#he does apologize to reedpaw later

[mallowstep]

(Reedwhisker anon)

If the Erin's do confirm that Reedwhisker was in the same litter as Prim, Pike, and Perch, the only way I can figure out why he went through two years of apprenticeship hell is, well, a Serious Head Injury. Maybe Tigerstar sets up something to make himself look better. Reedpaw is only 1/4 Thunderclan, so maybe a 'show,' to make it look like he's going to have Reedpaw killed, and he talks to Darkstripe about it. Darkstripe accidentally messess up, maybe or maybe Reed hits his head on a rock during the whole thing before Tigerstar can do his whole generosity thing and spare him, and well. Everyone is confused when Reed doesn't get up, and then maybe he has a seizure or something? Idk Canon isn't my mess to fix.

Misty AU, I can actually see Mistyfoot just...physically pulling Reed close to her after Tigerstar is killed, and that's when Shadowclan realizes that oh. Reed is related to her. It's kinda even funnier if he looks like her, but they just didn't place it.

Leopard AU...if Misty is with Thunderclan's battle party when Bloodclan is introduced and Tigerstar dies, and Reed is with Riverclan's cats after Shadowclan flees, I can also see her just...walking over and lifting him up by his scruff and walking back to Thunderclan's party and Firestar is like...wat.

Stormpaw: "That's Reedpaw! He's Mistyfoot's kit." *he tells the fire pelted leader, before butting his head against Reedpaw as Stonefur attempts to get Misty to set Reed down, but it's not going to well.

As for the whole Tigerheart name thing....this boy personally voices his opinion to Twany next time he sees her too. He tells her directly to her face that she is a shitty queen, and a hypocrite.

But for The Kin and Darktail thing...in Canon, if he's from a second litter, I feel horrible for Misty. She's lost her first litter, Stone, Storm, and Feather, and now her son...is prisoner to Darktail. In Misty AU and Leopard AU...I cannot not see her going absolutely feral. Feather trying to keep her calm but Feather's regressed a bit, terror for her brother shining in her eyes, and Storm's pacing back and forth in Thunderclan camp, tail lashing. Stone probably wants to pull a rescue (if he's still alive) but Misty can't put Thunderclan or Riverclan in danger anymore then it is. Hawk, Moth, and Frog all uneasy and unhappy and twitching. They just don't know what to do. Maybe those three with Alder, Violet, and Twig stage a rescue and get everyone out. Or he's stuck as a prisoner to the Kin until Darktail is dead. Either way, big family cuddle pile every night for a moon or two. Maybe longer with Misty and Feather.

(Tried breaking this up with spaces, hope it works.)

yes thank you...greatly appreciated.

ooo that head injury idea is good! i like that a lot. yes. very good. i'm unlikely, like. i don't really care about reedwhisker as a character so shrug, i'll probably never do anything with him and the weird age stuff, but i like this as a solution! yes. very good.

dfjkldas yeah ohmygod. reedwhisker and mistyfoot walking to a gathering together and russetfur is like "oh my god we're all fucking idiots."

heh yeah. she probably would be! her and stormpaw. and she sees reedpaw and is like. "THAT'S MY FUCKING SON" and is very happy to see him. thunderclan comes home with more cats than it left with. but everyone is so happy to see him again. he's so happy to see everyone again. good reunion times.

mistyfoot is Not letting reedpaw out of her sight for like. at least three days. probably longer but at least three days. reedpaw is fine with that. he's very excited to see everyone. stonefur. god. yes. good family reunion times.

and yes -- god. i love. okay one of like. my fav things about tawnypelt (in the misty au) is this disbalance in their experiences. because -- to be clear, tawnypelt is also traumatized by tigerclan. but her experience is so fundamentally different like -- hm. it's not even.

excerpt time yes. some stuff from tnp i'm many whiles away from publishing.

so feathertail like actually doesn't remember very much of tigerclan. not in any specifics. it's all a very hazy mess with some key moments.

Feathertail wants to make her name them all, but Feathertail doesn't think she knows what they are. "What are you apologizing for, Tawnypelt?"

to face the burning heat

but tawnypelt does

"I—" remember how you screamed, Tawnypelt's mind supplies. I remember when I didn't understand. I remember everything, Feathertail. "I'm sure. I'm sorry for that, and every other time."

trying not to face what i've done

and yet. it's a hugely formative thing for feathertail, in a way that like -- tawnypelt doesn't get.

"No, we can't, can we?" Feathertail says. Her posture has changed, her ears folded back, and Tawnypelt shrinks.

trying not to face what i've done

like tawnypelt recognizes what's going on but she doesn't realize how deep she's cut

Brambleclaw is watching them. He has stepped back, Feathertail realizes, there is nothing between Tawnypelt and herself. She could — she could leap. Feathertail is frozen, her hindlegs refuse to move, she can't — she can't do this.

to face the burning heat

and yeah. so what's my point?

well, it'd be the same thing here, wouldn't it? because again, tawnypelt is one of tigerstar's victims. everything else aside, he's not like. he's emotionally abusive to her. he ties her self worth to his approval and he's not afraid to twist that thread to keep her under his thumb.

"Stop fucking whining," he snaps and she flinches.

let me write my own line

so to her like -- yeah. her whole decision kind of makes sense. because tawnypelt is -- not intentionally, but she's a very selfish character.

"What are you apologizing for, Tawnypelt?" Feathertail says this like it is a question, like they are not both staring at the result of everything Tawnypelt has done. Brambleclaw is watching in silence. I'm sorry, brother, she thinks. "Say it," Feathertail spits. "Tell me what you're sorry for."

trying not to face what i've done

like she's --- she's worried about her perception, here. it's complicated because she does apologize, she does let it come out, but she's also very concerned with her own image.

and that happens again when she names her son tigerkit. because she's thinking -- i am reclaiming this. but to everyone else, she's naming her son after a monster, she's openly invoking that comparison, like. i already think tigerheart has a very very complex to negative relationship with his name.

(especially once he becomes leader.)

so with that in mind -- yeah. first of all rip tigerheart for the comparison but second.

reedwhisker is Not having it. 0%. what the Fuck are you Doing tawnypelt.

i think -- honestly, i think mistyfoot would be angry with him for going as far as calling her a bad queen. right like, i don't -- i think that would be a step too far for her. but everyone in riverclan and shadowclan and all of the clans are supportive of reedwhisker.

(i saw a think about tigerkit being golden and goldenkit and -- my heart. feels things. goldenheart. i love it. hm. i literally have it saved in my au ideas folder. "oots except tigerheart is named goldenheart. that's it. that's the only difference.")

and yeah oh man the fucking kin like man. god -- i'm actually working on something about that? about how like -- it triggers mistystar's ptsd? anyway.

but yeah -- for Minimal Angst (and canon coherence) i think reedwhisker would be the only kit in her litter but i imagine like -- mistystar is very protective of him because of course she is, very reasonable. and so for him to be taken from her is just. unthinkably cruel.

and yeahh -- she would be really, really, really angry. this is what...like 8 years later? and still -- oh first of all.

just. the angst of -- because stormheart and stonefur were not there for the worst of it. and even though they saw the aftermath, you know, okay actually.

shadepelt would be probably like. very upset about the bodies. because the whole reason she almost died was that she tried to bury bodies. and stormheart like -- he hasn't really seen shadepelt like this. not really, not in a long time. hnng. good.

but feathertail is -- yeah. she's Retreating to Safety. even after this much time she's still very close with mistystar, and i don't think -- after reedwhisker is held hostage, i don't think she'd want to separate from her.

and everyone is so angry and frustrated and done because -- this isn't fair.

i think hawk, moth, and frog would definitely attempt a rescue. (i mean if i wanted maximum angst one of them would be held hostage as well. just for the record.) and --

oh i've talked about like. the angst of seeing your parent like. hurt. and this hurts them Again.

like it's hard, right? and even if they're adults feathertail is still their mom but she's scared and ohh. good stuff.

but yeah, rescue attempts. oh. maybe in the rescue attempt one of them gets captured. maybe like. hm. idk. maybe frog and alder. idk. but they get themselves captured and -- because alder is kind of like a dad to violet and twig and now there's So Much damn family angst.

but when it's all over -- mistystar is going to have a Lot of cats in her den for a while.

i'm not sure if/when mistyfoot and feathertail stop sleeping together? like maybe at some point but yeah. feathertail is like. "hi mistystar this is Our Den now."

(mistystar is fine with this. she's somewhat less fine with the fact that stonefur, stormheart, and reedwhisker are following suit because her den is like. big enough for maybe three or four cats to sleep comfortably, and hawkfrost, mothwing, and frogheart keep sneaking in, and she needs to be able to get out of her own den she is the leader oh my god, but only a little because really she just loves them a lot.)