#dawnflower

[notwarriorswiki]

Experimenting with the RiverClan family! Biggest redesign was Pebblefoot who I thought looked too similar to Jayfeather whenever they were placed against each other.

[mothdapple]

Tigerstar's Legacy in RiverClan

The aftermath of Tigerstar and TigerClan is one of the topics I enjoy exploring the most in Warriors, especially TigerClan's impact on RiverClan. That is certainly reflected in my TNP rewrite Shaken Roots (and everything I say here can be considered "canon" to my rewrite,) but I also find this an interesting and relevant lens to examine the canon books through as well. And that is sort of my goal with Shaken Roots anyway— I'm not reinventing the wheel with my rewrite, just expanding upon the design canon has provided.

Now on to TigerClan. TigerClan feels like a quite momentous era— Tigerstar and Leopardstar unite ShadowClan and RiverClan into one, and four RiverClan cats are imprisoned for being half-Clan, one being their loyal deputy, who is then executed.

It should be a watershed moment in RiverClan's, and Leopardstar's, history. But one of the things that makes this so fascinating to me is that it's not. This is my main thesis on the post-TigerClan era— RiverClan as whole is still dealing with the same attitude/ideological problems that led to TigerClan in the first place. They have not truly changed.

I see TigerClan as something which RiverClan tries not to think or talk about in general. However you slice it, it's a shamefully moment for RiverClan, and RiverClan, like all the Clans, are proud. They would prefer to sweep it under the rug. But if pressed to discuss TigerClan, RiverClan cats will explain it using the framework of ShadowClan— and Tigerstar specifically— conquering and occupying RiverClan, and imprisoning their Clanmates. This framework firmly shifts the blame away from any RiverClan cat and onto Tigerstar— a palatable scapegoat given all his crimes.

That's not to say, of course, that Tigerstar is blameless for TigerClan (quite the opposite,) but regardless, this framework downplays the actions of other culpable cats. Still though, it's understandable why some cats, especially cats who were very young during the TigerClan time, might see it this way.

Take someone like Dawnflower for example. She is the same age as Stormfur and Feathertail, and they grew up alongside her, all cared for by Mosspelt. Like them, Dawnpaw was a newly made apprentice during TigerClan. When Stormpaw and Featherpaw were imprisoned, she likely understood less than the warriors about what was going on. All that she knew was that her two best friends— the cats who were fostered with her— were taken away from her. Even if she protested, as a powerless young apprentice, there was nothing she could do about it. She’d likely just have been told that she would understand why this was happening when she was older.

Knowing her experiences with TigerClan, it makes sense that when Dawnflower grew up, she would almost solely blame Tigerstar for what happened. So when Hawkfrost's and Mothwing's true parentage was revealed to the Clans, Dawnflower had a knee-jerk reaction to be wary of them. Why wouldn't she be worried when she knew how much devastation their father had caused to the half-Clan apprentices she once was so close to— especially when Dawnflower herself had just recently given birth (to kits with an unknown-to-the-Clan father no less) and has their safety to worry about now too?

But by assuming that Mothwing and Hawkfrost were dangerous just because Tigerstar was their father, Dawnflower is falling into the same prejudiced mindset that Tigerstar had used himself to justify imprisoning the half-Clan cats. Fundamentally, her reasoning is just as prejudiced even though Dawnflower sees herself as being on the "correct" (pro-halfClan/Mistyfoot/Stormfur etc) side.

Let's take a different RiverClan cat example now to explore the other side of the Clan— the more conservative cats who are more distrustful of half-Clan cats.

Heavystep by all accounts was one of TigerClan's supporters within RiverClan— he is one of the few RiverClan cats noted to be sitting by the Bonehill during Stonefur's execution, while the majority of RiverClan is absent. Heavystep also happened to be Dawnpaw's mentor. (I imagine he was probably the one telling Dawnpaw that she is just too young to understand why this is happening when Stormpaw and Featherpaw were imprisoned.) I see Heavystep as someone who didn't like Tigerstar taking power in RiverClan, but ideologically, he agreed with him. Heavystep of course wouldn’t have killed Mistyfoot, Stonefur, Stormpaw, or Featherpaw himself without reason, but he was content to be complacent in their imprisonment. Even after TigerClan, Heavystep probably still thinks that Tigerstar had some decent ideas, but he just went too far with them. And there are certainly several other RiverClan cats who think similarly (Blackclaw for an easy example.)

In Shaken Roots: Dawn, when Hawkfrost's and Mothwing's father is revealed to be Tigerstar, I have Heavystep argue against them staying in RiverClan. But Heavystep’s reaction to Hawkfrost and Mothwing doesn’t come from a rejection of Tigerstar’s ideals, but rather a continuation of them— he thinks that they are untrustworthy half-Clanners, and while their father had some good ideas he “usurped” power from Leopardstar and unfairly “conquered” RiverClan, so Hawkfrost and Mothwing also shouldn’t be trusted.

Finally we have Leopardstar, who sits in a bit of a unique place at the heart of this. She clearly carries a lot of guilt for her actions during TigerClan, and in her mind, I think she genuinely wants to change for the better (and believes she has.)

But she didn't actually put in the work, and like the rest of her Clan, she never truly learned her lesson. We can see this in that fact that every choice Leopardstar makes after TigerClan that seems accepting towards half-Clan cats is only performative. Firstly, there is her naming Mistyfoot her deputy, which seems like a responsible move on her part, until after Mistyfoot goes missing, Leopardstar's first response is to appoint Hawkfrost (who shares Tigerstar's/Leopardstar's values) in Mistyfoot's place.

Leopardstar's acceptance of Feathertail and Stormfur in RiverClan is also obviously surface-level— as soon as they go missing in Midnight, Leopardstar's assumption is that they were disloyal and left for ThunderClan. In Shaken Roots, I expand on both of these examples to fully highlight Leopardstar's hypocrisy, but the foundation is present in canon.

Then there is Leopardstar's reaction to the reveal about Hawkfrost's and Mothwing's father. Interestingly, she is one of their few defenders within RiverClan. Is this proof then that she has changed, learned to accept half-Clan cats and not judge them for the actions of their parents? No. Leopardstar clearly sees Hawkfrost and Mothwing as exceptions, not the rule. 

I think Leopardstar has a lot riding on Hawkfrost and Mothwing. Knowing that Tigerstar is their father, I think she has wrapped the two of them up in her own personal path to “redemption.” Leopardstar sees herself undoing some of the harm she caused with TigerClan by training Tigerstar’s kits to be powerful, loyal members of RiverClan��� maybe even her successor in regard to Hawkfrost. There is also a lot of pride for Leopardstar tied up in the two of them. Hawkfrost was her former apprentice, and Mothwing was trained by her deputy and her medicine cat/father. Them being successful cases reflects well on her.

But Leopardstar's behavior towards other cats shows, fundamentally, that her views on half-Clan cats being untrustworthy are unchanged. Hawkfrost, Mothwing, (and to some extent, Mistyfoot) are just examples that Leopardstar can put on a pedestal and use as a shield to say “See??? I’m different now.”

This is why RiverClan is still as vulnerable to Hawkfrost's influence in TNP as they were to Tigerstar's in TPB. At a fundamental level, their ideology carries the same prejudice, so it's easy for Hawkfrost to sway them. In Shaken Roots some cats like Heavystep will even come to be one of Hawkfrost's staunchest supporters, since all Hawkfrost has to do is gain his trust— Heavystep already agrees with his ideals.

TL;DR TigerClan didn't end in RiverClan with Tigerstar. Tigerstar just provided an outlet for the prejudiced beliefs that festered in RiverClan long before him, and continued for long after him.

[sprout-battlecats]

dawnflower

[exocynraku]

mosspelt's tree

[googoothegodofblood]

dawnhawk baby named Newport Cigarette

Wow 🫶❤️ the world is so beautiful 😊🚬

Weedkit who reminds her papa tons of Sasha

[hollyleafdeservedbetter]

My last of the polls. Probably.

This would not necessarily mean they would specifically have Holly, Lion, and Jay. They could be 3 completely different and/or new characters.

[heepthecheep]

I see headcannons about Curlfeather being Reedwhisker's daughter, and I raise you:

What if Duskfur was Hawkfrost's daughter?

She shows up in tPoT as an adult, but if she where born soon after the clans reached the lake, she'd totally have her warrior name by then?

Maybe her mother was Swallowtail, or Dawnflower, who had a relationship with Hawkfrost before he died, which led to Duskfur.

And maybe Curlfeather takes after her great-grandmother, Sasha. Frostpaw too, with color point markings. Maybe Frostpaw even has her great--great Grandfather's eyes.

And Mothwing would be training her little grand niece, which is just 🥹

[sweetriverstyxwarriorsarchive]

[airocats]

[skyscratch-wc]

used a random number generator on my masterlist of characters and drew the ones I rolled!

descriptions and minor spoilers below the cut!

Thrushpelt (WC) - a minor character who appears in Tallstar's Revenge and gives Heatherstar a life for courage and instinct. He is described as a "sleek tom". He is also listed as a significant medicine cat in Secrets of the Clans. He was a warrior prior to becoming a medicine cat.

Slash (Rogue) - a major antagonist in the Dawn of the Clans arc. Slash was the leader of an antagonistic rogue group and is responsible for kidnapping Star Flower and attempting to take over the fledgling clans. He disappears by the end of Path of Stars. Slash is described as a "brown tabby tom with slashes of white fur on his front legs and yellow-green eyes"

Gorseclaw (SkC/TC) - the son of Cloudstar and Birdflight who appears in Cloudstar's Journey and other Skyclan focused novellas/super editions. Gorseclaw was born in Skyclan and then raised i Thunderclan after Skyclan was banished. He is described as a "broad shouldered, dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes". I personally do not like him being likened to Tigerstar and instead have made him a light tom with white highlights and blue eyes so that he is a mix between his parents.

Dewy Leaf (Ancients) - a minor character in Dawn of the Clans who is a queen in the early Tribe. Most of her interactions on page are in regard to her mate, Moon Shadow, leaving the mountains without her. She is, understandably, upset that he is leaving her to find a new home while she is pregnant with their kits. She is described as a "tortoiseshell she-cat".

Dawnflower (RC) - a minor character who appears in the timeline between Leopardstar's Honor and Omen of the Stars. She is described as a "very pale gray she-cat" and is the daughter of Mosspelt and Frogleap. Based on her on-page appearances, she is a proud and outspoken molly who is very protective of her kits. She passes away during the drought at the beginning of Omen of the Stars.

Mudpuddle (WC) - a minor character and deputy of Windclan in Code of the Clans under Stonestar. His only on-page time is him reassuring his leader that all of Windclan is safe after a large branch falls on the clans during a gathering. He is described as a "brown and white tom".

[celestralferretdesigns]

Dawnflower

[notwarriorswiki]

How do Mosspelt and Reedwhisker get together and have Willowshine if Reedwhisker rejects her as an apprentice?

Something like this

[rotted-cat-vomit]

Dawnflower is a very pale gray she-cat

[burning-thistles-bt]

Hi! First of all, love the AU and fic, I've been keeping up with it for about a year now and I love seeing new updates on it! Secondly, I was wondering two things... #1. Is Adderfang still Thistlestar's mentor in this AU? I don't believe we ever saw much of their Mentor-Apprentice relation in the fic if it existed, (likely because Adderfang hates Thistlestar so much xD) what was that like? Do you think Adderfang's reaction being so extreme was not only because he loves his daughter, but also because he felt betrayed at his former apprentice's actions? and #2. In Leopardstar's honor, a timeline is given for Mosspelt's pregnancy and relationship with Frogleap, and through another wonderful oversight by the Erins, Mosspelt apparently was pregnant while she was still an apprentice, from Frogleap, a cat who was ~4 years old. She gave birth around the same age as Spottedleaf had the Firesibs! I know that the BT timeline is a bit altered from canon, and that the fic pre-dates some later retcons from the series, like Volewhisper surviving. Is Frogleap having a predatory relationship with Mosspaw/pelt a thing that happened in BT? If so, what was that like for Mosspelt? Did she ever get any support in her hardships? did Dawnflower join the rebels out of a disdain for Thistlestar, knowing he has done terrible things like her father did as well? Anyways, that's about all. Sorry for such a long message! Thanks for putting so much time into your work and making such a great fic, and for taking the time to read my questions!!

yes Adderfang is still Thistlestar's mentor! i don't believe if it was ever mentioned in the fic or any one-shots, but he is lol. Adderfang's reaction was so extreme because Spottedpaw was his Precious Baby Girl and he very abruptly realized during the reveal how awful it was that someone in a position of power was getting with an apprentice (he would not have been so aggressive if this was a situation with a different apprentice and warrior---for example, Whitepaw and Goldenflower, or something. he cared and got protectively angry so much because it was his own daughter affected). the fact that Thistlestar was his own apprentice honestly didn't even cross his mind until it was over, and then it was just a very angry thought process of "i never taught him to be like that! (did i teach him to be like that?)" (yes, he taught him to be like that---not a predator, but he taught, unintentionally, Thistlestar to be more aggressive. remember, Adderfang was a part of Thistleclaw's groups that attacked kittypets for no reason.)

in BT canon, Mosspelt and Frogleap's relationship isn't touched upon much because I didn't realize how young Mosspelt was and also I'm not sure how much their age gap changes with the condensed timeline in BT lol. But! But! There are always hidden inappropriate relationships in the background (like, WillowTawny, although that's not really in the bg, but compared to SpottedThistle, GrassThistle, and DawnFinch, its not as prominent. also ShadeThistle is a bg bad-relationship. and i believe Cloudrunner x Morningflower would be one too, and there's definitely more. and future ones, like Snowbird x Scorchfur), so I do think Frog and Moss could be as it is in accidentally implied canon, where Frog groomed Moss. after all, most of RiverClan was pretty accepting of Thistle getting with Grass, weren't they? well, in general, it is---or was---unfortunately an acceptable part of clan culture. I do think that there is a multitude here; I think Frogleap is not as manipulative as Thistlestar, and cared more genuinely about Mosspelt and her emotions. While that does not make what he did okay AT ALL, I think Mosspelt did not experience as much negative emotions about the situation, and she doesn't perceive herself as being preyed upon. There are real life relationships like this, and they're definitely not ideal, and there's issues, but sometimes it just works out like that. i think there might have been issues down the line though, if Frogleap had survived, and Mosspelt had grown more as a person and developed differences in her personality than to how she was as an apprentice/young warrior. I'm getting "they died a happy couple, but if he had lived, she would have grown up and become more independent and he'd get upset at the changes, and then she'd divorce him" vibes

Dawnflower was one of Thistlestar's victims! it's mentioned a few times in passing that Thistlestar would 'go on patrol' with Dawnpaw, or look at Dawnpaw. actually, most young she-cats in RiverClan (Silverstream, Grasswhisker, Vixenleap, Shadepelt, Dawnflower, Primroseleaf, Feathertail, etc.) experienced some level of "creepiness" with Thistlestar. Dawnpaw/flower was one of the ones that Thistlestar would definitely say a bunch of weird shit to and touch her, but they never did anything past that. still, Dawnflower was scared shitless by him and terrified he'd do something she didn't want to him. she also just hated how aggressive/annoying Thistle and Lightning's rule was, so she left the instant she had an out (LeopardClan), though she was also really scared to leave her family/home behind, and worried for her siblings/friends. Dawnflower also definitely thinks of Frogleap (her dad) as a good warrior, and has no idea his and Mosspelt's relationship would have been similar to what she was experiencing (though, again, Mosspelt viewed Frogleap's attention as a much more positive thing, sort of like how Spottedleaf did with Thistlestar at the beginning. Meanwhile, Dawnflower was just always scared of his attention)

it's interesting, definitely, that Mosspelt stood against Thistlestar and what he'd done, yet never saw that she was victim to something similar too... though, to be fair, she joined LeopardClan because she supported Leopardfur as a close friend (through Frogleap) and knew Leopardfur was being unjustly accused, not necessarily out of a hatred of Thistlestar himself. much to think about...

[rose-warriorcatsrefs]

[morecatswarriorcats]

Dawnflower