatslink, however, nodded, his brows low and his eyes dark with agreement.

Antstar felt his feet take him away. He dashed through the tunnel that led out of WindClan camp, the thorny weeds scratching at him as he neglected to pay attention to where he was going. The sky above him was just slightly overcast, with only a sliver of sunlight slinking through. Antstar felt dizzyingly sick.

WindClan brought you in. And they could surely bring you out.

Suddenly, Antstar stopped himself. Only a fox-length away lay the gorge that separated WindClan’s territory from RiverClan’s. In the distance, he could see a small RiverClan patrol, led by a red tabby with tufted ears. For a moment, she stopped, and gave him a friendly nod of acknowledgement. Antstar nodded back, and watched the patrol slip away, back behind the ferns and stones that RiverClan called home.

The gorge had always calmed him. Even as a kit, he remembered running off to sit by it, taking in the smell and the thrashsound of freshwater that echoed from the gorge’s two walls. There was something so deeply alluring about standing on its rim- so long, of course, as Antstar didn’t think too long about what would happen if he slipped.

“…Sir?”

Antstar, at first a tad startled, turned to see the unwavering gaze of Whitetooth. The nearly-white cat stood behind him, their ears turned to show a slight worry behind two teal eyes that were rarely privy to show emotion.

“…Sir, you left camp rather abruptly. You looked very worried. While I respect your confidentialities, Antstar- pray tell, what bothers you?”

Antstar’s tongue clammed up against his lips, but the Burmese tom couldn’t handle the stress that gripped his heart like a hawk talon. “…I was overhearing Sparkthistle talk to some others. And- she told them that they’d be better off without me. And maybe this is a crazy thought but- what if they go through with that? What if they start rebellion? What if everyone hates me, and when my back is turned they’ll all gang up on me and-“

“Calm yourself, sir: You are not the first or the last to feel this way. I am sure Shalestar, and all the leaders before him, felt very similarly.”

“But I’m not a Clan cat! Shalestar was!”

Whitetooth thought for a few seconds, their pointed snout turned towards the ground below. “You may not be. But there are cats in other Clans who are well loved despite being not of their Clan. Two of us medicine cats, even, were not born in their home Clans. Pebblesky of RiverClan left her ThunderClan birthplace to be in RiverClan, and Rosettepelt was a kittypet who was taken in by the Clan. Both of them are very well respected, and both are gifted at their craft despite that. I have the same faith in you, my friend.”

There was something innately calming in Whitetooth’s voice. It was deep, and smooth, and it felt like it was cradling Antstar’s soul and holding it close until the panic that had seized him earlier ebbed away.

It could be done, couldn’t it.

Everything would be fine.

Suddenly, an unfamiliar yelp of pain echoed across the WindClan sky.

“What was that?” asked Antstar. His ears suddenly pricked as he tried to detect the direction the unfamiliar sound was coming from- was it a trick the gorge was playing on him?

There was another cry. Whitetooth cantered away, their body seemingly remaining perfectly still as their legs cycled beneath them. Antstar followed his medicine cat across the territory, the grasses poking and prying at his sides, until the two were side by side on Outlook Rock. Suddenly, Antstar saw what Whitetooth detected: Six cats- cats Antstar had never seen before- near a bush of red berries. One was collapsed, quivering; the others nervously circled around their fallen associate with a mixture of confusion and terror.

Before Antstar could ask what was happening, Whitetooth sprang from the rock. Determination flashed in their teal eyes as they approached the group.

“What’s going on here?” they asked.

A small, old ginger molly opened her throat to speak, but before she could she was cut off by a much younger tawny-and-white tom. “Juniper had one of these little red berries, and- and he’s hurt! We don’t know why!”

Whitetooth nodded sagely. “I think I can help.” They picked up the unresponsive brown tabby- a small creature, about ShadowClan-size- and laid him belly-up before kneading their paws into the space just below the tom’s chest. One, two, three, four pushes and a chewed-up berry- along with a small, dark seed- went flying out of Juniper’s mouth.

Juniper’s eyes awoke with a start, revealing themselves to be a shade of deep green. He got up, swaying back and forth, and, after schlepping himself over to the corner of the pathway, vomited out whatever else had been in his belly.

“These are deathberries,” said Whitethroat, pointing with their brown tailtip to the bush that sat besides them. “The berry part is harmless, and can even have some medicinal qualities. However, each berry has a seed in the center that can easily claim a cat’s life are they not careful. Your friend here was lucky.”

“Juniper looks too sick to be lucky,” said a large dilute calico molly. She had a point- Juniper looked nauseous and barely cognizant of Whitetooth’s lesson. However, Whitetooth didn’t seem to grasp the point she was making.

“In addition- I’m sorry to say this, but you are trespassing on WindClan territory. We are kind to loners, and we will let you stay, but you cannot stay for too long.”

“The Clans!” said the young patched tawny tom. He was rather tall and very lean, and his paws looked as if he had never quite managed to grow into them. “I thought those were legends! There’s five of you, right? And you’re all noble, and honorable, and-“

“Enough, Baxter,” said a stern-looking old tuxedo molly, her face checkered with scars.

“Who is the leader of this group, anyway?” asked Antstar, trying his best not to be a sudden interruption. The little ginger molly that Baxter had previously interrupted stepped forward. She was very old, her red pelt practically hanging off of her bony frame like a discarded bullfighter’s cape. “I am. My name is Audrey, and these are my friends. I’ve been close to Shrike here-“ -she motioned to the old tuxedo molly- “for a very long time, and since then we have taken in these four cats. Lily was a barn cat who was forced to leave when a new family of Upwalkers took over the farm. Baxter and Stella wandered too far from their respective housefolk and never found their ways back. And Juniper was a rogue living on his own who decided to join us. We haven’t been very lucky in recent moons, however. There was a seventh of us, Bruno, but while we were traveling, he caught a sickness that he never recovered from.”

“I miss him,” reflected Baxter somberly.

Suddenly, a thought- perhaps an insane thought, perhaps a thought too idealistic to be reached without hurting oneself in the process- danced across Antstar’s mind. Of course- maybe some cats of WindClan could never be convinced Antstar could rule well. But what if- just what if- what if he could bring in cats who’d certainly have to think the world of him? “You could all come join us in WindClan!” Baxter looked immediately sold on the idea. Stella, the black cat beside him, also seemed to be immediately warming up to it. The others, however, were apprehensive.

“In WindClan,” started Antstar, putting on his best salesman voice, “everyone cares about each other. We have medicine cats, like Whitetooth here, who can heal the sick. We care for kits and the elderly, and everyone helps each other. There’s work to be done, of course- hunting, fighting; keeping the borders protected and the camp tidy. But when we’re all together, when we’re all asleep under the great big night sky- it’s all worth it.” Antstar almost believed himself for a moment.

“… But I’ve heard the Clans don’t like outsiders,” said Shrike, the gears in her head beginning to turn ever so slightly.

“Well- I was an outsider once. I was taken in by WindClan, too. And I’m their leader, now. Not all cats like outsiders- but they’ll warm up to the lot of you quickly. We’re a rather small Clan, so they will appreciate the extra help.”

“I’m afraid that Shrike and I are too old to do all that hunting and fighting,” said Audrey gently. Shrike seemed to disagree with her, but she didn’t say a word about it.

“The elders of WindClan are well cared for. All of you will be well cared for here, so long as you are loyal to our Clan and do your best.”

Slowly, reluctance bubbled into curiosity, and the little group of loners began to go along with the idea. Baxter and Stella seemed already sold; Juniper, Audrey, and Lily needed a bit of time to make up their minds, and Shrike was the hardest sell- even as they trekked through the tunnel into camp, Antstar got the feeling that she wasn’t entirely sure of WindClan’s merits.

Antstar noted that, just before they made the left turn home, Whitetooth seemed still drawn to the deathberry bush. It was like it had set off an electrical impulse in their mind, and Antstar couldn’t understand what about the deathberries was occupying the medicine cat’s mind.

It wasn’t long before WindClan cats began to approach the strange little group. Stripedwing, Webwhisker, and Molethroat greeted them amicably; Sparkthistle and Stoatslink, however, seemed apprehensive. Crowflower was already entrenched in conversation with Audrey as Antstar made his way up the Tallrock to start a meeting that would inaugurate them- but, just before he did so, a dark red tabby slunk up his side.

“Hello, Russetfoot,” said Antstar. He had not seen his deputy since the early morning, as Russetfoot had been out hunting with the apprentices for much of the day.

“Hi. I was going to ask- what, exactly, are those loners doing here?”

“They seem like a nice bunch of cats. I was going to make them apprentices- we are a small Clan, after all, and they seemed willing to join.”

Russetfoot’s green eyes flickered with a trace of apprehension. “…That’s nice, and we could use the extra help. But… this, so quickly? I support your decision- but could you maybe pipe down a bit before you make a choice like this again?”

Antstar knew that Russetfoot was simply offering critique. That was his job, as a deputy. Yet every time even the slightest trace of rejection crossed Antstar’s path, he felt like his stomach had been torn open and thrown into saltwater.

“… I’ll make sure to.” Away Russetfoot went to corral the crowd, and Antstar started the spiel.

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Tallrock for a meeting.”

There was the shuffling of pawsteps and the silence of dying conversation, before the air cleared enough that Antstar could speak.

“Earlier today, while I was on a walk with my medicine cat Whitetooth, we ran into these six loners. Whitetooth was able to save one of them from an ailment, and from there they began to consider joining WindClan. They are capable of being fine members of this Clan, and so I have decided to allow them to join us. It will be up to them to prove themselves, but as they will become members of our community-“ -he glared at Sparkthistle, who glared right back- “I expect all of you to be kind and gentle. Remember that your leader was a loner once.”

Sparkthistle snickered something under her breath. Antstar, frankly, did not have the patience to listen to it.

“Baxter, Stella, Lily, Juniper. As members of WindClan, you are expected to take up names that pertain to this Clan’s tradition. Do you understand?”

The four cats nodded their heads. Baxter and Stella looked a tad reluctant to give up the names their housefolk had dubbed them.

“Alright. You are now Birchpaw, Nightpaw, Lilypaw, and Juniperpaw, respectively. While you are all old enough to be warriors, I have enlisted you as apprentices so you can spend the next half-moon or so learning about and adjusting to Clan life. Your mentors will be Sandwhisker, Emberheart, Stripedwing, and Rockscratch. Remember, you will not be apprentices for very long- but you still must make every moment count.”

There was some cheering from the crowd from some of the friendlier cats of WindClan, but there was also enough doubt that the air felt slightly palpable with it.

“And for Audrey and Shrike. These two cats, while dedicated and worthy, have admitted they are too old to be warriors. They will become elders and pass on their knowledge and skill to the Clan. As they are old, I am allowing them to keep their old names.”

Another cheer- another slice of doubt.

“Meeting dismissed. If any of the mentors or apprentices introduced today have questions, feel free to see me.”

That’ll solve the issue, Antstar thought. These cats are going to think the world of me, just as how I saw the world of Shalestar. The cats who doubt me will simply be outnumbered- and now, of course, I will be accepted.

As Antstar went off to the leaders’ den to enjoy a dormouse he had picked up from the fresh-kill pile, he felt Whitetooth following him once again. He looked up to see the cat- who seemed, as they almost always did, to have some indescribable answer.

“Meet me near the gorge tonight, when the moon is at its peak.”

Just as Antstar was about to ask why, the white cat with the brown tail slipped away into the medicine den and was gone.

That night, the thin veil of clouds that coated the sky dissipated, illuminating the WindClan camp with hair-tingling moonlight. WindClan cats slept in the open space of the sandy hollow, close together as if the night might try to pull any one of them away.

Antstar got up out of the leader’s den. Having to adjust to sleeping in a den, rather than in the open air with his Clanmates, was something that Antstar had found very difficult, although the leader’s den was shallow and amounted to little more than a slight cavity in the hollow’s wall The ceiling above him might keep him safe- but it hovered over him, leering, blocking the stars from his sight.

Antstar looked up. The moon had begun to grow thin ever so slightly, and it was at its highest point in its arc, positioned just above the silhouettes of the ShadowClan territory that lay beyond the Thunderpath.

It was time for whatever Whitetooth had wanted to tell him.

Antstar slipped out of camp and away, careful to not awaken any of his sleeping Clanmates. The night beckoned him. There was the distant hum of moths and the glow of fireflies across the moor. Night always comforted Antstar, especially as the days always felt too bright and too busy.

Whitetooth sat by the gorge, acknowledging Antstar with a nod. For a moment, they sat in the silence, with the only sounds coming from the rivers that coursed below. The moonlight reflected off of the water, giving Antstar and Whitetooth’s underbellies an eerie glow.

“Antstar. I know something has been bothering you. There’s a pebble stuck in the back of your head, and you’re not acting much like yourself.”

“… I just… worry. Does the Clan like me? What if they don’t? What if they kill me?”

“You have nothing to fear. If worst comes to worst… I have a solution.”

“… A solution?”

“Yes.” Whitetooth took a second, thinking of the words that were about to bounce off their own tongue. “Did you see the deathberry bushes from when we found those loner cats?”

“…Of course. Why?”

There was a glint in Whitetooth’s eye. It was not a glint of glee, or even of preparation. It was simple, honest, the glint of an apprentice following their mentor’s instruction or of a deputy awaiting their first task. And even yet, Antstar suddenly felt like he didn’t like where his medicine cat’s thoughts were headed.

“Sparkthistle is never going to accept you. She’ll die the way she is, stubborn, spiteful, shrill. But as long as she is around she presents a natural weakness to your leadership, correct?”

Antstar could only nod in agreement.

“Now, deathberry seeds serve another very important purpose. Remember a few moons ago, when that ShadowClan elder Mothfall passed away?” Antstar nodded again, keeping his head close to Whitetooth’s so he could hear Whitetooth’s voice as it became quieter and quieter. “It wasn’t old age or sickness that killed him. Mothfall had a massive lump that developed on his jaw, so large it nearly engulfed the size of his own head. It was horrific, and every moment it was there, he was in horrendous pain. Eventually, he could no longer sleep or eat because of it- he would just sit in the corner of the medicine den, withering, weeping with agony.”

Antstar’s ears flattened with horror at the image of the old ShadowClan tom that his mind was lending him. He had heard of such uncurable lumps, and had even seen a few Clanmates die from them- but nothing like what Whitetooth had just described.

“Now, it would be inhumane to let Mothfall continue surviving when he was barely living. If anything, he was dying a slow death already. But in ShadowClan-“ -they paused, thinking, letting Antstar process the direction they were about to carve with their tongue- “-in ShadowClan, the medicine cats use deathberries for that exact reason. Addertooth fed him a few. There was a moment of nausea and suffering, and then he was gone, and they buried him soon after. The next time we all visited the Moonstone together after that, Addertooth and Rosettepelt looked so relieved. They must have seen him in StarClan then; healthy, thriving, having left the agony of his mortal existence.”

Antstar nodded. But something in his belly felt deeply uneasy. “…But what does that have to do with Sparkthistle?”

“Well, Mothfall was never going to get better. Everyone knew that from the second the lump was first felt.” Whitetooth’s teal eyes narrowed ever so slightly, and their brown ears drew back. “And Sparkthistle is never going to get better, either.”

Antstar stepped back away from the gorge, the horror of what Whitetooth was about to suggest truly hitting him.

“It would be quick- and again, I would only ever do it if you asked me to. Sparkthistle herself would be in no pain- just the moment of nausea, and then she'd land among the stars.” They looked down below the earth, and then raised their chin up as if they were telling a dark joke. “Or in hell, maybe, if StarClan gets sick of her.”

“What- no!” Antstar had to fight to keep his vocal volume at a whisper. “What kind of leader do you take me for? I’m not killing my own Clanmate!”

Whitetooth backed away, and then craned their neck and cocked their head a little to the left. “Fine, then. I will only ever do what you ask me to. But think of this, Antstar, think of what you already know to be true. Sparkthistle is hurting your Clan. And- as a leader- it is your job to protect them…”

Antstar shook his head and walked away, leaving Whitetooth by the gorge. This had to be a bad dream. A rotten dream. He blinked to himself over and over, trying to wake himself up; the realization dawned on him that he was already awake in his reality. But Whitetooth had said they wouldn’t do anything of the sort were Antstar not okay with it, and they were so important to Antstar now that he couldn’t imagine ever mentioning what had just occurred and the things that had just been said to anyone else.

He went back into his den and began to ease into sleep as he heard Whitetooth arrive and slink into the medicine den. But after a moment of thought, he placed his head just out of the den, so the stars could still watch over him, and soon the thoughts of Sparkthistle and deathberries left him entirely as he fell into sleep’s awaiting arms.

[mallowstep]

Warriors AU idea: Bramblepaw leahes ThunderClan to join his father while Tawnypaw stays behind

tawnypaw my beloved <333

okay i'm ngl anon i'm going to use this as an excuse to talk about my other tawnypaw au which is compatible with this one but! i call it the: fireheart mentors tawnypaw.

(i actually have several aus in different permutations of fireheart, tawnypaw, sandstorm, and bramblepaw btw.

also, like, bramble is a nice soft prefix. it's good. why must it forever be associated with bramblestar.)

right but! the fireheart mentors tawnypaw au. i love it.

so, two things of note:

one, tawnypaw leaving thunderclan says a lot about her character, bramblepaw's character, and thunderclan's culture.

why is it that tawnypaw, not bramblepaw, feels so much pressure? in part, she's sensitive to this (not in a bad way, she just clearly feels it more strongly than bramble), but also...bramble's pov, goldenflower's comments, even fireheart's pov gives me the impression that a lot of what bramble feels is the impression of prejudice.

to be clear, i'm not saying that he doesn't experience prejudice, so much as...he internalizes it a lot. and that brings me to my next point

two, fireheart is bramblepaw's main "enemy" in terms of his struggles over his father.

fireheart is the one who sees bramblepaw and thinks tigerclaw. we can't know for sure that anyone else does, but we know fireheart does, and fireheart is bramblepaw's mentor. a lot of what he does as his mentor is get over his own internal battle.

so! by making fireheart tawnypaw's mentor, we do two things.

one, we make fireheart an actual enemy, at least, from bramblepaw's perspective. they're no longer bonding, they're...uneasy. imagine what bramblepaw must be thinking. "does he regret saving me? did he think i was my sister?" i don't know.

that's important, because it's what will drive bramblepaw away, but like, while i adore tpb bramblepaw (he's so soft), i just...can't go back. he hurts squilf too much. i can't go back. especially knowing he'll choose to join his evil father in this au.

two, tawnypaw now has a better support system. for all his flaws, fireheart is good at making cats feel at home. and he's going to do that for tawnypaw: he regrets failing her when she originally leaves.

i don't think tawnypaw needed very much to stay, because she had to overcome a lot when she left. she knew pretty much everything, and she still chose to leave, because what was the alternative? thunderclan.

but now, fireheart is her mentor. fireheart, who has been an outcast.

and now, i get to what i actually want to explore in this au: gender politics of the society in warriors.

why does tawnypaw experience more prejudice? because she is a she-cat, she "inherits" the family. cats don't have inheritence, but like. you know.

goldenflower chooses to name tigerclaw as their father, ergo, he is, and that means his actions reflect on his kits. but more specifically, they reflect on tawnypaw.

this isn't as strong as it would be if the starting clans were swapped (legacy is crucial to shadowclan), but it's still obviously an idea in thunderclan. all of the clans (except maybe riverclan) understand the concept of legacy, and all of them place a lot of importance on it.

so anyway, now fireheart is caught up in this. goldenflower is kind of like, "yes? that's how it works? mothers are families, fireheart. tawnypaw is the family, and her father is known."

anyway, i don't know where i go after that. bramble becomes...i'm not sure. i kind of don't want to make him a villain in this? i don't like what it says about his character. and i like bramblepaw. he's the only good bramble.

but uh! yeah. we build from there.

[the-writing-blog69]

Warrior cats ocs

Warrior stuff

Wcsona

Name: Maplemoon

Clan: Thunderclan

Warrior

Age: 21 moons

Appearance: a Norwegian forest cat calico mix, with lots of fluffy fur. she has black, gray, and orange spots all over her back and tail, and the top of her head, sometimes overlapping eachother. She has a spot just above her eyes, and right in the middle of her face. The spot is black, and shaped like a crescent moon pointing downwards. Her left ear is black, and the right ear is orange, both are slightly torn. her underbelly, face, and legs are a creamy white. The fur along her neck is slightly longer than the rest of her fur. She has a three horizontal scars on the top of her right hind leg, and tip of her left ear torn off. her impressive muscles are hidden in the fluff. Her eyes are a deep green.

Personality: she's sweet and caring, and a pretty good warrior, but also thinks she's the absolute worst at everything she does. One negative comment can send her into 1. A rage or 2. Self loathing for the rest of the day, sometimes both. She likes to keep busy, and due to this, she has multiple hobbies to keep her mind working for when she isn't working. She loves feathers, and has a little collection in her nest. She likes telling stories, and will often visit the nursery to tell these little tales to the kits, and will sometimes tell the scarier ones to the appentices after a long day. She paces along the camp when there is nothing else to do.

Backstory: she was found abandoned as a kit by thunderclan, who took her in, and she got her scars from a fight with a fox that was getting a little too close to camp, which she won, though she didn't kill the fox, just made it run away.

Oc

Name: Berrydew

Clan: Riverclan

Riverclan medicine cat

Age: 36 moons.

Appearance: she is a creamy white Scottish fold, who has a cropped tail due to an accident, she has a one soft violet eye, and the other is a sparkling blue, and is slightly chubby. She was the runt in the litter, and due to this, is very small and short.

Personality: a kind, shy, medicine cat, who stumbles over her words a lot. She takes her job in the clan very seriously. She's full of love, and cares for every cat that might stumble into her medicine den, but if you get injured for a stupid reason, she will joke and bring up the fact that it was stupid.

Backstory: she was a kittypet for a while, before she left her home for a new life.

Oc number 2

Name: Briarpelt

Clan: windclan

Warrior

Apprentice: Lilypaw

Age: 23 moons

Appearance: she's a bobcat. She's a big, tall cat, with sharp ears, a short, stubby tail. Her fur is rough and sharp, prickly and rough, hence her name. Her eyes are a bright yellow. She has a three thin scars going horizontally across her back.

Personality: she's tough and loud, and always has at least a little sarcasm in her, though she does mean well. She has a much softer side as well, but likes to keep it hidden from others she deems are not worthy to see this side.

Backstory: was found abandoned as a kit, and was taken in by riverclan, given a new mother, and where she was raised to be a warrior.

Oc number 3

Name: Echofur

Clan: Shadowclan

Warrior

Age: 61 moons.

Appearance: he is a Maine coon with light brown fur and a black strip around his neck. He is thick with muscle, and thus is a big, strong, cat. His dark brown eyes keep a steady, calm gaze. His fur is soft, smooth, and shiny. He has a large scar across his left eye, blinding him in his left eye.

Personality: a very quiet, calm cat, though this does not stop him from being intimidating. He doesn't speak unless he feels he absolutely must. (I.e. when Sol said that Starclan was powerless, which he heavily disagreed with) though he is getting up there in years, he does not plan to retire to the else's den anytime soon. He is hard to move, both in the physical sense and the metaphorically sense, once he sets his mind it takes a great deal of force to change his mind.

Backstory: was born into Shadowclan.

Oc number 4

Name: Lilypaw (becomes Lilybloom when she becomes a warrior)

Clan: windclan

Apprentice to Briarpelt

Age: 9 moons

Appearance: a white cat with a brown tabby back and legs. Her eyes are a sharp green, her right leg is scarred up pretty bad, but she can still use her leg. Her short hair fur is soft and smooth.

Personality: she's bright eyed and naive, yet full of determation and the desire to succeed. She's full of love and compassion. She loves going on adventures and moving around, and can't sit still for more than five seconds. She absolutely adores her mentor, and anyone Briarpelt associates with. She wants to impress Briarpelt in anyway she can. She is allowed to see Briarpelt's soft side, and sees her as the one who took care of her all of her life.

Backstory: found by Briarpelt at a young age with no name, she was badly hurt and took 2 entire months to recover from her horribly injured leg, leaving her with the scars. At her sixth moon, she desired to become an apprentice, having been told how clan life works by Briarpelt, and she was given a mentor and a name. Briarpelt is basically her mom at this point, though nobody is complaining.

[lostwarriorcatsfacts]

Name Rate Request (Please and Thank you)

I have four kits I would like to be rated (Preferably mod V, I think they’re more lyrical than traditional.) for a Warriors Au I’m writing called Harestar’s Reign. They’re the kits of Fernfoot (a grown-up Fernpaw) and a kittypet. Their names are Grassclaw (tom), Beeflight (molly), Thornnose (tom), and Blazetail (molly.)

Grassclaw is a creamy-brown tabby (probably a cinnamon or fawn to pick an actual cat color.) and has fur that sticks up, and is definitely the leader among his littermates. He has a bigger, buffer body than most Windclan cats, and cats of his clan don’t know if it’s because of his fat kittypet blood or harder training. He’s a feisty lil bugger too, always ready and willing to get involved in any battle and is ready to jump into the latest border skirmish. He’s not the best fighter (or hunter for that matter; mostly because he’s heavy and stocky, not the best for quick movements.) and can get a little over-excited at times. He tries as hard as he can though, but doesn’t strife to be the best in his clan, or anyother big goal like that, he’s content with just being good ol’ kinda-okay-at-everything Grassclaw. His humbleness for his life had gained him a bit of respect in the clans, but for the most part, that part of him is overshadowed by his half-kittypet bloodline (“Starclan, even Thunderclan is insulting us!”) and he will defend his littermates and mother if it costs him his life, as he values loyalty to your blood rather than making friends with other clans.

Beeflight is nearly the splitting image of Grassclaw, but has a flash of white on her muzzle and chest, and her stripes seem to be thinner and slightly darker. She was always co-leader of her and Grass’ kit adventures, and still relishes having the clan leader as her stepfather. In contrast to the humbleness Grass earned growing up, she lost her humbleness. At any given chance at Gatherings, if the topic somehow shifts to parentage (or even if it doesn’t) she’ll end up pointing up at Harestar and saying “Yeah, y'know Windclan’s leader? That’s my stepfather.” She’s a very optimistic cat despite this, always thinking being sorta-related to a clan leader should get her special rights in a clan (first pick of food, best nest, choosing which patrols to go on, etc.) and is usually put into place by the other members of her clan, to which her siblings (and close friends) end up teasing her. This starts an endless cycle of arguing that will only end when the other party walks away. Even if she does seem to be put down, she always soars back up into her place of expected privilege and victory. She’s strangely good at fighting, and seems to love the excitement of battle. She has a thin but muscular enough frame to be a silent enemy, but still strong enough to pin you down. She also loves racing her clanmates, and loves flaunting her skills by telling her clanmates that Starclan granted her with such skills because of her relation to the clan leader.

Thornnose is a gray tabby tom that nearly looks black because his stripes are so thick, he also has a tuft on his muzzle (and all over his body, for that matter, he just has random patches of tufted-up thicker fur) that earned him his prefix. Despite his denying of it, he grew up close in personality to his brother. A better hunter and tracer than his siblings, and possibly the best in his clan, Thorn finds himself being sent on hunting and tracking patrols. Sometimes even battle patrols, if not to fight (his thin frame doesn’t allow him to do much more than run for help anyway), then to see where enemies are hiding. He doesn’t enjoy battle at all, and the times he finds himself caught in fights he will be frozen and waiting to wail like a kit for it’s mother, before realizing the only way to get out is fight, and letting his instincts take over. He’s such a small, thin cat that enemies usually pick him out to fight first (to weed out the weak ones). Needless to say, they don’t expect such a small cat to have such a powerful kick. (Who needed those ribs anyway?) He thinks of himself as a petty cat, and a bit of a crybaby, whether or not this is true depends on how you know him. He likes making friends in other clans, mainly under the thought that if he gets caught in a battle with him they would remember their friendship and move on. He’s also quite a wanted cat for the ladies out of his clan (and some toms, but they’ll never admit it), and Thorn is sometimes joked with catcalls by apprentices or his clanmates, which freaks him out immensely (“Oh my Starclan! Fernfoot, why do all these cats love /me/ of all toms so much?!) which usually earns him an apology and some good bonding time with the jokers. Little do all his suitresses know he’s gay ;). For some odd reason, he also has an attraction/obsession to ducks and other small/water birds, which sometimes lands him on Riverclan territory. He slips onto their territory so much in his waterfoul chasing adventures that Riverclan likes calling him an honorary member.

Finally, Blazetail is the splitting image of her father, Silk. She’s a silvery-gray tabby with strangely soft fur, a plumy tail, big, fuzzy ears, with white toes on her forepaws, and white that goes to her heel on her hindlegs, along with tail tip, muzzle and chest flash (much like Bee’s white markings.) She was always cautious as a kit, scared of any feather a bird might drop, of any dead piece of grass cracking under her paws and any snowflakes to catch on her pelt (she was born in leaf-bare, so that fear was really unfortunate.) Everycat expected that she wouldn’t make it into warriorhood, that eventually she would have so many fears stacked up she’s commit suicide to escape it. Because of this, any and all cats kept close eyes on her, checking to make sure nothing bad happened to her, and reporting any strange behavior to her mother. Instead of the stares making her more scared though, she found they comforted her, as she took it that everyone was watching out and telling her everything was okay. She eventually got over her more “stupid” fears (cracking sticks/grass, bugs, snowflakes, birds blocking the sun, clouds randomly darkening everything, etc.) and everyone celebrated as she earned her warrior name. Blaze is one of the best hunters in her clan, being to scared of battles to do anything but run from them and go into panics whenever a particularly brutal one was mentioned. Once her mother was killed (and her stepfather lost a life), she seemed to get over this fear, if not by thinking that’s what her mother would have wanted, than wanting to avenge her mother’s honor. If she does find herself in battles (with Thunderclan mainly, as Fernfoot was killed on their land by foxes; Blaze had been told a Thunderclan patrol showed up and helped scare off the foxes, before fighting the Windclan patrol itself, a TC cat accidentally landing the killing blow on her) she lets her fear and vengeance guide her paws. If she ever feels guilty about it, Thorn’ll take her on a tour of Riverclan/birdhunting. Eventually she falls in love with a Shadowclan tom.

If you take the time to read through this, thank you in advance.    Hello! So sorry for the wait but since this was a pretty long submission we wanted to make sure we had the time to look over it the best we could! I’d be happy to give you my thoughts on these characters now, I rate on the Lyrical System. First of all though we’d both like to say we’d love if you could send us Harestar’s Reign once you’re done we’d love to read it!  Grass- typically doesn’t work well as a  prefix since grass is green. A possible way around this if you’d want is suggesting dead grass but the problem here would be that it’s rather morbid in thought as to naming a kit for something which is technically dead. It would really depend on how you view WindClan to see if you feel you can justify naming a cat for something which is typically green, alternatively of course you could name him for something else. I also can’t say I suggest -claw for him as it works best for cats who are above average in fighting which you mention he is not. Allot of what you mention about him makes me feel he might do well with the -stripe suffix as you don’t mention anything that he particularly excels at. He might also work with -heart because of how his loyalties work for him as well. I definitely think that Bee- works for her appearance wise and she definitely sounds like an interesting character and would be interesting to watch her grow. For her suffix, -flight might work just fine for her since you mention she is optimistic and fast on her feet, both of which are traits associated with the -flight suffix.  The suffix -feather also has these same meanings attached to it. It’s possible she could have -strike as it’s associated with cats who are good fighters, especially those regarding sneak attacks which she would likely excel in due to her size though this would depend on where exactly her fighting ranges in comparison to her clanmates.  I don’t recommend Thorn- as his prefix as even if a kit looked a certain way when they were born, there would be no way to tell how their fur would look once they were a bit older. If you’d like the same plant feel as Thorn- though, Ivy-, Willow-, or Wisteria- might not be bad alternatives since they work for grey tabbies (albeit a lighter grey than you described). -Nose definitely suits him as a suffix though since it’s associated with cats who are excellent trackers. But as this anon link pointed out a while back, -snout could work as well as it can be used for cats who are good trackers but also seen as being attractive in their clan. Unrelated to his name, but I really like him as a character and he must be my favorite of the four. Blaze- works best for ginger cats so I don’t recommend this name for her. Since you describe her as looking so similar to her father though, Rabbit- could be a nice alternative I believe. I don’t think -tail really suits her either as it is a suffix better used with agile cats. For her, -whisker could be a bit better as it is used for cats who are excellent hunters.  I hope this could help you out and I really do like these characters that you have here, they all seem like they would have a great dynamic, I wish you luck with your au! -Mod V. Violetbreeze

[bonefall]

Bonefall RiverClan Family Tree: Draft 1.2

Subtitle: The whole hog. It's EVERYTHING folks. I did it all the way back up to Darkstar's Commandment. Nearly 8 generations of cats. This has taken several days and meticulous work and I DID IT.

[Update 1.2: Swapped the birthing parent between Sedgecreek and Greenflower to Sedgecreek with the honor sire being Duckfur, made a note of Harelight being an honor title.]

Caveats as usual:

Check out my Info for Family Tree Reworks, including my 3 Strict Rules and general guidelines.

This tree is still subject to change, especially for modern RiverClan.

I made some doodles this time lmao I hope you enjoy them

If you want to check out my diagnosis and see the canon family tree, it's over here!

Under the cut: Renamings, removals, and changelog

RENAMINGS: Format: Old Name (Origin) -> New Name (Reason)

Molewhisker (CotC) -> Moletooth (conflict)

Snaketooth (CotC) -> Snakestream (conflict)

Oatpaw (CotC) -> Oatbelly (save)

Sloefur (FQ) -> Sloefall (conflict)

Perchpaw (MV) -> Perchshine (save)

Magpie (CP) -> Magpiesky (repurposed)

Swankit (TPB) -> Swansong (save)

Copperpaw (Po3) -> Copperwing (save)

Wavepaw (AVoS) -> Waveshine (save)

Shimmerpelt (BS) -> Shimmerbright (conflict)

Shadepelt (AVoS) -> Shademuzzle (conflict)

Mintfur (Po3) -> Mintflower (conflict)

Rushtail (OotS) -> Rushfish (conflict)

Carpkit (Missing Kits) -> Carpwhisker (save)

Bluefur (the one and only) -> Bluemoon (better)

Emberdawn (LH) -> Emberdusk (conflict)

Duckkit (Missing Kits) -> Duckfur (save)

Dragonflykit (Missing Kits) -> Dragonclaw (save)

Heronwing (AVoS) -> Heronflight (conflict)

REMOVALS: These may be shuffled to another litter at a later time, but for now, are effectively cut.

Grasspelt, because I would like Grasswhisker to be an old lady who was friends with Briarlight.

Nightsky and Breezeheart are currently dead as kits to further torment Icewing about losing Beetlewhisker in the Dark Forest. Like StarClan's mad at her.

Robinwing had a conflict name anyway so I just killed them as an apprentice because I want more young deaths.

Lizardtail. Being effectively replaced by Hollowflight, but may have been Hollow's original name before earning an honor title. (the honor title is for betraying the dark forest and running a marathon across the lake to fetch help during the Great Battle-- the name would become Hallowflight.)

The drowned kits of Mosspelt and Frogleap, Robinkit and Woodkit, are gone. I may use them at some point.

Pikepaw from Battles of the Clans. Holding onto them in case they're needed.

Gorseclaw. It is more tragic for Harelight to be the only surviving sibling, plus there was a name conflict anyway.

I completely missed the following cats and it's the only reason they weren't used, and I'm making a note of them here for my own reference should I ever need them;

COTC: Brindleclaw, Graywing, Foxwhisker, Foxclaw, Hayberry and kits Minnowkit and Wildkit, Sunspots, Fernleaf, Blackbee, Kinktail

Lightningpaw and Lilyflower gave Crookedstar a life

THERE WILL PROBABLY BE MORE.

CHANGELOG: I tell you why I did the things

Code and the Clans and Darkstar's Commandment

There's a lot of weird quirks around Code of the Clans, namely that there are two Darkstars associated with two different commandments in two different Clans. If that weren't weird enough, one of those Darkstars is very similar to the MAPLESHADE'S VENGEANCE Darkstar, but these are canonically three different people???

In my rewrite, no lol there's Darkstar of RiverClan, known for Darkstar's Commandment/The Queen's Rights, and Dalestar who created the "don't question your leader" commandment in response to Ripplestar's Rot.

I also snatched a bunch of the cats out of the CotC story to explain the confusion!

Aspentail (the magic spirit who assists the battle) was Darkstar's sister, and Perchpaw's mother. She is going to have a small but emotionally important role as part of StarClan in Darkstar's Commandment.

Splashheart was Perchpaw's father, and Splashfoot was named after him.

Moletooth, Nettlepad, Lightningpelt, Oatberry, and Meadowpelt are all repurposed from another CotC story, conflict-renamed when necessary.

I was going to allow Darkstar's lineage to peter out since Perchshine is going to go live at the barn, but Mudthorn had a mate slot open and I had a stroke of whimsy realizing I could have a kitten join RiverClan from the barn.

Magpiesky is Magpie from Crookedstar's Promise, now a sibling of Fleck and Mitzi instead of a child of Mitzi.

"Magsky" is now the one who brings young Stormpaw to the barn; Domino was her mother but she tries not to talk about her outsider heritage too much because... Clan Culture, y'know.

She was able to join because Volestar was gracious, citing her Darkstar blood.

Appledusk and Reedshine's children, only named in authorial statements, have been broken up and reworked. Willownose and Shyheart belong to other cats and only Applefrost remains; Duskwater has been made into an AppleReed kitten.

I really like how it's two kits, named for both parts of Appledusk.

Duskwater's mate Oatbelly was a victim of Mapleshade.

Rainflower is now the Appledusk descendant, not Shellheart. Her mom was killed in the same storm she gave birth in.

Greenflower

Greenflower's sibling was Duckfur, previously a Missing Kit described as her dead child. Needed more fodder.

I am probably going to make her mother Dragonflykit, the other Missing Kit described as a dead child. I need a good name though. Dragonflyclaw? I kinda want to drop the 'fly' suffix and make the name Dragonclaw because that's cool as hell

MAN what if Clan Culture has a concept of 'dragons' but it's actually a large dragonfly that flies like a hawk, bites like a snake, and swims like a pike...

1.1 UPDATE: Added Dragonclaw as Whitefang's mate and Greenflower's mother.

Greenflower and Sedgecreek were not capable of having biokittens, Duckfur was the honor-sire and Sedgecreek gave birth to the kits.

Greenflower loudly announces this during TigerClan to display their loyalty to the Code, Sedgecreek feels extremely uncomfortable having their personal information aired like that.

Swallowtail fell in love with Rainwhisker on the Great Journey, and became pregnant shortly before his death in the WindClan Rebellion!

The kits are Rainstorm and Rippletail.

Swallow named a son after her forbidden mate. It was BOLD, because Rainstorm is practically Rainwhisker's reflection.

Sedgecreek tries to forgive Greenflower and make amends, but Greenflower turning on their daughter Swallowtail when Ripple and Rain were born was the last straw.

Mudfur and Brightsky

I needed Mudfur's genes because as you can see things get pretty tight, since there's less named characters the further back you go

Say hello to Carpwhisker! She's a sweetheart. Previously a Missing Kit, I picked her over Waterkit or Oatkit.

Voletooth is named after their famous ancestor.

Volestar actually gave the family their spots, and they are all quite large like she was.

Brightsky is not actually dead. She left to become a kittypet, and only Hailstar and Mudfur know this. It was kept secret.

The other two kittens stayed with her.

Sunfish's Bloodline

Frogleap doesn't need kits. Society has progressed past the need for Frogleap kits.

Sunfish's lineage is continued through Grasswhisker. I am fond of Grasswhisker for like no reason. I just think she's Neat.

Her sister Vixenleap actually dies in Mudclaw's Rebellion

Dapplepaw is going to get eaten by a fish in Po3

Grasswhisker can't catch a break and that's how I like it

I made Lakeheart older because I like the idea that she was named after their new home and that effect kinda lessens if she isn't one of the first RiverClan births here.

Harelight and Tragedy

Like I mentioned before, Gorseclaw's getting cut completely. It fits Harelight's story a LOT more for him to tragically lose all of his siblings in TBC.

Denied the ability to mourn his sister Softpelt, being forced to bury Dappletuft like a rogue, Harelight is becoming a Light in the Mist next to Misty. He has a bone to pick with the Impostor.

He's kinda becoming a blorbo ngl.

I imagine he's very polite and a bit silly, but more astute than people give him credit for.

Based on ABSOLUTELY nothing he keeps reminding me of Donnel from Fire Emblem. I have NO idea why I keep thinking of him.

Me trying to reference a greek tragedy about simple mourning rights being the ironic downfall of a tyrant but all I can hear in my head is "YEEEEHAW"

Anyway

I am probably going to cut more warriors, too, to make way for some of the more interesting warriors to stick around. No one cares about Brackenpelt.

UPDATE 1.2: Harelight's first name was Harefur! Mistystar likes to 'match' the names of siblings according to a theme; SoftPELT, DappleTUFT, and HareFUR were all hair-related!

Harelight is an honor title because he is now a Light in the Mist, alongside Mistystar herself.

Graymist and Pouncetail, Mallownose and Sneezecloud

In-canon Shadepelt was acting like an elder when she was barely 2 years old. Lol. Lmao, even.

She is the mom of Pouncetail and Graymist now. I think this is a very funny idea. They are very silly as siblings.

Mallow is Pounce's son and Sneeze is Gray's son.

Mallownose and Sneezecloud are no longer siblings; but they are cousins who were really close growing up because they both lost their littermate!

Mallow lost Robin, and Sneeze lost Duck.

I made them more distantly related because I KNOW there's going to be some kind of romantic drama between Frostpaw and Splashtail in-canon and I want that to be less weird.

Sure, they're far enough in-canon to not break my Three Strict Rules, but still, I wanted to fix it really hard in advance.

1.1 UPDATE: Father of Sneeze has been changed from Voletooth to Beechfur. This may change again.

Copperpaw has evolved into Copperwing

He's called Copperwing because I was planning to have him replace Robinwing, and then I ended up using Robinpaw anyway as a kill… but the name remains.

Got hit with sudden inspiration to make him REALLY shiny and I leaned into it. Him and his kits are sparkly even for RiverClan cats, lmao.

Waveshine and Shimmerbright are pretty evocative of that, I hope! I'm glad I was able to use the -bright suffix at least once.

I approached my renamings with Mistystar in mind; I like to think she tries to give cats "thematic" names. For example, Rushfish is named after his dead brother. Heronflight, Perchwing, and Sneezecloud are sky-related. She even gave Lake and Otter the same -heart suffix.

The SwanMoss Family

Swansong, a surviving child of Graypool x Rippleclaw and the adopted brother of Mistyfoot and Stonefur, is replacing Frogleap. SWANSWEEP.

For a LOOONG while I was planning to make Willowshine the oldest child of Dawnflower, but now that I've definitively worked out the specifics of my tree, I can say with confidence that she works best as a Mosspelt kitten.

Because, y'know, unlike canon Mosspelt's mate isn't dead.

I put Troutstream in here because I feel like she looks like Swansong, who looks like Rippleclaw.

I kinda like her as a family outlier, she's a huge jerk... but she is a PRETTY jerk.

I think Mossyfoot was badly influenced, and her death made Trout grow up.

Icewing and Mintflower, Dark Forest 'curse'

Mintfur is now Mintflower because there needs to be more boys with the -flower suffix.

Also he is an ex-tribecat. He had to take refuge in ThunderClan when the Clan got dangerous during Stormfur and Brook's exile, but Mistystar invited him back when she gained power.

I'm killing Icewing and Mintflower's second litter. I think it's a lot more tragic for Icewing to feel like StarClan is punishing her by not letting her have more kittens.

The fact she trained in the Dark Forest and brought her son Beetlewhisker in with her is haunting.

On that note, Petalfur... either needs more to happen with her, or I'm replacing her on the Beaver Quest. Rippletail dies on it, the other RiverClan cat really needs to have some amount of importance in OotS and possibly beyond.

Other things

Havenpelt is an ex-rogue who used to cause problems, but eventually was badly injured and RiverClan took her in for healing.

I am not fond of Lizardtail because he's boring, in spite of having really interesting kids. He is either going to be combined with Hollowflight or axed completely; more DF Trainees need to survive.

If it's an honor title, it's going to become Hallowflight. The title will come because he defects from the Dark Forest Attackers and runs a very long distance to get help/warn the others before collapsing from exhaustion. A sacred marathon of sorts.

Mousewhisker x Minnowtail REAL. Mousewhisker joins RiverClan after TBC, so we'll have to wait for ASC to be completed before I can give any details. But this is set in stone.

[mallowstep]

Oh, another question! What status do widows of leaders have in the ioth RiverClan? Do they keep any of their former authority in any official sense? Are they often looked to for advice by their succesor or is it more common for new mates to wing it by themselves? Would Stonefur wish he had Willowbreeze to help guide him in his new role or does he think he can manage?

By the way, thanks so much for sharing with me behind the scenes while you were developing ioth, I know I can often be very lacking in commentary but I'm glad that you like sharing with me anyway.

it Depends a Lot.

the role of keeper is complex in that it is both fulfilling a physical need (someone has to keep track of how old kittens are) and a social one (someone has to be a mediator) and a spiritual one (someone has to watch over shrines).

it falls to the leader's mate (when they have one) because the leader is riverclan, and so of course it does. but mates can die or leaders can make it to leader with no mate. (that's very rare, though. not having a mate basically disqualifies you from deputy. the only known cases of it happening are when a deputy's mate died.)

what happens then depends on the circumstances, but usually someone close to the previous keeper, and preferably to the leader, will step up and keep the physical and social parts of the job functioning. but they can't have the actual role of keeper, so it usually falls on the seer* to keep the spiritual part running.

* maybe people will stop calling stolag the seer au after this lmao. but also this au has nothing to do with stolag. i'm just using seer for tone purposes.

so. my point with all that is: when a new leader takes over, their mate necessarily becomes keeper. (still fiddling with keeper vs the keeper. expect variation for a bit.) it's automatic. however understanding that the role is very much like being...fuck i'm forgetting how to say it properly, but for example the wives of feudal lords actually did quite a Lot in their households, managing money and food and hospitality and they did a Lot. same energy.

and that's not...especially if. okay so. riverclan kind of expects that pairs of mates are going to contain at least one maternal* cat.

* maternal in that it conjures up specific imagery, this is not a gender thing. riverclan might pressure cats into conforming to an expectation of family and kits, but they're accepting of all kinds of families. as long as they have kits.

(yes including poly relationships)

but obviously that's not how this works. willowbreeze was not especially suited to the position. sure, she liked her sister's kits, but she was...she was Restless. so.

you end up with maybe echomist continuing to shoulder a lot of the social needs, encouraging willowbreeze to develop those skills as time passes, but making a smoother transition.

while widows lose the title of keeper, they don't lose any of the respect associated with it. most...it can. okay. the cats who are going to have the hardest time is if their mate dies when they're still fairly young. because keepers generally don't...they can and do leave camp, but they're not usually assigned to patrols, because it's up to their judgment if camp will be okay without them.

so an older widow (echomist) is going to fit in the role of an elder in a lot of ways. but a younger widow it's like...you know what Do you do? they usually end up spending a lot of time in the nursery, but it can be hard.

(it's also pretty...they're very unlikely to have another mate in riverclan. which can be very isolating.)

okay uh. back on topic.

in most cases, you're going to have...the deputy's mate knows they might be keeper, so they're probably going to have a friendship with the current keeper, have some informal mentor-apprentice type relationship. not always, but usually.

so unless a cat is really struggling, previous keepers usually try to back off. they're not necessarily good at backing off, but they try to.

riverclan is in a weird position when leopardstar comes into power. willowbreeze died several years ago, and greypool has been serving informally first, but she dies...not long before crookedstar, iirc? i'm not great with the Order of the deaths in a dangerous path which is kind of not good because there are so many important deaths in that book.

but even before greypool died, her memory was failing her, so the duties ended up awkwardly not Quite getting done. mistyfoot did a lot of it, but there just hasn't been a cat filling the role for a while.

that Said, stonefur is reasonably...his aunt was the previous keeper, his mother filled the role for several years, and his sister is shouldering a lot of it right now. he's...he's got a lot of stuff going on.

it really is giving his entire self to riverclan for him. you know he's. well You, jace, know.

but as far as what is required of him? he feels like he understands that much.

<3